For as long as ships have sailed the seven seas, pirates have been there to prey upon them, snatching up riches and fouling up trade routes. Though pirates has always been the nightmare of ships’ captains and their crews, our culture has a fascination with the salty buccaneers of yore.

The Golden Age of Pirates

The prototypical image of the sea pirate that we all know so well comes from the Golden Age of Piracy during the colonization of the Caribbean Islands during the mid 17th to the early 18th centuries. Transatlantic trade was key to the development of the newest territories of France and England. But the ships that carried priceless goods and commodities across the ocean to the colonies were sitting ducks for local bands of pirates.

Robbers on the high seas during from 1650-1720 are among the most emulated in costume. In honor of these colonial era pirates, pirate role players proudly sport tri-corner hats, hook hands, and peglegs - but no pirate persona is complete without an eyepatch!

The Eyepatch

While the eyepatch is the cherry on top of the overall gnarly appearance of any pirate, historically, it was a functional part of the sea dog’s apparel. During battle and navigation, the crew on a pirate ship needed to be able to quickly move from above deck to below. Wearing an eyepatch made visual adjustment more smooth under these circumstances.

Wearing an eyepatch above deck ensured that one eye remained adjusted to the dark at all times. Upon descending to the lower level, a pirate would simply switch the patch over to his other eye and be able to see in the darkness almost immediately. When every second counts, an eyepatch could have been the difference between a hit and miss with the below deck guns.

Armory Replicas has everything you need for your pirate wardrobe, from pirate swords and colonial tricorns, to authentic leather eyepatches. Shop our new arrivals and complete your look with historical accuracy today!