Raise your hand if you found a hand. But is it THEE hand? Story in 5 minutes #wtsp pic.twitter.com/DbFkfLb61c
— Bobby Lewis (@Bobby_L) April 28, 2015
Maria Lopez of Tampa found a box in her grandfather’s attic a few weeks ago. That’s not at all unusual, but the contents of the box were certainly unusual. It contained old coins, a family picture, a map, and a severed hand wearing a ring. Could it be pirate treasure? Mike Lopez joked that his great-grandparents might have been pirates.
When Maria and Mike were children, their grandfather would tell them stories about his father, Ernesto Lopez, finding Jose Gaspar's pirate treasure. They took the box to a few antique stores around Tampa and the contents were described as "gruesome and authentic."
The map is estimated to be from the 1930s. It shows the Tampa area. Lafayette Street is labeled on the map. That road's name was changed to Kennedy Boulevard later.
The coins are believed to be Spanish and Portuguese from the 18th century. The ring on the hand's ring finger is expected to be from around the same time period.
The Lopez family says the hand may belong to Jose Gaspar, the legendary Florida-based pirate who called himself “Gasparilla.” See more pictures of the treasure at WTSP. -via Time
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