Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Treasure Coast Dug Silver |
This ornate silver piece was found on one of the 1715 Fleet beaches. I don't know what it might be from, but it looks like it would have simply been attached to something else for ornamental purposes. I haven't been able to figure out what it is from but have one idea.
The irregular shape might help narrow it down some. What do you think? Have you seen one like it?
Below I'll post a picture of something that I think it could be.
Yesterday it was rainy on the beach and the sea was kicking up a bit. The beach was still very sandy and extends well out into the water.
While some beaches show absolutely no targets, a few beaches do have miscellaneous targets out in the wet sand where the waves have kicked up things lately.
Conditions remain poor for finding old shipwreck cobs or coins. The water hasn't been getting very high on the beach, and the frequent south winds have been washing sand in.
Here is a photo of the one Treasure Coast beach yesterday afternoon near low tide. It is pretty typical.
I stopped at three beaches yesterday to see what was going on and didn't see a single person or foot print in the sand.
You can still find some miscellaneous junk to sift through, with an occasional but rare old item of possible interest showing up if you are willing to dig a bunch of junk.
On the few shipwreck beaches with variety of targets, expect lead sinkers, lures, hooks, iron, copper, etc. with an occasional spike or other item of interest. Patience can pay off.
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| Gun Showing Side Ornamentation. |
Back to the silver item. Here is a photo from an old Dixie Gun Works catalog.
Notice the ornamentation on the side of the pistol. The gun shown here is a Deringer, and so would not be the type of gun that the silver came from (if it did come from a gun) but it shows what I am thinking it might be.
Below are some other sideplates from the same old catalog.
Old catalogs like this can be helpful if you are trying to identify or restore an old item. This particular catalog has everything from entire reproduction cannons, to matchlocks, to swords and percussion caps and all kinds of springs, bolts, hammers, or anything you might need to repair or build a reproduction of an old weapon.
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| A Few Example Sideplates For Old Guns. |
The silver I'm showing might not be from a gun, but that is my best guess at this point. If you have an ideas what it might be from , please let me know.
The style of ornamentation shown on the silver is similar to some that I have seen on gun side plates.
I think you can see how a catalog like this might help you identify mystery items.
From an email from the Fisher organization: A total of 26 emeralds were found during the 5 days on the site last week. Add to that the 58 emeralds found by investors during Division Week, that brings the total for the year to 84 beautiful Atocha emeralds!!
Some time in the next few days, I'll be showing and talking about cobs from the Charles II period.
Expect continued south/southeast winds today, with up to four foot seas. On the Treasure Coast it will probably be too rough for any but the most experienced shallow water hunters. Watch out for lightening.
Low tide will be around 5:30.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
