The nine so-called Pieces of Eight in Pirates of the Caribbean belong to and represent the Pirate Lords of the Brethren Court, but they are more than simply trinkets. The movies take place during the Golden Age of Piracy and follow a motley crew headed by the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow. In order to secure his own release from prison, Jack must find the seven other lords and convince them to join his cause. The concept of "Pieces of Eight" as currency has its origins with medieval England. There are records of English merchants using coins worth fractions of an ounce of silver to trade goods all over Europe. These coins were called "pears" because they were shaped like a pear. They were made out of 854 pure silver balls called "pears". Each ball was about the size of a large marble or slightly smaller. There were also doves, which were half pears and half dollars. There were also quarter pecks, which were used for measuring grain. In 1616, the British government issued a decree that any ship flying the flag of England was granted permission to trade anywhere in the world. This act was known as "The General Privilege of Trade". Ships were given letters of marque, which allowed them to fight pirates and protect traders. However, not every captain wanted to be part of this effort so some created their own private armies to guard their ships against attack.