Saturday, April 18, 2020

4/18/20 - Mystery Find. Diggin Dog. All-Time Engaging Posts From Blog History.


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

Small Heart Pendant Find.
I got around to look at some old finds again.  Some I never figured out.  Here is one of those.  It is a small heart pendant photographed on top of a US quarter.

Both sides have a metal mesh that is puffed out some and the frame appears to be made of two halves that were once shut at the tip.  Below gives a side view (left) and shows a closeup of the tip.  It looks to me like the tip was at one time soldered shut.


You can see how the mesh sides puff out so there would be room for something to be enclosed inside.  The tip looks like it was connected.  There are no hinges, but I sprang it open to see if I could see if anything was in it.  I didn't see anything.

I'm wondering what you think.  Was it made to contain something?  If so, what might it be?

I would like to hear what you think.  Any and all ideas appreciated.

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People are not the only ones making finds.  Susan E. sent a photo of a wheatie recently unearthed in her yard by the dog.  He often unearths shards and things, but this time he got a coin.

Find Made by Diggin Dog.
Photo by Susan E.

I usually check anywhere animals have dug, including mounds created by gopher tortoise.

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South Carolina will announce the opening of public beaches and stores next week.  Social distancing, will still be enforced on the beaches.

Jacksonville's governor seemed to be happy with the results of his beach opening, even though there were those who protested.

Of course, as with anything these days, some people don't like it.

No one would dare repeat Roosevelt's quote, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself," these days.

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Do you know what topic addressed in this blog resulted in the most active and positive response?  I received literally hundreds of emails in response to a post about a State of Florida bill that was thought to threaten beach access.  I received tons of emails about that.  There was almost unanimous consent among the detecting community and people were eager to add their names to a petition to prevent beach access being restricted.

Do you remember when a federal judge ordered Odyssey Marine to turn over $500 million worth of Spanish coins salvaged from a wreck to the Spanish government?

If not see  https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-spain-shipwreck-idUSLNE81J01C20120220

Did you ever read about the battles between the Fishers and the government and between the State of Florida and the Federal government to determine who owns certain wrecks?

See https://people.com/archive/mel-fisher-finds-millions-under-the-sea-and-the-courts-now-say-its-all-his-vol-9-no-19/

Do you remember when St. Lucie decided to prohibit metal detecting in their parks?  That also resulted in a petition and numerous emails.

How about the topic of beach renourishment?  That has been a popular topic in this blog.

The rift between treasure hunters and archaeology has been a common topic.  I believe it has been an important topic that has seen some improvement in recent years.

Or who owns the salvage rights, and how are finds distributed with the State of Florida.?

Or maybe you were detecting or swimming in front of a big resort or beach club and were told you couldn't do that.  I've addressed that topic too.

People wonder when the storms come, why beach accesses are closed without any apparently justifiable reason.

Our tax dollars are continually dumped onto the beaches in the form of sand that won't last.  We've discussed that.

I could go on, but my point is simple and undeniable: you can't separate politics from metal detecting or treasure hunting.   The are intertwined.   Metal detecting and treasure hunting could be banned.  It has already been panned in some places, and there are those, such as some archaeologists, who would like to see it banned.  And it could be if you aren't interested, informed, active and involved.

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I understand DeSantis has give municipalities the right to open additional beaches.  I would expect additional beaches to open soon, but we'll see.

They really did build that wall.  It is a wall of gates, barricades, and yellow tape that walls off hundreds of miles of beaches.

The surf is only around 3 or 4 feet now.

Happy Trails to You.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net