The old flatware was discovered by Chester's good friend Butch Harris at a yard sale in Washington, NC. Harris was intrigued. The seller said they have been in her family for over sixty years, and that her father acquired them while vacationing on Ocracoke.
"Her parents must have stayed at the Pamlico Inn," said Chester. "Someone local was digging up Springer's, and sold them to the person staying at the Inn." The Pamlico Inn was damaged beyond repair by the hurricane of 1944.
The plates have survived much longer. Chester showed the plates to local historian Philip Howard, who said they looked like the plates that were on the Queen Anne's Revenge. Chester set out to determine their provenance. He spoke to another island historian, Earl O'Neal, who often hosts the members of the non-profit archaeological dive team SIDco when they are on Ocracoke.
SIDco is committed to preserving shipwrecks and submerged sites in coastal NC, and does the majority of its work in Dare, Hyde and Carteret Counties.
"Earl called, and I said, 'I'll be there in two minutes,'" said Chester. He flipped the sign on the door of his antique shop, Annabelle's, grabbed the plates, and headed a few hundred yards down Back Road to Earl's house.
SIDco President Rob Smith carried the plates into the sunlight, laid them on a table, and gave them a careful examination, said Chester.
The design, the way the plates were manufactured, and repaired "very closely matched what I seen come off the QAR," said Smith, whose team assisted with the Queen Anne's Revenge recovery. While Blackbeard himself may or may not have dined from them, it seems clear that they are least from the same period. Several of the plates retain markings of a London manufacturer.
"In 1718, how many families on Ocracoke had pewter plates?" Chester asked. He's been tempted to dine like a pirate, but has refrained because the pewter contains lead. Chester was "so tickled" with his gift that he kept them on the seat next to him on his trip home. They now have a place of pride in his China cabinet, which he has gotten in the habit of locking.
Harris paid less than $5 for the set of four plates, and Chester is planning to revel in them for a while. Smith wouldn't speculate on the value of the plates, saying that all irreplaceable historic artifacts are "priceless to me."
Chester's collection of island artifacts includes an oil lamp from the Ocracoke lighthouse, a chair from a 1900's barbershop, a table from an 1800s shipwreck, and many more workaday items, like handmade needles for repairing fishing nets. Pieces from Chester's collection can be seen the Ocracoke Preservation Society Museum, the Ocracoke Working Waterman's Association Exhibit, and at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum and Heritage Center.
A visit to Annabelle's Antiques will allow you to see the plates. They are not for sale.