9/13/15 Report - Two Big 2015 Treasure Finds And What You Can Learn From Them. What Treasure Is.

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

Salvage Boat Over Wreck Site A While Back

As you know there were some big finds this year.  One I reported on extensively.  That one was a multi-million dollar find, made national news and was reported by all the major media.  That was the find made by the Capitana guys.

Don't forget that there were other big finds made by other salvage crews on the Treasure Coast this year.

But there were also some big inland finds.  One of those was not reported.  It wasn't of the same magnitude as the 1715 Fleet finds, but it was certainly unusual and remarkable and something that would be reported by the media if the details were made known.

What I wanted to do today is without going into details on the second find, see what could be learned by comparing the two vastly different cases resulting in big finds.  I knew of both efforts before the big hit and followed the progress of both efforts up to the big hit.

First, neither of those two finds was made on a beach.  One was in water covered by a salvage lease and one was inland on private property.

As you know the beaches have not been producing much for quite some time.  That will change some day.

Second, both involved intensive hunts involving many days of effort.

I often advise multiple-stage hunts and have detailed how one might hunt a site in multiple stages.

Third, the big hit was not made until after several days of hunting were completely.

It is easy to give up on a site.  It is easy to quit to soon.

Fourth, on both, there were a series of smaller finds, as well as unsuccessful holes, leading up to the big hit.

I've often talked about how to use finds as signs or indicators.  Where there is one, there is often more.  Because you got some, doesn't mean that is all there is.  Again, it is easy to quit too soon.

Fifth, there was a tip off to the possible productivity of the location.  In the case of the 1715 find, the wreck site and presence of treasure has been known for a long time.  For the other find, there was also a tip-off, though not so far back in history.

Instead of taking a report of a find as an indication that it has all been found, take it as an indication  that there might be more.  Very often the first efforts don't get it all.

Sixth, in both cases, there were others who took smaller amounts of treasure from the site before the current hunters made the big hit.

Ditto comment to number five.

Seventh, in both cases, there was extensive removal of surface material facilitated by mechanical means or heavy equipment prior to the big find.  In the second case, that might or might not have been critical. In the first case it definitely was.

Eight, both involved gaining permission to hunt the location in one way or another.

I'm sure there is more to say, but that is enough for now.  That might give you something to think about.

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Treasure means different things to different people.

One person who finds a gold coin, might be in need of the most basic things.  To him or her, the treasure might mean food, clothing or shelter.

Another person who finds the same gold coin, might not need those things.  To him or her it might be a feeling of success or task accomplished.

To another, the same gold coin might be visions of fame or glory.  To another history.

What treasure means to you depends upon who you are and what you bring to the treasure.   Treasure is a mirror that reflects who you are.  Take a look.

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I got emails about the Bernard Romans book.  It seems that people liked being able to read that.  If you misssed it, you might want to go back a few posts and get the link.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see we have three disturbance in the Atlantic.  The one closest to us has very little chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.  It could hang around long enough to strengthen but I'm not expecting anything out of that one real soon.

The one that is in the middle of the Atlantic won't likely affect us, but the one over by Africa has a 50 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.  We'll have to watch to see where it goes.

On the Treasure Coast the surf will be small this weekend, and very flat Monday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net.

5/8/15 Report - First Named Storm of Season. Jacksonville Beaches Ripped. Making Coin Rings. Dig Site You Can Join.

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


Gold Found by Shannon F.
Photo by Shannon F.

Shannon F. wrote the following.

I'm not sure if you are familiar with my area. My local beaches back in the 70's experienced a full dune replenishing project adding 15+ft of sand to the ENTIRE area. As far as old things go there were none to find. Period. It was all hidden out of range of a detector. This past weeks storm finally changed that by digging a river like cut 10ft below the high sand. After detecting the area for years with no luck for "older" finds this cut made a brief window. I found 3 1940's nickels and out popped some old gold. Moral of the story is that it's all there hiding under the sand. Just out of reach 99% of the time.

While the recent storm didn't do much for our Treasure Coast beaches, it evidently did the beaches up north some good.   That is a great tip.

What Shannon says is true anywhere.  Although we haven't had good beach conditions locally for quite a while, there is still plenty of stuff hiding under the sand just waiting for the right conditions to uncover it all. 

I know some of you will lose patience, but it will pop out again. 

Thanks for sharing Shannon.  Nice find.

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1905 Barber Half For Sale on eBay.

Yesterday I showed an old coin ring that I discovered after cleaning it off.  After looking at it in various lighting, I discovered a date on it.  The ring was made from an 1905 half dollar.  I can barely see the date, but looking at other parts of the design, I can match it up with a Barber half dollar.  Notice the leaves overlapping the word TRUST in the photo.

Russ P. spotted the Barber half quicker than I.  He could see the signs from the photos that I showed yesterday.

Good eye Russ!

Here is a picture of a 1905 Barber half like that used to make the ring.  Not only can I see where the leaves overlap with the word TRUST on the ring but also the stars and other features of the coin.

There are plenty of youtube videos showing how to make rings out of coins.  You might like to give it a try if you have some old silver coins you are willing to sacrifice.

Here is one to get you started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo_wUYktz-U

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Trying to think up something new for a different and exciting for a summer vacation?  How about digging a Mayan archaeological site?  You can!

Archaeologists of the Maya Research Program (MRP) plan to field a crew beginning in June 1, 2015, to excavate an ancient Maya elite residential complex and other sites in northwestern Belize. Though less than a month away, the team leadership still has some available positions in the opening session to fill with willing students and volunteers to help them investigate large residential structures and a large shrine north of the site core of Xnoaha a medium-sized Maya center in Belize not far from the border with Mexico.

Here is the link if you want to learn more.

http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/spring-2015/article/archaeologists-offer-special-deal-to-dig-at-ancient-maya-site

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We now have the first named storm of the season off of South Carolina - Ana.

http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/ana-tropical-system-atlantic-us-east-coast-north-south-carolina-rough-surf-rain/46764807

On the Treasure Coast we're back down to a two-three foot surf again.  It is going to be down to a one foot surf in a couple of days.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/1/15 Report - Happy New Year! First Beach Day of the New Year. Viking Finds.

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



Silver Viking Cross
Source" Archaeology.org linked article.

More and more of the big archaeological stories that I read include a note stating, often very inconspicuously, that the discovery was made by a detectorist.  Those discoveries attributed to detectorists are most often made somewhere other than the US.  I would not be surprised if the laws and attitudes towards detectorists in the US are a factor. 

The story about this Viking silver cross is just one example.  The article began as follows: Metal detector enthusiast Derek McLennan found a hoard of more than 100 Viking artifacts on land owned by the Church of Scotland.

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://www.archaeology.org/news/2620-141014-scotland-viking-silver-cross

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In 2008, workers digging trenches for electrical cables in the tiny island town of Salme uncovered human bones and a variety of odd objects that they unceremoniously piled next to their trench. Local authorities at first assumed the remains belonged to a luckless WWII soldier, until Konsa arrived and recognized a spearhead and carved-bone gaming pieces among the artifacts, clear signs the remains belonged to someone from a much earlier conflict. Together with a small team, Konsa dug a little deeper and soon found traces of a boat’s hull. Nearly all of the craft’s timber had rotted away, leaving behind only discolorations in the soil. But 275 of the iron rivets holding the boat together remained in place, allowing the researchers to reconstruct the outlines of the 38-foot-long craft.

http://www.archaeology.org/issues/95-1307/features/941-vikings-saaremaa-estonia-salme-vendel-oseberg


If you are wondering about the relevance of these discoveries, there are often very useful clues in articles like that.  For example the discovery described in the paragraph immediately above was made while electrical cables were being buried.  How often have you seen something like that while driving around town?  Did you think about what might be uncovered?  Did you think about returning later with you detector?

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I took a look at the beach this morning before low tide. It was a little different than yesterday but not a lot.

There were scallops, as you can see.  The biggest cliff was about three feet at one beach and about one and a half feet at the other beach.

There were few targets but I found my first coin of the year, a zinc penny and first jewelry, a pendant.

Here is a video showing the surf and beach.

A Couple Treasure Coast Beaches This Morning Before Low Tide

The above photos show beach conditions this morning.   The sand in front of the cuts was mushy.  Very few targets there.

It was still rainy.  Not many people were on the beach this morning, just a few people fishing.

Happy New Year,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/15/14 Report - 300 Year Anniversary of 1715 Fleet. Valuable Coin Found In Roll, 1000 Year Old Coin Detected. Shark Feeding Frenzy

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

Coral Beads From Rosary Listed
In Current Sedwick Coins Online Auction.
Notice the barnacles.

Next year marks three hundred years since the 1715 Fleet disaster.  Some one wrote in and asked about any special events for the commemoration.

The first big event that I know of will be at the Florida United Numismatists Convention in Orlando.  The FUN Convention, which will be held at the Orange County Convention Center January 8 through the 11th, will include a display of 1715 Fleet treasures and artifacts from the State of Florida collection.

That will be the biggest display of 1715 Fleet items at the convention but undoubtedly there will be more.  I'd expect Sedwick Coins to be there too, for example.  They usually are at FUN Conventions.

The 1715 Plate Society will present a two-day seiminar July 28 and 29 at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. 

On Aug. 13, Indian River County Main Library will provide lectures and there will be a display or 1715 Fleet artifacts.

The McLarty and Mel Fisher Museums will undoubtedly also host events.

I'll try to provide more details when the time gets nearer.

Here is a link that talks about the anniversary year events.
 

http://www.coinworld.com/content/cw/global/en_us/insights/1715-fleet-society-plans-300th-anniversary-celebration.all.html



A man was searching through a roll of Kennedy halves looking for silver and found a coin that might be worth two or three thousand dollars.   He found a very special 1861-O Seated Liberty half-dollar.

Here is the link to that article.

http://www.king5.com/story/life/shopping/gold-coins/2014/07/28/rare-silver-coin-found-in-roll-of-half-dollars/14037182/



One detectorist was lucky enough to dug up a coin that is over 1000 years old. 

The article says, An extremely rare 1,250 year-old silver coin found by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in a field near Newbury last year, has sold at auction for £336.   [Around $500]

The Anglo-Saxon coin, known as a sceat, was struck between the years 710AD and 760AD and, although it was buried in the ground for more than 1,000 years, it is described as being in “extremely fine/very fine” condition according to London auctioneers Spink.

Here is the link to that article.

http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2014/rare-1250-year-old-coin-fetches-336-at-auction


Here is a cool video showing a shark feeding frenzy that brought them right up onto the sand.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/Shark-Feeding-Frenzy-Caught-On-Tape/342433859653/Comcast/CaughtonTape/?cid=hero_sf_caught_sharks

I've seen sharks in shallow water while detecting, but they never seemed much interested in me, which is good.

There was one barracuda that used to keep an eye on me so continually that it got on my nerves.

He was always around the same area.



Armour Listed In Sedwick Coins Auction.
Notice the dent.  Musket ball maybe.

Back a few days ago I was talking about wear and tear and encrustation and stuff that you'll sometimes find on items.  The pictures that I posed today are two items in the Sedwick Coins auction that show nice marks of character.


Gonzalo turned into a strong hurricane but is staying east of the Bahamas.

On the Treasure Coast it looks like we'll be looking at something like a 3 or 4 foot surf for a few days.

I'll keep an eye on the remaining disturbance in the Atlantic.



Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net