Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
I've shown the front of this medallion before. Laura Strolia, author of the book on the Marigalera of the 1715 Fleet, has done a lot of research on it, and has found that it is Franciscan and shows St. Anthony on the other side. She says there was a Franciscan priest traveling with the 1715 Fleet.
One Side of Medallion from 1715 Fleet Bearing a Prayer.We are trying to make out the words, which are in Latin. If you can make out any of this, even a single word, please send your thoughts in.
The clearest word that I see, is FACIE, which is Latin for face. Maybe you can pick that out in the photo.
I know its a small photo and difficult enough to make out in person.
Yesterday I mentioned that some people were expecting a drop in gold prices this week. It is certainly starting out that way.
Do you know what the most valuable US coin is? Take a guess.
It is the 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle which sold for $7,590,020 in July of 2002.
Here is an article that argues that rarity is not the only determinant of the price of a rare coin.
If the coin has a publicized history, that often increases its value.
Here is the link to that article.
http://www.numismaticnews.net/article/even-rarities-priced-by-popularity
The other day I mentioned a Super Bowl ring that was lost a number of years ago down in Fort Lauderdale. It turns out the fellow that did some hunting for that ring read the post and sent in his account. The diver was James F. who was contacted by Kevin Reilly, the owner of a metal detector store in Pompano, who was contacted earlier about the ring.
James says he was told that one of the Miami Dolphin's players was celebrating their win against Dallas and had been having a few cold ones aboard somebody's yacht, and when he was trying to get off the boat and onto the dock, his ring came off his finger, rolled along the dock and plunked into the water.
That would give you a sinking feeling, wouldn't it.
James said it was an oily muddy nightmare under the dock. He says, I still remember the weird stares I got as I clomped through the restaurant wearing my scuba tank, BC, mask and my bright orange Whites PI-1000 pulse detector! I didn't think that was any way to keep the operation low-key, but there was no other way to the dock but through the place.
Continuing, James said, It was about fifteen-feet deep below the dock as I descended toward the muddy bottom. I switched on the Whites and scanned the mud. Signals were everywhere. The first one I got, I stuck my arm down into the mud almost up to my armpit and pulled out a broken aluminum flagstaff with a couple of Semaphore flags still attached! Of course this brought the visibility down to absolute zero...literally couldn't see anything at all but brown-black soup. Finally I had to surface, as I had no way to determine where I had searched while in zero visibility...not to mention, I could hear the amplified engines of pleasure boats passing by or above, that scared me half to death.
James said he used a rope with knots in every couple of feet, which I secured on the bottom, and moved along scanning the mud by feeling each knot in the darkness. At any rate, I found a hashish pipe, a women's watch, 200,000 beer cans (well, seemed like it anyway), a pretty nice Zippo lighter, a hair dryer(?), and other metallic junk. The PI-1000 underwater detector had one setting...on or off, and no discrimination settings whatsoever, so you had to sort through every signal you got...try to figure out what it was by feel, or slapping against the Plexiglas on your mask. Two scuba tanks and three hours later, no ring.
James got a few bucks from the shop owner for his efforts and and a day or so later, came down with a raging ear infection that took half a truckload of antibiotics to cure...don't know what was in all the mud, but I'd never go down there again. Maybe somebody younger with newer detector technology might take a crack at it, as I am sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the ring is still down there.
Thanks for the story on that James.
Treasure Coast Beach Conditions and Forecast.
There are two low pressure areas coming off of Africa. The first does not look like it will develop anytime soon, but the second has a 60% chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours. It is still too far away to say where it will go or what it will do for us.
The wind is from the southeast again, and that means hot humid air again.
The seas are running about 2.5 feet or the next day or two and then will slowly decrease.
That means no real change in conditions real soon.
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net