5/10/20 Report - Eight-Reale Kicks Off 2020 Salvage Season. Old(?) Wood Handle Fork Find. 18th Century British Indiaman Wreck. Surf Building.

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

2020 started off as a good year for beach hunting.  A good number of reales were found on Treasure Coast beaches January through March, and then came the beach closures.

Now the 2020 salvage season has begun.  The calm surf allowed an early start to the salvage season and at least one eight-reale was found off of Douglass Beach already.  The 1715 Fleet find was made by Queens Jewels, Jason and Joey Gooch working on the M/V Blackwater salvage vessel.

Congratulations!

---

Two Tine Fork or Skewer.

As I mentioned yesterday, I decided to go back and look at some tableware that I found in the past and never researched much.

Here is a peculiar two-tined fork or skewer.  I believe it is probably a skewer rather than a fork simply because of size and feel.  It also shows very little wear, but it could have been repaired.  I'll show you why I think that might be the case.

There are no maker's marks or anything like that on this one.  It does not appear to be very well made.  There is some obvious asymmetrical grinding on the back near the base of one tine.

Wood Fork Handle With Wood Pins.

The rivets are not metal.  Wood pins hold the handle to the tang.  I haven't seen that on any other tableware that I've found.  Mostly they seem to have metal rivets.

The handle appears to be a relatively soft wood and very square - not nicely shaped for the hand.

Poorly Fitting Tang and Handle.

Notice how square the edges are and how poorly the tang fits into the handle.

My opinion is that the fork or skewer was either not made by a company that made tons of them or else it was repaired - maybe both.

I'd guess it is old, but don't know much of anything about this one.  It lacks any identifying marks.  The use of wood pins makes me think it is probably older, but it shows little wear as it is.

I don't think I'll ever find out much more about this one.

---

I've found a lot of silverware over the years.  Some came from the beach.  Many of those were in very poor condition.  A good number also came from inland sites where some were dug and some were evidently secreted.  They were generally in better condition.  It is very common to find silverware at home sites.

I recently started researching some of my old silverware finds.  Yesterday I posted a photo of a spoon with a maker's mark I couldn't identify.  Mitch King said the mark is that of the AB&Co., England.  I don't have the dates on that company yet.

Thanks much Mitch!


Spoons have been around for thousands of years, but forks, which took over for knives and fingers, came later.

Forks were the last of the flatware tools to be added to this gastronomic arsenal. The early Greeks were known to use forks, and one was carried to Italy by a Greek princess in 1071. There is some disagreement about when tined instruments first appeared in inventories on the continent. Many credit Catherine de Medici with bringing them from Italy to France in 1553 upon her marriage to the future King Henry II, but gold and silver forks, used only for eating mulberries and other foods that stain the fingers, are listed in the inventory of Charles V of France (1338-1380).

Nevertheless, by the 1600s, fork usage had spread all the way to England, where a gentleman traveler by the name of George Coryat credits himself with the momentous introduction. This may have been a bit of a boast, as Queen Elizabeth I counted them in her inventory. Even so, forks were not readily adopted in England. The Church had frowned on them, ruling that they took glory from God who gave us fingers to eat with, and were seen as effeminate in many corners. However, King Charles I of England declared them “decent to use” in 1633, and the fork slowly but surely gained acceptance at the table...

You might find the following linked article on the history flatware interesting.  It is the source of the above excerpt.

https://rauantiques.com/blogs/canvases-carats-and-curiosities/flatware-history

---

Here is the title and abstract of an article about an early 18th century British West Indiaman wrecked near Soldier Key.  If you know the area around Key Biscayne you'll be familiar with a lot of the history and shipwrecks in that area.  Actual treasure chests were recovered from Key Biscayne, not to mention many other treasures.  I spent a lot of time in that area when I lived down south.


A FINE WRECK IN SHALLOW WATER: INVESTIGATION INTO, AND CONSERVATION OF, A HEAVILY DISTURBED 18TH CENTURY BRITISH WEST INDIAMAN, THE SOLDIER KEY WRECK

Allen Donald Wilson

In the summer of 2012, a team of archaeologists excavated a known shipwreck site in the
submerged bottomlands in north Biscayne National Park. This site had been excavated
previously by John Hall, a professor from the University of Miami, in the early 1980s. Hall never
produced a report on the excavations and did not curate the artifacts recovered. The purpose of
this 2012 research was to document any remaining material culture, determine the best way to
preserve the site, and ultimately to use whatever remaining hull structure and portable artifacts
were available to determine the nationality, previous ports of call, and potentially the name of the

vessel as well as how the ship came to wreck in that location. 

The excavation revealed the midships to stern portion of a British West Indiaman that
dates to the early to mid 18th century. The sparse artifact assemblage suggests that the vessel
was coming from Jamaica en route to England when the ship succumbed to a hurricane.
However, a large number of ships wrecked in the region during the time period the Soldier Key
Wreck would have sailed. Unfortunately, no name could definitively be ascribed to the ship. 


Here is the link.

https://www.academia.edu/19559882/A_FINE_WRECK_IN_SHALLOW_WATER_INVESTIGATION_INTO_AND_CONSERVATION_OF_A_HEAVILY_DISTURBED_18TH_CENTURY_BRITISH_WEST_INDIAMAN_THE_SOLDIER_KEY_WRECK?email_work_card=view-paper

This one is in Biscayne National Park and I do not know of any treasure from the wreck being reported.  Still it is an interesting read.

---

The past couple of days I posted links to some very good studies.  One was a major study on near-shore shipwrecks and another was on privateering.  You won't want to miss those.

It looks like the surf will be building for a few days and maybe get up to five or seven feet.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Happy Mother's Day,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/28/20 Report - 18th Century Shipwreck Dated. Archaeology and Detectorists. Closed Beaches Ideas.

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

Source: See SeaCoastOnline.com link below.

YORK, Maine — Findings from a study conducted on a shipwreck site on Short Sands beach indicate the vessel was built before the American Revolutionary War...

Claesson said he had records of the wreck’s unearthing in 1958, then 1978.

“Photos taken during that time indicate the mast was cut off,” he said.

Claesson asked for anyone with photos or artifacts to contact him.

“I’m not trying to be the archaeology police,” he joked. “But people have been interacting with the site for decades. I’d love to see photos or learn anything else about it to be able to tell the full story of the site.”...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20200325/york-shipwreck-predated-american-revolution-say-researchers


In the past year or two it has seemed to me that archaeology has not been bashing treasure hunters or metal detecting hobbyists as once as they once did.

A few years ago it seemed that at least every other article involving detectorists included the word "looters" or something to that effect.  I haven't been seeing that very often since around the time I did a piece entitled "The Problem With Archaeology."  I can't imagine that it had such an effect, but at the same time, it could have.

I mentioned some compelling facts including the notion that archaeologists claim to be "saving the past for the public" while acting in a very contradictory manner.  I pointed out that "treasure hunters" in some ways serve that goal much more effectively than archaeologists.  That is evidenced by a number of facts, including the fact that many more of the readers of this blog have seen shipwreck items in the Mel Fisher museums than in the Florida Museum of Natural History.  That is just a part of my argument and recommendation for archaeology.

Here is the link to the post in which I talk about that.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2018/02/22518-report-problem-with-archaeology.html

One point I made in that post is how the public can assist archaeologists.  Claesson asks for that assistance, but because of the mistrust created by archaeologists has to let the public know that he is not going to "try to be the archaeology police."

---

With the beaches close you might be wondering where you can metal detect.  We've faced beach closings before, and there are always people who manage to get on the beaches one way or another.

I often say there is always away.  I am a person that enjoys finding alternative methods of doing things.  There are ways you can get on the beach even if it is closed without doing anything illegal.  You don't have to jump fences or do anything like that.  For example, you can go by boat or jet ski.  Maybe you have friends or acquaintances that have beachside residences or you might rent a room at a beachside residence or resort.  Some detectorists have passes through their jobs or do contracting that can get them on the beach.  There are things that I won't mention.  They are used by some detectorists every time the beaches get closed for hurricanes.  I'ts not that I'm trying to keep them secret, and I don't use them myself.  I just want you to know that there are ways to do it legally if you really want to do it.  .

Better yet, there are some good alternatives to the beach, which you should realize because the beach is not always the best place to hunt anyhow.  Let's think off-beach.

The first thing is to be alert to what you see as you go about your normal daily business.  You will see some decent sites.  I always have a long list of sites in mind that I plan to test someday when I get around to it.  When I think of beaches, I have my high and low priority beaches, but I also have a long list of off-beach detecting spots too.

You know how when you are driving along A1A and you see all of those spots where fishermen kayakers and others stop along the west side of the Indian River.  They've been doing it for many years, but those spots aren't detected much.  There is a reason that people don't detect those spots.  For one thing, there will be a lot of trash and sinkers and very little good treasure, but if you adjust your techniques, you might find a few interesting things.  I've done those spots before, and have found some nice things.  You might even find something old - maybe a nice old shell native American artifact.  There is more to be found in the river than you might think.  There are even spots where galleons or pieces of galleons washed over the island and into the river.  You'll have a better chance if you've done your research.

There is a lot of construction going on.  The railroad is adding tracks and roads are being widened and repaired.  In the process old ground is being churned up.  Don't try to detect an active construction site, but if you watch what is going on, you can identify some good metal detecting possibilities.  Work around the edges or after the work is done.  If you've been reading this blog very long, you've read numerous articles about archaeological sites being unearthed by construction projects.

The recent drought will open up some areas that were overgrown.  I know of one area that I've been watching for a while and the overgrowth is thinning out so I won't have to do so much work to make it detectable.  It was heavily covered by overgrowth, but you could see surface evidence of old glass and bricks.  You can open up new areas if you are willing to remove brush.  You might still need to adjust how you sweep your detector.  Maybe use non-motion mode.

You might ask for permission to detect private property.  Most beach hunters have never done much of that.  It never hurts to try something new.

You can hook up with other detectorists who might have access to good areas.

Remember the old silver coins that came out of the Peace River.  Waterways are good areas to metal detect and often have public access.  Search the banks or shallow water, or dive.

Watch for grass covered parking lots.  I know where there are a few of those.  They are often not closed off.

I always enjoyed working old carnival grounds especially just after the carnival picked up and left. I found mostly modern coins.  Sometimes there would be dollars of quarters laying on the surface and dollar bills blown up against the fences.

Generally, just keep your eyes open as you go about your normal daily business and notice any possibilities.

Try something new and different.  It might be outside your comfort zone, but you'll probably learn something new and improve your skills for when you get back to the beach.

Another possibility is do another kind of treasure hunting.  Maybe go look for some fossils.

There are a few ideas.  If you have others that you'd like to share, let me know.

---

I just thought of this last night and thought I should post it.  I don't know exactly why.  I just have a feeling.

You'll remember it from 1985 if you are old enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4M7c-JOnPdw

---

The surf will be around four feet today and then decreasing for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/27/20 Report - Ancient Gold Stater Florida Find. 18th Century Dugout Canoe. New Opportunities!

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

Gold Stater Circa 350 BC Found 
in Shallow Water Off The Florida Coast

Not long ago I had some posts on old coins found on the Treasure Coast.  I also mentioned that some very old ancient coins have been found in Florida, and I'm sure on the Treasure Coast as well.  One way that ancient coins are found in Florida includes those mounted in jewelry.  You'll find ancient coins that were once mounted or are still mounted in rings, earrings, bracelets, pendants, etc.  I've found a good number of those.

I went back to find some examples and in a very early post found this photo of a gold coin that I found.  It is an Alexander the Great gold stater from around 350 BC.  It was found in shallow water, if I correctly recall, in North Dade county.   It is still in the bezel, which is on a nice heavy chain, but I used the Paint application to edit the photo to show only the coin.

This is just one example of a pre Spanish-colonial coin that was found in Florida.  I never entertained the idea that Alexander the Great visited Florida, or the Knights Templar for that matter.

When I found this photo that I posted years ago, I realized how much more thoroughly I research, inspect and document  things today as compared to how I handled finds back then. For one thing, I have better equipment and take better photos now.   I guess I should get it out of the deposit box some day and do a better job on it.

I found a good web site with information about the Alexander the Great coins, although it only talks about the silver coins.

Here is just a little of what it says.

Alexander invaded Asia Minor to liberate the Greeks and drive out the Persians. Alexander’s armies swept down into Egypt and then circled back, taking territory the whole way to borders of India. Alexander’s armies defeated every army for 13 years. While traveling back home through Babylon, Alexander died at the age of 33 in 323 BC. The coins minted under his name from 336 to 323 BC are referred to as lifetime issues and command a high price today...

The value of the coin principally came from what it was made of, not who issued the coin. The weights of the coins were regulated by city officials called magistrates. It is often their official symbols and monograms that we find on the coins. Ancient forgers used to coat copper coins with silver and try to pass them off as pure silver coins. It is not uncommon to find an ancient banker’s mark or a test cut in ancient coins. By piercing the coin, the person could tell if the silver ran through the coin... 

Here is the link for more about the silver coins of Alexander the Great.

http://www.coinsoftime.com/Articles/Coins_of_Alexander_the_Great.html

I don't know that I ever heard of holes in coins being used to identify forgeries.  If I did, I forgot.

Here is a link to a site that lists some gold staters.

https://www.austincoins.com/ancient-coins/alexander-ancient-coins.html

---

18th Century Dugout Canoe.

Source: See UnionLeader.com link below.

Testing reveals dugout canoe discovered 80 years ago dates to 17th century...

The canoe was discovered by three fishermen from Tilton in the fall of 1939 under 14 feet of water in Verrie Cove along Squam’s northwest shore. After failing to spark local interest, the canoe found its way to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, where it was identified as Native American...

Here is the link for more of that article.

https://www.unionleader.com/news/history/testing-reveals-dugout-canoe-discovered-years-ago-dates-to-th/article_23a7f1d7-2dba-5ed7-b67a-c4c8f376cdd3.html

---

I've often talked about obstacles as opportunities.  I remember once mentioning that it seems like big treasures always have a dragon to protect them.  That is why they are still there.  And it seems that the person that slays the dragon is the person that deserves the treasure.  Sometimes the dragon is in the world, and sometimes it is yourself.   Most of the time it is probably hiding in the cave of your being.  That is why slaying it is so transformational.

It is natural to want to take the easy path, but the difficult path can be an adventure.  No matter where you go you take yourself with you.  That is why some people are always unhappy and angry and others are just as often content.

Did you ever notice that every miracle starts out as a problem.  That is a part of the recipe.

Every major accomplishment begins with a challenge.

People are being challenged today.  There is disease, fear, illness and economic downturn.  Those things might always exist to some extent but some people are feeling it more intensely now.

There will be sorrow and loss.  There always is.  But there will also be miracles of love, comfort and strength where there is loss, along with miracles of healing.

The fuse is lit.  What are the opportunities?

There will be new cures, new understanding, new techniques and methods.  In short there will be new ingenious solutions and new ways of living.

There are new opportunities in new threats.  How can you help in some way to solve the large or small problems you see?

Solutions create businesses and fortunes, and provide aid and comfort.  Be a part of it.

---

The surf tonight and tomorrow will be up to three or four feet.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/30/19 Report - St. Augustine Lighthouse History. History of Tools. More Thoughts on Troy's Find. Higher Surf Coming.

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

St. Augustine Lighthouse Turns 145 This Year.

Source: HistoricCoastCulture.com (Full link below)

This beloved black-and-white-striped lighthouse turns 145 in 2019 but its fascinating history dates back more than 400 years. Its Florida’s very first lighthouse and, along with the structures that preceded it, the oldest permanent aid to navigation in North America.

It has been the site of battles and picnics. Confederate soldiers hid its lens during the Civil War. During WWII, it was occupied by armed guards. It has seen tragic fires and passionate restoration. It may be haunted by four different ghosts. It’s a gathering place and guiding point for St. Augustine...

First built in 1589 by Spain, the tower was under Spanish rule twice for a total of 211 years. The British took control for 20 years following the Revolutionary War. In 1821, Spain ceded Florida to the United States who has maintained ownership ever since...

Here is the link to read more about this history.

https://www.historiccoastculture.com/illuminating-400-years-of-maritime-heritage-and-mysteries/?utm_source=digilant&utm_medium=native&utm_content=Tier3&utm_term=400-years-of-history&utm_campaign=floridas-first-lighthouse

----

The discussion of Troy's find chisel(?) find continues. Susan E. suggested making a distinction between what the item was originally made for and how it might have ultimately been used. Here is what she said. The question is whether this artifact was used as a chisel.

I would examine the surface on the flat end, for signs of use.   For example, Troy C. says that it is iron coated with bronze or copper, so if it was struck by an iron hammer we would expect to see loss of the coating (which is softer than iron).   Also, perhaps that end would be a bit smoother than the rest of the artifact due to repeated contact with the hammer.   

Its often difficult to reach a conclusion from a photo.  You can't look at everything you'd like to, and you don't get the same feel for an object that you can hold in your hand.

I thought the plating or whatever looked quite odd in the photo and wondered about the metallic composition.

Bill P. said, I have a hard time believing that any chisel would be made of anything but steel. That pic looks like brass or bronze. Even when chiseling wood the bronze would never hold an edge for very long. It's something else.

Thanks guys.  Great thoughts.


I found a very interesting website on the history of woodworking tools.  Here is a photo of some 18th century tools, including chisels.

18th Century Back Saw, Chisels and Other Edged Tools.

Source: WoodWorkingHistory.com (Full link below).

They were made in Birmingham, long a center for iron and steel metalworking.

Among other interesting facts, you will find this list of reasons why it is often difficult to identify the source or identity of old tools.

first, the tool is an object of daily use, subjected while in service to hard wear and, in some cases, ultimate destruction;

second, a tool's usefulness is apt to continue through many years and through the hands of several generations of craftsmen, with the result that its origins become lost;

third, the achievement of an implement of demonstrated proficiency dictated against radical, and therefore easily datable, changes in shape or style; and

fourth, dated survivals needed to establish a range of firm control specimens for the better identification of unknowns, particularly the wooden elements of tools—handles, moldings, and plane bodies—are frustratingly few in non-arid archeological sites.

That is just a small sample of what you will find at the site.  Some of it is in "olde" English.

Here is the link.

http://woodworkinghistory.com/Ch2-origins-of-tools-medieval.htm

---

If you don't like my philosophizing, you might want to bail-out now.  Fair notice.

A couple times recently I said, "The more I learn, the more I don't know."   On the face, that sounds contradictory and like it could not possibly be true.  When the thought first came to me, I liked it because it had the definite ring of truth, but there was also a feeling of mystery to it.

If you believe in a world in which there are only a finite number of things to be known, when you get to know one of those things, there is one less that is unknown.  That would make the statement false,
but the truth of the statement that originally wasn't clear to me, is that the world does not consist of a finite number of things to be known, and when you take a step down the path of truth what opens up before you is a even larger world in an ever expanding universe of marvelous new possibilities.   It is something like coming to the top of a hill on a clear night and seeing the countless stars like never before.  It is beyond words, logic or reason.  You encounter the incomprehensible infinite and become a part of it.

---

The tides are pretty big now and it looks like we'll have some bigger surf at the end of the week.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/22/19 Report - Treasure Coast Area Find Made Last Week. Native American Artifacts of Precious Metals.

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

Recently Found by Cole S.
Photo submitted by Jonah M.

Some of the guys were recently checking out a washed out area and found this nice bottle.  It looks to me like an 18th century wide cylindrical mallet style bottle - probably of English or Dutch manufacture.  

If someone can correct that or add to that, please do.

Here is a closer view of the top and bottom.

A cork would go in the top and a string or wire would secure it.

These bottles can bring a good price.

Thanks for sharing guys.

As I often say, there is always some place to look and something to find.  When conditions are not good for one kind of hunting, they can be good for another type of hunting.

---

Gold Pendant

Silver Tablet.

Above is a gold pendant dated to 800 to 1500 AD.  It came from the St. Marks Wakulla area of Florida.

And on the right is a Calusa silver tablet from Charlotte Harbor area.

Those are two examples, of native American artifacts made of precious metals.  I don't know the purity of the gold pendant.

The finds were posted on the peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org web site under the artifact identification section.

I posted them in my 10/28/14 post, and I recently found them by accident when I was looking for something else.

I've posted so much that I forgot a lot of it.  I found the above items, as I said, when I was looking for something else after my search led me back to this blog.

Don't forget the search box, which you'll find on the top of the first page of this blog.  


---

The tides are still pretty big with negative low tides, but the surf is running around two feet.

Monday morning I checked a few beaches, and it seemed they were filling in.  Some of the better spots deteriorated.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/3/19 Report - A Great Web Site for Conducting Research on Finds. Tools on Galleons. Calm Surf This Week.

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

Source: MaterialCulture18t.wixsite.com/18thcmcrc

In addition to the recreation, exercise, and finds, metal detecting has provided an enjoyable and broad education.  I've learned a lot about a variety of subjects, including but not limited to numismatics, metallurgy, history, and geology.  Research provides a lot of the education.  I highly recommend metal detecting as a way to interest young people in any those fields of study.

Given the range of things one encounters in the hobby, you'll never master it.   There is always a lot left to learn, so research is very important, both before the hunt and after the find.

I was researching some finds recently when I discovered a really super web site: The 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center.

Here is an excerpt from the introduction.


Welcome to the website of the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center. This little project of our's was created to serve the community as a reference library for the study of everyday objects used by the inhabitants of North America, her mother country, England, and those countries of Continental Europe who, in one way or another, had an impact on the 13 British Colonies in North America between the years 1600 to 1785.

The material presented within this "Virtual Encyclopedia" is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES only. We have not received any financial gain by this endeavor. We are greatful to the countless museums, libraries, auction houses, and private collectors from around the world for making their material publicly available so that we could categorize it and present it to you within our slideshows...

So much quality education is provided freely by amateurs in various fields.  If the agencies of government and education were half as effective, we would be much farther ahead.

There are many categories and sections included in that web site.  One category included bottles and cases such as that shown at the top of this post.

The wedges below aren't new finds.  When I first found the top one I referred to it as a chisel.  It is not, and one of my readers quickly informed me of that.

A Couple Treasure Coast Beach Finds.

A wedge is used to separate things.  A chisel is made to lift material from one thing, and therefore they will often have a beveled edge.

I know the one on the bottom looks something like a spike, but that is just the angle of the picture.

I don't have any idea of the age of these wedges.

In 1607, the Spanish crown required carpenters and caulkers who worked on the galleons to provide their own tools.  The 1607 ordinances required each carpenter to provide his own hatchet, saw, three sizes of auger, a claw hammer, a sledge hammer, and two chisels.

Each caulker had to provide a mallet, five sizes of caulking irons, a centering chisel, a rave hook, a sledge hammer, a claw hammer, and oakum remover, and three size of auger.  (Source: Six Galleons for the King of Spain, by Carla Phillips.)

Looking in the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center you'll find a lot of pictures of tools, including this beautiful 18th century auger.

Here is another illustration of carpenters tools from the same excellent web site.

Those are just a few examples of what you can find on the 18th Century Material Culture web site.  I'll add it to my reference links on the first page of my blog.

Although the web site focuses on 18th Century American and English artifacts, I think  it will be useful in researching artifacts of the 18th century no matter what country they come from.

---

The surf is predicted to be only one foot for a few days.  That means that you might find some easy shallow water hunting.

Enjoy browsing the various sections of the Material Culture web site.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/30/18 Report - More On The Sifting Compared To Detecting Experiment. Intact Section of 18th Century Wreck Washes Up On Beach. Good Friday!

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

Section of Old Wreck Appears on Beach.
Source: See msn.com link below.

48-foot hull of a well-preserved 18th century vessel dubbed the 'Holy Grail of shipwrecks' washes ashore on Florida beach with copper tacks and roman numeral etchings still intact...

Experts speculate that the wreck may have laid under sand offshore for years, then washed onto the beach due to storm activity, explaining how the ship remained so well preserved...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/48-foot-hull-of-a-well-preserved-18th-century-vessel-dubbed-the-holy-grail-of-shipwrecks-washes-ashore-on-florida-beach-with-copper-tacks-and-roman-numeral-etchings-still-intact/ar-AAvhmGj

If you have the chance to get up there and view this before it is removed or something should definitely do it.  I don't know if it is still there.  But if you do get a chance to look at it, take a close look at all the metallic parts.  It is a good chance to learn something.

Thanks to Dean R. and Bruce B. for alerting me to this story.

When I saw that peat washed up Tuesday, I thought there was also a chance for some old wood to wash up as well.  I was in an area where wood planks have washed up in the past.

---

On 3/26 I posted a report by someone who detected a lot several times, recorded all finds, and then sifted the entire lot to find out what if anything he had missed.  The results were amazing, both in the total number of coins found on that small lot, but also the number of old coins found, and what everybody should take notice of is the low number of old coins found as the result of multiple thorough metal detecting sessions despite the large number that was in that ground.  Most people would have detected the site a few times and maybe thought they had found most of the good coins that were there and thought it was time to give up and move on not realizing how many more old coins were waiting for them there.

If you have not read the 3/26 post and the total report of that experiment, I highly recommend that you do that.  If you don't you'll be missing out on proof of what is often said and speculated about in the metal detecting community.

The person who sifted that entire lot offered the following important comments and observations concerning that experiment.

No one was more shocked by the results than me.  I suspected there was more in the ground, but had no idea of the actual amount.  When I started, I did not intend to do [sift] the entire lot, just the areas I thought would be most productive.   However,  I just kept finding more, then decided to finish the job.  

I have a few other comments.  I can't be sure, of course, but I strongly suspect that this lot was never hunted prior to the houses being demolished.  It has nothing to do with the number of finds, but much of the lot was covered in a concrete pad and for many years during the detecting era it was a dangerous area.  This would make the conclusions more valid.

A point I don't think I emphasized enough is the difficulty detecting from the surface.  The first detectorist found 8 silver coins over 2-3 hunts.  I knew there were likely some more silver dimes because he found 3 silver quarters, a silver dollar, and only four dimes.  That is a strange distribution.  I actually briefly hunted the lot before they cleared the house piles and found a couple of clad coins only.  It is just mind-boggling to me, in hindsight, that I found no old coins on my first hunt on a lot with more than 225 in the ground!  When I went back, I found a silver half and silver dime and some wheats, some of which were on the surface.  The second time I found two silver dimes.  Over many hunts before I tried sifting I never found more than 2 silver coins with the detector.  I worked that lot thoroughly and repeatedly with multiple detectors because I strongly suspected there was more there.  I remember being frustrated about it.  So even though 30% of the silver coins were found using a detector, that was after an unusual amount of detecting, including moving at a snail's pace with a small coil and my Safari from different directions.   I feel confident saying that a more common scenario would be for the lot to be detected significantly less before being abandoned in search of greener pastures.  My point is that my detected finds likely overrepresent the percentage of finds that will be found using a detector on a site with heavy trash.

Overall, it was eye-opening for me.  The results were exciting...and daunting.  I now know there are a lot of great finds still to be made, even in well hunted areas, but it might not be easy.

I added the parenthesis and bolding for clarity and emphasis.

Thanks once again to the author of this report.

People are always looking for new unhunted sites.  Many of the old sites still hold more good finds, perhaps more than you would ever imagine.  Realizing how much more might be there is the first step to getting the finds you've been missing.

---

As you probably know, Easter is on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring equinox.  Yesterday - Thursday - was a full moon, and today is Good Friday, which is the perfect time to talk about crosses.

A couple days ago I showed a silver ring with a cross on it.  Alberto S. found the same ring offered by WalMart.   So it is no Tiffany or anything really old.  I had no idea that it was anything but common modern despite my joking around.

Isn't it remarkable how prevalent the cross is whenever you talk about treasure hunting.  You'll find a cross on most cobs in one form or another, as well as on rings, pendants, and other things.  You can't escape that.  And there is a reason.

Something happened that changed the world, and 2000 years later people still wear and display the sign of the cross.  That in itself is remarkable.  But what people wear is not as important as what is on the inside.

You meet all kinds of people.  There are kind generous people, and then there are grumpy demanding people.  It is the same in metal detecting as it is in the world in general.  I'm glad to say that the readers of this blog, judging from the emails I receive, are almost exclusively of the kind generous type.

Some people can't get along with anybody and they think it is the fault of everybody else.  Some are always seeking and never finding.  They are looking in the wrong place.  Others have found the secret and carry their joy with them no matter what is going on in the world around them.  They are the ones that fill the Easter baskets and scatter the eggs and rejoice everytime one is found.

---

The surf will be 3 - 5 feet today and less tomorrow and Sunday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcas.net

5/7/17 Report - Fort Pierce Beach. John Brooks. 18th Century Ship Interiors. Silver Bar. Lead Pipe.

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

Fort Pierce Jetty  South

Beautiful Fort Pierce Beach is now a construction site.  Renourishment has begun.

This very course material was in a pile.  Most of the renourishment material was a fine grey powder.  I don't know if they are putting this course stuff on the bottom and then covering it up with the finer stuff or what.

Above is the narrow strip that can be accessed now.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Around Noon.

You could see the remains of an old cut.  In front of that was new mushy sand.

There were a lof of beach-goers out.  Most were now Florida residents.  Not nearly as many snow birds.

As I've been saying, the surf is small.  The weather is beautiful.  Not smoldering hot yet. 

---

Here is a good thesis to read.  The title is Eighteenth-Century Merchant Ship Interiors.

The study looks at a number of ships that are being excavated in the York River where they remained in fairly good condition.  Of course, the study also looks at related literature.  It also talks about where things were typically located on such ships and a shows a number of artifacts.

Here is a brief excerpt.

Here is the link.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Renner-MA1987.pdf

---

The red-coral rosary that I previously talked about sold in the recent Sedwick auction for $72,000, plus buyers premium.  Another item that brought in a lot of money was the 83 pound silver bar.  The winning bid for that bar was $55,220.  Below is the auction description.

Large silver bar #72, 83 lb 7.52 oz troy, Class Factor 1.0, dated "Po(tosi) 1622" in cartouche, foundry / assayer MEXIA in cartouche, five tax stamps (two different designs), fineness IIUCCCLXX (2370/2400 = 98.75% fine), manifest number DCCCCXXXII (932), silvermaster A, from the Atocha (1622). 13-3/4" x 4-3/4" x 3-3/4". Attractively marked "silver loaf" (typical shape) that is particularly interesting for the fact that it shows two kinds of tax stamps (three with lions and castles and two with monogram) and an "overdate" manifest number with the second C punched over a D (probably just a mistake), although the clarity of the assayer and date cartouches is remarkable as well. Most of tax stamps appear to be more complete than usual. The middle of the top of the bar contains the usual peanut-shaped assayer's "bite." At one end is what appears to be the letter V with an up-arrow to its left for the owner/shipper, who is/are apparently not listed on the manifest. The surface of this bar is relatively uncorroded, with a couple small pits on top that existed before sinking and mostly contain small pieces of coral now. From the Atocha (1622), with Fisher photo-certificate #S72.

---

Hollow Log Sewer PipeSource: See the link below.

Water and sewer pipes were made of wood back in the 18th century.

Here is a link.

http://www.sewerhistory.org/photosgraphics/pipes-wood/

I found the above when I was trying to find out when lead pipes were used.

I found this piece of lead pipe.  Really heavy!

Piece of Lead Pipe.

I learned that most cities in the United States quit using lead pipes for water by the 1920s although lead pipes were approved by national plumbing codes into the 1980s.  Lead pipes were used centuries ago.  I have no idea how old this one might be.

---

I'd like to see this beautiful weather go away.

Thanks for responding to the blog poll.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net