Coins Being Worn

[El Pirata]

I have been collecting reales for 10 years, most of which found in their original location where they had been lost 300 years ago. I have seen quite a few of the ones I have found that had holes in the coin itself indicating that some of the peoples of old would wear coins rather than just use them for currency. Does anyone have more information on this like the types who would wear coins and the reasoning behind wearing coins?

[BadPirate]

I know that the French and English both wore silver and other valubles as jewlery, it was so it could be kept close to them at all times. This was early America, 1700's Maybe they did the same.

Cap'n McCrary of the Great Lakes River Pirates

[Black Deacon]

Keep in mind that pockets as we think of them in clothing wearn't common in the early 1600's. And it is much easier to cut the string on a purse than that cord around your neck to steal it. So many times a hole would be drilled or punched and "you wore your wealth." Same as why a pirate or sailor might have worn an earing or coin on a necklass. If you perished in battle or went over board. Who ever found you/collected your body got to keep the "wealth you wore" for getting you a christian burial.

[captweaver65]

some years back I was reading a journal of an english lad that went to sea in the early 1700s (can't remember the name of boy or book) and he said in the journal that he had all his coins sewn into the lining of his jacket by his own mother for safekeeping.

[Redbeard]

I've heard that in England during the 17th century many people wore a gold coin around their neck as a good luck piece, also very handy when you're down on your luck! The coin most used for this seems to have been the "angel" so called because it had the figure of an angel on the front. At the time it was woth 10 shillings.

[Duchess]

Also peoples of the middle east, or more generally from areas comprising the Ottoman Empire of old, very commonly wore their money. This offered up a convient way to carry it with you as well as display it.

[Zephyr]

Ask any bellydancer.....

there's a story of one of the pirates, after returning to England, being caught because a barmaid went to move his coat and found it too heavy to lift. She alerted the coppers and they arrested him, finding a wealth of gold and silver sewn into this coat...one of Averys crew I think.....another reason it's safer to wear closer to the skin. Funny, a holed 8 reales was what I was looking for.....

[Mission]

there's a story of one of the pirates, after returning to England, being caught because a barmaid went to move his coat and found it too heavy to lift. She alerted the coppers and they arrested him, finding a wealth of gold and silver sewn into this coat...one of Averys crew I think.....

I may be showing my ignorance here, but I wonder where that story is from? (I confess I haven't read the General History in over 20 years. I really need to set down and read it again, looking for medical references.)

[Iron Jon]

I remember reading somewhere that Spain would tax merchants and investors returning from the new world somewhere around 20 or 25% on gold and silver and trade merchandise. I believe the tax on precious metals only applied to gold and silver in the raw form such as coins, bars. plate, and bullion and not to personal belongings. The book said that the merchants would make jewelry to wear on the return voyage in order to avoid these taxes. That's why some of the shipwrecks have those huge gold chains that nobody could possibly wear around their necks. Maybe having their coins sewn into clothing was also a way to dodge the taxman.

[Capt. Sterling]

there's a story of one of the pirates, after returning to England, being caught because a barmaid went to move his coat and found it too heavy to lift. She alerted the coppers and they arrested him, finding a wealth of gold and silver sewn into this coat...one of Averys crew I think.....

I may be showing my ignorance here, but I wonder where that story is from? (I confess I haven't read the General History in over 20 years. I really need to set down and read it again, looking for medical references.)

John Dann (who would soon be the chief witness in the prosecution of his shipmates, Every's crewe) was uncovered in a rooming house near London when a nosy chambermaid found the lining of his coat gave off a strangely metallic rattle and discovered it contained some L1,045 of gold sewn into the lining... sorry don't have the English pound sign on the pc, so the L will have to suffice.

source: The Pirates' Pact, Douglas R. Burgess, Jr.

[Capt. Sterling]

Foxe can most likely clarify which story is more accurate

[Swashbuckler 1700]

there's a story of one of the pirates, after returning to England, being caught because a barmaid went to move his coat and found it too heavy to lift. She alerted the coppers and they arrested him, finding a wealth of gold and silver sewn into this coat...one of Averys crew I think.....

I may be showing my ignorance here, but I wonder where that story is from? (I confess I haven't read the General History in over 20 years. I really need to set down and read it again, looking for medical references.)

Here is 1724 edition and you can search with term inside the book... so easier to just search that read whole book http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/historyfiction/viewer.aspx?id=joh

[Mission]

Foxe can most likely clarify which story is more accurate

I believe Ed is taking a short break from the forum. I would trust something from a book over things thrown around on this forum in early days. I've read a lot of the older posts and there was a bit less scholarly talk than there is now. Of course, this is back when there were only a couple of forums - Twill may not have even existed then. Thanks for the reference, John.

BTW, if you're ever looking for symbols, you can use the character map or charmap. Here are the instructions. Then you just pick the symbol out and it copies it into your memory: £.

Here is 1724 edition and you can search with term inside the book... so easier to just search that read whole book http://digital.lib.e...wer.aspx?id=joh

Excellent. Thank you. I want to read it cover-to-cover, though. I find I tend to sometimes notice things others don't and it gives us something to natter on about in the forums.

[PoD]

you just have to be careful when using that book as a reference as it's been known to expand on the truth somewhat so cross reference anything if you can.

[Mission]

Well, I tend to post single shot quotes here, if for no other reason than I find them interesting or humorous. I think most historical details require second independent sourcing at the least, and I still tend to think that a third independent source is advisable if you want your point to be unassailable as I explained in this post.

Having said that, my interest is more in the minutiae. What sort of problems did a ship's surgeon have to deal with? Were there pirates with artificial arms, legs and missing eyes? What did they eat? Did they set up a hospital tent when making landfall? What diseases did they catch? What happened during bad weather? How did they dispose of the dead? And so forth... Being details of a more personal nature, I take them to be more likely correct than historical points such as who took what ship where.

Even if they aren't, they are another point in the graph of the narrative I am working on.

[Swashbuckler 1700]

you just have to be careful when using that book as a reference as it's been known to expand on the truth somewhat so cross reference anything if you can.

Well it is still good source, but not perfect

[Fox]

The story of the quilted up coins comes from the Examination of John Dann, 3 August 1696, in the Board of Trades and Plantations papers at the National Archives, Kew, and reprinted in John Franklin Jameson's Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period.

"This informant went to Rochester on Thursday last and was seized there the next morning by means of a Maid, who found Gold Quilted up in his Jacker hanging with his coate, he was carryed before the Mayor, who committed him to Prison and kept his Jackett..."

[MarkG]

Some of the coins recovered from the Whydah are drilled so that they can be worn.

Christopher Columbus wore a coin which he gave away to a native.