10/30 Report - Trick or Treat Cob?

Trick or Treat?

Trick! It's a fake. Not a bad looking fake, but a fake none the less. The design is of a real cob, but the metal is not silver. I tested it.

I think this is about the fifth fake cob that I've found on the Florida beaches over the years. Fakes can come out of the ground looking pretty realistic and cause a lot of problems. The first fake cob that I found confused me for some time. First I very carefully cleaned it, and since I was not so familiar with cobs at the time, after cleaning it enough to get a good look at it, it seemed to bear the design of an escudo but was not gold. I thought I must have been wrong about the cob's identity. Then I tested it and found that it was neither silver nor gold. I think the fake was originally plated to look gold, but over time the plating came off. It doesn't usually take me as long to identify fake cobs now.

Many fakes that are sold as souvenirs are marked COPY. And this one is too. But the COPY mark is so faint and small that I didn't see it until I photographed the coin and viewed it magnified on my display screen. Then I could see what seemed to be the COPY mark.

If you research the design I think you can tell what this fake was designed to be.

I ran across a nice article on a shipwreck found in the Gulf. I always encourage beach hunters to study artifacts so they will recognize things when they find them in the field. There have been times in the past when I failed to recognize an item that I dug up, and as a result I probably did not find as much as I otherwise would have. If you know what items are telling you when you find them, you will have a better idea about where to spend the rest of your time and how to hunt.

Well, this article gives some good information that might help you. The article says, "The copper is the most intriguing clue about the ship. In the late 1700's, the British Navy began sheathing the hulls of its warships with copper plates..." Paraphrasing a bit, they went on to say that in the mid-1800's ship builders shifted to less expensive copper alloys.

And, "Because irregular holes in the sheets indicated they were hand-nailed, the researchers said they thought that the ship was built around 1810."

Even when beach detecting conditions are not very good, you can still often find things like copper sheets that can lead you to other things. I found some copper sheets just the other day myself.

The article also said, "Somewhere on the copper sheet is probably a mark of the coppersmith who hammered it." I think you'd be lucky to find the mark, but it is worth looking.

If you want to read the entire article go to the following web site. It has a bit of a Halloween story to it too.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/28/science/28WREC.html?ei=5062&en=d69ed7003fd09bd7&ex=1044421200&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=top

Forecast and Conditions. Conditions haven't changed much over the past few days. The surf sites are still predicting seas increasing to about four feet on Saturday and increasing just a touch again on Thursday. The tides are nice and high, but I don't expect much improvement over the next week. The seas are only predicted to be four to five feet and that just usually isn't enough. If we get some nice strong north winds we still might get a few cuts. At this point, I'm maintaining my 1 (poor) treasure beaches conditions rating.

Happy Halloween.
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/29 Report - Tree Stump and Erosion

Stumped? Some of the best finds have been made on the Treasure Coast after big storms. The 2004 hurricanes resulted in some great finds, including Gary D.'s gold and emerald ring that I've shown a couple of times. Here is a photo from 2004 submitted by Chris M. who was involved in moving some of the sand on Hutchinson Island after the hurricanes. He sent some good photos and information, and told about how they moved washed sand from the back beach, and then when that breeched, pushed up old sand from the beach front. That is how different layers of sand can get intermixed and how things get found where you might never expect them.

That stump you see in the photo tells a story.

It is surprising (at least to me) how much sand there is on some of the treasure beaches compared to what there was at different times a decade or two ago. I've seen tree stumps along the water line at one treasure beach only two or three times in the past twenty years. They appear when there is some really big erosion, but most of the time they are hiding under tons of sand.

Some people might be surprised to learn that there is a big concrete slab foundation that is under the beach just north of the Nieves site, up by the big bend. I've seen it completely uncovered on one occasion when the sand was eroded all the way back to the tree line by the condos to the north. Now there is at least two hundred yards of sand there. Pulse induction detector users have told me that their detector goes crazy up there and they didn't know why. The reason is the concrete foundation and the rebars.

There is a lot of stuff under all that sand - stuff that only appears once in a blue moon and then quickly disappears like a Halloween spook.

Back to the stump in the photo. It tells a story. First, you see that it was cut, probably years ago, and by the looks, probably by a chain saw. Why? Well, if you consider the location and know something of the history of the area, you might get some idea. In any case, it speaks of human activity in that area in the past, but not too distant past. Notice the notches cut into the top of the stump. That tells you that they didn't want the tree to regrow.

The roots coming out up above the current sand level suggests to me something about the level of the sand before the erosion. Assuming the stump hasn't significantly moved, which it well could have, the sand level looks to be down at least a foot from the time the tree was growing, which again, I'd guess was years ago. You'd have to look at the area to get a good idea about whether it has been moved.

I don't know for sure, but it also looks like the tree began growing and then the sand level increased and a new layer of roots developed higher up. If you are a botanist or something, maybe you can tell me if that could happen.

In any case, I love to see beaches with exposed tree roots. The stumps and roots often trap items such as coins when the sand and water is moving around the tree. And people who might stop to lay in the sun or go swimming will of often place items by a tree or stump.

I remember one time when a palm tree was laying on an eroding beach and I detected a target where the currents were swirling around. I dug up five mercury dimes in one scoop where the coins settled right below the obstruction.

Always check around obstructions such as stumps or rocks on eroded beaches.
And when you see a stump on the beach, notice and remember how high the sand is on the stump. Maybe cut or scratch a line into the stump so you can see on your next visit if there was any more erosion. Use the stump as a measuring stick that tells you about the changing beach level. Also try to determine if the stump might be trying to tell you anything else.

Forecast and Conditions. Conditions have not been real good lately. There is hope. Saturday the seas are predicted to increase. Then later in the week they'll increase a little more. Judging from the current projections, it looks like this coming Thursday we'll get a nice north wind for a little while. Up until then the wind and waves will probably be hitting the beach almost straight on. If the seas increase a little more and we get that wind change, we might see some good erosion. Right now and until something significant happens, I'm sticking with my 1 (poor) Treasue Coast treasure beach conditions rating.

I have some finds and different things lined up to post in the near future.
Thanks for the emails and photos.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net











It also looks to me like

10/28 - Silver Skull Ring

Happy Halloween.

The reason that I originally thought about posting a photo of this particular ring is that I thought it would be a good Halloween photo. It isn't a valuable ring and I didn't find it recently, but it is the first ring that I ever found.

I found it sometime back in the 1980s, I think. I lost track of when I started detecting, but I'm pretty sure it was sometime in the eighties. And this was my first ring.

I remember it well. I was using a new Fisher 1280-X detector that I later used for a number of years with very good results. I paid for that detector in the first year with clad coins alone.

I went to the beach one evening with my family to try my detector out and show some of my family how it worked. A couple of them tried out my detector, and then I took a shot at it. I quickly covered about twenty yards and returned in a couple of minutes holding the newly dug ring in my hand. Of course everyone was amazed that I found a ring in such a short time - and my first at that!

I remember it very well some twenty or thirty years later. I guess it made an impression. In fact, I remember it so well that I could walk to that beach today, which is a couple of hours and about a hundred miles from where I live now, and walk to within a few feet of where I dug up that ring. I suspect that if I found the same ring today, I would barely take a look at it.

Many of my finds I don't remember much about, but there are plenty that I remember finding as if it was yesterday. If life is about creating memories, metal detecting can do the job.

Memories don't only come from finds though. As I think about it, it seems that I especially remember the times when some of my family went with me to give detecting a try even if nothing was found. I guess you could say that detecting is a good way to share time with people, especially family members.

Big Sea Monster Skull Found in Eroded Cliff. No joke! Continuing with the topics of Halloween and skulls, an eight foot long skull was found sticking out of a recently eroded cliff. It didn't happen here on the Treasure Coast, but you can find old fossils on the Treasure Coast beaches including the fossilized remains of mammoths, giant sloths and things that lived thousands and thousands of years ago. Dinosaur fossils haven't been found in Florida because Florida was under water during the age of dinosaurs, but there are variety of fossils found in Florida including agatized coral, Florida's official state rock. Some day I'll post some pictures of Florida beach fossils.

Back to the big skull. It was found in England. You can read more about it at the following web site.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,569778,00.html?test=latestnews

Conditions and Forecast. The time of year that the beaches typically become most productive is approaching. It looks like summer has stretched into fall and things haven't really changed much except for the one cold front that came through. But the surf web sites show increasing seas this week that are currently expected to increase even more by next Tuesday. On next Tuesday they are projecting something around five or six foot seas, which is getting close to what it usually takes to see improvement on the beaches, depending upon a number of other factors.

Right now I'm maintaining a 1 (poor) treasure beach conditions rating.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/27 Report - Sebastian and General Erosion

Sebastian Beach Metal Detecting Photo.

Here is a great photo taken a few days ago and submitted by Tom Gidus, who you might know as one of the guys who works some of the leased wrecks along the Treasure Coast and has made some great discoveries. I always appreciate receiving beach photos because I can't be everywhere. This photo supports what I said a few days ago about the north end of the Treasure Coast probably getting more erosion than the southern beaches.

I did show you photos of the cuts at Corrigans and the Disney area a few days ago, but this is north of that. Looking north, you can see the Sebastian jetty in the back of the photo. That will give you a good idea of the location.

The photo was taken few days ago, and I doubt if the cuts anywhere have improved over the last few days. With the southeast winds returning and the lower seas, the front of the beaches are undoubtedly filling a bit.

At least some of that dredged sand was removed.

By the way, if you haven't seen it, Tom has a great web site that I have listed at the bottom of my list of reference links.

The old cuts that happened a few days ago are pretty much still in place. Of course they are older and have rounded off and have some new sand deposited in front of them now.

Not All Cuts Are Created Equal. You might have wondered why after seeing all of those nice cuts I didn't increase my treasure beach conditions rating to more than a 2. The reason is that not all cuts are created equal. (A couple of minutes after writing this I got an email in which the author used the phase "not al dunes are created equal," and that is true too. I might talk about that more at another time.)

Back to the cuts. Most of the recent erosion was in either sand that was dumped by renourishment programs or recently deposited by summer wave action. Cuts in newly deposited sand are not usually as productive as cuts in old sand. One notable exception being when the dredged or hauled sand contained older items that were brought from where ever it was obtained.

And erosion of the back dunes is usually more productive than erosion of the beach front. You'll find that at some locations like Corrigans, old items will wash out of the back dunes when the water gets that far back.

I also think you'll see more finds as the summer sand is removed over time and the cuts get farther back, deeper and get down closer to sea level.

Forecast. There is no tropical activity in the Atlantic now. The southeast winds have returned and sand is building again on many of the beach fronts. Later this week, starting Saturday, the surf web sites say that the seas will be increasing - but only up to about four feet, which usually isn't enough to do us much good. I'll have to maintain my 1 (poor)rating on my treasure beach conditions scale for the time being. I should remind you though, that there are probably a few nice spots out there that haven't been worked yet, but I'd guess that they are few and far between and generally not the usual hunting spots.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/26 Report - Reading Cuts and Erosion

Shipwreck Artifacts.

Here is a nice group of shipwreck items found by Gary D.


Reading Beaches.

A couple days ago I was walking the beach looking at a wall of sand where there was a six foot high cut on the face of the dunes. I always like to look at any cuts and erosion or excavation to see what has been exposed. You can usually identify the different layers by color or composition. At this particular spot, there were a few layers of sand and a few layers of shells, but the curious thing is that one of the oldest layers was close to the top. You would usually expect to see the oldest layers underneath. I guess there are a variety of ways that old materials can be deposited on top of newer layers, but in this case I suspect that the older material was excavated somewhere else and then dumped on top. It contains some interesting things and it would be worth finding the source.

It is a bit funny when you see layers made up primarily of materials that are thousands of years old intermixed with pull tabs and more modern items. It happens. On this particular beach, the old material was on top, but as the waves eroded the face of the cliff, a small amount of the top layer slid down the cliff and ended up at the bottom of the cliff closer to where they probably would have been if nature had deposited them. When waves move over the area there will be a gradual sifting and things will no longer be organized entirely by age or when they were deposited, but rather by density (and some other factors). The dense materials over time will be sifted so they end up deeper while the lighter, or should I say less dense materials, tend to be left towards the top.

It can be informative to inspect the face of cuts. You can often tell how old various layers are and what is in them. You will often find that there are layers that hold the types of things you are looking for and some layers that don't hold much of interest.

I recently received in an email that provided some good information. In response to some of the beach photos and discussion that I recently presented, one reader said, "Beach slope is directly related to the coarseness of the "sand" on it. Natural beach sand is pretty smooth and very consistent in size. The steepness and pronounced cuts are the result of renourishment - the placing of coarse crap from the ocean bottom. As you've noted, this material gets very soft when saturated with water. You've probably noticed water running OUT of this material at low tide. It sinks, or finds a vein, to drain out of."

I've often noted that beach renourishment sand more quickly erodes than the sand that naturally finds its way onto the beach. This reader mentions one reason.

It's always good to understand as much as you can about the movement of sand and other materials on the beach. It will help you to locate the best hunting spots and help direct you to the better finds. When you get any kind of erosion or excavating, take a look to study the different layers that you might see. Notice the composition of the materials and the items that are in the different layers.

I often say that you stalk treasure. That is more true of treasure on the beach than most other treasures. Beaches are dynamic systems where there is a lot of force and change. Beach treasures tend to move until they are trapped in one way or another. When you are hunting older items, it really helps to know how they are moved so that you can track them down. Of course that is not so true of a relic that is dropped in a woods. Relic in a field will pretty much stay where they are dropped except for a little sinking or movement by erosion on occasion. But there is not nearly the amount of force or movement involved. That is why beach hunting is much more about understanding beaches and how they change.

If you look at the cuts and learn to identify the different types of layers and sand, which varies in color and composition, you will learn to know what to look for on a beach when hunting a particular type of target.

Notice the different types of sand and layer that you see. Notice what items are found in what types of sand and under what conditions.

One reason that I seldom use any discrimination at all is that a pull tab or a piece of iron or even aluminum foil provides information. It got there somehow. And unless it just so happens that it was recently dropped, it got there by the influence of certain forces that act according to unchanging physical laws.

Junk can provide important information that tells you something about where you should be hunting. Gold and aluminum foil on a beach front will soon part company. Over time they will be moved and sifted to their own proper places.


Forecast and Conditions.

Well, the seas have smoothed out and the recent cool front didn't do much. i don't expect the beaches to change significantly all week. It looks like the seas might increase a little at the end of this week, but not really much.

I'm down-grading my beach conditions rating to a 1 (poor) again.

I think we will be seeing some more fronts moving through in September that will help us out. November through February have been my most productive months on average over the years, with the most productive being December and January.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/24 Report - Sedwick Auction Results & Current Conditions

Nieves Site Beach Photo.

Here is what the beach looked like yesterday before high tide. The best looking cuts are up north near the bend, but even they are getting a bit old and stale. With the decreasing seas, it looks like we aren't going to get any more cutting for a while unless the wind switches around for a while. It looks like the best of this front is over and you'll have to do some searching for the remaining finds. I do believe there are still some out there, but they'll be harder to come by. Most people focus on just a few beaches leaving some good spots unhunted, but you will have to go find them.

I'll maintain my beach conditions rating of 2 for now - just a notch above poor.


I received the new press release summarizing the auction results for the Sixth Sedwick Treasure Auction. It is always good to study the items and interesting to see the prices that they bring. I was glad to see that a half reale brought over $19,000. Half reales are my favorite coins and I am glad to see a rare and fine half reale get that kind of attention. Another item that you might want to note is the gold bullion bar from the S. S. Central America that sold for over $90,000.

I'm not so interested in the monetary value, but I do see it as something of a quantification of interest value. Both of those items I mentioned went well above what the precious metals value alone would justify. Maybe I should do a blog on the different types of value that an item can have and how it affects prices. I did that for a magazine article once a long time ago.

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Sedwick’s Sixth Treasure Auction Realizes Over $1.6 Million

Winter Park, Florida. – Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC held their 6th overall and 2nd fully live internet auction of numismatic and shipwreck treasures on October 15-16, 2009, realizing a record price of over $1.6 million* in 2082 lots. Featured in the sale were coins and artifacts and printed materials from around the world, including the prestigious collections of Mark Bir, Louis Hudson, Herman Blanton and Thomas Sebring.

“This was by far our best auction, and the feedback from both consignors and bidders has been overwhelmingly positive. We greatly exceeded our goal of $1 million, and over 94% of the lots sold,” said Daniel Sedwick, company principal and founder.
“We were honored to present for sale several great collections of coins and artifacts, including a few significant coins that are rarely offered at auction. This is proof that our relatively new and rapidly growing Treasure Auctions are a competitive specialized option for consignors, with an unparalleled level of personalized service from beginning to end for both bidders and consignors alike.”

Setting the tone for the sale was lot 1, a Mexican cob 8 escudos fully dated 1709, which found a home with a private collector for a record price of $46,000*. Some 70+ gold cobs followed thereafter.

A couple of exceptional Panama cobs also set records: Lot 1176, the finest known 4 reales, sold for an impressive $22,425*, and lot 1178, a choice half real, sold for $19,550*, both to significant private collections.

Aggressive prices were also encountered in the Louis Hudson Collection of Potosi Countermarked Coins, over 70 lots of the rarest examples of a short-lived and controversial period in the colonial coinage of Potosi (1649-51). Also heavily contested were many dated shield-type minors of the early 1600s. A large selection of silver cobs from the Atocha (1622), including several from the famous Research Collection, saw spirited bidding as well.

Noteworthy results from the Treasure Auction #6 include the following (* all prices realized include 15% buyer’s premium):

Lot 1 Mexico City, Mexico, cob 8 escudos, 1709J, possible presentation issue, extremely rare, 1715 Fleet. $46,000
Lot 21 Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1702H, very rare, Calicó Plate Coin, from the 1715 Fleet. $25,300
Lot 22 Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1709M, scarce, from the 1715 Fleet. $ 9,200
Lot 28 Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1713/2M, scarce, from the 1715 Fleet. $10,350
Lot 41 Cartagena, Colombia, cob 2 escudos, 162(2) SF, posthumous Philip III, from the Santa Margarita (1622). $14,375
Lot 59 Seville, Spain, cob 2 escudos, Philip III, assayer B, from the Atocha (1622), rare provenance. $14,950
Lot 104 Quito, Ecuador, 8 escudos, 1852/0GJ. $ 9,200
Lot 114 Mexico City, Mexico, bust 8 escudos, Philip V, 1733F, very rare, choice grade, from the 1733 Fleet. $19,550
Lot 121 Paraguay (Republic, War of the Triple Alliance), cut 4 pesos fuertes (1866-69), 1 of 2 known. $ 9,200
Lot 138 USA, Coronet $20, 1857-S, PCGS MS-65 (20A Spiked Shield), from the SS Central America (1857). $10,005
Lot 384 Bogotá, Colombia, cob 8 reales, 1651PoRMS, rare and choice, Plate Coin in The Practical Book of Cobs. $ 5,463
Lot 1176 Panama, cob 4 reales, Philip II, assayer (o)B to left, AP-4 to right, extremely rare, finest known. $22,425
Lot 1178 Panama, cob 1/2 real, Philip II, AP to left, P to right, M below monogram, very rare and choice. $19,550
Lot 1435 Haiti, 25 centimes(?) countermark (1814-16?) on a Brazilian 960 reis, 1812-B. $ 4,889
Lot 1618 Gold "finger” bar #11 from the "Golden Fleece wreck" (ca. 1550), 204 grams, 20-1/2K. $10,925
Lot 1625 Gold "finger" bar from the Maravillas (1656), 336.3 grams, 19-1/4K. $23,575
Lot 1626 Gold "half potato" ingot from the 1715 Fleet, marked "4o3", 59.32 troy oz, estimated fineness 20K. $46,000
Lot 1627 Justh & Hunter gold ingot #4280 from the S.S. Central America (1857), 20.93 oz, 90.7% fine. $94,875
Lot 1630 Large silver "tumbaga" bar #M-66 ("key bar") from the "Tumbaga wreck" (ca. 1528), 21.66 lb. $13,800
Lot 1641 Large silver bar from the Atocha (1622), 91 lb 4.96 oz troy, Class Factor 1.0. $27,600
Lot 1716 Gold cross studded with 6 high-grade emeralds from the 1715 Fleet. $23,575

Prices realized for all lots sold in Treasure Auction #6 are available online at www.sedwickcoins.com. Treasure Auction #7 in April of 2010 will present another impressive selection of cobs and important numismatic and shipwreck trophies. Consignments for this upcoming auction will be accepted until January 31, 2010.

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Wouldn't be nice to find some of those items? It happens, but it usually takes a lot of hard work combined with some amount of luck.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/23 - Corrigans Maravedis & Cleaning Coins

Cleaned Maravedis.

This coin was found by Bill P. at the Corrigans site, if I remember correctly. I posted pictures of this coin a number of months ago but decided to post it again in order to make a correction.

Yesterday I mentioned that the muriatic acid coin cleaning process, provided by Bill and described in my Dec. 30, 2008 post, would work for silver coins but not for copper coins. Bill tells me that it will work fine for copper coins as demonstrated by this coin. I haven't used the process on copper coins myself, but Bill would know. If you have any doubts, try the process on a copper penny or some other common copper coin to test it out to your own satisfaction. It would be a good idea to practice on a worthless coin first anyhow just to become familiar with the procedure. Always be careful when cleaning coins or artifacts. It is better to take it easy and go slow until you know what you are doing.

This nicely detailed coin is from around 1658 and minted in Seville. On the one side you see a crown and the letters RX. On the other side the monogram for King Phillip. This would be Phillip IV. Similar coins have the denomination to the right of the "S" and I think you can see a bit of that on this coin. It appears to me there might be a 2 in Roman numerals just to the right of the upper part of the S.

There were a lot of Maravedis produced under the reign of Phillip IV. One good source book is "Monedas Espanolas Desde Juana Y Carlos a Isabel II, 1504 a 1868," roughly translated, "Spanish Money from Jean Carlos to Isabel, 1504 to 1868." Books like that are very expensive, but you might find it in your library.

There is actually a group that is restoring the Segovia Mint. If you'd like to learn more about the Segovia mint, take a look at http://www.segoviamint.org/index_engl.html.

Beach Conditions and Forecast.

Saturday around noon, if the surf web sites are right, the wind will shift to be coming from the north for a short while. That should be around high tide, which means there is a fair chance that there will be some short-term cutting on some of the beach fronts. I doubt that I will be out there at noon so I won't necessarily be able to prove or disprove this myself.

I am talking about short-term cutting which can happen for a short time and then when the wind shifts around again will quickly disappear. We've already seen some filling on the front of the beaches since the original erosion occurred a couple of days ago. Cuts can form and be filled in a very quickly. Sometimes you have to be there when it happens or else you will miss it.

The seas are now below five feet and are expected to continue decreasing over the next few days. High tide is around 12:30. With the decreasing seas, you might be able to get out a little further at low tide. There should be a few good things still out there for a few days if you hunt the less hunted spots. I'm maintaining my 2 rating for the local treasure beaches.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/22 Report - Beach Conditions Again

Beach Photo of One of the St. Lucie County Beaches.

The first thing you'll notice is that this beach is not cut like the two that I showed you yesterday. This photo was taken just before high tide this morning.

There were some finds the past couple of days. I heard of at least one possible 1715 artifact being found. Of course there were the modern finds at the resort and tourist areas. It doesn't take much erosion to uncover those.

As I mentioned yesterday, the erosion along the Treasure Coast is spotty. Yesterday I presented photos of Corrigans and Wabasso beaches, both of which had some nice erosion. Some of the spots by the parking areas don't look much good, but if you are willing to walk a few hundred yards you can often find some nice cuts around the bend. It is largely a matter of the angle the waves hit the beach. So where there is a bend in the beach, one side will often be cut while the other side not.

I think the beaches towards the north end of the Treasure Coast are a bit better than those towards the south. I would also check any beaches south of obstructions, such as the jetties. I suspect that the beaches just south of the inlets are pretty well cut even though I didn't personally inspect them.

I found one spot where the waves were actually cutting into the back dunes and exposing layers of sand that haven't seen daylight for year and years. Those spots are small and relatively hard to find now, but that is something I like to see.

In summary, there are some nice spots out there even if there is a lot of new sand remaining to be cut away at most places. I would advise scouting around and looking for those places where the angles are right for erosion and especially any spots where the water got all the way to the back dunes.

Today there is enough to talk about with the highest waves we've seen for a while that I haven't talked about much else. I'll put other things off for a while and show you some finds later.

In addition to the reports of finds, one person did write to say that he had a copper coin that needed to be cleaned and asked about the procedure that I used for the cob that I showed not long ago. That procedure, detailed in the Dec. 30, 2008 report, is excellent for cleaning silver coins, but I wouldn't recommend it for copper. So if anyone can contribute information on their preferred procedure for cleaning copper coins, please send your ideas to me via email. If I get a good thorough set of instructions put together for cleaning copper coins, I'll post it in the future.

I'll also be posting some find and reference articles in the near future. Like I said, for now I'm focusing on the beach conditions.

I'm maintaining a 2 rating on my 5 point Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Conditions Scale. 5 is best, and 1 is poor, so we are s step up from the terrible summer conditions that lasted so long this year.

I should also remind you that I start with a 1 instead of a zero, because something meant for what I call "primary targets," which I define as old silver and gold shipwreck coins and artifacts. Non-metallic and other artifacts and modern precious metal items, I consider secondary targets. So the focus of my rating system is on old shipwreck items made of precious metals.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/21 Beach Conditions Report and Photos

Corrigans Beach Photo.

As you can see there was a little erosion over the past few days. The cuts are up to two feet high in spots. As you also know, we've had a lot of sand accumulate over the past few months which protected the beaches. The erosion is only removal of recently deposited sand. The water did not hit the cliffs at the back of the beach. This beach is best when the water erodes the back dunes.

I didn't expect to see a lot of improvement due the fact that the waves were only about six feet. It seems to usually take about eight foot seas. Also this morning the waves were coming directly at the beach instead of at a nice angle, which is what usually erodes better.

The Nieves site did have some erosion, but not much and the waves topped the front beach and rounded the cuts. It was still pretty mushy.

Wabasso Beach Photo.

You can see the erosion here. Again. the water did not make it to the dunes at the back of the beach. The sand that was washed away was primarily new sand from the recent beach renourishment. So at Corrigans and Wabasso the sand that was eroded was recently deposited sand that would not likely have been the source of any newly exposed older items.

The photo was taken when the tide was coming in. A couple of detectorists were there earlier. When the tide goes out, you might have a better chance.

Of course there might have been some old things in the beach renourishment sand at Wabasso. Keep your eyes open for Indian artifacts and fossils.

If you look down by the resort you will see that the sand is over the rails on the walk-way. That tells you that even though there is erosion there, there is still a lot of deep sand in spots.

Overall, I'm upgrading my beach rating from a one to a two. The erosion is spotty around the Treasure Coast. The erosion at Wabasso is what I would call artificial since it is in sand that was recently dumped there rather than deposited by natural forces. The sea wall to the north of the beach cuts off the natural flow of sand.

Even if the erosion is not great at this time, it has improved hunting a little, and if you search out those odd spots that were hit at just the right time and angle, you should be able to find a few items. Also check out the low tide areas when the tide goes down.

Well, I finally got my report in. I'll show you some finds and other things as the week progresses.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/20 New Report on Conditions Due Tomorrow - Sorry for Delay.

As I mentioned I did not have computer access for a few days. Isn't that the way it goes? Months on end with virtually no change to beach conditions and no problems - but here comes our first significant wind and waves for months and I have an interruption in computer service.

Well, I am happy to report that I am now operational and back in business and soon as I catch up with a few things, expect to have a nice detailed report on the most recent events and beach conditions for you tomorrow.

Again, sorry for the delay, and I do expect to catch you up on everything tomorrow.

I also have a number of topics to post in reponse to recent reader emails.

Happy hunting.

Until tomorrow,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/18 Post - Cleaned Half Reale

Cleaned Half Reale.

Here is the picture of the cleaned half reale that I promised you a day or two ago. This is the same coin that I showed a couple of days ago with the crust on it before it was cleaned. As I mentioned, people liked seeing the uncleaned coin, so I thought I would show the cleaned coin too. That way you could compare the before and after. Again, I used muriatic acid, which removed most of the crust in a few minutes. Then it took longer to get some of the remaining junk off. After all of that, I think it makes a really nice example.

I set this blog to post automatically on Sunday because I thought I might not have computer access for a couple days and therefore would not have much else for you until I got my computer fixed. Computers give you problems at the worst times it seems.

Hopefully the seas are cutting out there. Like I said, I don't expect to have computer access on Sunday. I'll post the newest information as soon as I can.

Sorry for the delay on the conditions update.

Until then,
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/17 Report - Finding a Home for Gold & Diamond Ring

Conditions and Forecast.

Here is the beach as it looked yesterday afternoon around low tide. It looks pretty much like before. One remarkable difference was a relatively thin line of sea weed and shells and junk running down the beach. The sand below that line was pretty firm. I could see one dip a ways down the beach but didn't have the time to detect it. It looked like the most promising spot at that particular beach.

The tides have been so high that I'll bet you can find some of those little cuts at the high tide mark on some of the beaches. The tides are high enough that it should be getting very close to the dunes at the back of the beach at some places. High tides are around 1:00 o'clock, and they are high. If we can get the wind to turn around and push in some higher waves, things might start to look good. Still, there is a lot of sand out front to buffer the waves. I think it will take a good blow from the north to really create some nice productive cuts.

Right now I'm sticking with my 1 (poor) rating, and hoping that the higher seas on Monday through Wednesday will change things. According to the surf web sites, we'll be seeing 5.5 foot seas. That is not usually enough, but combined with the high tides and some north winds (if we really get them) it might do something good.

Finders Not Always Keepers. Pete R. would like to find the owner of the gold and diamond ring he found the other day. He has already checked the craigslist lost-and-found for the area and www.lostmyring.com. If you know of any other sites that might help find the owners let me know. I know it can be difficult. Many of the rings that I've found were lost many years ago and in touist areas where it was difficult to know where the owner came from.

If you give me some additional useful web sites, I'll accumulate a list and eventually post it for any and all that might be interested.

It is good to return modern jewellery when you can. If you think about it, the value of the ring probably isn't going to change your life-style but it might make some one very happy to get their ring back.

I have hunted for items for people and after considerable time and effort found and returned the item without even so much as a thank-you from the owner. That is their problem. Sometimes you just don't know what is going on with some people.


Cleaned Cob. Some one said they enjoyed seeing the uncleaned half reale that I showed in the last post. I therefore decided to post a picture of what I found under the crust after the coin was cleaned. I posted it some time ago, but this might help you put it in perspective - seeing the before and then the after again. I've programmed this thing to post that picture tomorrow since my computer will be getting an upgrade. Hope it works. Watch for the cleaned cob tomorrow or the next day.

I expect to miss some posts in this blog due to computer problems, but I will try to get back to full speed as soon as possible.

Happy Hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/16 Report - $40,000 Gold Eight-Escudo

Half Reale as Found.

Here is a half reale that I found just south of Jupiter inlet a number of years ago. I can remember it well. I was using the Mac Aquapulse at the time. I dug it up with my scoop and handed it to my wife and kept on detecting. The waves were crashing on the beach and hitting the back dunes. When my wife took a look at it, she told me that she thought I got one, meaning a Spanish cob.

I left it just as you see it for a number of years before finally getting curious and cleaning it up just a few months ago. It is the one that I posted in its cleaned condition after using Bill P.'s muriatic acid process (described in the Dec. 30, 2008 post). The crust really protected the detail very nicely. The protected side looked the best after cleaning.

If you look back through the blog posts, you can see it in its cleaned condition. Augie of Sedwick Coins said if he put it up for auction he would clean it a little better if I wanted. I didn't want to take it too far. In fact I usually leave my coins in the original found condition. You can always clean them later, but you can't unclean them.

$40,000 Eight-Escudo in Auction. Well the first day of the sixth Sedwick Treasure Auction is over and will continue today. The first item up for bid was a Mexico city 1709 8 escudo that sold for $40,000 plus. Hopefully some nice coins like that will pop up on our beaches this year when the wind and waves get going. It sure would be a nice find.

You can watch the auction again today at www.icollector.com or you can check out the achieved prices from yesterday's action.

You also might want to check out the other coins. I always like to take a look at half reales. I just like the different shapes and the monograms. Several halves were sold in the auction yesterday.

Conditions and Forecast. We expect increasing seas over the week end, building up through Monday and pretty much sustaining on through Wednesday now. This might be our first good chance since summer began. You always have to wait and see though. It will largely depend upon the wind and angle that the waves hit the beaches. If the surf sites are right, we should get a at least few good spots, especially since the tides are still nice and high.

The tides are also still nice and high today around current new moon. Low tide today is about 1:00.

The highest waves are projected for late Monday and early Tuesday. It looks like we will have similar wave heights on Wednesday, then tapering off.

For Sale. I'll soon be selling off some extra equipment that I have and some extra reference materials. One of the first things will be a first edition book on steamboats. Other items might include a two-box detector, stainless steel scoop, and other equipment. I'll let you know.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/15 Report - Auction Starts Today & A First Gold Diamond Ring Find

Treasure Coast Beach Just After Low Tide Yesterday.

You can see the situation. Nothing much has changed yet. There is a lot of sand on the front of the beach and about ten yards out into the water the sand is piled up. The sand in front of the beach will absorb a lot of the wave energy and will tend to protect the beach from a lot of erosion.

Nice First Find. Congratulations to Pete R. who wrote to thank me for the motivation and information leading to his first good piece of jewellery - a gold and diamond ring. He was recently at the beach not intending to detect when he noticed a small cut created by the recent high tide. I've been talking about that sort of thing. He remembered what I had said and got out his detector to give it a try. He found a coin line and a gold and diamond ring.

I always like to hear about people that are being helped by this blog. Thank you Pete for letting me and the other readers know. Like I often say, conditions don't have to be ideal in order to make nice finds.

Ebay Fakes. I got a report from someone that recently bought a reale on Ebay and it turned out to be a fake. Be careful. I've reported before about the number of fakes that are out there.

Sedwick Auction Six Starting. You don't have to worry about the items in the Sedwick auction which starts today Oct. 15, at 11:00. You might enjoy watching the action even if you don't bid.

http://www.icollector.com/sedwick

You can watch the bidding live. At 11:15 this morning the first few gold escudos have already sold.

US Dollar. Where is it going and what is happening to the US dollar. Take a look at this. No wonder the dollar is in such trouble. This is also why you might want to hold onto your gold instead of converting it into shrinking dollars.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/


Conditions and Forecast. There is nothing significant in the Atlantic right now. We are getting close to a new moon and the tides are nice and high today. Watch for those small cuts that might occur at high tide towards the back of the beach.

Our first Fall cold front is on the way and the seas will be building up until Monday when the surf sites now say that we will see the peak waves. There might be a little action before Monday but if the surf sites are right, I would not expect much erosion until at least Monday. The wind charts show north/northeast winds occuring late Monday and into Tuesday. If the charts are right, that is when I would expect the cutting to begin. We'll see.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/14 Report - Shipwreck Artifacts & Gold Continues to Soar

Photo Shows a Few Miscellaneous Shipwreck Finds.

An archaeologist thought the one on the left might be part of a frame for something. These kinds of things can often be found even when conditions are poor.

Travel Channel Treasure Hunting Show. They have a web site with a variety of stuff. If you haven't seen it yet, you'll probably like the TV show. It looks like the web site is getting a start. Check it out.

http://cash-and-treasures-wiki.travelchannel.com/page/TREASURE+HUNTING

Burglaries. Don't leave valuables in your car. There has been a rash of burglaries. One bunch of thieves was recently apprehended after a committing a bunch of break-ins on North Hutchinson Island. So be careful where you park.

Gold Higher - Dollar Lower. Gold keep hitting new high prices as the dollar plummets. Foreigners see the devaluation of the dollar and are switching from the currency to gold. Both the rise in gold prices and decline in the value of the dollar continues at what I consider surprising rates even though I predicted both and expect it to continue.

Vero Beach Closed for Manatee Poop? Humiston Park Beach was closed because of the mess that some said was piles of manatee poop. I don't know if that is what it was, but I saw some of it at other places. I find it a bit hard to believe. Anyhow, if you want to read the story...

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/oct/08/humiston-park-beach-reopens-after-cleanup/

Treasure Coast Beach Conditions and Forecast. There is nothing significant in the Atlantic now. It looks like the seas won't increase to five feet until Monday now, and five foot seas won't usually do much. It depends upon wind direction to a large extent. Anyhow, if the surf sites are right, the seas will be increasing a bit. We'll have to keep a watch to see how it turns out.

Conditions have been so poor for so long, it has been necessary to use a little extra creativity and put in a little extra effort to keep finding things. I have a feeling we'll have a nice change of pace in November if not earlier.

Keep watching for that first good cold front to bring some N/NE winds.

If you have any pictures of finds or reports, send them to me via email. Maybe i'll be able to use them.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/13 Report - The Mary Rose & Fall Cold Front

The Mary Rose. There is a great web site showing artifacts recovered from the sunken Mary Rose. On July 19, 1545, the Mary Rose was sunk by a French invasion force taking 500 men and a vast treasure trove with her. This is a really good web site where you can see a variety of 16th century salvaged artifacts, some of which are rather unusual.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1219733/Saved-sea-secret-Tudor-hoard-Mary-Rose-display-time.html#ixzz0Tox9fQCn

Sedwick Auction No. 6. The auction will be starting soon. You can link to it by going to my treasure links list. If you are going to buy coins or artifacts it is better to buy from someone like Sedwick where you can buy with confidence rather than Ebay where there are a lot of fakes being sold.

Forecast and Conditions. The long awaited first cold front of the year seems to be on the way. Yesterday the web surf site suggested that the seas were to dramatically increase on Sunday. Now it looks like the seas will increase earlier and more gradually. It looks like we might have five foot seas by Wednesday and increasing after that. When I look at the wind charts now, it looks like we'll get winds directly from the north on next Monday.

Wind direction is more important than wave height for creating erosion. You probably remember the many times when we had high seas aad didn't get any erosion. That happens when the waves are not coming from the right direction.

We'll soon see if the waves start to pick up on Wednesday as predicted and if we have to wait until Monday for the north winds before we see any erosion.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/12 Report - Beach Conditions Alert & Finds

Recently Found in About Six Hours of Detecting Time.


You don't have to sit at home and mope just because the conditions on the Treasure Coast beaches have been poor. Adapt to the conditions when you are not getting the conditions you want.

I often say there is always a place to hunt and something to be found. I mean that. You just have to adapt your hunting to the prevailing conditions. You might have to change where, how and when you hunt for a while.

In my last post I showed that emerald ring that was found not long after a hurricane. The beaches are most cooperative when there has been significant erosion, but there are always alternatives that you can exploit when the treasure beaches aren't being cooperative.

In the past I've told you about some of the places where you can find great modern gold jewellery. I've also told you about places where you can find other types of old coins, artifacts and fossils. Well, Gary D. being the productive hunters around has a trick or two for those times when the treasure beaches aren't cooperating.

Today's photo shows a silver bracelet and some platinum and gold rings that Gary recently found in a total of about six hours of hunting time by getting access to some of the beaches that are not hunted on a regular basis.

I often hear people say that all the good spots are over hunted. That is because most people go to the same over-hunted beaches. I have my favorite places where it seems nobody else ever hunts. Yet they are my favorites for a reason.

There are some beaches that you can't get to unless you take a long walk. It seems that most detectorists are not willing to do that. If you are able to make the effort you can find some places that are like your own personal hunting grounds. But that means you that you might have to out think or outwork the other detectorists. It might mean that you have to walk a little further or find a way to gain access to some different spots. I was always amazed at how you can find perfectly good spots where no one else detects while the same old spots are detected multiple times daily.

I won't spell it all out for you now. I'll leave it up to you to find your own private detecting beaches. What I've said so far should give you some ideas.

Reader Email. I got some email concerning coins flipping up over small cuts. Other detectorists, it seems, have observed the same thing.

Conditions and Forecast. Well, I've been telling you to watch for our first Fall storm. I don't know if it is going to qualify as a storm, but the surf web sites now predict dramatically increasing seas projected for this coming Sunday.

I understand that we should be getting a cold front this week. We usually get some good northeasters in October and November. It seems to be a bit late this year.

You migth remember that last October made for some good hunting, especially in the middle and northern parts of the Treasure Coast. Hopefully October will be good again this year.

Conditions are presently poor, but I'm issuing a watch for this coming week end. Get your equipment in good order if you've been sitting it out.

Happy hunting. And get ready for improved conditions.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/10 Report - Fantastic Emerald Shipwreck Ring

Emerald Spanish Shipwreck Ring.

Gary D. often contributes find photos to this blog and you've heard me mention his name often. He found it after the hurricanes back in 2004 near Ft. Pierce using a Minelab Excalibur. You might remember that I've shown a number of his finds in this blog in the past, but today after such a long spell of summer conditions, I thought you might need to get motivated for the Fall and Winter season which should be arriving soon. There is no better way to get motivated than to drool over a really great find, and this ring is about as good as it gets.

You can see a better picture of the ring and read more of the story by going to the following web address. You'll have to scroll down through a bunch of other stories to find the story of this ring, but I'm sure you won't mind because there are other stories of interest.

Here is where you can find it.

http://www.treasurelore.com/florida/treasure_news3.htm

Gary tells me the back of the ring is like gold shrink-wrap, with a thin sheet of gold tightly formed around the emeralds.

But back to the main point. Most finds aren't like this one. Yes there are people that go out on their first hunt and find a rare gold coin. Sometimes people do find fantastic things right off the bat, but more often that not, the best finds take time. A person generally picks up a lot of pennies before they find their first nice piece of gold. And a person generally picks up a lot of pull-tabs between all of their good finds. Metal detecting is not for people who do not want to put in any work and who don't have patience. Patience and effort are necessary.

I've been talking lately about those little cuts that you can find scattered along the Treasure Coast due to the high tides. They contain very few nice finds. Yet if you keep at it and keep picking up those pennies and pull-tabs eventually you'll find something nice.

You can increase your chances by hitting the right spots. To do that, learn to read the beaches. Learn what you can about distribution patterns. Just learn whatever you can that might help and then put in the effort. You can find something really fantastic, but more than likely it will take some time.

This summer has been slow. Conditions have not been very good all summer long. We didn't' get any good storms. But we'll get some sooner or later, and I'm betting on sooner.

Fall has been pretty good in the past. Last October there were some nice cuts and some nice cobs found at Corrigans. It got nicely cut all the way back to the back dunes.

In my experience November through February have been my best months for shipwreck finds on the beaches of the Treasure Coast. There are times when you might want to detect somewhere else, but when we get some nice winds from the north that cut the beaches you don't want to miss the opportunity. Something pretty might just be waiting for a lucky detectorist to put his coil over the right spot.

There are almost always some nice places to hunt where you can find some nice things. Even this summer there were some nice beach finds. While you can always find something, and while you never know what might pop-up, there are good times and places to hunt that are much better than some other times and places. It is about improving your probabilities by learning to know when and where to spend your time.

Very often the best time is when you will least want to be detecting. I have a saying which goes, "If you don't want to do it, do it." That is my way of saying, your best shot often comes when conditions are most challenging. I won't explain that in detail today except to give one short example.

My best day for find cobs on the Treasure Coast was on December 23rd back a number of years ago. The weather was around freezing. I remember that some of the roads a little north of the Treasure Coast were frozen over the bridges. I was detecting all by myself. One other guy arrived at the beach but when the cold wind hit him, he packed up his detector and left before really doing any detecting. I found a lot of cobs that day, and I was glad I decided to stick it out even though it was really cold.

It is not just cold that makes for challenging conditions. There are a lot of other things that will test you. But again, most often, my best finds have come when conditions were very challenging. Some day I'll have to talk more about the different types of challenging conditions that often lead to fantastic finds.

I feel like I'm rambling now, but I wanted to help you stay motivated since the summer has been so slow. If another look at Gary's ring doesn't get you motivated, I don't know what will.

Use the links I've provided, read some of the previous posts where I've given tips, do a little research and study the beaches and how it changes.

Forecast and Conditions. Henri has disappeared and there is nothing significant going on in the Atlantic. The tides are still pretty high, and the waves are picking up just a bit. The local conditions are still poor, but I'm betting that will change when the first good cold front moves in. Bet motivated and get ready.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/9 Report - Coin Flipping & Web Cams & Gold

Photo of Small Cut on the Treasure Coast.

This is the same photo that I used about three weeks ago. I am using it again for two reasons. The first is that you can still find a few spots that look just like this. The high tides are causing them and they move a bit. If the beach is not running in a straight line north and south, the cut will shift to different spots as the angle of the waves changes ever so slightly. So I just wanted you to know that there are some of these small cuts out there to hunt, and they pop up at slightly different places from time to time.

Secondly, I wanted to talk about something I've observed and this photo provides a good illustration. On several occasions, I've hunted small cuts like this and found an old coin, not below the cut, but laying behind the cut on top of the flat ground an inch or two back behind the edge of the cut. The cuts where I've observed this have been recent, fresh, clean, sharp and straight up. (The one in the above photo is a bit more rounded than those that I'm talking about.) The coins were not covered at all and looked as if the had been on the beach for a long time, but they also looked like they had been recently deposited on top of the ground. I've found a shield nickle and a silver cob as well as other old coins in that same relative position - just behind the edge of a fresh cut. Its hard for me to imagine how they got there. My favorite theory is that they were flipped up onto the land behind the cut when the waves crashed into the face of the cut. Furthermore, I think they might have been previously in the sand that was just removed. I know that sounds a bit strange. It would seem to me that the coin would be removed with the sand instead of being flipped up and back, but I have no better explanation. If you can offer a better explanation, I'd like to hear it.

Beach Web Cam. I heard that Bathtub Beach is closed due to the tree stumps that provide a hazard. Tree stumps can be a good sign and you can sometimes tell how much the sand is being removed or accumulated by observing tree stumps. But I checked out the web cam at Bathtub Beach this morning and wanted to remind you how valuable web cams like this can be. You can quickly see how high or low the tide is and you can see how smooth or rough the seas are. Even though not every beach will be the same, you can certainly get a good idea of prevailing conditions by viewing a web cam like this. Here is the address for the one for Bathtub Beach.

http://www.evsmartin.com/bathtub/


Hearing Loss from Metal Detecting. Protect your ears when detecting. Listening to a sustained tone for a long period of time can lead to hearing loss in that frequency range, especially when the tone is loud. Tinnitus, (ringing in the ears) after detecting is a possible indicator that damage is being done. I'm not a doctor, but I suspect that if you are someone that detects for hours at a time, there might easily be some damage that accrues over the years. I'd recommend not using louder than necessary thresholds and varying fequencies when possible. Just my thoughts. If someone can verify or disprove this on a medical or scientific basis, please do.


Gold Still Soaring on Weak Dollar. Yesterday gold was up over $10 at one point and hit $1050. At the same time the dollar was down. I'm convinced that the government actually wants a lower standard of living. When more money is printed it decreases the value of the dollar without too many complaints. It is one way they can take money from those who have it without doing it in a way that is completely obvious. Almost everything will cost more as the value of the dollar decreases. It is pretty late (and somewhat risky) to get into buying gold at this price, but if you did buy gold some time ago, you undoubtedly made some good money.

Forecast and Conditions. There are presently two disturbances in the Atlantic. One is the remnant of Henri. It doesn't seem like either will do much. The tides are still getting pretty high, and the seas are still calm. I'd be checking for the cuts and dips that I mentioned above and also looking at the low tide area.

I think we are due for a nice cold front. It sure has been a slow long summer.

I have a cob in cleaning that I hope to show soon.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/8 Report - Shipwreck Spike Found & Treasure Leads

Square Shipwreck Spike.

This spike was found on a Treasure Coast shipwreck beach in the low tide area. It is about five inches long.

New Smyrna Treasure Hunting. Not too far from the Treasure Coast is New Smyrna, which has a long and rich history including Indians, wars, explorers and early settlements. You can get some very good leads on this area by taking a look at the following web site which tells about many of the historic events and current places. Knowing about the surrounding areas will also help you with the Treasure Coast.

http://www.volusia.com/heritage/

Titusville Treasures. There are also many places worth exploring around Titusville. You can find the remains of the steamboat Pioneer or look around the old wharf, for example. The following site will point you to the markers for these and other historic places and events around Titusville.

http://www.titusville.com/Page.asp?NavID=267


Forecast and Conditions. Tropical storm Henri is still out there. Winds have decreased to 35 mph. It is currently headed in the general direction of Florida. It is hard to tell if it will fall apart or head another direction. In any case, it is will not affect Florida for at least a few days, and might not get here at all.

The tides are still fairly high. Occasionally that will mean small cuts high on the beach. Nothing over a few inches though, although that can result in a few coins and items being washed out of the back beach area. Watch for those small cuts and dips a little lower on the beach.

Winds are out of the northwest and the seas are calm so you can get further out on the beach than usual. Visibility has also been good. The surf sites aren't projecting anything but calm seas for the coming week so far.

I'd be looking around for little cuts and dips and also checking out the low tide areas for items like the spike shown in today's photo. I'll also be showing you a new reale before long. It looks like it will clean up well.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

I have a reale that I just got and will be showing you before long. I think it will clean up well.

10/7 Report - Endeavor, Civil War Sites & Local Area

Salvage Ship Working Nieves Site.

This photo was taken this morning. The Endeavor was working close to shore up near the bend. You can see the sandy beach front and calm seas.

Civil War Sites. A couple of days ago I gave you a link to the Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. There were a number of shipwrecks listed for our local area, so I hope you found it useful.

Harry Ridgeway, the Relicman, has a nice link list if you want to study Civil War relics. He also has a nice page of his own, so check out his home page and the following list of links.

http://www.relicman.com/links.htm


Forecast and Conditions. Tropical storm Henry has formed east of the West Indies. Winds are around 50 miles per hour. It is too soon to know if it will affect Florida. At this point, the surf sites are still projecting calm seas for the coming week.

Overall conditions are still poor, but you can still find some scattered spots where the high tides have moved a little sand near the bank and left some coins. I saw one spot that looked almost exactly like the photo in my 9/16 post. There was a small fresh cut with exposed roots. Coins and a few other things were on the beach below the cut. I could see that someone else had detected there but did not clean the area out. It seems they missed the highest concentration of coins, which was down the slope a bit.

Anyhow, there are productive spots where you can quickly pick up a few items on the beach if you read the beach and know where to detect.

The surf was very calm and lazy today with very good visibility. It was a good morning for scouting around.

Hazards of Air Travel. Be careful when you are out of the area and find any type of ordnance. Don't try to bring it back on the plane. I had to leave some found grape shot behind once because I didn't want to take a chance on being fined for taking explosives on the plane. I reburied the items and found them later when I went back. In fact I have some items buried in other distant places because of the air lines security. So far I've always found them when I returned to the area.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/6 Report - Olive Jar & Empty Holes

Found Olive Jar.

This one is from the auction catalog for the upcoming Sedwick auction. You can find a link for the auction on this blog. The jar was found in the Peace River and thought to be from the De Soto expedition back in the 1500s.

Quite a variety of things have been found in that river. The jar survived in one piece for a long time before it was found. You might want to take a look at the other non-shipwreck artifacts listed in the auction catalog.

Reader Email. Bill P., who wrote the instructions on cleaning silver coins that I posted back in my December 30, 2008 post, sent me an email about a time several years ago when he and a friend were detecting an island that was supposed to be the site of past pirate activity. They found some old coins and artifacts there, but one day on returning they found some holes, one of which was about 3 feet deep with a square depression in the bottom surrounded by root growth. You can imagine how disappointed they were.

Things like that happen, and chests of coins are sometimes found. When you don't know what you might have missed, your imagination can run wild. It might have been a box of nothing or a real king's ransom. Not knowing is the thing, especially when there is evidence to suggest that you might have missed something really good. The best way to know what is out there is to get out there an look.

I want to thank Bill for the email and remind you to go back and look at his procedure for cleaning cobs if you've never seen it before. You might remember that I used the process on one of my cobs and posted photos of the excellent results.

Gold Soaring. Well, the dollar is down and gold is up. I've been saying that it is probably a good idea to hang onto your precious metals for a while. The last I looked, gold was up almost 25 dollars for the day at about 1040 dollars per ounce. Our paper money is becoming worth less and less while Nero fiddles.

Gold from the Ocean. One gold mining company has joined in a new joint venture to begin exploring and mining the ocean for gold. There are always new ways and places to find things.

http://www.miningweekly.com/article/anglogold-forms-marine-mining-jv-with-de-beers-2009-10-05#

Forecast and Conditions. The Atlantic storm activity that I mentioned yesterday as having a good chance of developing, seems to be falling apart. It now looks like it won't likely form into a cyclone.

The tides are still pretty high, but the seas are clam. It doesn't look very promising for the wreck beaches for the next few days. Conditions are poor.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/5 Report - Three Little Indians & A Bunch of Civil War Shipwrecks

Three Indian Head Pennies Found with Metal Detector.

These were found on the Treasure Coast. My first Indian head penny that I remember finding was found on the beach just below the inlet at Ft. Lauderdale. The old inlet was closer to Bahia Mar.

I've been talking a bit about US treasures lately as I wait for the weather to change and the Spanish wreck beaches to become a little more productive.

Note On Yesterday's Photo. I often don't do a very good job of putting my photos in perspective so that you can get a good idea of the size of the objects. The rod I showed yesterday is just over five and a half feet long. The other one that I mentioned is about six feet long.

Civil War Shipwrecks Around the Treasure Coast. There are a number of interesting leads in The Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks which has an entire section on Florida shipwrecks. You can preview some of that information through the Google Book Search program.

Here are a few of the listings that you might be interested in checking out.

The Inez, a British schooner, was sunk near the Indian River inlet in 1863.

The Alicia, a Confederate Schooner, was captured and destroyed by the USS Sagamore on December 5, 1862 in the Jupiter Inlet.

The Young Racer, a British sloop, was run ashore and destroyed 15 miles north of Jupiter Inlet on January 14, 1864.

The Ann, a Confederate sloop, was destroyed by the USS Gem of the Sea on December 30, 1862, at Jupiter Inlet.

The Elizabeth, a British Sloop, ran aground on a bar at the mouth of Jupiter Inlet and was captured and burned by the USS Sagamore on January 28, 1863.

That is only a small sample to get you started. For more leads use the following link.

http://books.google.com/books?id=90d2LcmfpCcC&pg=PA37&lpg=PP8&vq=Indian+River&dq=blockade+runner+florida&lr=&output=html

Forecast and Conditions. There is a disturbance out in the Atlantic now that NOAA says has a 30 to 50 percent chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours. It is too early to say what will actually happen or if it will affect us at all.

The seas are calm, but we are having some pretty high tides due in part of the full moon. The moon was bright enough last night to permit easy night hunting without any other light.

Overall conditions remain poor and I'm maintaining my 1 rating on the TCTBDC Scale.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/4 Report - Iron Rod for Digging Treasure?

Photos of Old Iron Rod Found with Metal Detector.

I often tell you to use some creativity, scout around and hunt outside the box. Many people hunt the same two or three beaches. There is nothing wrong with that unless you want to find a little more. And when the main beaches are not cooperating why not try something else?

One thing you can do when the beaches are not coorperating is to check out leads on land treasures. Wrecked ships sometimes end up as land treasures. Consider the buried ship that they found under San Francisco and in South America. Ships that were once in the water sometimes end up under land. And some ships were washed up on the beach - at least in part if not whole. And some of the early salvage attempts resulted in salvaged material being brought up on land where it was buried.

Occasionally I will follow up on buried treasure leads. I do know that some chests of coins were dug up in past years. If you want some leads, do a little research on the web or start with some of the many buried treasure books. They are not always totally accurate, but if you look at the information that you do get as nothing more than a lead, you can do additional research or go out and see if you can find anything that supports the lead.

Frank Hudson wrote a number of books on Florida treasures and he is known for occasional inaccuracies. There is often something useful in what he says even if he is not always totaly inaccurate. I've went to some of the places where he said that there are buried treasures and found some evidence to support what he said.

The photo today shows one item I once found in the vicinity of the old Fort Pierce inlet. That is the same general area that I mentioned a few days ago in relatioship to the Fort Capron payroll coins. I've also found other items there including old broken locks. Maybe I was too late.

I put the bottle in the photo just to give an idea of the size of the iron rod. I don't have any information on the rod but there were a few other interesting items found in the area. I don't know for sure if they are associated with the rod or not.

Anyhow the rod was found in the area where Hudson reported three different sets of treasure chests being buried. The rod might have no relatioship to the buried chests. Nonetheless, it indicates that something was going on there in the past and it probably had to do with some type of digging even though the site now shows relatively little sign of human disturbance.

This is the second rod like this that I've found. The other has a different shape.

It is fun to discover things like this and put together more of the story as other artifacts are found.

The point I am making is that there is more out there to find than just the cobs that might occasionally wash up on the beach. An occasional outing with a two box detector can be fun. I always encourage variety in hunting.


Shipwreck Database. Here is a web site where you can search for information on shipwrecks. The database is very extensive and includes some of the treasure ships that you know so well, as well as many more. You can also see some nice wreck site photos at this web site.

http://www.skaphandrus.com/naufragios.asp?contexto=9&lang=en

Forecast and Conditions. There is one disturbance out there in the Atlantic. At this point it does not look like it will form into anything significant. We still have poor local beach hunting conditions. I'll remind you once again, that when the beaches aren't cooperating, there is always something to do and to be found.

I'll bet that it won't be long before we have a nice northeaster. It usually happens in the Fall - hopefully it will be soon.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/3 Report - British Antiquities

Old Silver Found with a Metal Detector.

Here are a few things that were dug up on Treasure Coast wreck beaches. I don't know how old the chains are. They were found on wreck beaches, but I suspect they are not wreck artifacts. The two pieces of unmarked silver in the middle might be. I suspect they are. And the flat piece of lead to the left, probably is.

If you have any ideas about the chains, I would like to hear them.

People by nature are curious. They enjoy discovery. That is why many people use metal detectors. That is why they fund research and academic institutions, contribute knowledge and articles to collections and museums, and read journals and books. Yet there are many professionals in academic areas that seem determined to alienate the people that fund their professions and actually provide their reason for being.

I ran across an article that mentions how much metal detectorists contribute to the body of knowledge. It is a British article. It seems to me that the Brits have a much better system. It seems that their system actually encourages the public to report their finds and contribute to the body of knowledge. As I understand it without getting into a detailed study, when an antiquity is discovered by someone, they report it and turn it over to be examined and valued, after which a judge determines who deserves ownership and/or any payment. From my perspective it seems to be a very workable system that makes the public a part of the information gathering process. The feeling I get in the US on the other hand, is that the public does not know what to do when they find something and is actually afraid to report a find because instead of feeling like a contributor and partner in the process, they are afraid of of being perceived as an offender of some sort.

In these days of the internet when it is so easy to network, there are many good sites that provide access to photo collections and good discussion. Yet sites created and maintained by amateurs and professionals are generally completely separate. Often the public is barred in one way or another from sites that they directly or indirectly fund and are supposedly for the benefit of the public.

I am only saying that there seems to be a problem in the US between the professionals and the public that they serve. The negative perceptions on both sides creates a negative environment for open discussion and sharing. That relationship could and should be improved for the benefit of all parties. Both sides can and should contribute to better relationships.

I want the general public to know that there is no harm in reporting finds to the proper authorities. If you exercise care and do not damage potentially important artifacts and sites, it can be the start of a new learning experience and a new contribution to the overall body of knowledge. If you properly report and care for potentially valuable discoveries, I have no doubt that the professionals will be glad to work with you.

Here is the link to the article that inspired this discussion. Notice the positive tone.

Tomorrow I might have some more information on steamboats and some other things.

http://www.gold.org/news/2009/10/01/story/13084/staffordshire_gold_treasure_highlights_importance_of_metal_detectorists

Forecast and Conditions. There is nothing going on out in the Atlantic. This was a very quiet year.

The tides are pretty high today, but the seas are calm. Again there is nothing to change anything to any significant extent. Conditions remain poor.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/2 Report - Steamboats, Cobs, and a Small Bell

Old Bell Found with a Metal Detector.


Just a miscellaneous find. I don't have any information on this. It doesn't have any markings or anything. I think it is the type worn on harnesses in the 1800s, and I did find an old horse shoe not far from it. It is about the same size as a quarter. You never know what you might find.

Treasure Coast Beach Detecting. Here is a nice little article on detecting the Treasure Coast that mentions some spots that were producing back in 2008. One spot that is often overlooked on the Treasure Coast is the Holiday Inn beach in Vero. A number of cobs have been found directly in front of the hotel. The article briefly mentions that as well as a few other sites. You might want to check it out.

http://www.visitflorida.com/articles/floridas-shoreline-treasures


Steamboat Leads. It seems everybody knows about the Spanish galleons off the Treasure Coast, but there are other types of historic wrecks and artifacts in the area. Not long ago I did a few posts on WW II artifacts in the area. Shipping has been important here for a long time. There were civil war blockade runners, some of which were captured or sunk near the inlets. And of course, there was a time when steamboats went up and down the Indian River. You might want to do some research on some of that history. I'll start you off with a nice little article on Florida steamboats. The article mentions a number that were sunk in the Suwannee River, but it also mentions a few others.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070215-steamboat_2.html

Hunting the banks around old landings can be a lot of fun.

Treasure Detecting Lead. This article tells how everyone along the Treasure Coast used to attend a big May Day picnic at Oleander Point north of Rockledge.

http://www.mrcirl.org/marker/marker1804/0701.html

Forecast and Conditions. There is a tropical disturbance approaching the West Indies, but it is not likely to form. The surf sites that were projecting five foot seas for early next week have revised that. When you look ahead a few days, it seems the surf projections are not very accurate. they've often been revised downward this year.

The result is that we are still looking at sandy beaches with not much to look forward to for a few days. Even though conditions remain poor, there are still a number of sites where you can find a few coins and perhaps some jewellery. And you never know what surprise you might get.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/1 Report - Gold Reliquary & Moving into Fall Conditions

Treasure Coast Beach Photo.

Here is what the beach looked like yesterday afternoon. It really hasn't changed a lot all summer. We just didn't get anything to erode the beaches this year. Even the nice swells didn't do much.

It has been a good time to do research on different treasures like the Fort Capron payroll that I told you about in the last blog. Or do a little testing to become more familiar with the operating characteristics of your detector. Do some tests using different objects like the gold chain that I used in a blog a few days ago. And there are still things to be found, especially if you scout around a bit and are creative. It surprises me almost every time I go to the beach how much is left.

Gold Reliquary Found. Florida shipwrecks continue to give up the gold. Blue Water Ventures found a nice religious artifact on the site of the Santa Margarita. Here is the address for the story and pictures.

http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=51286100734


Gold Coin Prices. Gold continues to do well as the dollar plummets. If you want to look at current gold coin retail prices, you might want to take a look at the following web site that sells both US and foreign gold coins

http://www.usagold.com/gold/coins/buy-us.html

500 Carat Diamond Found This week. That's one big diamond. Here is the address for the story. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/29/ap/africa/main5349577.shtml

Forecast and Conditions. There is no significant storm activity in the Atlantic right now. A little cold front came through the Treasure Coast and we have light north/northeast winds. The seas are currently calm. The tides are fairly high. Low tide is around 1:00.

You can see the photo above. The beaches are pretty much sanded in. Conditions are poor.

We already got the first little front this fall. Normally there will be a couple of nice beach-cutting storms in the fall. I'll be hoping for something like we got last October.

Right now, it looks like we will have higher seas at the beginning of next week. They are projecting something around five foot seas. We'll have to see how that turns out.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net