Unusual Gold Ring Found on Treasure Coast.As you can see, this ring has two small medals dangling from it. There is a place for a third medallion, which probably got lost. There are no markings on the ring and I don't know anything about it's age or identify. I don't know how anyone could function normally with those little medallions hanging from their fingers. I wonder if it might be a thumb ring,which would seem more practical.
The Stuart man, who found $3100 in an envelope behind a picture that was retrieved from a dumpster, got to keep the money after all. The people who originally claimed it released their claim to the money.
The Indian River County Library has a nice collection of research material including a good amount on the Ais Indians. There are materials describing artifacts found, including those of Spanish origin. For those of you who are research minded and want some good leads on some good inland treasure spots, here is a list of some of the library's relevant materials.
http://www.irclibrary.org/archive/index_files/aisindians.pdf
In those materials, among other things, you would find out that in 1881 C.F. Gottlob Kroegel settled on what later became known as Barker's Bluff, a huge Ais Indian shell mound on the west bank of the Indian River. Mr. Kroegel rescued a number of artifacts from that mound. To learn about the area's early history and what Mr Kroegel found in that mound, take a look at the following web site.
http://www.pelicanislandfriends.org/centennialbrochure-index.html
I've been talking about land sites for finding Spanish coins a little lately. Did you know that the site of the old fort that became known as Fort Pierce was inhabited by the Spanish who planted a flag on the spot in 1743? That is what I just read in a book about the General that the fort was named after.
Tom Gidus sent me an email about mainland Spanish salvage camps. I'll have more about that for you some time in the near future.
I always say there is always somewhere to hunt and something to be found. I told you yesterday how lighter materials often wash up when other denser materials are not to be found. Here is another thought. when the sand builds up on the beach, it has to be coming from somewhere. When the sand is moving there will be a place where it is accumulating and another place where that same sand came from. The idea is to find out where the sand is moving from. When you find out where the sand is leaving, that will often be the place to hunt. Sometimes I put it this way, follow the sand, but don't catch up with it.
An elderly couple found out that a vase they used as an umbella holder is actually worth a over a half million dollars. That supports a point that a try to make from time to time. The point is this: learn as much as you can about the items that you have or that you might find. (Link submitted by Gary D.)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1246734/Elderly-couple-discover-Chinese-vase-used-umbrella-stand-worth-500-000.html
Conditions and Forecast. I'm upgrading my beach conditions rating back to a 2. The filling that has been occurring on the local beaches recently has stopped as the southeast and west winds changed direction and a few low-level cuts started to form on the front beach. The cuts are in recently accumulated sand, which is not the best situation. They are also pretty far east and down pretty close to sea level. Yet, I would not be surprised if a cob or two showed up. As I've mentioned many times, I believe that winds out of the north or northeast are generally the most effective for creating the kind of cuts we like to see.
Even though today's cuts are marginal, Monday will bring slightly higher seas which might further improve conditions - again depending upon wind direction and timing.
I've been seeing a lot of snow birds out there hunting the beaches recently.
Have fun,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
