11/29/15 Report - A Treasure Coast Beach Find. Black Sand. Decreasing Surf This Week.

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

Item Shown Yesterday After Being Partially Cleaned.

The crust on this partly cleaned cob was not only thick but also very hard and stubborn.   It was like stone.

You can clearly see the mint mark in the upper left.  The reale is from Potosi.

The denomination is also clearly shown on the coin (top center) - more clearly than the picture shows. It is a 1 reale.

In the middle row is PLV SVL.  Next to that, which you can't see on this coin, would be TRA.

That would indicate Plus Ultra, meaning "more beyond" and referring to the New World.

In the bottom row is a connected VR, the mark of assayer Pedro de Villar, who used that mark from 1684 through 1696.

Next to that you can only see part of the date, which in better lighting, appears to me to be 92, for 1692, although I am not sure of that, especially the second digit.

The other side is not clean enough to read at all yet.  It might reveal the date.

These are suppose to be 3.43 grams.  This one is nearer 2.5 grams.

As I've shown before, beach found silver cobs are typically way under weight.

This cob also shows a planchet crack, which is typical (top) of the reales from this mint and time period.

I don't know how long it will take me to get the crust off of the other side.

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Some people have trouble detecting over black sand.  You'll find good targets in black sand that were missed by other people.

The amount of trouble you have with black sand will depend to some extent upon the type of detector you are using and your settings.  Generally, you will have less problems with black sand if you slow down your sweep speed.  Also sweep with the sand instead of over narrow strips and edges.

I like to see back sand and take it as a good sign.

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We had about a 5 - 8 foot surf today.  It will be about 4 - 6 feet tomorrow, and down to around 2 feet by Thursday.

Just as important, the wind, which was a little northeast today, will be shifting around and later this week be coming out of the south.

I'm sticking with my 2 beach detecting conditions rating for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net