Pirate "Gaspar" Treasure Found In The Attic

On April 2015, Jose Lopez's sister, Maria, was cleaning out the attic of a home owned by her great-grandparents, Eve and Ernesto Lopez, in Tampa's historic Ybor City area, when she stumbled upon the box. Inside the box, she found coins, a map, a photograph neatly organized with copper wire. And a dessicated hand wearing a ring with the word "Gaspar" on the wedding ring finger, the hand is also secured to the box with copper wire. Lopez says he believes the photo is of his great grandparents Eve and Ernesto Lopez. He also believes the box may have something to do with the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar.

When Maria and Mike were children, their grandfather would tell them stories about his father, Ernesto Lopez, finding Jose Gaspar's pirate treasure. 

 

 

Lopez isn't sure when the photo or the box were made. The map has some intriguing clues. It's a map of downtown Tampa and shows the Hillsborough River and two bridges. Rodney Kite-Powell, the curator of the Tampa Bay History Center and was interested to examine the box and its contents.

However, after a close examination of the map, Kite-Powell believes it's likely from the 1920's or 1930's. the coins are not Spanish treasure, and the hand may not be human, but that of a monkey.

Sources:
http://www.newsmax.com/US/Tampa-Ybor-City-treasure-map-Jose-Gaspar/2015/04/30/id/641841/#ixzz3ZMtiGHyX

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/29/hand-found-in-florida-attic_n_7171458.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000022

http://www.wfla.com/story/28921751/tampa-attic-has-coins-a-map-a-hand-and-a-mystery

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/04/29/tampa-family-pirate-treasure-attick/26562501/

Pic Source:
http://wfla.images.worldnow.com/images/7606057_G.jpg