Arabian coin may link Thomas Jones to Captain Every’s escape

A Rhode Island metal detectorist says a 17th-century Arabian coin he found may connect pirate Captain Henry Every’s escape to Thomas Jones, the colonial landowner after whom Long Island’s Jones Beach is named. The claim could add a piracy connection to a well-known New York figure’s history, though the identity of the Thomas Jones in the documents is disputed.

James Bailey found the dime-sized coin at Sweet Berry Farm in Middletown five years ago and believes it was minted in Yemen in 1693, after Every’s crew raided the Red Sea ship Ganj-i-Sawai. Bailey says depositions and other colonial records suggest Jones helped the pirates evade authorities as a “wheelman”; later, New York’s governor investigated Jones, who became a wealthy landowner and whaling operator. The raid triggered an international manhunt, but Every and many of his crew were never captured.