Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
The first day of bidding in the current Sedwick treasure auction has concluded and the bidding was exciting. A very high percent of the lots closed higher than the high end of the auction estimates.
One of the first day over-achievers was lot 55 - described as a round gold pancake (below).
Here is the lot description.
Small, round gold "pancake," 11.94 grams, ex-Espadarte (1558), with Sotheby's catalog. About 3/4" in diameter and 1/8" thick. Cute little droplet of gold with no markings but some areas of encrustation, one side covered with the original sticker from the salvagers, scarce provenance. From the Espadarte (1558), with certificate #1035 from the salvagers, and pedigreed to our Auction #3, with original lot tag #58, also with catalog of the Christie's (Amsterdam) "Fort San Sebastian Wreck" auction of May 2004.
The docementation and provenance undoubtedly had a lot to do with the price that was realize.
The auction estimate was $400 - $600, but the item sold for $3332.00, which includes the buyer's premium. That is four or five times the auction estimate.
The auction estimate was $400 - $600, but the item sold for $3332.00, which includes the buyer's premium. That is four or five times the auction estimate.
Among the lots that brought high bids were a couple of early 1700s Lima 8-escudos. Two different escudos went for $38,675, (including the premium). One had an auction estimate of $17,500 - $25,000 and the other had an auction estimate of 20,000 - 40000.
One lot that caught my attention when I first looked at the auction listings was lot 270 - a neat clump including a couple ducatoons. That lot is described below.
That was another lot that sold for several times the high end of the auction estimate. Actually it was nearly six times the auction estimate.
The economic shutdown didn't seem to hurt the auction results.
World coins and paper money lots will be auctioned today.
World coins and paper money lots will be auctioned today.
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Douglas sent in a good tip. Do a search of RPPC or real photo post cards on eBay or places like that. You might add Florida as a keyword to your search. Douglas sent this link to hippostcard.com for example. You'll find some interesting views.
Here is an example.
Here is an example.
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Yesterday was an inspiring day for me. I managed to catch some of the coverage of the SpaceX launch. It was on at least one TV channel.
The launch was postponed, but if you watched the coverage leading up to launch time, you saw the excitement of past astronauts and some of their family members as they talked about how important it was for the country to get back into the space race. They said it represented a new era in space exploration for this country. We have been paying the Russians big money to give our astronauts a ride. That is embarrassing. A small private company, much smaller than companies like Boeing, managed to attack a problem and come up with a new improved solution, and they did it more quickly and inexpensively than was thought possible. There is always a better way waiting to be found.
The launch represents the huge creative talent of the human spirit. It shows what people can do when they are propelled by their dreams more than their fears.
There are dreamers and there are haters. There are those who give hope, and even those who hope against success.
Yes, there is risk. That risk was acknowledged and confronted. There are those willing to take the risk of sitting on the tip of a bomb because their sight is set on what is above. Success is not guaranteed, but if not this time, eventually it will come - as long as there are people with hope.
Some channels didn't even cover the launch. It seemed like they wanted no part of anything positive.
I hope you are not wondering what this has to do with treasure hunting. It is treasure hunting. It is about facing fears and overcoming problems. It is about technology and innovation. It is about accomplishing more than was thought possible. But most importantly, it is about the human spirit and the treasures that await.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Today the surf will be about two feet and tomorrow just a touch higher.
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
