# How much would a 17th-century pirate ship be worth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 15, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172 "2023-09-15T16:34:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/1 "2023-09-15T16:34:45Z")
Semi-spoilers for Goonies, I guess. I just finished listening to a podcast about the movie _Goonies_, and one of the hosts suggested that One-Eyed Willy’s ship might be worth more than the treasure the kids found inside. How much would the ship be worth? And would it belong to the kids who discovered it? ---
**Author:** ![Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b487fb/32.png) [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/2 "2023-09-15T17:07:47Z")
As a presumably seaworthy ship from the Golden age of Piracy (c. 1650s to 1730s) it would be unique. One-Eyed Willy’s ship from The Goonies: [![](https://www.esquireme.com/cloud/2022/07/29/the-goonies-ship.jpeg) ](https://www.esquireme.com/cloud/2022/07/29/the-goonies-ship.jpeg) The closest thing that exists is the Vasa, a Swedish warship built between 1626 and 1628, that sunk on its maiden voyage and was raised in 1961: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Djurg%C3%A5rden%2C_%C3%96stermalm%2C_Stockholm%2C_Sweden_-_panoramio_%288%29.jpg/1280px-Djurg%C3%A5rden%2C_%C3%96stermalm%2C_Stockholm%2C_Sweden_-_panoramio_%288%29.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Djurg%C3%A5rden%2C_%C3%96stermalm%2C_Stockholm%2C_Sweden_-_panoramio_%288%29.jpg/1280px-Djurg%C3%A5rden%2C_%C3%96stermalm%2C_Stockholm%2C_Sweden_-_panoramio_%288%29.jpg) Then there’s HMS Victory a first-rate ship of the line launched in 1765, which would be larger than any pirate ship: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/HMS_Victory.jpg/1200px-HMS_Victory.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/HMS_Victory.jpg/1200px-HMS_Victory.jpg) > **[List of oldest surviving ships](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_surviving_ships)** > > This is a list of the oldest ships in the world which have survived to this day with exceptions to certain categories. The ships on the main list, which include warships, yachts, tall ships, and vessels recovered during archaeological excavations, all date to between 700AD and 1918; earlier ships are covered in the list of surviving ancient ships. Vessels listed are sorted by date of launch as most accurately known. Many of the ships in the "Build location" column were built for use in other co... ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/3 "2023-09-15T18:44:13Z")
Obviously, technically it’s not really “worth” anything. A ship that size without a motor probably wouldn’t be allowed in any modern harbours, it’s not practical as a yatch or cargo ship. But then, a Van Gogh is just a painting. I assume museums and private collectors would be fighting over buying it for a tidy sum to put on display. For that, the history and provenance are important details. (IIRC old wood ships needed regular maintenance to remove barnacles, replace wood that went rotten or worm-infested, etc. Later, they began to plate the underside with copper sheet to prevent this.) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/4 "2023-09-15T18:45:30Z")
I also wonder if all of the tunnels under the town would be designated a historical treasure, but that can be another thread. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/5 "2023-09-15T18:47:33Z")
The answer to the question “What is this-or-that worth?” is inevitably: Whatever a buyer is willing to pay for it. I doubt there’s a precedent when a ship like that was sold in recent times, so it’s hard to make an estimate what it would sell for, but I’m sure museums or private collectors would be willing to come up with a decent sum. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/6 "2023-09-15T20:06:15Z")
Well, most pirate ships were small schooner types, with a handful of guns and a large crew that hugged the coast. Not worth all that much. Now One Eyed Willys ship would be worth a lot to a museum or a nation, but it’s hard to quantify. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/7 "2023-09-15T20:12:06Z")
> [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](#): > > As a presumably seaworthy ship from the Golden age of Piracy (c. 1650s to 1730s) it would be unique. I agree. It would be a star attraction in most museums. (I think Mikey Walsh’s father was a curator at the local history museum so he’s going to have a really terrific addition for the collection.) BTW, I rewatched Raiders of the Lost Ark recently, and the same thing might be said about the lost city of Tanis. Can you imagine the archaeological and historical value of that city? The map room alone would be of huge interest. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-a-17th-century-pirate-ship-be-worth/990172/8 "2023-09-15T20:56:21Z")
FWIW, the replica of the _Bounty_ built for the Mel Gibson version of the film cost $4,000,000.