In the midst of lining up a putt while playing in my golf league tonight, I saw this coin. If you don’t golf, you may not know about marking your golf ball on the putting green. Once on the putting surface, you may pick up your ball to clean it so long as you mark the spot – usually with a coin or some other small, flat object. When your turn to putt comes, you replace the ball, pick up your mark, and putt away. I spotted this coin on the green tonight and nearly fell out.

I grew up reading English sea novels. Captain Jack Aubrey, Doctor Stephen Maturin: they were friends in my youth.

I’m lining up a putt and I saw the coin pictured below marking my opponent’s ball on the green. No, that could not be what I think it is. Yup. I even got to hold it and have a close look.

This is a single, nearly worn down, piece of eight from 1677 he found while diving a wreck. Wow.

ball mark

ISO 400 at 13 f/6.3
55mm