Christopher Moody Flag - 1737 - Pirate Wax Seal Stamp

Christopher Moody Flag, Red Pirate Emblem - 1737 - Historical Wax Seal Stamp

Wax seal stamp featuring the distinctive red pirate flag traditionally associated with Christopher Moody, combining a skull and crossed bones, a winged hourglass and an arm holding a blade.

Christopher Moody appears in surviving records as a member of Bartholomew Roberts’ company during the closing years of the Golden Age of Piracy. In modern books and collections of pirate flags, however, his name has become associated with one of the most elaborate pirate emblems of the period.

Unlike the predominantly black flags associated with many Golden Age pirates, this design uses a red field. It features a skull and crossed bones, a winged hourglass and a white arm holding a blade. Together, these motifs form a particularly striking example of the symbolic imagery associated with early 18th-century piracy.

Importantly, there is no known contemporary evidence that Christopher Moody personally used this flag.

The design itself does have an authentic 18th-century source. A closely matching flag appears in the 1737 maritime reference La Connoissance des Pavillons, where it is identified simply as a “Pavillon des Corsaires” — a pirate or corsair flag. The source does not name Christopher Moody or associate the emblem with any particular captain.

The specific attribution to Christopher Moody appears to have developed much later, during the 20th century. Modern research has also highlighted that historical records distinguish Christopher Moody, a member of Roberts’ company, from Captain William Moody, another pirate active during the same general period. The two have sometimes been confused in later pirate literature.

This stamp therefore reproduces a genuine early 18th-century pirate flag design traditionally associated with Christopher Moody, while distinguishing the original 1737 evidence from its later attribution.

Design: Red pirate flag with skull, crossed bones, winged hourglass and arm with blade
Traditional Association: Christopher Moody
Date of Documented Design: 1737
Period: Golden Age of Piracy
Historical Source: La Connoissance des Pavillons
Original Description: Pavillon des Corsaires
Source Basis: Period flag design with later personal attribution
Stamp Size: 30 mm
Material: Solid brass
Type: Wax seal stamp / sealing stamp

Each stamp is made of solid brass, supplied with a handle, and presented in a velvet pouch.

Suitable for letters, envelopes, maritime collections, historical displays, nautical-themed stationery, pirate collections and decorative sealing.