A Guide To “Pirates Of The Caribbean” Screen Used Treasure


Pirates of the Caribbean screen used treasure props

The Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise offers prop collectors a literal treasure trove of collecting opportunities. With a broad variety of prop treasure coins, gold bars & paper ephemera, these pieces make for impressive displays, are ideal for limited space collections, and they are relatively inexpensive to buy. So here’s the first installment of A Guide To “Pirates of the Caribbean” Screen Used Treasure.

Before we have a look at some of these pieces, I understand this is not an exhaustive list. I’m only featuring pieces from my collection that I can attest to. So, please consider this a work in progress with updates ongoing.

Some POTC prop coin designs have understandably been used in several productions (which can confuse). However, subtle visible differences in the molds and castings can offer clues when attempting to screen match these pieces.

The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) probably offers collectors the widest selection of prop treasure coins.

The most common is the cast metal, gold-colored coin seen in the caverns of Isla De Muerta. This coin features a stylized cross on the obverse with a crest on the reverse. It’s found in several hues, including a silver variant. It measures approx. 4cm across.

Here’s a “mid size” version (below left) of the above type of coin. Measuring just under 3cm with similar features. See pic of coin in comparison to the larger aforementioned prop coin. This coin was also from the Isla De Muerta scenes. In my experience, these coins are significantly harder to find.

The “smallest” I have found are these (slightly larger than 2cm) coins. Again, they’re similar in design to the above examples.

These two thicker & heavier type prop treasure coins (below) from Isla De Muerta feature very sharp detail. Depending on how the coins were struck, you’ll find a slight convex appearance on either the “coat of arms” side or the “shield” side. This becomes important when screen matching these coins. These two coins have the slight ‘convex’ occurring on the “coat of arms” side. I love the detail on these pieces.

At World’s End (2007)

This is the “Gallows” and opening credits coin (piece of eight). We can see this coin in the cabin boy’s hand (see screen grab below) and also in the opening titles sequence.

Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

First, a production used prop gold bar from the bank safe with heavy production wear, paint flaking & color loss. These were hard to identify on screen as the top of the bar was only visible in the blink of an eye as these fell out of the safe.

Prop gold bar

Here are two production made & used metal prop coins. These appear to be based on actual George II “Five Guinea” coins from 1746. Some production wear is present showing clear paint loss.

This pair (below) are “stunt” versions of the above coins. Production pieces made of plastic and used in the bank heist scene. They display light wear.

A Guide To "Pirates of the Caribbean" Screen Used Treasure. Plastic stunt coins
Stunt coins

These “plastic” coins (below) look to have been commercially available “generic” pieces that had been production modified (possibly around the edges). Hundreds of these were used (tossed) as Captain Jack Sparrow was dragged along behind the ever emptying bank safe. Understandably, there is lots of wear on these pieces.

A Guide To "Pirates of the Caribbean" Screen Used Treasure. Stunt coins.
Bank heist “stunt” coins

A production used “Royal Bank of Saint Martin” check (cheque) from the bank safe. A hard to find item (at least, this is the only one I’ve seen).

A Guide To "Pirates of the Caribbean" Screen Used Treasure
Prop bank cheque

Another hard to find piece is this “warrant of payment” paperwork, complete with faux wax seal (damaged). These were used as part of the bank stationery and vault contents.

The last coin in the safe! The coin that Captain Jack Sparrow secretly “pockets” from the otherwise empty bank safe. This coin is a re-working of the “Black Pearl” coin, but with a unique shape.

A Guide To "Pirates of the Caribbean" Screen Used Treasure
Last coin in the safe

Please share

So, that’s the first installment of: A Guide To “Pirates of the Caribbean” Screen Used Treasure. I hope this post provided some helpful information towards identifying some of your Pirates of the Caribbean treasure. As noted, I have only included items I have in my collection. There are lots more pieces out there and I’d love to see what you have in your own collections. Please share your thoughts & comments.

If you’d like an inexpensive and effective solution for displaying your POTC coins, please check out this post.

For hints and tips on collecting motion picture and television memorabilia, why not check out my guides? I am always updating and adding to the information contained.

Finally, here’s my “YourProps” link where you’ll find these (and many more) items that make up part of my collection.

Enjoy!