Discovered pirate coins might solve mystery...Arrgh!

Rick · 15th April 2021, 03:15 AM

A friend of mine used to be the resident Mason on the PBS This Old House television show; he was my neighbor in Eastham and an avid bottle digger/relic hunter; back in the day many of us were similarly inclined as the Outer Cape was settled very early in our nation's history.
He did a lot of relic hunting in Wellfleet; we all did back then.

In the late 17th century there was a tavern on the highest part of Great Island which borders Wellfleet harbor; all that's left there is a cellar hole, and it is barely more than a depression now. Back in the time when the tavern was active the hilltop had been cleared; the view of Cape Cod Bay must have been spectacular and a very good place to view any vessels coming and going offshore.
Poking around the spot one day he spied a tiny coin in a sandy patch; it turned out to be a French Henry IV 1/4 Ecu that had been drilled, quite possibly to identify the owner of a livestock animal back in those days.
Now there are only two usable harbors on the bayside of the Outer Cape, Provincetown which is a very open anchorage and Wellfleet harbor which is a very snug place to anchor. All kinds of mariners frequented that tavern and it is not much of a stretch of the imagination to think that Bellamy and his crew were among the clientele.

15th April 2021, 03:15 AM	#9
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,336	A Remembrance of Coinage A friend of mine used to be the resident Mason on the PBS This Old House television show; he was my neighbor in Eastham and an avid bottle digger/relic hunter; back in the day many of us were similarly inclined as the Outer Cape was settled very early in our nation's history. He did a lot of relic hunting in Wellfleet; we all did back then. In the late 17th century there was a tavern on the highest part of Great Island which borders Wellfleet harbor; all that's left there is a cellar hole, and it is barely more than a depression now. Back in the time when the tavern was active the hilltop had been cleared; the view of Cape Cod Bay must have been spectacular and a very good place to view any vessels coming and going offshore. Poking around the spot one day he spied a tiny coin in a sandy patch; it turned out to be a French Henry IV 1/4 Ecu that had been drilled, quite possibly to identify the owner of a livestock animal back in those days. Now there are only two usable harbors on the bayside of the Outer Cape, Provincetown which is a very open anchorage and Wellfleet harbor which is a very snug place to anchor. All kinds of mariners frequented that tavern and it is not much of a stretch of the imagination to think that Bellamy and his crew were among the clientele. Last edited by Rick; 15th April 2021 at 03:48 AM.