Pirate money: piastres, doubloons, excudos. Cursed coins Cursed gold coins pirates

Dedicated to the memory of my great-grandfather Hovhannes

It was January 1945.

Grandfather got up and slowly sat down on the bed; he had not gotten out of bed for a long time. Today my grandfather felt better. The old man understood that the illness was serious, he would not live to see the end of the war and would not see his sons who had gone to fight - all four of them. It’s good that there are grandchildren and they are nearby - three boys and two girls, the eldest of them is Vanya, 13 years old.

The old man was tired of sitting, but he didn’t really want to lie down either. He waved his hand. Vanya helped his grandfather recline on high pillows. The boys understood this as their grandfather’s desire to tell an episode from his life. The grandchildren pulled up stools and sat closer to their grandfather.

What should I tell you? - asked the grandfather.
“About gold coins,” said Hamlet, the most lively of the boys.
“Cursed coins,” the grandfather sighed.
- Why damned? – Volodya, the middle grandson, asked in surprise.
“I was so happy about them, but the coins didn’t bring me joy, I even lost my horse - the best in the village.”
- Did you have a lot of them? Gold coins,” Volodya clarified.
“A chest,” the grandfather answered and after a minute added, “a small chest.”
The children looked at each other. Volodya blinked at Hamlet. These two believed that the grandfather was making it up, because every time the grandfather added something new to his story about coins.

There were not only coins in it, - the grandfather fell silent: he was resting or thinking.
- What else? – Volodya asked smiling at Hamlet.
“A dagger,” answered the grandfather and fell silent again.
The boys fidgeted on their stools impatiently—the grandfather didn’t talk about the dagger.
- Large dagger? - asked Hamlet.
“No, a large dagger wouldn’t fit in that chest,” the grandfather clarified and showed with his hands, “a normal one, like this.” But what a beautiful precious stones. It was all burning, sparkling, you couldn’t take your eyes off it - it was such a beautiful dagger.
-Where did the dagger go? - Volodya asked.

“I’ll probably start with something else,” the grandfather sighed, “I’ll tell you everything in order.
I loved looking at them, but secretly. He sent the children to the field, and he was left alone and admired. Then he hid it in a safe place. Troubled times began. Yes, however, we almost always had troubled times: sometimes raids by bandits, sometimes war, sometimes epidemics. Anything has happened. One day a neighbor’s boy came to us and said that they had a guest from the city, he was inviting everyone - he wanted to show something. Many neighbors gathered. The guest showed us money, we had never seen anything like it before - long rubles, silk fabric. “Now this kind of money is in use,” the guest explained, “I can give it in exchange for gold.”

I don’t know why I believed him. Everyone believed, I wasn’t the only one,” the grandfather sighed and continued. - I took him a lot of gold coins, but not all, I left most of them just in case. Exchanged gold for rags. That guest collected our gold and quickly fled the village. Very soon we learned that these were worthless rags and were worth nothing. That guest deceived us; he turned out to be a fraudster. I was glad in my heart that I only gave away a smaller part of the coins.
- Where are these rags? – asked the incredulous Volodya.
- I burned them in tonir, who needs them? - the grandfather frowned and continued, - time passed and I thought that I could spend the rest of the coins wisely. Oh, how wrong I was. Although no, it wasn’t me who made a mistake, but those coins turned out to be cursed. Grandfather sighed heavily and thought.

I wanted to buy a house with these coins in a resort town. Wonderful place. “I rested in it once,” a happy smile played on his face. - I got ready to go, dressed in my best. I took coins, a dagger and food for the road. He mounted his favorite horse and set off. Oh, just to know.

Grandfather closed his eyes for a long time. The children are bored.
“Grandfather Hovhannes,” the impatient Volodya called quietly.
- A? – Grandfather seemed to have woken up.
-Have you reached the city? – the grandson clarified.
- No, he didn’t go far, he was still in our mountains of Syunik. I wanted to take the shortest route, but I was ambushed by bandits. How could I forget about the bandits? - the grandfather lamented.

In our country, all sorts of gangs often rob on the roads - this has been the case at all times. Bands of nomadic tribes harassed us - they stole cattle, robbed travelers, and kidnapped our beauties. One day my wife, your grandmother, Margarita, was almost kidnapped. It's good that I had a gun with me. I shot, they ran away in fear.
“But our grandmother’s name is Gayane,” Volodya was surprised.
- No, Gayane is my second wife, not your grandmother. Margarita was a beauty. She came out and saved me from typhus, but she herself became weak, poor thing, fell ill and died,” my grandfather began to cry.

“Grandfather, about the coins,” Hamlet quietly reminded.
- Oh, yes, coins. Bandits surrounded me. How happy they were, they pulled me from the saddle, searched me, found coins and a dagger - the grandfather sadly shook his head, sighing heavily.
- Oh, and I felt offended. But that wasn’t enough for them: they forced me to undress. Everything was taken away. I ran away from them wearing only my underpants. It's good that he remained alive. It was already dark when I reached the village. Someone saw me and immediately a rumor spread that bandits had robbed me. I confirmed, but did not tell them about the coins and the dagger. Why did they need to know that I had them?

Volodya and Hamlet looked at each other, the grandfather fell silent.
- Grandfather, where did you get the gold coins from? – Volodya decided to ask a question that had interested him for a long time.
“I found it,” the grandfather answered quietly.
- Where did you find it? – the grandson did not let up.
- Eh, you don’t know where it is, even if I explain, you haven’t been to those places, and Vanya was passing by, but he was too young to understand.
- You explain, and maybe we’ll go when we grow up.
- Okay, remember: you will go to Vayk, there was the city of Moz. Centuries ago, a strong earthquake destroyed the city into dust. My grandfathers told me that that city was very rich. For many years people dug into those ruins and found gold. Literally whole jugs filled with gold and jewelry, chests with coins. So I found such a chest.
“Gold is only for swindlers and bandits,” the grandfather added sadly.

***
In 735, a catastrophic earthquake occurred in the area of ​​the modern city of Vaika, destroying the large and rich city of Moz.

Secret funerary coins

19:05 You are attacked by the Pyromancer Ghost.
19:05 The battle “Attack on the Triumvirator” has begun.
.....
19:07 You bent over the defeated monster and saw something shining next to it. Reaching out, you picked up an unusual gold coin with the image of a grinning skull on it. What a curious thing... Perhaps it is worth examining it carefully. Received: Funeral coin 1 pc.
19:07 The battle “Attack on the Triumvirator” is over.

Click "Use" on the coin:

19:08 You carefully examine the gold coin, but cannot understand what its purpose is. Considering that it was found in the halls of King Magish, it is worth showing it to the experienced undead hunter paladin Shiko.
19:08 It has begun for you quest "The Secret of Funeral Coins". We wish you good luck!

It was for this purpose that I hurried to you, paladin: look at what an unusual trophy I managed to get.
*You take a gold coin out of your pocket and hand it to Chicot.*

Wait, wait, this is...
*Brings the artifact close to his eyes and examines it carefully.*
This cannot be true: this is a funeral coin! Now everything has fallen into place... So lucky!
How are we lucky, paladin?

From time immemorial, funeral coins have helped to keep the undead in the other world: to prevent the creature from rebelling, such a coin was thrown into its crypt. Now I understand that some warriors, overwhelmed by the desire to get hold of gold, plundered the halls of Magish, but fell victim to their own greed and turned into undead. As a result, these coins were never used for their intended purpose, and the dead are rising from their graves again!
It's horrible. What should I do with the coin?

Travel to the halls of the fallen king and place the coin in the crypt of his fallen minion. Hurry up, warrior, time is running out!

Your goal: Go to the halls of King Magish, kill any of his minions and use the funerary coin next to his remains. Return to Paladin Shiko.

PosAfter this we return to the palaces to finish off the walls. Coins will fall like a drop:
19:15 Received: Funeral coin 1 pc.
19:15 The battle “Attack on Triumvirator” is over.

20:36 You attacked Levret.
20:36 The battle “Attack on Levret” has begun.
.....
20:39 The battle “Attack on Levret” is over.

We use the coin from the chest:20:39 You have been attacked by the Risen Levreta.
20:39 The battle “Attack on the Triumvirator” has begun.
20:39 Before you had time to place the coin on the remains of the monster in order to expel it from the world of Faeo, it fell apart into several parts. A rebel monster burst out of it and attacked you! Seized: Funeral coin 1 pc.
.....
20:40 Achievement "Victory over the rebel minion of King Magish" completed
20:40 The rebel monster has been defeated! Return to Paladin Shiko and tell him what happened. Quest - The Mystery of Funeral Coins.
20:40 The battle “Attack on the Triumvirator” is over.

The rebel Levretka has 1284 HP and has no castes, hits 95-125 without blocking, and in general kills easily and quickly...

Royal TombPaladin Shiko

Out of the question! The ritual is very simple: you place a funerary coin next to the remains of the killed monster, and it remains forever in the other world.
Perhaps the funeral coin itself is to blame?

This is what we have to find out. I'm afraid we can't do this without the necromancer's advice. Hurry to him and find out why the coin did not drive out the monster.

Your goal: Find out from the necromancer why the burial ritual failed.

Vassal Crypts Necromancer

*The tome slams shut in hearts, above which a cloud of sparkling magical dust flutters.*
Don't have a coin? So what do you expect from me? You're wasting my time!
I will get exactly this one and bring it to you!

I have no doubt that you will succeed, warrior. But hurry up: the hour is not far when evil spirits will begin to rise from their graves.

Your goal: Find the funeral coin and bring it to the necromancer.

Vassal Crypts Necromancer

*The necromancer mutters an intricate spell, and the coin begins to shimmer in his hand.*
Woe to you, warrior. No wonder you exude oblivion, despair, suffering, pain... Your coin is cursed! And how did the paladin Shiko not see this?
But I just followed your instructions! You asked me to bring the funeral coin, and I did it!

*Continues to read the spell, fingering the coin.*
I see... Now I see... Since ancient times, funeral coins had only one purpose: to keep the undead away from the world of the living. And they coped with this task well. This is due to the greed of people and magmars, who, trying to lay hands on the treasures of the dead, turned into shameful dust, covering the floor of the crypt of Magish, as a result of which the coins themselves were saturated with the energy of decay. Now they must be destroyed!
Can you do it?

*The necromancer waves his hand impatiently.*
In this, warrior, the paladin Shiko will help you, because he is the most experienced fighter against the undead in Faeo. Now go, we've already wasted a lot of time.

Your goal: Return to Paladin Shiko and give him the Funeral Coin.

Royal TombPaladin Shiko

*Shiko's eyes flash through the slits of his helmet, and he decisively raises his axe.*
So what are we waiting for? Place a coin on this slab!
*You place the coin on the cold stone and take a step back.*
However... let's not rush, warrior.
*Shiko lowers his axe.*
A happy thought came to my mind. Even these damn coins can serve a good cause. You managed to defeat the rebel henchman Magish, right? Perfect! So, know that with the death of a ghostly double, its real incarnation also receives significant damage. Do you understand what this means? You can choose what to do with the coins: either place them in the halls of defeated minions, calling them from the ghostly world and killing them, or bring them to me so that I can destroy them. Which solution do you prefer? The choice is yours!

*The paladin lowers the ax onto his shoulder and looks at you proudly.*
I know my skills, warrior. As soon as you get new coins, immediately bring them to me. And rest assured: your diligence will be rewarded. See you!
Reward: Old Ark 1 pc. or Wonderful sheep 1 pc. or Intricate pendant 1 pc. or Precious ring 1 pc. or Secret Ark 1 pc.

The reward drops randomly

20:51 Achievement "Brave Destroyer of Funeral Coins" completed
20:51 Confiscated: Funeral coin 1 pc.
20:51 You have successfully destroyed another coin! Received: Wonderful sheep 1 pc.
20:51 You have successfully destroyed another coin! Received: Precious sheep 1 pc.
etc.

In May the Russian premiere of the fifth film from the Pirates series will take place Caribbean Sea" - “Dead men tell no tales.” Gold, treasures, doubloons and piastres have always occupied an important place in pirate life. Let’s imagine the world of Captain Jack Sparrow and his fellow criminals from a financial and economic point of view.

ALEXEY ALEXEEV

Cortez's cursed gold

In the first film of the epic, “The Curse of the Black Pearl,” gold is one of the mainsprings of the plot.

“This is Aztec gold. One of 882 identical plaques that the Indians presented in a stone chest to Cortez personally. Blood money, payment for stopping the massacre unleashed by his army. But Cortez’s greed was insatiable. Then the gods of the pagans cast a terrible spell on the gold. Any mortal who takes even one plaque from the chest will be damned forever."

The creators of "Pirates of the Caribbean" greatly overestimated the "dead man's chest" - by the standards of ancient pirates, there was not enough gold in it

It’s strange, but in the Russian dubbing of the first film of the epic there are for some reason 663 plaques. Where did the 219 plaques go on the way between the Caribbean Sea and Russia is a mystery shrouded in darkness. Let's assume that there are still 882 plaques, as in the original. 881 in the chest, and the last one was made into the Elizabeth Swann medallion. Pirates from the Black Pearl ship are chasing the medallion to lift the curse of the ancient gods. In addition, to get rid of it, you need to perform a symbolic ritual. It is necessary to return the bloody debt to the Aztec gods - all 882 plaques stained with the blood of the descendant of the pirate Bill Bootstrap.

881 gold plaques from the Aztec treasure were in Cortez's chest, and one of them was used to make Elizabeth Swann's medallion

And now a small reproach to the film company Walt Disney Pictures. 882 gold medallions with a skull are very, very small by the standards of the ancient Aztecs and conquistadors. In 1521, the warriors of the historical Cortes captured and plundered the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. The Spaniards received gold worth the equivalent of 130 thousand Spanish gold coins. Apparently, this amount seemed extremely insignificant to them. The conquistadors tortured the ruler of the Aztec state, Cuauhtémoc, in the vain hope of finding out where the Indians were hiding their main treasures.

Having plundered the Aztec capital in 1521, Cortez's warriors captured only 130 thousand Spanish gold coins - an amount, in their opinion, not too large

Let's try to roughly estimate the cost of a stone chest. One plaque is approximately equal in size to the largest Spanish coin of the 16th century. This is an eight escudo coin. It contained 27.468 grams of 916.7 fine gold (22 carats). The chest thus contains 24 kg 227 g of gold. The price of one gram of 916.7 gold these days is $37.05. Thus, in April 2017, a chest full of cursed gold could be worth about $900 thousand. Even if one of the pirates plundered it alone, he would not have reached the title of dollar millionaire.

Now let's see how rich the pirates became when they divided the Aztec gold among themselves. The exact size of the Black Pearl's crew is unknown. Actor Geoffrey Rush, who played the role of Captain Hector Barbossa, named the number from 20 to 50. Let's assume that there were 22. Roughly speaking, when dividing the treasure, there were 40 plaques per brother. Gold was 16 times more expensive than silver. Silver coin denomination of eight reals (half an escudo) was known as the peso, dollar or "coin of eight reals", pieces of eight. In the Russian translation of Treasure Island, the parrot calls such coins piastres. So, the members of the damned team got rich with 640 (16x40) similar silver coins.

What did they spend their money on? We know this from Captain Barbossa's complaint addressed to Elizabeth Swann-Turner - "about drink, food and pleasant company." "But the drink did not quench our thirst, the food turned to ash in our mouths, and the most pleasant company in the world could not satisfy our lust. We are damned people, Miss Turner."

The creators of "Pirates of the Caribbean" dated the epic to approximately 1720-1750. At that time, the exchange rate between the peso-dollar-piastre and the pound sterling, established by decree of Queen Anne in 1704, was in effect. One peso was equal to six shillings. £1 is 20 shillings, one shilling is 12 pence, one penny is 4 farthings. Therefore, 640 pesos is 3840 shillings, that is, £192.

According to the calculations of the British statistician of the 17th-18th centuries, Gregory King, in 1688 (over the next half century the situation did not change much) a farm laborer earned £7 per year. The income of soldiers and sailors was £14-20 per year. Army and navy officers no longer received £5-7 per year, but per month.

After dividing the gold from the “dead man’s chest,” each pirate could receive an amount that was only enough “for food and drink.”

If we assume that there were not 22 sailors on the Black Pearl, but 44, then each of them would be entitled to £96. And if we take the figure from piracy historian Mark Rediker, according to which the average pirate crew had 80 people, then everyone’s income would have almost halved.

So, the money received by the pirates could survive for quite a long time. Although without pleasure, as Captain Barbossa correctly noted.

Eat and drink for a shilling

In Pirates of the Caribbean, we hear the word "shilling" at the very beginning of the first film. It is the shilling that is demanded from Jack Sparrow for parking the ship in the bay. He offers three, adding more for not giving his name.

Unfortunately, not all information about prices for food, alcohol and escort services in the ports of the Caribbean Sea during the golden era of piracy has survived to this day. Prices in the metropolis, in England, are much better known.

However, the cost of rum, “the most disgusting drink that turns even the most well-mannered people into animals,” is no secret. In 1740, in Philadelphia, local rum sold for 1 shilling 8 pence a gallon, while higher quality Caribbean rum sold for 2 shilling 5 pence. It is logical to assume that in the Caribbean, where it was produced, Caribbean booze was cheaper than on the continent. If we assume that the same 1 shilling 8 pence was paid for Caribbean rum where it was considered local and not imported, then in more familiar measurement systems the price of the product would be 4.4 pence per liter. If we assume that a self-respecting pirate needs to drink a liter of rum every day to function properly, then every 54 days he would spend £1 on booze.

Another bad habit, very popular among pirates, smoking, was also inexpensive. 45 kilograms of Virginia tobacco in 1750 cost £1 wholesale.

Now about the food. What could you buy with a shilling in England at that time (prices in the colonies could not have been very different)?

Let's return to Gregory King's statistics. In 1695, the average Englishman spent £3.85 a year on food and drink. Of this amount, £0.79 was for bread and flour products, £0.61 for meat, £0.42 for dairy products, £0.31 for fish, game and eggs, £0.22 for fruits and vegetables, £0.2 for pickles, £1.06 for beer and ale, £0.24 for spirits. In the mid-18th century, a 200-gram product made from wheat flour was called a “penny loaf.”

The food basket of a pirate of the Caribbean and the average Englishman probably differed in composition, but the price level shows that the crew of the Black Pearl did not face starvation for quite a long time. Even if we take into account that the average Englishman was often cooked by his wife, and the pirate probably ate in public catering establishments. On the North American continent in the second half of the 18th century, you could dine in a tavern on the principle of “eat as much as you want from a common cauldron” for one or two shillings.

The most expensive favor for girls of easy virtue was in London - about £2, in the ports prices were much lower - the girls were called twopenny

But the costs of a pleasant company in the metropolis and in the Caribbean could differ dramatically. In London, a wealthy client could pay £2 for a meeting, and much more if the person she met was a virgin. In the ports, the price level was comparable to the lowest price category in the metropolis. The girls were traditionally called twopenny, but in fact the standard rate was "shilling and drink."

Piracy as an advanced business model

If pirates were content with such modest entertainment, how can we explain the popularity of this profession in the Caribbean region in the first half of the 18th century? The number of active sea robbers during the golden age of piracy is estimated at 2,400 people. True, in 1716-1726, approximately 400-600 people from this number were executed by the authorities of different states.

So why did people become pirates?

With a successful combination of circumstances, pirates could “earn” a lot: for example, in 1695, Henry Avery’s pirate ships captured loot worth £600,000.

Let's start with the fact that when hiring pirates, there were not many of the traditional restrictions on rights of that time.

The black crew members of the Black Pearl are not a tribute to American political correctness (or not only that).

Already at the beginning of the 18th century, among the crew members of pirate ships there were immigrants from Africa, while the “civilized world” was still very far away from the abolition of slavery. Ordinary ships in that era also had dark-skinned sailors, often sold or “leased” by their owners. They did not receive payment for their work and had no say in solving ship problems. On a pirate ship, the crew members were equal. U pirate captain Edward England's ship, only every fifth person had white skin.

They became the captain of a pirate ship democratically - through elections, and were also deprived of this position - by the decision of the majority of the crew members (which happened quite often). So the story of Jack Sparrow, removed from the captain's post and marooned on a desert island, is quite plausible.

William Snelgrave, a slave and ivory trader who was captured by pirates in 1719, recalled in his book the story of the pirate captain Christopher Moody: he, along with 12 sailors, the rest of the crew were forced into a boat, which was sent on a free voyage. "And no one ever heard from them again."

On an ordinary merchant ship, the power of the captain was enormous. He determined which of the sailors should do what, decided what to feed the crew, how much money to pay the crew members, and had the right to subject any sailor to corporal punishment. Such an atmosphere in the workplace became the basis for someone to switch from the merchant marine to the pirate business.

On a pirate ship, power was shared with the democratically elected captain by the quartermaster (in Treasure Island, John Silver was Captain Flint's quartermaster). The captain had to primarily deal with military operations, and the quartermaster - with economic issues. On some ships the quartermaster had more real power than the captain.

The cardinal difference between pirate ships, on the one hand, and military and merchant ships, on the other, was the level of income. On pirate ships, the spoils were divided equally among all sailors. Only the captain received two shares instead of one, the quartermaster - one and a half, sometimes a share and a quarter went to the “leading specialists” - the boatswain, the ship's doctor, the gunner, the first mate. Anyone who tried to deceive his comrades by hiding part of the booty was threatened with punishment - “such as the captain and the majority of the crew deem appropriate.”

On merchant ships, the income of the “command staff” was five or more times higher than the earnings of ordinary sailors.

The concern of pirates for their disabled comrades is amazing (especially from the point of view of a law-abiding sailor). Anyone who lost an arm or leg in battle received compensation of £1,500.

The downside to the pirate wage system was that no loot meant no income. At all. Whereas on a merchant ship the sailor was guaranteed his meager earnings.

The big plus of the pirate system is that with good production, income could be very high. In 1695, several pirate ships led by Henry Every captured booty worth a total of £600 thousand. Each of the sailors got at least £1 thousand. At the beginning of the next century, as a result of one robbery, they earned £1200 per brother, after which they went out of business.

In 1721, the men of John Taylor and Oliver la Bouche set a record: £4 thousand for one attack. Unfortunately for pirates, such luck did not happen often. Many sea robbers were content with more modest incomes. But a free life of crime with the opportunity to hit the jackpot seemed to many to be more attractive than law-abiding poverty and lawlessness.

If in any crossword puzzle you come across the question “What was the name of pirate money?”, then, undoubtedly, without even counting the number of letters, you will say: piastres. Piasters are primarily associated with pirates due to cultural and artistic influences, and historically they were just as popular among pirates as any other coin of any value. Let's look at what kind of money the pirates came across in their loot and what they were.

Piasters

Piaster was also called the Spanish peso. This coin was minted from silver and weighed about 25 grams. The coin depicted the Pillars of Hercules, so the piastre was also called pillar dollar or piastrome with columns. In the East, piastre had a more laconic name - colonato. Nowadays, the piastre should not be written off; now it plays the role of a unit of exchange for 1/100 of Egyptian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Syrian, Sudanese and South Sudanese pounds.

Doubloons

The first doubloon (translated as “double”, hence the name) was a Spanish gold coin with a face value of 2 escudos. Minting of the coin began in 1566 and continued until 1849. Doubloons were widespread not only in Europe, but also in the New World. It was the doubloon that served as the prototype for the creation of many other European coins in other countries. During the colonization of the New World, the doubloon played the role assigned to the dollar in our time - it was considered the reserve currency. For this reason, a large number of coins were hidden. Later, this fact of savings gave rise to many stories about pirate treasures, in which this particular type of coin often appears.

Escudo

Escudo - Spanish gold coin. Minting years: 1535-1833. The first coinage was made in Barcelona. The coin, as already mentioned, consisted of gold and weighed almost 3.4 grams. Under the reign of Philip II, the excudo coin became the main gold coin of Spain, and its exchange rate increased due to the rise in metal prices. But due to long wars and illiterate financial policies, Spain defaulted four times in the 16th century. The difficult economic situation was partly due to the large influx of metals from Spanish America; it was their oversupply that caused the escudo to become cheaper and caused inflation.

Conclusion

Piasters, doubloons and escudos are popular coins in the New World and have become desirable prey for pirates. This trio does not make up even a tenth of all the coins minted at that time, but it is this trio that is often found in artistic and cinematic works on the topic of piracy, therefore, first of all, those who are interested in the history of maritime robbery should learn more about them and numismatics. I hope this material has expanded your understanding of these topics.