Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Gold and Diamond Mickey Ring Find.Bill P. sent in the photo of this ring. It is 14kt gold with diamond (tested) eyes.
Bill has been trying to get information on this ring. After a lot of research, he hasn't found out much. My feeling is that it is vintage.
If any of you has any knowledge or ideas about this ring, please let me know.
As you probably know, vintage Disney items are very collectible. Those made before 1967 (Walt died Dec. 15, 1966) are most sought after.
You might occasionally find a Disney item on a beach. I've found a few, although few are as nice as the ring shown above.
I have seen a vintage 18kt gold Jiminey Crickeet pin/brooch with emerald eyes made by a high end jeweler in New York.
Here are a few hints that I found that might help you narrow down the date of Disney items.
"Walt Disney Enterprises" was established to market products based on Disney's movies starting in December of 1929.
"Walt Disney Productions" was first used in April of 1940, when the company Incorporated under that name. Such items are sometimes marked "WDP."
In 1986 "Walt Disney Productions" was renamed "The Walt Disney Company."
Sometime in the early to mid 1990s, merchandise was simply marked "Disney," which continues to this day.
You can sometimes tell the date of Disney items by the design or by looking up when different characters were introduced. For example, Mickey didn't wear gloves at first, but started wearing gloves very early in his life.
Moving on,you'll remember hurricane Irene that passed us by with little effect. Irene did stir up some things up north. One reader of this blog wrote in to tell about how Irene helped him find his first silver dollar up in Connecticut.
I found an article about how tropical storm Irene unearthed some old bones in up there.
Here is that link.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Irene-Unearths-Bones-Believed-to-Be-from-Native-American-Burial-Ground-130351998.html
The photo in the article shows what I would call level five conditions. People have asked what the beach would look like when I issue a 5 rating on my Beach Conditions Rating Scale. The photo in that article gives a good example.
Never pass up erosion like that without at least looking to see what might have been exposed.
As you probably know the Indian River was at one time the main highway through this area, and in the early days people used to throw their garbage over the bank. You could therefore find a lot of old bottles and stuff down there. The Indian River, though, is no match for the amount of history accumulated on the river banks of England.
Here is a link to an article about a fellow that mucks around on the banks of the Thames. I love to do that type of hunting. As you've probably know, I call it "mucking around."
http://www.care2.com/causes/buried-treasure-on-the-thames-cleaning-our-rivers-can-have-advantages.html
Gold and silver prices have really been decreasing lately.
Treasure Coast Beach Forecast and Conditions.
It looks like Ophelia will stay far out to sea. There is another topical wave coming off of Africa.
The wind is still from the southeast and the seas running around two feet and will continue unchanged for several days. Beach hunting conditions remain poor.
It is about the time of year when conditions begin to change a bit. Very often we have a good storm in October, but sometimes it doesn't happen until November.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net