LincolnCityFinder
Jr. Member
- Dec 28, 2021
- 22
- 2
Hello, this is my first post here and well long overdue as I have had this artifact for sometime but has been somewhat of a mystery to me, Years ago I tried to get more information about it and failed, set it aside and going to try again today. Here is the story starting in the late 80's- early 90's
At Cascade head in Lincoln City Oregon, there is a cave (well it has since collapsed in since my childhood) which was fabled to me as a pirate cave. What fun it was to go to our favorite beach every year and also have the mystery of pirates. On low tides we could walk across the rocks to get to it. Along with looking at sea life we also picked up agates along the beach and collected them and put them in a jar.
We eventually moved away from Oregon and several years later I found the jar and started to go through them and inspect all the cool agates and other tid bits we found. I started to go through them and well to my astonishment one was quite different. It was not so rough and odd shaped, it was smooth, and symmetrical, I then identified it as a crude skull shape that looked to be cut near the jaw and polished to form the bulb of the back of the head! I began to look closely at its swirls and to even more astonishment saw depictions of pirates! They have since faded a little but I think are still showing. I have no idea what technique could have done this. and I think it is more likely carnelian than agate. Its ironic as a kid dreaming of finding treasure there and then many years later discovering we did.
My theory is that this was a form of pirate art that they would create in off times and use for trading. I have never seen anything like it. The legend goes of a 8ft African skeleton found and native legends of a winged canoe. I wonder if it could have also been part of Sir Francis Drakes expedition or just a west coast pirate, I really do not know much about all that happened there. https://beachconnection.net/news/skelet021914_809.php
So here it is! Starting with the right cheek, We have the captain, with a long brimmed had and long black beard. it seems the scratch lines up with the hat so it might be a clue how this process was done but its not like that on every depiction. Behind him is a Ghost with long beard and dreads. The 3 circles that were his eyes and mouth had disintegrated sinceI first discovered it but I think enough remains. It could have been picked up anywhere on the beach about a mile from the site or in the cove where the cave once was. unfortunately this may have been in the sea water eroding for a couple hundred years and in the hands of a know nothing teenager.
a better view of the captain
The Left Cheek, Much of it I could never tell what it was, but I drew on the face from what I first saw discovering this as a teenager, the face was blue, and the man had a white beard, he was holding a torch, and in the back ground another arm was reaching up to light his torch with it. all the stuff to the right I could never tell what it was.
a closer view of the 2 torches
the back view, at first I could not tell what it was, now its like the most identifiable evil looking skull n crossbones with very pointy cheeks and triangular eyes and double pointed chin.
Top view, to show the symmetrical shape, and the bulge of the back part of the skull, narrowing to the face
3/4 view, and back lit to show possibly how it was dyed or painted.
I guess I forgot to take pics of the bottom, but there is not much to look at other than a crude jaw line, with a few scratches on it. I may be able to get those later if interest abounds to show how it might have been worked.
I want to know what it may be worth, and how does one go about selling something like this?
Thanks for the interest!
At Cascade head in Lincoln City Oregon, there is a cave (well it has since collapsed in since my childhood) which was fabled to me as a pirate cave. What fun it was to go to our favorite beach every year and also have the mystery of pirates. On low tides we could walk across the rocks to get to it. Along with looking at sea life we also picked up agates along the beach and collected them and put them in a jar.
We eventually moved away from Oregon and several years later I found the jar and started to go through them and inspect all the cool agates and other tid bits we found. I started to go through them and well to my astonishment one was quite different. It was not so rough and odd shaped, it was smooth, and symmetrical, I then identified it as a crude skull shape that looked to be cut near the jaw and polished to form the bulb of the back of the head! I began to look closely at its swirls and to even more astonishment saw depictions of pirates! They have since faded a little but I think are still showing. I have no idea what technique could have done this. and I think it is more likely carnelian than agate. Its ironic as a kid dreaming of finding treasure there and then many years later discovering we did.
My theory is that this was a form of pirate art that they would create in off times and use for trading. I have never seen anything like it. The legend goes of a 8ft African skeleton found and native legends of a winged canoe. I wonder if it could have also been part of Sir Francis Drakes expedition or just a west coast pirate, I really do not know much about all that happened there. https://beachconnection.net/news/skelet021914_809.php
So here it is! Starting with the right cheek, We have the captain, with a long brimmed had and long black beard. it seems the scratch lines up with the hat so it might be a clue how this process was done but its not like that on every depiction. Behind him is a Ghost with long beard and dreads. The 3 circles that were his eyes and mouth had disintegrated sinceI first discovered it but I think enough remains. It could have been picked up anywhere on the beach about a mile from the site or in the cove where the cave once was. unfortunately this may have been in the sea water eroding for a couple hundred years and in the hands of a know nothing teenager.
a better view of the captain
The Left Cheek, Much of it I could never tell what it was, but I drew on the face from what I first saw discovering this as a teenager, the face was blue, and the man had a white beard, he was holding a torch, and in the back ground another arm was reaching up to light his torch with it. all the stuff to the right I could never tell what it was.
a closer view of the 2 torches
the back view, at first I could not tell what it was, now its like the most identifiable evil looking skull n crossbones with very pointy cheeks and triangular eyes and double pointed chin.
Top view, to show the symmetrical shape, and the bulge of the back part of the skull, narrowing to the face
3/4 view, and back lit to show possibly how it was dyed or painted.
I guess I forgot to take pics of the bottom, but there is not much to look at other than a crude jaw line, with a few scratches on it. I may be able to get those later if interest abounds to show how it might have been worked.
I want to know what it may be worth, and how does one go about selling something like this?
Thanks for the interest!
