Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
Do you remember Cracker Jacks back when they had a nice little prize hidden in every box? That is how this blog is. You might not realize it - in fact I didn't until just a few minutes ago - but the news stories aren't just news stories. I don't post all of the ones that might apply to treasure hunting, and I don't put them in as fillers or because you might be remotely interested: I post them because of the prize inside.
I know some people don't find the prize. They think that the story has to do with some other part of the world or something that doesn't really apply to them or that they don't need to know, and they miss the prize.
I don't take the time every day to expand on every story and make all of the tips and clues completely clear and obvious. I expect treasure hunters to be alert and adept at finding those hidden prizes for themselves. I think it is fun too. It is a part of the process of treasure hunting.
Before I get into my first news story for today, you are probably aware of the storms that have been hitting the northeast for the past few weeks. Those storms, as you would expect, have uncovered shipwrecks and treasures.
The bones of one such wreck was recently uncovered on York Beach in Maine. The bones of the same shipwreck was uncovered in 1958, then after disappearing, appeared several times again, including after the storms of 2007 and 2014.
So you don't go ho hum and miss the good part, I'm going to help you find the prize in that little bit of information. What is the general principle that applies to the Treasure Coast and any other beach in the world. It isn't so obvious as "storms uncover old shipwrecks." Take the time periods. It was uncovered in 1958. It showed up in 2007 and 2014. That is seven years between 2007 and 2014. Imagine a fairly stationary set of shipwreck bones. Now think of the erosion that occurs during the right kind of storm, which typically occurs once every so many years and then the recovering that lasts for several years. If there was a treasure chest - the type everybody seems to dream of and which reality TV programs think must have been present everytime they find a key, screw or nail - the treasure would only be exposed every so many years and then covered for a length of time again. It probably seems like I'm laboring to make the obvious boring, but I'm trying to get you to internalize this process that occurs on what I might call a moderately long-term time table on most every beach. Some Treasure Coast beaches hit those kinds of "treasure levels" once every several years. I'm thinking of one in particular that has not been productive in the last few years but was remarkably productive back a couple decades ago for a few years.
I hope I slowed you down long enough to savor that point a while. There is a difference between "knowing" something and really making it a part of your sensory process so you apply it automatically when you are in the field.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20180310/uncovering-secrets-of-york-beach-shipwreck
Remember, it is not just about York Beach.
---
Treasure hunters that hit the 1715 Fleet beaches dream of finding treasures like the queen's jewels. You might, however find more mundane items. You might even find items that you dismiss imply because the don't look like the treasure you imagine. Remember that not everybody that sailed with the fleet was of high rank. And those that worked to salvage the wrecks were of common rank. Some were indigenous peoples impressed into service to dive for the crown's sunken treasure. You might find common items meant for daily life and survival as well as the royal treasures and cherished prizes of the rich and high ranking.
There were also items that were imported to the New World for the use of the colonists as well as those treasures being shipped to Spain. Items that were imported to the colonies might not be the type that you are dreaming about and might not be quickly or excitedly recognized as Spanish sunken treasure.
Imports to the New World between 1511 and 1613 included a lot of beads and jewelry, but they were not of the most expensive type. Among the finger rings are listed over 11,000 glass rings. Yes, glass. And thousands of rings of jet. Also many wood rings. I see 36 gilded rings listed. By far, most of the rings imported into the New World for the colonists (and there were thousands and thousands) were not metal.
That information on imported personal items, including jewelry, is listed in Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 - 1800, volume 2: Portable Personal Possessions, by Kathleen Deagan, Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.
Deagan does show a number of copper alloy rings found at Spanish colonial archaeological sites, as well as a few of the nonmetallic rings. I suppose some of the metal rings found at those archaeological sites were brought as personal possessions or made for individuals by artisans in the New World. Cheap items were also imported for trade with the indigenous populations.
How many glass rings have you found? Jet? Wood? Very possibly you've found more gold jewelry from the wrecks than items made of nonmetallic materials even though a lot of nonmetallic jewelry, as well as tons of beads, were brought to the New World. That would probably be because you are using a "metal" detector. Also, glass and wood are not that durable.
I once found a very small gold bead on a treasure wreck beach. It took me a long time to see it even after I had it on top of my detector coil moving it around with the sand. If it was glass or wood, I would never have seen it.
Among my nonmetallic finds is the clay pipe fragment that I recently found and posted. I have not reason to believe it is Spanish or has anything to do with the wrecks. On that subject, Deagan says that pipes were not often found in Spanish colonial sites, and of those that were found dating to the first half of the 18th century are nearly always of Dutch or English origen.
Keep your eyes open for nonmetallic items as well as metallic. There should be a lot of them out there. I've found a few. One of my favorites is a wax seal impression. I'm amazed that it lasted centuries. Maybe you'll be able to find an 8th century glass or wood ring if you keep your eyes open. Hint: they will not tend to gather with coins.
---
Nice cool morning. The surf is two to three feet today. The tides are getting a little bigger, but not much. The wind and swells will be northish.
Happy hunting.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
