There's no denying that the oceans of the world have forever been an enticing and ideologically romantic lure to individuals of all cultures and nationalities. The smell of salt permeating the air, the sound of gently lapping waves, and the sight of crisp sails cutting through an azure sky have enticed many men into becoming sailors. Seamen who turned to piracy often retained this maritime intoxication; wishing to leave naval service for potential riches, they were easily recruited. Other men weren't so lucky — they ended up pirates as a result of being captured or by reluctantly joining to avoid being tortured or murdered.

For the vast majority of pirates, treasure captured from plundered vessels primarily consisted of food and munitions supplies, trade goods such as sugar, spices, or silk, or human prizes consisting of slaves. Rarely did pirates find a treasure chest brimming with priceless baubles and gold, silver, and jewels. But that didn't stop them from trying, or from believing they'd someday retire to a life of luxury. Spanish galleons were cornucopias of wealth. Once their contents were collected and shared among pirate crews, however, the treasure provided rogues only a temporary measure of power. Most pirates didn't save their booty, instead choosing to waste it on gambling, drink, and prostitutes.

The Spanish began minting coins in the 1500s. Silver coins were properly called reales, but became known as pieces of eight. These coins were physically cut into eight pieces to make change. By today's standards, pieces of eight are worth approximately $27. Gold coins, called escudos, were popularly known as doubloons. Many ships transported gold and silver in the form of bars called ingots, a prize that a few lucky modern-day treasure hunters have painstakingly sought and found (see Chapter 19).