An amazing pirate collection!

[M ELEY]

Well, folks, all i can say is I am humbled. The following collection of maritime weaponry and sundry items is on par with most museums. Steve Bunker at China Sea Trading was kind enough to send me pics of his private cache (which also reminded me of my own meager stockpile- Hope you pirate enthusiasts out there enjoy! And you know who you are!

First off, two early 18th c. sextants. Note the ivory inlay and lack of a securing screw found on later examples.

[M ELEY]

Ahhh, old Caribbean cuphilt rapier, a main gauche, early plug bayonets, a nice early spike ax with brass tack haft, and who can miss the grenado in the corner!
All pics copyright China Sea Trading

[M ELEY]

Telescopes, rare jugs, mugs, plates and such, all dating to the era...

Note the onion bottles, Dutch Delph pottery and the single pull octogonal telescope mid-18th c.

[M ELEY]

A fantastic Sincaire-type saber, just like that one we discussed from that fellow in St. Augustine. Also, a Danish cutlass, several Dutch hangers and a double disc 'Figure 8' Brit or Amer cutlass! Baltimore pattern???

[M ELEY]

Don't forget the importance of long guns, which were popular with the Royal and US marines up in the tops. The blunderbus were great for 'discouraging mutiny' and for ripping apart boarders. Note the priming flask gun, a rarity.

Note the caltrip, an item affiliated with boarding, a spontoon/pike, an old belay pin and a Corsican?? dagger.

[M ELEY]

Broadsides and articles dating to the Age of Fighting Sail and piracy!!

All pics copyright China Sea Trading Company.

[fernando]

Bravo Captain ... but:

Originally Posted by M ELEY

... Note the priming flask gun, a rarity...

Do you mean the powder tester ? .

... and, by the way:
Have you missed the multi barreled handcannon ? .

... Or are my eyes tricking me ?
.

[Norman McCormick]

Hi Mark and Jim,
The chest is a decent size 4 ft 4 inches wide 2 ft 1 inch deep and 2ft 5 inches high. These were used for everything from linens to silver and of course storage of armour and weapons. The English Civil War period is notable for this type of chest. I have attached a photograph of another item from my 'bitsa' collection which would be essential for travellers/sailors/soldiers of the period, a leather costrel. This one is dated 1721. I have researched these and naming and dating is not unusual. As usual unscrupulous dealers have been known to 'enhance' an item by adding names and/or dates but I am as sure as I can be that this one is period done. Nice to hear from you both.
My Regards,
Norman.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Norman,
Thank you so much for sharing this 'costrel'!! I never stop learning with you guys, I had never heard this term before, and honestly was unaware of this type of 'luggage'.

This does remind me a great deal of the kinds of baggage seen in much I have read on the land going version of pirates (though usually single operators)...the highwaymen. Apparently these also much fabled and romanticized 'scoundrels' also had a 'golden age' similar to the arbitrary period set for pirates....in their case about 1660-1714. These kinds of bags it seems I saw in many illustrations of the coaches in references to these instances of highway robbery.

Also much as with the sea going bunch, the highwaymen often came from the ranks of ex soldiers (English Civil War) now misplaced without means, as were the privateers.

I was going through "Treasure Island" again and in finding the passages about Captain Billy Bones and his 'sea chest', where the treasure map is found....in the lining!! of course.

[Norman McCormick]

Hi Jim,
These leather bottles, costrels, were an essential piece of kit for carrying water, beer etc in the days before mass produced pressed tin etc. Early colonial, American, frontiersmen would have been very familiar with this type of vessel. If you look at Austrian village/town bands you will normally find women marching alongside with a wooden costrel filled with ??? presumably to slake the thirst of the band members and probably in days gone by armed followers when on the march but really nowadays just part of the costume I suspect, see girl in bottom right of picture. Leather bottles are a good idea if you think about it lightweight and not easily broken unlike glass which would have been too expensive anyway and irreparable if broken. Leather drinking vessels, jacks, were also made in a similar fashion with double rows, of I think, saddle stitch and covered in a type of pitch and wax inside and out to make them waterproof. Anyhow enough of my ramblings
My Regards,
Norman.

[M ELEY]

Jim, I see you read Dufus' book on Blackbeard. Excellent resource book, as he went into minute details most never learn of. (I like his theory about Teach's smoking beard. He surmised that it was possibly an accident at first. The isles the sea dogs used to hide were off the beaten track, mosquito infested marshes, inlets and tributaries. The biting insects and malaria were widespread. A good smoky fire kept the critters at bay and it's possible ole Edward put the smoking fuses in his beard to drive them off. Any one of his crew who say him would have said he looked like 'the devil himself!' Just a theory of how he might have come up with the tactic. I can attest that Okracoke Isle has many marshes and biting pests) I hadn't heard of that other volume you mentioned ('X marks the Spot'), but it's now on my want list!

Norman, thank you for presenting this item! I had never heard of one before outside of the mug/blackjacks seen in taverns. Now that I know, I'll have to throw one into my pirate novels! Interesting to know that leather items went to sea as well!

[Norman McCormick]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

Interesting to know that leather items went to sea as well!

Hi Mark,
There have been leather costrels recovered from the Mary Rose so definitely this type of container used at sea.
My Regards,
Norman.