Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Old Silver Key Charm Corroded and Discolored by Contact With Other Metals During Storage. |
I've been thinking of those kinds of things lately and mentioned one yesterday. Yesterday I mentioned that I learned how important it is to store items, even metals, carefully. Today I'll mention a few other things I wish I had known sooner. Actually there are some things that I knew about but didn't take seriously enough to take the best precautions.
In the picture at the top of the post is an example of what can happen when a silver item is stored with other metals. It looks like the one shown in the picture was actually fowled by at least two different types of metals. Notice the white corrosion and the rust colored corrosion. All that happened during storage.
One of the things I wish I knew before is how to identify various types of items. In the early days I probably passed up a lot of things that were important and I didn't realize it. It can be very helpful to identify the things you see. Anything from a pot shard to a piece of metal in a heavy conglomerate can tell you something important about the site you are hunting.
I highly recommend reading broadly. If you are a coin shooter, you probably won't miss many coins, but you might miss other things that you'll someday wish you had.
If you want to hunt a treasure beach, do a lot of reading. Know what other kinds of items besides pieces of eight might be found.
I remember one person that I helped on a beach one day. They found their first cob that day, a small black half reale, and they didn't know what it was. I am sure that if I wasn't there they would not have know what they found.
Even coins might not be easy to identify, Don't expect them to all look like those nice cleaned coins you often see. In this blog, I often post how they look as found, and then how they look after they are cleaned. You might find a totally encrusted coin and throw it away because it looks more like a stone than a coin.
There are a lot of things I know now that I wish I had known before. A lot of things don't catch up with you right away, and you'd never guess the long term results. You just don't want to fool with a bunch of stuff when you younger, and you think it would never happen to you. Well, one thing that I never wanted to do is use sun tan lotion. Kids sit out and get sun tanned and sun burned and never think about it. I did. But in time the strong Florida sun will take its toll, especially if you are a fair skinned person. I know detectorists who have had a lot of trouble with skin cancer. I hate to mention that, but it is a reality, and supposedly it can be prevented to some extent by proper care. I doubt that many people who have not had the problem will want to take it very serious until the damage is done, but I felt I should mention it anyhow. And even if you don't have that serious of a problem with it, it will dry out your skin and make you look older. Now that that much of the damage is already done, I do protect my skin better, mostly by using SPF clothing, and some sun tan lotion.
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I received some emails about an incident at Juan Ponce De Leon in Melbourne Beach,
Always be aware of your surroundings. If you have ear phones on and are focusing, you might not e aware of various types of danger including but not limited people. Look up once in a while. I usually know what is going on around me because I'm always scanning the area even if I appear to not be paying attention.
It is also a good idea to hunt with a partner, especially if you are on an isolated beach or hunting at night. I'd especially advise that of women, not because they can't take care of themselves, but because other people might think they are more vulnerable.
You might want to be aware of this fellow or others like him. Check it out.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100738567177822&set=pcb.10100738576074992&type=3
In the past I've also received a few emails about nudists on Treasure Coast beaches. There are places where they congregate. South Hutchinson Island has a couple of those areas.
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I've been meaning to give a plug to Lindquist Plumbing of Fort Pierce. They installed a hot water heater at a great price and did a super excellent job. If you are looking for a plumber I can recommend them.
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I've had back problems and had to cut down on my field time for a while.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
