Bought some pirate gold Finally and decided to start a set

[kryptonitecomics]

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to add some gold to my collection but bullion simply doesn't interest me. I wanted historical coins that had numismatic value well above the simple melt value. I started looking at Ducats and Escudo's from the 1700's and decided I like the design and the history of the Escudo pieces more than the ducats so I spent a few weeks trying to find the right coins for the right price...no easy task

 

I did as much research as I could online to gather info on rarity and values but the supply is so small on some of these coins that I ultimately had to purchase from a dealer so I may be into the coins for a bit more than they are worth but I didn't buy these as an investment so I am ok with the prices which averaged around $330 a piece. From what I can ascertain from online information the smaller denomination escudo's are rarer then say the 8 Escudo pieces which would make since due to their small size which would make them easy to lose. I am not putting too much stock in the current population reports as there still may be hoards of these coins in Europe that haven't been graded...who knows?

 

Ultimately I opted to spend a bit more for graded pieces as I have limited experience with buying gold coins in general and I couldn't take a chance on buying ex jewelry piece or pieces that weren't authentic.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[johnny9434]

way nice gold krypto. have fun with that set

[CyberspaceVoid]

Beautiful specie ye got thar, matie.

You got a direct hit on two of my greatest weakness ... gold and pirates (must be in my blood as my family first appeared in the Bahamas right after Gov. Woodes Rogers pardoned the pirates in the early 1700's). I should start my own collection, or maybe I should just ask my relatives for my share

 

Wendy

[kryptonitecomics]

Beautiful specie ye got thar, matie.

You got a direct hit on two of my greatest weakness ... gold and pirates (must be in my blood as my family first appeared in the Bahamas right after Gov. Woodes Rogers pardoned the pirates in the early 1700's). I should start my own collection, or maybe I should just ask my relatives for my share

 

Wendy

 

 

Exactly....you probably have a hidden safety deposit box somewhere in the family (thumbs u

[nunfa0]

Great set Shane!! At least this Gold won't tone so you won't be tempted to sell it!

[kryptonitecomics]

Great set Shane!! At least this Gold won't tone so you won't be tempted to sell it!

 

 

Let's hope...

[Conder101]

Nice coins, but if you are looking for gold from the era associated with the people we typically think of when we think of pirates you need items from the late 1600's to early 1700's.

[CyberspaceVoid]

Conder,

I agree with those dates you mention, the golden age of pirates in the Carribean ended about 1730, but there was some pirating up till the 1820's abet few and far between, This later period was dominated by privateers, individuals mainly chartered by the British and French to raid enemy-flagged ships during periods of war, instead of those earlier "freelancers" Still pretty neat pieces.

[kryptonitecomics]

Nice coins, but if you are looking for gold from the era associated with the people we typically think of when we think of pirates you need items from the late 1600's to early 1700's.

 

 

I don't like the cobs so I will be sticking with the milled coins (thumbs u

[HiHoAudio]

You definitely need at least one Netherlands gold ducat from the 1600's or early 1700's. Something like this one.....

 

 

I had one from 1762 with a huge tooth mark on it, someone bit it to be sure it was real gold.

(The Dutch ducats were .986 pure gold and were very soft.)

 

I sold it on eBay in 2002 as pirate gold and the buyer was quite happy to get it. I wish I still had it.

[kryptonitecomics]

I saw a lot of the ducats while searching but I really didn't like the reverse design with just a bunch of writing etc.

[mkman123]

I've been tempted to do the same thing but want a 8 escudo, the ones you got......maybe I should get some

[sixtlghorn]

Nice coins. There are some really undervalued coins in the "minor" gold coins of the Spanish Colonies, especially in the 2 and 4 escudos. I'd recommend concentrating on them as much as possible if your budget will allow. With the exception of the Segovia and Seville Mints in Spain, which started minting milled coinage well before all the other mints (Segovia early 1600s and Seville in 1699), the milled coinage started in Spain and Mexico in the 1730s and basically around 1750 in most other South American mint so your search will begin with those dates, as a general rule, later dates are cheaper. All these dates are approx and from memory which ain't what it used to be.

 

AFA 8 escudos go, considering that each one has approximately 1200 dollars worth of gold melt in it, you're not likely to find one on the cheap anymore.

 

I'd recommend buying solid no problem coins of whatever denomination, preferably in NGC or PCGS holders unless you are capable of grading them yourself. It is still possible to buy some 8 Esd. AU 50 coins from the Colonies in the 1700s for less than $2000 with careful shopping/bidding. Have Fun!

[mkman123]

I'm comtemplating more and more to dump some bullion gold to get numismatic US or world gold!

[sixtlghorn]

Unless you have a LARGE quantity of bullion gold, I'd suggest that you consider Spanish Colonial 8 escudos where you can still buy quite rare coins in very decent grades for less than $5000. There are dozens of coins that IF they were US gold coins of the same rarity would sell for 10s of times more money. Just as an example, in the approximately 140 years of milled edge Spanish Colonial and Republic minted 8 escudos coins there are only about a dozen coins that have over 20 examples graded by NGC from over a dozen mints. With the exception of the ship wreck recovery coin, the 1851 Santiago 8 escudos, there an NO 8 escudos with more than 50 graded and only a very few with more than 20. This compares to the US 1883-0 $10 with 800 examples minted total and 18 graded by NGC alone. There are literally hundreds of 8 escudos with 5 or less examples graded that sell for "common" money, on the order of $2000 to $2500 for AU coins and only a bit more for mint state examples of the more "common" dates. True, there are not as many 8 escudos graded as a percentage of the surviving population as in US coinage, but as a group, the coins are so much rarer than most US gold coins that have much higher prices that it is amazing. None of this is meant to disparage collecting US gold coins, I am only pointing out that for the money, 8 escudos, are a fantastic buy. From an investment POV, as in any collecting endeavor, especially coins, buy the rarest and finest examples that you can afford. Whether US or World coins, for investment purposes, it is far, far better to have one or two really fine coins than a double handful of low grade examples.

[HiHoAudio]

I saw a lot of the ducats while searching but I really didn't like the reverse design with just a bunch of writing etc.

 

Perhaps a nice Dutch Gold Rider is more to your liking...

 

 

Be careful though as there are numerous Chinese counterfeits floating around.

[CyberspaceVoid]

I saw a lot of the ducats while searching but I really didn't like the reverse design with just a bunch of writing etc.

 

Perhaps a nice Dutch Gold Rider is more to your liking...

 

 

I like it too! And as I can't seem to get the Conders I want I might just have to refocus (again)