Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
I decided to pull out an old book that I hadn't read, and I'm glad I did. The book is George Gable's The Grandissimes, originally published in 1880, I had an 1899 copy. Gable writes historical novels, or what I might call dramatized history of old New Orleans. His books give you a better idea of what life was like than a history book would. He fleshes out actual historical people and events with realistic interactions and dialogue that is authentic to the times and period. It presents a complex detailed picture of society and racial relations as they were. In my opinion, the George Gable books are much better than "history" books in more ways than one.
Anyway, I found the obituary of Captain Benjamin Saxon clipped from the Dec. 11, 1901 Times-Democrat newspaper. Captain Benjamin Saxon Story was a prominent citizen of New Orleans who passed in 1901, and the obituary mentions actual places and people mentioned in the book.
There is much more to the clipping than what I am showed above. The obituary talks about Captain Story's experience in the Civil War and his feelings of the defeat of the Confederacy. It also mentions his acquaintance with Bulwer Lytton, a very prolific author of many books which I have.
Treasure hunting is to me a broader subject than metal detecting. Metal detecting is one kind of treasure hunting.
Valuable books are treasures too. Not only can old and rare books be valuable, but old books can conceal other treasures. I've found money, old photos, and a business card of a famous person between the pages of an old book. And the information in a book can be a valuable treasure too.
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This morning I was thinking about my most memorable metal detecting finds. Two that first came to mind were valuable finds. They were both diamond rings. One had the largest and finest solitary diamond that I ever found, and one had the largest total diamond weight.
You would think that the most memorable finds would be the most valuable, but while thinking about it, I discovered there are a lot of other factors involved besides the value of the find. Some of the finds that stick out in my memory are not the most valuable. In fact I think those diamond rings are so memorable to me because of more than their value.
The first, my largest and finest solitaire diamond, was found on a particularly beautiful day. The sky was deep blue and the water was bath-water calm. I distinctly remember when that scoop of sand was lifted from the bottom, I could see the diamond sparkling while it was still under a few feet of water. At that point I didn't know that it was a valuable diamond ring at all, but I remembered the sensory experience of that beautiful day and the diamond sparkling in the scoop under the water.
The other diamond ring that I remember so well, involved an experience too. It was a day when I had very little time to hunt. In fact before I went hunting, I had a hard time deciding if I would go because I had so little time. I figured that by the time I got to the site I wouldn't have more than a half hour of time to actually hunt. Despite how little time I had, I finally decided to go. When I got there I stepped into the water, not much above my ankles, and bingo - I hit the ring in just a few minutes. It turned out I didn't need much time, but something told me to go, and I was glad I did.
I also well remember finds that were not valuable at all. For example, my first piece of Treasure Coast shipwreck silver. I remember that find detail for detail. I dug it up, my wife took it out of my scoop, looked at it, and started to throw it away. I told her to keep it. It was a black sliver of silver. I didn't really know for sure it was silver until I got it home and tested it. It isn't worth much of anything but it was a first for me, and it was a long time coming.
Surprisingly, unlike the experiences I just described, I had to think a while to remember exactly where I found my first escudo. For some reason, I don't remember that one so well. I do remember that it was on my birthday weekend and I also found a gold US coin the same weekend. Maybe that made the escudo less memorable to me as a unique experience because what I remember is finding two totally different kinds of gold coins in the same birthday weekend, but I don't really remember the details of finding those two coins very well.
It seems that I do not so much remember the details of individual finds on days when there were many finds. On days when I dig a lot of good stuff, that is what I tend to remember - the quantity of finds.
When I think over my memorable finds, there are several factors that make them stick out. Value is only one.
I tend to remember first finds, especially when they are something that I have sought for a while. I had been trying to find shipwreck silver for a quite a while when I finally found my first. I think that made it more memorable. Also the experience of not knowing for sure immediately and having to go through the process of testing before getting the final answer made it more memorable. And also sharing the experience and telling the story made it more memorable.
Many of my most memorable finds involved interactions with other people - for example, sharing the experience with my wife. In some cases, it was returning the item to a grateful person. And telling the story never hurts. I'm sure that sharing the experience and sharing the story makes the find much more memorable.
I remember, for example, the day when I arrived at one site after leaving another with a pocketful of quarters and encountering a fellow that asked if I could spare any change. I gave him a couple dollars worth of blackened quarters, and he told me, "God helps those who help others." I stepped into the water and, bingo, I found a diamond ring in just a few sweeps. A few sweeps more and I found another diamond ring. What I remember most about that is what the fellow said to me and then what happened and the very coincidental nature of the whole thing.
It isn't all about the value of the find. It is very much about the experience and sharing with others, and also the meaning it has to you.
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| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com |
We're supposed to have another increase in the surf for Wednesday and Thursday and then another one next weekend.
Like I've been saying, this is the time of year when we often have cold fronts coming through. November is often a decent hunting month. Hopefully we'll get something that moves enough renourishment sand to improve conditions. There is a lot of sand in front of the beaches and covering the dunes.
Remember the veterans today.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
