Piece of eight (item)

A piece of eight was an important symbol in pirate lore. The term was commonly used in reference to the Spanish Dollar, though often became associated with pirate treasure.

Each of the nine Pirate Lords agreed to hold a piece of eight to be presented during a meeting of the Brethren Court, though the term came to apply to a variety of items and trinkets as the pirates found themselves short on money. The nine pieces were used to bind the sea goddess Calypso to a human form, after Davy Jones informed the Brethren on how to capture her.

Pieces of eight were used to call the Brethren Court to assemble at Shipwreck Cove. The sea shanty Hoist the Colours was sung at Fort Charles during Lord Cutler Beckett's drive to eradicate piracy on the Seven Seas, and the coins reverberated with the song. The nine pieces of eight were burned as part of the ritual to release Calypso during the Pirate Lords' battle against the East India Trading Company.

Pieces of eight of the Pirate Lords

 * Ragetti's eyeball (Hector Barbossa)
 * A bulb of liquid (Sao Feng/Elizabeth Swann)
 * A piece of eight woven into a lock of hair (Jack Sparrow)

Appearances

 * Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End