A skeletonized hand was found in a Florida attic along with what appears to be an old treasure map, antique coins, and a black-and-white wedding photo.
"It seems as though this belonged to my great grandparents because there is a picture of them in there," said Mike Lopez, whose sister found the box of oddities while cleaning out her grandparent's attic in Tampa.
Lopez told WFLA-TV that he believes the photo depicts his great grandparents Eve and Ernesto Lopez, while the accompanying hand-drawn map depicts downtown Tampa, Hillsborough River, and two bridges.
Last but not least is the hand, which is dry and decayed, and wearing a large ring on its ring finger. It is secured to the inside lid of the wooden box by copper wire, along with a number of coins.
Lopez thinks it could be the hand of mythical pirate José Gaspar, aka Gasparilla, who is often called "the last of the Buccaneers." Popular folklore has it that Gaspar was born in Spain in 1756, sailed to the Americas as a young man, and raided the Florida coast for decades, stockpiling his treasure on what is now called Gasparilla Island.
After consulting Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of the Tampa Bay History Center, it is believed that the antique coins are not of Spanish origin — but they could not be fully identified either.
"They're a little thin to be Spanish Coins or old coins in general. Generally older coins were thicker," said Kite-Powell. "It's fascinating, but I just don't know what to make of it…" he added.
He said the map is likely from the 1920s or 1930s, but doubts that it’s the hand of Gaspar.
"Either my great-grandfather made the best, most elaborate pirate hoax ever and never shared it with anyone or he really did find some treasure on the Hillsborough River. There's really no way to know which is the case," Maria Lopez, Mike's sister, wrote in an email,
according to USA Today.