8/12/19 Report - Mystery Item ID Self Test. Vermeil. Gold Prices. Hermit Gold-Panner Cabin.

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

Salvage Vessel Working Very Close To Treasure Coast Beach

Photo by DJ

Yesterday I posted a couple of finds from readers that need help with artifact identification.  I've received some thoughts on those ideas and will post what people think in a few days after more readers have a chance to send in their ideas.  All thoughts and opinions on the items I posted yesterday are much appreciated.  Sometimes there is no right answer - at least not that we can verify with 100% certainty.

Here are a couple artifacts to ID for fun.  See if you agree with the archaeologists.  What do you think they are?

First off, this illustrates one of the problems with trying to ID a piece from a photo.  The photo is two dimensional.   So I have to tell you that the are incuse.  They are carved into the stone.

Now do you know what it is?  The archaeologists say it is a stone mold for making metal letters.  Molten metal would be poured into the mold.

Here is another example.

Ok.  It looks like a bone, but what was it used for?

The archaeologists say it is a writing pen made of a bird bone.

Those items and more were uncovered during an archaeological investigation at Coventry's Drapers' Hall.

Here is the link to the article if you want to read more about that.

https://coventryobserver.co.uk/news/excavations-at-coventrys-historic-core-drapers-hall-reveal-hidden-treasures/

---

Vermeil became popular in recent years.  It can be confusing if you use an acid test.

Vermeil is sterling silver with a gold plating of at least 2.5 microns thickness.  If it is marked, I think it will show a sterling silver or 925 mark, but if you acid test it and don't scratch deep enough, you might come up with a gold reading.  The gold plating must be 10K, but can be above that.  It is cheaper than gold with a gold look.

By the way, the price of gold has been going up.

The stock market has gone down a few days lately.  Some people are talking about how bad it is doing, but if you look at a ten year chart (below) the DOW is still near the ten year high.  I've been expecting a much bigger drop, but it hasn't happened yet.  It looks to me (an absolute idiot) like it is due.

010

Years 2010 - 2019

If it does take a big drop, you might expect gold to increase even more.


---

The Forest Service restored the cabin of a hermit gold-panner.

...The lower Parrott cabin sits at the confluence of Nugget Creek and the Middle Fork Salmon River within the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The site is a regular stop off by river rafters floating the Middle Fork, where guides recount the story of “The Hermit of Impassable Canyon.”

Parrott spent 30 years living a solitary existence in the Middle Fork country panning for gold, hunting, trapping and growing his own fruits and vegetables. He died in 1944 and is buried in the Salmon cemetery...

Here is the link for that story and photo.

https://www.postregister.com/news/local/cabin-fever-forest-service-restores-old-hermit-s-historic-cabin/article_1a5b4196-8b88-5ee4-9798-b8808661e0bd.html

---

Can you believe I've been doing this almost daily for over ten years?   What I could do if I only had some focus, discipline or perseverance.

I think some of you have been here with me almost as long.


Still nothing but a one-foot or less surf is predicted for the next several days, and there is nothing on the hurricane map.


Send your ideas on the mystery items posted yesterday.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net