Who would have never dreamed of finding pirate treasure? What does it take to get it? Maybe just being an amateur archaeologist. A group of them in the United States found several small buried silver coins. They are Arabs from the 1690s. This find sheds light on the mystery of the boldest pirate attack in history. Apparently they are the lost coins of the world’s most wanted pirate.
collect coins
The first of these coins was found by Jim Bailey. He is an amateur historian and metal detector. The coin was on a farm in the town of Middletown. Two years earlier he found old colonial coins, an 18th century shoe buckle and some musket balls.
To date, 16 coins from the late 17th century with Arabic text have been found. Ten of them were found in Massachusetts. Three more in Rhode Island and two in Connecticut and one in North Carolina. They are the oldest ever found in North America.
By comparing the available data, Jim Bailey discovered something. These coins can reveal a great secret. This is one of the boldest and bloodiest heists in piracy history. It was attacked by the brutal English pirate Henry Every. He became the most wanted criminal in the world. It was after the robbery of a ship that carried Muslim pilgrims from Mecca to India.
It happened on September 7, 1695. The pirate ship Fancy was commanded by Every. He raided and captured the Ganj-i-Sawai, a royal ship of the Indian Mughal emperor. He found many riches on board. The gang tortured and killed the men on board the Indian ship and raped the women.
Estimates put the booty at around 600,000 pounds, including 500,000 pieces of gold and silver. The amount is equivalent to around $ 108 million. The pirates sought refuge in the Bahamas. When the news of the looting became known, the English King Wilhelm III. A big bounty on their heads.
Pirates in North America
Research has shown that the coin was minted in Yemen in 1693. There is no evidence that American settlers traveled anywhere in the Middle East to trade anywhere until decades later.
Bailey assured that the coins found are evidence that the famous pirate reached the American colonies. One of the coins was found in North Carolina. According to the records, some of Avery’s men ended up there for the first time. “It seems that some of his crew has been able to settle in New England,” said Sarah Sportman. She is a Connecticut state archaeologist.
Avery was able to hide in sight by posing as a slave trader. On the way to the Bahamas, he even stopped on the French island of Reunion to bring black prisoners.
Bailey published his findings in a journal of the American Numismatic Society.
