7/1/13 Report - Bronze Spike Find & Much More

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Bronze Spike in Wood
Find and photo by John B.

To the right is a bronze spike embedded in wood that was found by John B. just a couple of days ago.  Nice find.  It shows that shipwreck items are being found, although conditions for finding shipwreck treasure coins remains poor.
Despite the poor conditions for finding treasure coins on the Treasure Coast beaches right now, there are a lot of interesting things being found, ranging from modern jewelry, to metal artifacts, to sea glass, some fossils, and other artifacts.  I mentioned a couple of artifacts that were recently found a day or two ago.  I expect to post a photo of a very old Treasure Coast artifact soon.  The google software doesn't seem to want to post it today.

I've been running into people that have found things on the beach and have been lucky to have my good camera along at the time.  There are certainly more finds that I haven't seen or heard about.


I ran across a web site that shows where the remains of an old shipwreck lies immediately south of the Hillsboro Inlet.  I'll have to get that diagram for you sometime.

Treasure coins have been found on the rocks near the light on the north side of the inlet as well as all the way down the beach to the Pompano pier.  Stay off of the property and rocks around the light though.  People have been arrested in the past for getting on the property around the light.  You can detect the beach on the south side of the inlet though.


You might remember that a few days ago I mentioned how many people, especially seniors are keeping cash and valuables at home rather than in the bank.  As a result one reader sent a link that you'll find interesting.  It tells of the tons of dented metal safes that were washed out of homes and businesses by the tsunami and were washed back up on the tsunami-battered coast.   Some of these the safes held family life savings and were sitting in stacks at police offices.

The article said that they estimate that $350 billion of yen does not circulate in Japan, because people, many people in Japan stach their cash at home.  The Japanese word for the stash is "tansu yokin" trasnlated as "wardrobe savings."

Here is the link.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/10/japan-lost-money-safes-cash_n_847243.html


What did you all think of the Florida Public Archaeology Network statement about the laws relating to metal detecting in Florida?   And the British system?   You definitely should be aware of the Florida Public Archaeology Network statement.  While their interpretation might be questionable in some respects, it will nonetheless influence some in government as well as the public.


Here is what the Department of Environmental Protection said on the following on the Florida Coast Access web site.

Prior to 1821, Indian River County was part of the Spanish Colony of East Florida. During this time, Spanish ships carrying massive quantities of gold and silver passed by this area every summer. In 1715, a storm sank the seven Spanish vessels off the coast of present-day Indian River County. Many artifacts including silver and gold were salvaged in the early 1920s. Today, treasure enthusiasts can be found along the beaches of Indian River County searching for buried treasure and casing the shoreline with metal detectors. The McLarty Treasure Museum in northern Indian River County has exhibits and movies detailing the history of the county along with many of the artifacts excavated from the 1715 shipwreck.

That is a different tone than the statement by FPAN.  This seems to recognize the importance of our treasure beaches and the positive aspect of treasure hunting and metal detecting on Florida.  It is an important activity for locals and an big tourist draw.

Here is the link where you can read about more of our Florida beaches.

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/cmp/beachaccess/atlantic/indianriver.htm



Here is an article in a law journal concerning access to Florida beaches that you might find interesting if you are into the legal stuff.  It is out-dated but presents a number of relevant legal principles, such as that of customary useage.

http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/Vol151/spain1.htm

There are times when a misinformed or over zealous security guard might try to run you off a beach you have every right to be on.  While I advise cooperating, it is also good to know the real situation.


We still have a 1 - 2 foot surf, but to me the most important thing right now is the nice low tides.  The wind is from the southeast today and the beaches are filling a little though.  The surf will be a little higher tomorrow, but no significant change in conditions is expected.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net