Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov |
Gradual development of this system is
expected, and it will likely become a tropical or subtropical storm
on Saturday when it is located near the northwestern Bahamas. Later
in the weekend and early next week, the system is expected to move
generally northeastward over the western Atlantic... See nhc.noaa.gov for more about that.
expected, and it will likely become a tropical or subtropical storm
on Saturday when it is located near the northwestern Bahamas. Later
in the weekend and early next week, the system is expected to move
generally northeastward over the western Atlantic... See nhc.noaa.gov for more about that.
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Yesterday I looked a few beaches and did a little quick check at one beach. As I mentioned yesterday I found a couple pieces of what I think is old lead. Those finds gave me a clue that despite the relatively sandy conditions, shipwreck finds are not too far off.
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| Piece of Folded Lead Found Thursday. |
In the past I talked about what I called "signal finds." They are finds that are most valuable as clues or signs of conditions or nearby treasures.
When I looked out this morning and saw the nice rainy weather, even though I wasn't planning on going out until evening, I decided to go to the beach. I like rainy mornings and staying out of the hot sun.
So when I got to the beach, conditions didn't look any better than the day before. In fact, there was more sand. Overall conditions were worse. I would estimate that in most places there were inches of new sand. Nonetheless, yesterday I had identified one area as a good possibility and focused on that area after doing a general quick check of a wider area.
When I hit the newly targeted area, I got additional encouraging signs. First a small corroded bullet showed up. It was not a old shipwreck item, but still somewhat encouraging.
Next I found a nearly dissolved piece of iron, then another piece of lead, which was folded up when found, then a shipwreck spike, and then a tack (photo below).
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| Friday Finds. |
I was most surprised by the spike. And to make it more surprising, it was found in one of the most heavily detected spots of the entire Treasure Coast on a day when there was no big improvement in conditions. I saw two people metal detecting that area just yesterday, and that is no small target. I could understand the tack being missed, but not so much the spike.
Anyhow, no big finds. I guess if it was on Oak Island, the spike could be the subject of hours of excited hooplah, talk and speculation, but no big deal for the Treasure Coast. Just a pleasant day of metal detecting.
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People who metal detect search for different reasons. Different people search for different kinds of objects. What a person searches for depends upon a variety of factors, including where they are and what kind of objects can be found at a location, but it also depends upon personal interests.
Some detectorists search for coins, others for modern jewelry, others for hoards, others for gold nuggets and others for shipwreck artifacts. Those are just a few examples.ind
Different kinds of finds can be treated differently. Coins can be either spent, sold, made part of a collection, or in the case of those that might be corroded or badly damaged recycled for the metal content or simply thrown away.
Jewelry finds might be returned to the original owner when that is possible, sold, or kept and worn.
The Treasure Coast is known for its shipwreck related finds, including both coins and artifacts. In the case old coins or artifacts, the role of the detectorist might be seen as finding or recovering the item, but the detectorist's role might involve much more.
After the find, there is the cleaning and identification. Every detectorist wants to know more about their find. In the case of a coin, that might mean identifying the mint and date, but it can involve much more, such as the shipwreck it came from, if it did indeed come from a shipwreck, as well as the method of manufacture and other details of its history, use and cultural significance.
The primary role of the detectorist is often discussed as finding or recovering items, but that might be only the first step of a long series. Some items, depending upon the type of the item and it's condition and significance, might be passed down as a family heirloom for generations or become part of a collection or museum display.
Items that are published in one form or another, can entertain and inform many people. Both trivial and more significant finds can add to the overall knowledge base of individuals and contribute to the knowledge of the society. Digital communications have made it possible for the regular citizen to become broadly informed and contribute to the shared experience and knowledge of societies and cultures.
The beach detectorist does not find undisturbed sites with items preserved in context. Rather they recover "isolated" finds that were not preserved in context. That is one thing that differentiates the beach detectorist from the archaeologist.
Beach detectorists save individual items from the dynamic and corrosive salt water environment in which will gradually deteriorate or quickly be destroyed by natural forces. The challenge is to not only to recover items that have survived up to that point, but then to clean and conserve them and glean whatever can be known about them. The next step is to share the knowledge and pass the items and knowledge down to future generations.
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A year or two ago I thought my detecting days were over, but my back has been holding up well this year so far, so I'm just happy I've been able to put in a little detecting time without any big problems.
Today the surf is supposed to be four to seven feet. The same tomorrow. We might get a change in wind direction though, which could help.
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
