The William and Catherine F. Sell Coin Collection

These coins were collected from Hatteras and Ocracoke islands by Mr. William Sell from 1939 to 1961. They were discovered with metal detectors, which were allowed on Cape Hatteras National Seashore prior to 2001. The coins come from all over the world and date as far back as the third century BCE. The oldest coin is a Hemidrachm from the time of Ptolemy IV Philopater (221-204 BCE), an Egyptian ruler. The collection also includes Spanish pieces of eight, five francs from Napoleon's time (1804-1814), and a Civil War store card token (Confederate currency) dating from 1862 to 1864, around the time of the assault by Union soldiers at Roanoke Island.

Were they lost over time? Did they belong to shipwreck victims? Were they a part of shipwrecked cargo? Nobody truly knows how these coins ended up here.