I just watched John Gates Expedition Unknown, about pirate treasure. Capt Henry Avery IIRC.
But my thought was- why would a pirate bury his loot someplace hard to get to anyway? Pirates spent their loot on run, high living and etc.
Not to mention- A Pirate captain just got a double share of the loot (along with the Quartermaster). They had to share it out. So even if there was a $1000000 loot in toda’s value, with a crew of 100, the Captain would only get $20000. So all these talks about "well they looted stuff worth $100Million today, doesnt mean the captain got it all.
So I ask the Teeming Millions- have they ever found any buried Pirate treasure? Shipwrecks, sure but the Captains buried loot?
Note this is similar to Buried Pirate Treasure - #34 by Fish but that was back in 2007, so I didnt want to play Necromancer (altho you would think with my posting name…).
Oh and the so called letter they were basing their hunt on- it started with “buried or shipwrecked”= which to me is a danger sign.
Some divers did find a shipwreck on the show with a few coins, but again- I expect loot in a shipwreck.
As far as I know the only pirate in the historical record known to have buried treasure is William Kidd who needed to put it aside to buy a pardon from the governor of one of the American colonies. The governor (of NY, I think) had the treasure dug up and used it as evidence to hang Kidd.
It’s only four paragraphs so you should read it all. He lists Kidd and also Sir Francis Drake. But he also says, correctly I think, that the modern idea was popularized by Treasure Island because real pirates did really spend the booty.
I remember the bit about Sir Francis Drake, but what I remember is that they took the gold and jewels but couldnt carry all the silver, so they hid it.
So no one can find any cites for real found buried pirate treasure? I could not.
Not just pirates, but many raiding cultures buried treasure.
The reason should be fairly obvious: It’s bulky and hard to carry. You just plundered a town, and have 200kg of plunder with you, and it’s a 50 mile hike to your next destination, where you expect to get more plunder. What’s a poor Viking, Pirate, or Anglo Saxon raider to do?
Well, you find a very clever way to bury it, then come back for it later when you have more time and carrying capacity. Then you get yourself killed, and the treasure is forgotten.
Metal detectorists still uncover Anglo-Saxon hoards buried around England.
Pirates were more integrated into local and regional economies than we think. Often their “loot” was cargo that they then sold, rather than chests of jewels and gold, and like many sailors, they spent much of their pay on necessities and pleasures.
Yes, but the Anglo-Saxon hoards weren’t buried by looters who had seized them; they were mostly buried by owners who hoped to save them from being seized.
I think both happened, didn’t they? I remember reading about a hoard find that was traced to raiders burying it behind them as they raided, and apparently it was quite common. After a battle especially, the loot that would be taken from dead soldiers (including swords, armor, etc) was just too heavy to carry at the time, but too valuable to abandon. Best solution: Bury it, and hope to come back and dig it up one day.
And of course if you know raiders are on the way, burying your valuables makes a lot of sense. But if the raiders kill you, the treasure remains undisturbed.
Well, in the recent lost underwater pyramids episodes, they indeed make a pretty good discovery. But yeah- usually maybe a coin or two or something which Josh seems to get really excited over.