Photo Gallery

Here's the pirate braving Charleston's February snow.  Brisk day for a tour!

Renowned Marine Archeologist Dr. Lee Spence helped solve a family mystery of just where this "piece of eight"

originated.  "Your coin is a handmade Spanish cob. It was cut from a small bar or strip of silver and then

hammered flat.  You can see the cuts and hammer marks around the edges. The shield/coat of arms of the King of

Spain was then stamped on one side and the cross of the church on the other. Your particular coin was minted in

Mexico City (as represented by the small "o" over the larger "M" to the left of the shield, part of the date shows just

above the mint mark) and was most likely recovered from one of the wrecks from the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet...

If your coin is roughly the size/weight of a silver dollar, it would be an 8 reale, if the size/weight of a half dollar it

would be a 4 reale. Both denominations are commonly referred to as "pieces of eight."   We did a little measuring

and weighing, and it's an 8 reale."