Though many have tried, the
Except for a sprinkling of gold dust—less than one ounce so far—no treasure has been found aboard the vessel likely piloted by Edward Teach, the British-born pirate known as Blackbeard.
The famed pirate died in a sea battle with a Virginia-based squadron in 1718. A British commander had Blackbeard's head cut off and displayed on a scaffold. The skull is rumored to have reappeared in various locations as a drinking vessel. For the meantime, this skull remains in storage at the Peabody Essex Museum.
That particular cache of wealth was valued at around $102 million in today's money. According to Blackbeard's ledger, his wealth was evaluated at a (comparatively) paltry $12.5 million. If you think that's suspiciously low for a pirate of his stature, you'd be correct.
The only authenticated treasure chest in the United States, once owned by Thomas Tew, is kept at the Pirate Soul Museum in St. Augustine, Florida. Pirate Olivier Levasseur, also known as "The Buzzard" (La Buse), was rumoured to have hidden treasure before his death in 1730. No such treasure has been found.
The largest monetary treasure haul found was on the wreck code named Black Swan, discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration in 2007 off of Gibraltar. The salvage team reportedly found 17 tons of coins valued at $500 million; an amount that is both staggering and said to be “unprecedented” in the treasure hunting world.
The Whydah sank in 1717 carrying hundreds of thousands of gold coins and other artifacts. It is the only pirate treasure ever found. More is still being found at the wreck site off the coast of Cape Cod. The Whydah sank in 1717 carrying hundreds of thousands of gold coins and other artifacts.
The Queen Anne's Revenge went aground in 1718 just offshore from Beaufort. A few months after the grounding, Blackbeard was killed in a battle with British naval forces in the Pamlico Sound. The wreck was found in 1996 by Intersal Inc., private salvagers based in Palm Bay, Florida.
A gilded sword hilt has been recovered from Blackbeard's shipwreck off North Carolina.
The reason Blackbeard's fortune remains such a mystery is due to the fact that other pirate treasure has been found before. It's not an easy thing to do and many stumble across it by accident, but it has been done before.
As the defenseless Blackbeard faltered, Barbossa stabbed his enemy clean through the torso, declaring his victory "for the Pearl." Barbossa then picked up the fallen Sword of Triton and claimed it along with his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge and surviving crew as wergild for his missing leg.
It is later revealed that she is Blackbeard's daughter after all. After the battle at the Fountain of Youth, she unintentionally poisons herself while trying to remove Barbossa's poison-laced sword from Blackbeard's chest, Jack tricks Blackbeard into sacrificing his life to save Angelica's.
His name was Albert Hicks, and he's been called "The Last Pirate of New York," a bridge between Blackbeard and Al Capone, when the worst of the worst transitioned from raiding ships to joining mobs.
After years of official uncertainty, North Carolina state authorities confirmed in 2011 that the shipwreck just offshore from the small beach town of Beaufort was indeed the Queen Anne's Revenge. The ship grounded on a sandbar near Beaufort in 1718, nine years after the town had been established.
Several diagnostic artifacts were recovered from the site, designated North Carolina shipwreck site 31CR314, including a bronze bell dated 1705, a sounding weight, an English blunderbuss barrel, a lead cannon apron, and two cannonballs.
Though many have tried, the lost treasure of Blackbeard remains unfound to this day. Legend has it that while his death occurred in North Carolina, his spirit has returned to protect that which he holds most dear.
Start your voyage at the North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Here, you'll find a fascinating exhibit that includes artifacts from Blackbeard's flagship, Queen Anne's Revenge, and learn about the efforts to locate it. The wreckage was found in Beaufort Inlet by a private group on Nov.
According to some later accounts, Blackbeard's head was eventually taken down, and the top half of his skull was turned into a punch bowl that was “enlarged with silver, or silver plated,” and used for a time at one of the taverns in Williamsburg.
The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest and most significant hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver artefacts yet found in the British Isles. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments, amounting to a total of 5.1 kg (11 lbs) of gold, 1.4 kg (3 lbs) of silver and some 3,500 pieces of garnet cloisonné jewellery.
On July 20, 1985 - 35 years ago today - Mel Fisher discovered the shipwreck of the Nuestra Senora De Atocha off the Florida Keys. The cargo's value is estimated to be worth around $400 million. The treasure includes 24 tons of silver bullion, ingots, and coins, 125 gold bars and discs and 1,200 pounds silverware.
Thanks to this wreck, the Cornish coastline could be lined with gold. Dubbed 'the most valuable shipwreck ever', the Merchant Royal sunk in a storm off the coast of Land's End, Cornwall, in 1641. On board, it held a trove of gold and silver worth more than £1.1 billion in today's money.
Found in the 1980s in the town of Środa Ślaska, Poland, the Środa Treasure is a 14th-century hoard of gold and silver coins, precious stones, jewelry, and a gold crown. It is worth a cool $120 million. Workers discovered the hoard during demolition work in 1985.
Captain Samuel Bellamy ( c. 23 February 1689 – 26 April 1717), later known as "Black Sam" Bellamy, was an English sailor turned pirate during the early 18th century. He is best known as the wealthiest pirate in recorded history, and one of the faces of the Golden Age of Piracy.
1 – Blackbeard
Easily the most famous buccaneer on the list and possibly the most terrifying pirate of all time, Blackbeard had a reputation of horrific magnitude in his day. In fact, it wasn't just the size of his reputation that was scary, but the content too!