We’re often asked about real pirate coins… after all, pirates like Blackbeard, Calico Jack, and even Captain Jack are the stuff of legend, with tales of their daring still told to this day. And, our Pieces of Eight for sale are indeed the same Pieces of 8 that every self-respecting pirate, king, princess, and privateer dreamed of having.

But why? Because Pieces of 8 are the legendary silver currency that fueled the rise and fall of empires for over 300 years. They even inspired the creation of the next legendary trade currency … the United States dollar.

Every real Piece of 8 is an ambassador — with a real story to tell. From shipwreck Pieces of 8 that went to the bottom of the sea during the age of sail (made famous by pirates and privateers alike), to buried treasures lost to the light of day for centuries. Each story is as captivating as the treasure coins themselves.

And it’s not just pirates and lost Spanish galleons who are famous for their treasure — modern-day treasure hunters have also stepped into history. Mel Fisher discovered Atocha after 16 long years of searching. Burt Webber recovered the treasure of the Concepcion off Silver Shoals Reef in the Dominican Republic… and the list goes on.

At Cannon Beach Treasure Company, we’re both historians and treasure salvors, and we specialize in shipwreck and buried treasure coins and the stories behind them.

Every Piece of 8 we present has been professionally conserved, stabilized, documented, and certified by us so they can continue their journey with you. But beyond that, each real Piece of 8 and Doubloon comes with extensive documentation researched and written by us so that you can share the story with others.

Would you like to know more? Contact us today, or read on to learn all about our pirate era Pieces of Eight for sale, and Doubloons, too.

A Piece of 8 is the nickname for the Spanish 8 Reale — or “real de a ocho” in Spanish. Think of the Piece of 8 as the Spanish Dollar. Originally, Pieces of 8 were silver coins that the Spanish Empire began minting in 1497 at the direction of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella… yes, that same Ferdinand and Isabella famed for sponsoring Christopher Columbus’ journey that ended with the discovery of the New World.

We should note that “Reale” means Royal in Spanish, indicating that the Piece of 8 was an officially sanctioned currency of the Spanish Crown.

Doubloon is a nickname for the Spanish gold coin of the day, officially “Escudo,” which translates to Shield in Spanish.  This again indicates their official status as the coin of the realm. 

But more on Pieces of 8 vs. Doubloons later…

With the discovery of the New World, and the wealth of gold and silver it contained, the Piece of 8 soon became the preeminent world trade currency. It was traded across the Spanish, British, Dutch, and Portuguese empires and from the Americas to Europe, Asia, and beyond for two main reasons:

1. The Spanish Empire closely controlled the weight and purity of both silver Pieces of 8 — the Reales and Gold Doubloons — the Escudos.

2. Due to New World riches, Spain provided 80% of the circulating silver and 70% of the circulating gold in the world for 300 years!

In fact, for 300 years, the Piece of 8 reigned supreme, and combined with gold Doubloons, supported 90% of Europe’s economy, not to mention South American, African, and Asian economies as global trade became more and more established.

And why 8? Well, the Spanish Monetary system was based on 8s, rather than 10s like most modern currencies. Think of the 8 Reale as the Spanish Dollar. Reales were minted in denominations of one quarter (extremely rare), one half, one, two, four, and eight Reales. Eight Reale coins — the largest Pieces of 8 — comprised 75 - 80 percent of the coins that flowed out of New World mints.  Less than 25 percent of the coins were smaller denominations – thus their rarity.

A quick historical note here because we can’t resist… the mighty Piece of 8 wasn’t the world’s first trade coin. That distinction may be given to the stunning Athenian Tetradrachm of Ancient Greece — the legendary Athena and the Owl coins. These silver trade coins were traded throughout the known Western world and were relied upon for their stable purity and weight during the heydays of Ancient Greece.

If you’d like to know more about Athenian Tetradrachms, you can see them here.

Well, the quick answer is Pieces of 8 are silver, and Doubloons are gold. But there is so much more…

1. Pieces of 8, formally known as 8 Reales, were silver coins struck by New World mints mostly as a form of accounting. This was a quick and easy way to keep track of how many were being shipped back to Spain.

2. Pieces of 8 is a broad nickname given not only to 8 Reales, but the smaller quarter, half, one, two, and four Reales that were also struck — but remember, less than 25% of the coins the Spanish minted were these smaller denominations.

3. Pieces of 8, or 8 Reales, are quite valuable, just as they were back in the day. They were not intended for daily use or small transactions. In fact, the nickname “Piece of Eight” comes from the practice of cutting the 8 Reales down to make change.

4. Doubloons — literally “Doblon” in Spanish — are, technically, 2 Escudos, hence “Double” in English. Escudos were the 22K gold counterparts to the silver Reales. However, like “Pieces of 8,” the Doubloon moniker soon stuck to all the Spanish Gold denominations, which were minted in half, one, two, four, and eight Escudo denominations (the 8 Escudo was a full Spanish ounce of gold!)

5. Yes, in the movie The Goonies our favorite Goonie Mikey holds up a huge, ostensibly silver “coin” while mistakenly calling it a doubloon.  This led an entire generation of movie fans to erroneously believe Doubloons are silver, and very, very large. Despite its lack of historical accuracy, we do highly recommend that as soon as you are done learning about Pieces of Eight and Doubloons, you go watch The Goonies again — because, honestly, why not?

6. Doubloons were much more valuable than the Reales… about 16 times more valuable, and much more rare.

7. Pirates were all about real pirate Doubloons, Pieces of Eight, and treasure in general, which came down to any gold and silver coins, bars, or jewelry they could get their hands on, along with anything of any value they could sell. It just so happens that when people think of real pirate coins, they immediately think of Pieces of 8 and Doubloons because the vast majority of trade coins circulating during the Golden Age of Piracy were Spanish Reales and Escudos — hence the fame and legend of pirate Pieces of 8 and Doubloons.

First, please keep in mind that with one (well, OK, two) exceptions, there is no way to tie any Piece of 8 or Doubloon directly to a pirate. After all, pirates really weren’t big on accounting and bookkeeping if you know what we mean. After all, Captain Jack himself, in Disney’s epic, Pirates of the Caribbean, has this informative exchange about record keeping:

Harbormaster: It's a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock... and I shall need to know your name. 
Jack Sparrow:  What do you say to three shillings and we forget the name?
Harbormaster: Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith.

OK, before we go on, let’s discuss one exception — yes, we heard you thinking about it. In 1717, the Whydah Gally, a pirate ship captained by Samuel “Black Sam” Bellamy, sank in a storm off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Discovered in 1984, Barry Clifford and his team recovered gold and silver coins and numerous artifacts from the famed pirate ship, most of which now reside in the Whydah Pirate Museum in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts. A few Pieces of 8 from this wreck are held in private collections, and are worth tens of thousands of dollars each — Real Pirate Pieces of 8 to be sure. The second exception? Read on, dear reader!

But back to where real pirate coins and our Pieces of 8 for sale are from. And, we will return to the movies…

Anyone who has watched any number of treasure hunting movies knows that silver and gold are heavy… really, really heavy. And, if you want to spend said silver and gold, you have to transport it from where it is mined to ye olde corner shoppe, so to speak. And what form of transportation did the Spanish use, you ask? Well, it was the Age of Sail (yes, with plenty of pirate ships and treasure galleons). So, the Spanish created the “Fleet System” in which treasure-laden galleons sailed together with heavily armed ships, for protection from their political enemies and those pesky pirates and privateers, from the New World to the Old.

And, every so often, largely due to the fact that the tradewinds blow in the right direction from the New World to the Old World during hurricane season, a treasure galleon — or whole fleet of them — was lost to the sea, who holds ultimate authority over her sometimes serene, but often treacherous waters.

Other Pieces of 8 were hoarded — buried in the ground, or hidden in walls, floors, and foundations during the tumultuous centuries of the Spanish Empire. They were well hidden until discovered in modern times, often by accident and to the delight of the discoverer. It is from these shipwrecks (over 20 of them) and hoards that Cannon Beach Treasure Company’s authentic Pieces of Eight for sale come. Thus, while  historical pirate jewelry is the stuff of legend, we offer genuine pieces of incredible history set in fine jewelry in the form of Pieces of 8 and Doubloons from the Golden Age of Piracy.

It may surprise you to learn that movies like The Deep and Fool’s Gold and TV shows like Black Sails are actually based on real shipwrecks and treasures. For centuries, the lost silver Pieces of Eight and gold Doubloons of the Spanish Empire remained submerged on the ocean floor, sometimes under tons and tons of shifting sand… waiting.

They sat waiting until they were finally brought up from the depths by legendary treasure hunters — salvors whose passion for discovery drove them to search year after punishing year for the lost riches they knew were out there… somewhere. And their names, and the names of the legendary lost galleons they discovered, have become just the latest chapter of treasure lore.

Mel Fisher’s Atocha

The Nuestra Señora de Atocha, sunk off Key West, Florida, in 1622, is the most famous treasure galleon in modern history. Caught in a hurricane after setting sail from Havana, Cuba, she went to the bottom loaded with Pieces of Eight, massive silver bars (weighing in at over 70 pounds each), glittering gold Doubloons, stunning gold “money” chains, and rare, precious artifacts.

And for 16 long years, legendary treasure salvor Mel Fisher and his dedicated crew searched in vain for Atocha. Six years into the search, their salvage vessel Northwind capsized, and Mel’s son Dirk, his daughter-in-law Angel, and crewmate and diver Rick Gage lost their lives.

But throughout it all, Fisher and his team persevered… finding the scattered remains but never the massive bulk of the fabled treasure. Year in and year out, they hunted, until July 20, 1985, “the day” with the discovery of the motherlode… piles of riches beyond imagination. Hailed as the most extensive shipwreck treasure ever to be discovered, the treasure of Atocha remains the stuff of legend to this day.

Interested in learning more? Read our historical brief for more details about the Atocha's sinking and rediscovery.

The 1715 Fleet of Florida’s Treasure Coast

Strolling along the shore near Sebastian Inlet on Florida’s mid-East Coast in the 1950s, local contractor Kip Wagner decided to pick up and take home some of the strange black disk-like “rocks” he was seeing washed up on shore.

A quick “cleaning” revealed that these rocks weren’t rocks at all, but Spanish silver, you guessed it… Pieces of 8. This simple discovery led to the identification and recovery of the treasures of the 1715 Fleet, an entire fleet of treasure galleons lost to a hurricane in July of 1715.

Throughout the intervening decades, the Fleet has been worked by legendary treasure hunters and early salvage operations like Cobb Coin Company. To this day, treasure divers licensed to work the Fleet gather at the beginning of the summer diving season, convinced that they too will claim the riches still to be found on the Fleet.

And, I should make a note about movies yet again… The Deep and Fool’s Gold and the TV show Black Sails are all loosely based upon the search for and recovery of the 1715 Fleet.

But to learn more actual facts about the 1715 Fleet, see our detailed, and pictorial guide to the 1715 Fleet.

Burt Webber and Carl Fismer’s Concepcion

Where? Silver Shoals reef in the Dominican Republic… the graveyard of the treasure-laden Spanish Galleon Concepcion. When? Well, this ship sank in 1641, but when it was recovered… that’s another story!

So, as it turns out, the Spanish weren’t bad treasure salvors themselves. If they knew where a treasure galleon sank, they would employ native free divers to recover what treasure could be found. And, they did — famously the Spanish recovered more treasure from the 1733 Fleet in the few years after the disaster than was on the original manifests –= and in the case of the 1715 Fleet, more than enough to attract pirates like Henry Jennings to the salvage camps on shore. Yes, real pirate Pieces of 8!

But, back to the question of when regarding the treasure of Concepcion. You see, not all treasure hunters are 20th-century types… enter William Phipps in the 1680s. This British treasure hunter located Concepcion on the reef and recovered over 25 tons of silver. And then, the location was lost to time.

Until modern-day treasure hunters, including Jacques Cousteau, took up the hunt. However, years passed with no luck until, in 1978, the magic combination of treasure hunter Burt Webber, famed Spanish treasure researcher Jack Haskins, and historian Peter Earle, who discovered Phipps' vessel’s logbook, led to a treasure discovery for the record books.

Fortune and glory came next, with recovery efforts headed first by Webber, and later by Robert’s treasure diving mentor, Captain Carl “Fizz” Fismer, in 1986. The most famous treasure galleon discovery before Atocha, Concepcion Pieces of 8 are some of the most coveted of all shipwreck treasure coins.

For the full story of Concepcion, take a look at our Historic Brief, all about this fascinating shipwreck.

The Treasure of the Isla de Muerto – Consolacion

Real Pirate Pieces of 8, ye seek? Well, matey, you’ve come to the right place! Remember the one exception, Black Sam Bellamy’s Whydah, to the “tying Pieces of Eight and Doubloons to an actual pirate” conundrum? Well, there may just be two exceptions…

It turns out that, for unknown reasons, the Spanish treasure galleon Santa Maria de la Consolacion began a solitary voyage up the West Coast of South America in 1681. She had been loaded to the gunnels, so to speak, with glittering silver Pieces of 8, which were to be transferred to mule trains in Panama to cross the isthmus (where the Panama Canal is today) and eventually find their way to Cuba to make the voyage to Spain.

But, alone and unprotected, Consolacion would never make it to Panama. Why, you ask? Well, rather than foundering in a storm, Consolacion and her precious treasure ended up on the ocean floor due to, you guessed it… pirates!

These pirates were led by one Bartholomew Sharpe, a British pirate trolling the western seas in search of, well, fortune and glory. (Are you sensing a theme here?) Spying Consolacion, alone, unprotected, and flying the flag of Spain, the chase was on. Now, we should point out here that while galleons were good for hauling treasure, they were rather bad at hauling, well, you know, a… booty if you know what we mean. We will just leave it at slow... very slow compared to most pirate ships of the day.

Pursued, and with less than one good option, Consolacion — probably trying to make it to the safe port of the Spanish settlement at Guayaquil, Ecuador — hit the reef off of Santa Clara Island. With passengers desperately struggling to reach the safety of shore, the crew set the wrecked vessel on fire in an attempt to keep the pirates and treasure forever separated.

And, as it turns out, the plan worked. Remember, silver and gold are heavy… and they sink! Sharpe and his pirate crew tried to recover the coveted riches but failed to pocket a single Piece of 8. Ironically, those famed Spanish salvors were out of luck, too, and it took modern-day treasure salvors to finally bring the lost treasure of Consolacion to light in 1997.

Why is the wreck of the Consolacion often referred to as the Isla de Muerto wreck, you ask? Good question! Legend holds that Sharpe and the other pirates were so enraged that they took revenge on the crew before they could gain the safety of the island. Birthing the real-life nickname of Santa Clara as the Isla de Muerto or “Dead Man’s Island.”

However, it’s more likely that the island gained its name from its shape as it rises from the sea. Remember, early mariners, chief among them the Spanish, would sketch the shape of land masses on the horizon as a navigational aid, and Santa Clara does actually look like a dead man lying on his back under a shroud. It’s no wonder that navigators of the time called it “El Muerto.”

Learn even more about Consolacion — the Isla de Muerto Wreck — with our complete Historic Brief.

Well, actually, quite a few things! Here’s just a quick list:

• Each of our real Pieces of Eight and Doubloons is ethically sourced from famed shipwrecks and long-ago-recovered hoards. 
• Each is professionally conserved and preserved by us in our own state-of-the-art Conservation Lab. 
• Every silver Piece of 8 and Gold Doubloon we sell is carefully documented and registered in our database, and comes complete with an extensive documentation package, including our legendary multi-page Certificates of Authenticity detailing each treasure's creation, use, loss, and recovery. 

But beyond all this, we put our passion for history and excellence to work with every real Piece of 8 we sell (along with all our other treasures).

Our treasure coins are carefully set in fine jewelry by US-based artisans, ensuring they retain their beauty and historical significance for generations. 

Most of all, when you want to learn more about our Pieces of Eight coins, you won't be talking to an agent or employee  — you'll be speaking with us, Robert and April Knecht of Cannon Beach Treasure Company.