After reading the rules I am a bit intimidated that this is in the wrong place- but here goes:
What were actual chests from the "golden age of piracy" like? Size, material, etc... Did they have that shape we see in cartoons and such?
Do we know when that sort of hinged box originated?
Thank you.
Perhaps the only authentic 'Pirate Treasure Chest' that we know of is the chest of Captain Thomas Tew. He left this chest behind in his home in Rhode Island before setting off on his second pirate voyage to the Indian Ocean in 1694. Tew died on his second voyage.
On his first voyage he had seized a large ship travelling from India to the Ottoman Empire, reputedly carrying gold, silver, and cargo worth 100,000 pounds. Tew's share of that treasure may have once resided in the chest.
This chest is now in the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum. You can see a photo here:
http://www.piratesoul.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=136&Itemid=196
Besides this chest, there is little record of authentic 'pirate treasure chests', or actual buried pirate treasure. The legend seems to have originated with fictional accounts such as 'Treasure Island' by Robert Louis Stevenson and 'The Gold Bug' by Edgar Allan Poe.
Inspiration for the idea of a 'Treasure Chest' may have come from the common 'Sea Chest'. Almost all sailors in the 18th century had a Sea Chest in which they transported and stored all their belongings.
Here are some pictures of 18th century Sea Chests: