Dead Man's Chest 2009

[Captain Jim]

Under/behind glass (or Plexiglas) would be good, if it can be arranged. There will be a fly and two tables provided.

The Schedule was to be a live auction starting at 4 PM and ending in time for a leisurely stroll up to the ramparts for sunset (which occurs @ about 5:45 or so) giving us approximately one and a half hours of bid time. If we add a silent auction we could open the silent at 3 PM, call it at 4/4:30 and award to the winners and then have the live auction on items specifically reserved for that or for items that received no bids during the silent. Any bids made during the silent would have to be honored and not opened up again during the live (pending any reserves set.)

I don't think that there are any activities planned for that time inside the fort, so we would not have any conflicts within the venue. Off-site activities are another matter. I'll check the schedule.

Alternately, the silent could be open all day and close at the above mentioned time with the stipulation that you have to be present to win. Might bring folks back to the fort for sunset and our sunset salutes.

[Silkie McDonough]

wow ...this is wonderful. Let me how things will be arranged at the hide and I will then offer to lend a hand on the auctions.

[Cannibal Chrispy]

wow ...this is wonderful. Let me how things will be arranged at the hide and I will then offer to lend a hand on the auctions.

I would be happy to serve as auctioneer, and I suggest auctioning the position as powder monkey for the all female cannon crew as well. Someone out there really wants it!

[Diosa De Cancion]

I was thinking along the same line...Perhaps a rope-line and fishing nets beyond that to keep people off the table, or to ensnare anyone who ventured too close. An unmanned table would need some sort of signage to explain what all the loot on the table was about.

On the other hand it would be nice to let the prospective victi...uh, I mean bidders...handle the goods to be sold and a live body being enthusiastic about the sale goes a long way toward sparking interest.

I really think you'd need the stuff behind glass, not rope.

I agree ~ under glass. Especially in the case of rain.

If I may be so bold ~ did anyone else present beside myself work the Shipwreck Ball Silent Auction at PiP 2007? From my personal experience, I would not have another Silent Auction unless it were guaranteed in stone that completion and distribution would happen at X time, as advertised. The Island Style timing of events clashed with the completion of the Silent Auction, resulting in several irritable and impatient bidders hurling verbal abuse at myself for an hour, accusing myself of mismanagement and more, as representative of the auction.

Well Luv,

I will volunteer my crewe for this part of things... The way we have worked this in the past is that I will get a closing time from someone, and I will count down to it. We give warnings of 15 minutes, 10, 5,4,3,2,1 etc.... at the end My crewe literally dives across all the papers simultaneously and it is over.

Sadly, you really do have to do this that way as there is always someone trying to grab the paper at the last minute...

I can also go through other rules like 'no holding the paper' as people will do as the end gets close and they want the last bid, etc etc... we've been yelled at, threatened, etc and frankly don't care :)

Silent auctions can indeed bring out the worst in people.

Also, Capt Sterling and Nell, I don't think the idea is to have an item in the silent auction and then also sell it in the live auction. (Correct me if I am wrong Capt Jim) but the silent auction would be for the smaller things and the live auction would be for the bigger 'wow' items.

Diosa

[Captain Jim]

Also, Capt Sterling and Nell, I don't think the idea is to have an item in the silent auction and then also sell it in the live auction. (Correct me if I am wrong Capt Jim) but the silent auction would be for the smaller things and the live auction would be for the bigger 'wow' items.

Diosa

"You can announce the winners of items on the silent auctions first, and if someone really wants the item and is willing to pay more they can bid live otherwise it stands as it closed in writing.... then start the bidding of the few items we've chosen to be live auction items only."

This is the line that conerned some of us; the underlining is mine. It seems to say that the live auction could override a bid that stood at the end of the silent auction. That, of course, would be too pyratical even for us...and the larger, "wow" stuff would be held back for the live. Everybody clear?

And Diosa I think the idea of a quick "pick-up-the-paper" team is a good one. If need be we'll recruit any nearby pyrates to fill in but it would be best to have something planned out ahead of time. Do people really get that vicious? Yeah, I suppose they would...

Edited December 13, 2008 by Captain Jim

[Mission]

For your edutainment:

January 14th [1703], one of our Men being dead, his things were sold as follows. A Chest, value five shillings, was sold for three pounds: A pair of Shooes, value four Shillings and six Pence, sold for thirty one Shillings: Half a pound of Thread, value two Shillings, sold for seventeen Shillings and six Pence." (Funnell, William, A Voyage Round the World, p. 15)

[Dutchman]

oy mission, taint january 14th yet. who's getting nackered off? whoever donated the tin box full of buckles, webbing and leather. thank you. i just made a new sling for my buss, repaired a belt and still have plenty left for garters and other projects. the copper bracelet kicks arse as well!

[Captain Jim]

oy mission, taint january 14th yet. who's getting nackered off? whoever donated the tin box full of buckles, webbing and leather. thank you. i just made a new sling for my buss, repaired a belt and still have plenty left for garters and other projects. the copper bracelet kicks arse as well!

Thank Capt. Bo for all of that stuff.

Mission! Look at the value/price differential. Is there something about a dead man's belongings that we haven't seen, such as some sort of talismanic property ascribed thereto? To whom did the funds go in that particular auction?

[Capt. Sterling]

according to the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea(or whatever the exact title is), sailors often paid what would be deemed exhorbitant prices for the dead man's things, knowing that the money would get sent home to his family to help provide for them...

[Captain Jim]

This is what I suspected, but the prices paid were huge. Especially the chest.

[Mission]

I'm afraid there's no more to tell. Funnell has a very abbreviated style and does not illustrate things very colorfully or go into details like Dampier's version of the voyage does.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

The box used to hold my sewing stuff, but I downsized. The green/brown webbing is hand woven by my best brudders wife on a home-made inkle loom. I have a bag strap, horn strap, and sling fer me musket from the same. The other is simple cotton webbing stained in chinese black tea. I don't know what all was in there, but I'm glad it was put to good use. Anyone else that got stuff from there and wants to know background, just ask and I'll try to remember. The buckles came from the store at Ft. DeChartres many moons ago. The Red sash also came from Becky's loom. Bracelet, I don't know where it came from but I know I've had it since I was a kid,(60's/ early 70's) and it was old then.

Bo

Edited December 19, 2008 by Capt. Bo of the WTF co.

[Dutchman]

thank you bo. its funny how items change hands. One of the bone islanders needed a sling that morning for his new boom stick. I was not shooting that day so I gave him the one i hand wove- figured I'd just make another later. bought the box of goodies- mostly for the buckles and got a new hand made sling!!! Even though we have never met, now knowing where it came from means even more.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

After review of the thread on campaign funiture, and the Selkirk chest, I thought I had better come to grips with reality. My woodworking "skills" are not very advanced, and frankly I have nothing more than simple hand tools and a barren workshop. I am not a craftsman, just a cobbler/tinker type. With this in mind, I will still be building a simple chest similar to the one I assembled this year, and I am going to concentrate more on the hardware, as my metal working skills are far better than woodworking. Classes and unfortunate events in the neighborhood made it impossible for me to make the hardware I wanted to this year and I had to settle for the cheap brass stuff that came with the kit. Looking at those hinges from the other thread, I can easily reproduce these from large cotter pins and some heating in the forge. Rather than me taking on the entire project, I would rather see this thing involve others and make it a real crew effort. There are many who are skilled beyond what I could ever become and so if there are others who wish to do the woodcraft using hinges and hasp off my forge, I feel that the overall product will be much more pleasing in the end. Making things is my "therapy" for stress, and giving stuff I craft away makes me a happy man. If, however there are no others interested, I will still tackle the PiP 10th Anniversary chest as well. What say the crews?

Bo

[silas thatcher]

i can do the chest... while i have not made one yet ( wanna make a few for me ) i believe i can make one to everyone's liking... i'm not as skilled as others, but i do have a problem of being a bit of a perfectionist some times..

if i am granted the project, i will need advice time to time, sizes, construction details, etc. from others whom i am sure will step up when needed...

lemme know...

[Caraccioli]

I thought this bit was interesting. It's from Abraham Crowley's journal Crowley's Voyage Round the Globe as included in William Hacke's A collection of original voyages (1699).

"...we threw one Man overboard. He was an old Dane, who dying in the Night, and being stiff before any Body knew that he was dead, it was no sooner perceived, but some made hast to call the Doctor and Minister to him, whilst others was busie in rifling his Chest, to get what he had saved. Yet fortune did not favour them, for they were quickly compelled to return what they took out of his Chest with shame." (Crowley, p. 41)

Nothing about an auction, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.

Note this makes the fifth period account I have recording the throwing of bodies overboard. The first was in Bruce S. Ingram, Three Sea Journals of Stuart Times (Rogers account), one man on page 163 and another on page 188 (a surgeon!). The second was in Henry Teonge, The Diary of Henry Teonge, one on page 130, another on page 137, and another on page 246. The third was in Woodes Rogers, A Cruising Voyage Round the World, p. 89-90. The fourth was in Edward Barlow’s Journal of his Life at Sea in King’s Ships, East and West Indiamen & Other Merchantman From 1659 to 1703, three bodies on page 214, one on 223, the last on 276 (an officer). It may not have been preferred, but it was certainly not uncommon. In fact, I have twice as many references to tossing the bodies over the side than I do to proper burials.

While scanning my notes, I also found this in Teonge:

“[Dec. 9, 1675] The bo’sun’s goods are this day sold at the mainmast (Endnote 147: MS. boarson’s. It was the custom for slop clothes to be ‘sold always above decks, at the mainmast’ in the presence of the whole ship’s company. The same applied to the effects of a deceased seamen.) at an extreme dear rate…” (Teonge, p. 109)

Edited February 2, 2009 by Caraccioli

[Island Cutter]

As I understand things, 2009 is the 10th anniversary? If so, this means that I will have to go overboard on the chest and call in some markers from my more skilled woodworking connections. I think a very special trunk should be made to commemorate this event. I will volunteer to make both the simple seamans chest, and see to it that a special item is constructed for the commemoration. I have several retired neighbors with big woodworking shops they built for retirement and are always looking for something to do! If someone else was planning on doing something toward consructing a chest then I don't want to step all over anyone, so let's discuss how to best accomplish this. This is the only connection to PiP I will be able to make, so I get wound-up talking about it.

Bo

Serendipity at its best... I just started reading this thread to see how I might contribute!

I am a boatbuilder, cabinetmaker and a woodcarver. I am most willing and eager to be of assistance. Being a creative type, I can also bend my noggin to the actual design of something very special for this Event.

Please let me know how I can help.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I found the small seamans chest very similar to the one I sent last year at the flea market on sunday! Silas Thatcher had mentioned wanting to try a bigger sea-chest as well Cutter. Maybe you two can work that out, I'm going to work on filling the little one with neat stuff like I did last year. I'm stepping aside from that as I'm more of a metal-worker than wood-worker, and I am converting an old boat trailer for tent poles and sending some stakes too. I tried the cotter-pin hinges on this little chest and they work out great! If I can make those for the big chest, let me know. Capt Jim posted the photos in another thread.

Bo

[silas thatcher]

I am a boatbuilder, cabinetmaker and a woodcarver. I am most willing and eager to be of assistance. Being a creative type, I can also bend my noggin to the actual design of something very special for this Event.

Please let me know how I can help.

well..... my skills, though fairly good, just can't compete with THAT !! cutter, if the better man wants to step up and take over, i have absolutely no problem.... i do have a few ideas of mine and have enlisted some help for some nice beckets also...

pm me if you wish :)

[Island Cutter]

...Silas Thatcher had mentioned wanting to try a bigger sea-chest as well Cutter. Maybe you two can work that out...

Bo

Thanks Bo. I will see if I can work with Silas on this.

Fair Winds, Mate!

[Fayma Callahan]

I was just wondering... I have the chest from last year, and I thought we were going to use it again, since it was soooo beautiful, and we didn't think that we would get enough donation to justify auctioning it. What do we want to do with it? I am glad to be it's protector, and would be willing to bring it back for the next auction, as it is so well done, I want to make sure it goes to a loving home. Any thoughts?

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

That was a very inexpensive kit that was easy to assemble if it is the one I sent. I made some small modifications and ran out of time to make some hand-crafted hinges and hasp, so I just threw on those brass ones I had lying around the shop. I thought it would be auctioned along with the rest of those little goodies. Or was there another chest that you are talking about? I found a similar one at a flea market I am doing the same, but this time using the period type hinge system and making a forged hasp. Maybe some forged handles too. If this is the one I sent, sounds like it already has a loving home! If you wish to re-use it for next PiP, that is cool too, I will use the one I got this past weekend for the Santa Maria gig. Just to be sure though, we are talking about the same one which was roughly 14X11X9 inches, dark stained and brass hardware?

the one I sent can be seen to the left in the photo. Is that the one you have?

Bo

Edited February 4, 2009 by Capt. Bo of the WTF co.

[silas thatcher]

question for all.... since a few of us are interessted in making a chest for the auction, does anyone see a problem if there are two or even three chests to auction off ?? or should there be only one official deadmans chest ??

should we reuse bo's original chest, make that one the "official" chest, just keep it year to year and auction off what is inside, and have another one or two to auction off ??

i would like to make one, but i also want to see island cutters knockdown version...

does anyone have any input as to having a few to auction ??

my opinion...... steal, uh i mean "aquire" the original one bo made, and have a few other that will be auctioned off, and keep the original for the next year...

let us know your thoughts :)

[Fayma Callahan]

Yes Bo it is the one and same. I just love it! It was such a great piece, that we wanted it to be the "anchor" for the auction, but then after the auction had been going awhile, we wanted to make sure that it brought a good price, so we saved it. I think several chests may be in order, if there are several willing to donate. It would seem to me that after a battle perhaps more than 1 person would have expired. Just a thought.

So, what do I do with the current chest? Besides adore it, that is...

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

Here's a thought; use the "original" for the small items and auction it off as a complete package deal kinda like Monty Hall and "Let's Make a Deal" by just showing one item at a time as the bidding gets more intense? The other chests and larger items that won't fit in the little one could be auctioned seperately. I think more than one chest of different sizes and styles is a good idea.

Fayma, I will send a set of cotter-pin hinges and a forged hasp to fit that little one if you like. Can you find someone to install them for you? My second suggestion is that if you love that little box, just make a donation to the Fort and claim the thing for your own! I have another near enough like it that I'll send for this years auction.

Bo