8/21/16 Report - Three 16th Century Shipwrecks Found Off Florida Coast. More On The Beach Cache or Caches. Atlantic Storms.

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

It's relatively common to find debris from rocket launches in the waters off Cape Canaveral in Florida, but divers exploring the seabed recently uncovered artifacts from an age of exploration long before America's space program: 22 cannons and a marble monument in what they think are three 16th-century Spanish shipwrecks.

The finds include three ornate bronze cannons — two that are 10 feet (3 meters) long and one that is 7 feet (2 m) long — and the marble monument, engraved with the coat of arms of the king of France, which has been identified from the manifest of a 1562 expedition to Florida by the French navigator and colonialist Jean Ribault...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://www.livescience.com/55795-colonial-age-shipwrecks-found-off-florida-coast.html

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Yesterday I had what I would call a very good post for you.  Scott's story illustrates the kind of thing we all like about metal detecting.  I enjoyed it very much because it is the kind of thing we all can relate to.

After discussing the cache some more with both Darrel and Scott, it appears that there might have been some confusion.  It is looking like there could possibly have been two different Bobs and two different caches. There are details that match and detail that don't.  It sounds like there are two different Bobs.  And there are two different locations given by the different reports. Yet the two independent descriptions of the cache are extremely similar, including the type and number of cobs.  It would be very interesting if there were two very similar caches found at the base of the eroded dunes at two different beaches.  (I don't have permission to give the one location.)  That would bring up some questions.

This confusion does not diminish the value or interest of Scott's and Darrel's accounts. It actually makes the story all the more intriguing.   Think about it.  Two different caches composed of a very similar number of exceptionally nice 8-reales, both found at the base of newly eroded dunes.

It is just the nature of treasure stories to leave some unanswered questions.

Thanks to both Scott and Darrel for their stimulating accounts.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There are three weather systems in the Atlantic now.  The first is Tropical Storm Fiona, which seems to still be headed towards Bermuda.

The second has a lower chance of becoming a cyclone real soon, but the projected path for it comes closer to Florida.  It is about five days away.  We'll have to wait to see where it actually goes.

The newest has a strong chance of becoming a cyclone in the next couple of days, but is expected to head north into the North Atlantic.

The nine to fourteen foot surf prediction disappeared in a hurry.  Now it is nothing like that.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/1/16 Report - Portrait Eight-Reales Counterfeits. More On Fakes and Counterfeits. 900-year-old Oil Lamp Found.

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

900-year-old Oil Lamp Found By Lifeguard
Source: ipost link shown below

Yesterday's post was about colonial counterfeits.  I just stumbled onto a book about counterfeit Spanish American portrait eight-reals, which were produced in Spain's new world colonies from 1772 to 1825,  The description on Amazon says, The book illustrates and describes literally hundreds of different types of counterfeits known to have circulated alongside the genuine versions. It specifically expands upon the Thirty-nine varieties noted by Dr. John L. Riddell as existing in circulation in New Orleans in 1845, and swells that number to some 589 varieties.  

Even if you never personally view a portrait eight-real and do not care to be able to identify a counterfeit of such a coin, I think you'll benefit from reading the book and inspecting the many examples.  It will help you learn how to more expertly inspect any coin for any of a variety of purposes, including evaluating the coin's condition, finding errors or  simply appreciating the aesthetics.  

Here is the link to the description of the book on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Counterfeit-Portrait-Eight-Reales-real-Reales/dp/1500497177?ie=UTF8&tag=vglnkc3605-20


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Not all fake coins are what I would call counterfeits.  Here is one dictionary definition for the word "counterfeit" - made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or:defraud.

Some fakes are not made to deceive and some are not made in exact imitation.  Some are simply souvenirs and some are fantasy pieces or toys.

Some are clearly marked "COPY."  Others not so clearly marked.  The mark can be small or in some inconspicuous place.  And the mark can be covered by corrosion or worn off.

I've found a variety of fakes over the years.  Some were clearly fantasy pieces, and others were more realistic.

The worst thing is when you are not sure if it is something good or just a cheap fake, but there is so much corrosion that you have to do a lot of very careful cleaning before you can tell.  You can spend a lot of time only to eventually find out that you have a cheap fake.

There are a few things you can do that might help you.  Try a magnet.  A magnet won't stick to a silver or gold coin.

Another thing you can do is weigh the coin.  If you know what it should weigh, that might help.  The problem is that coins might not weigh what they should weigh for a variety of reasons.  We know that some were minted slightly off.  And someone could have cut, shaved or clipped a coin.  And of course, the coin could have lost weight because of corrosion.

Some fakes are pretty realistic, and might even be made of the correct material and be the right weight.  I saw one silver cob that was very convincing, but with magnification I found the remnants of the word "COPY."  It was originally marked with a very small inconspicuous mark, and I believe the mark was intentionally smoothed down to almost nothing.

By the way, my first find of a fake cob was at Jupiter beach.  It was very encrusted.  I took pains to carefully remove the crust.  Then I got to the point that I could see most of the surface.  The design was that of an escudo, but it didn't look gold at all.   That confused me at the time.  It was probably more than thirty years ago.   I eventually figured out that it originally had a gold-colored plating that was no longer present.


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Meir Amsik, a lifeguard who works at the beach, said he came across the relic when he stopped to pick up planks washed from the Mediterranean onto the ancient southern port city’s shoreline.

“Suddenly, I saw part of a cliff deteriorating,” he said. “So I made my up way there and saw this intriguing oil lamp lying there in its entirety. I thought it might be an antique, so I picked it up.”

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Lifeguard-discovers-900-year-old-oil-lamp-on-Ashkelon-beach-during-morning-jog-457932


Notice where he found the oil lamp - sticking out of an eroding cliff.

I always check erosion.

It also reminds me of the Jupiter wreck and how it was located.  Silver cobs had been detected just south of the inlet for years.  I knew one detectorist that lived nearby and ran into him many times. He had found a lot of cobs there. Unfortunately a jar full of cobs was stolen from the trunk of his car while he was parked at the inlet one day.  That was some time in the 1980s I would guess.  Anyhow, one day the lifeguard was on his morning swim and looked own and saw a cannon that had been uncovered.  Not long after that the salvage of the wreck began.


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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/10/16 Report - How To Locate More Old Coins - Surface Analysis Of Corroded Reales

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

Yesterday I said I was going to present a study of how silver reales are affected by the ocean environment.  The title of the study is Surface analysis of corroded silver coins from the wreck of the San Pedro De Alcantara (1786).  The authors are I.D. MacLeod  and E. Schindelholz.

A detailed morphological study of the corroded surfaces of the seven coins was conducted using low pressure scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis.

You can access the original study by using the following link.

http://www.nma.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/346043/NMA_metals_s2_p02_surface_analysis.pdf

The sample consisted of seven 8-reales that were minted in Lima between 1772 an 1788.  Those are the Carolus III type.  That obviously isn't a large sample size.

As the study says, the wreck site of the San Pedro ...is scattered over 200 metres long in water 3-9 metres deep, lying off a rocky coast near Peniche, Portugal. The sea bottom consists of irregular rocks, with numerous cavities and crevices filled with up to 0.5 metres of stone and sand.

I'll present some excerpts from the study and then add my comments.  Here is the first excerpt.

The degree of preservation of the recovered coins related to their location on the wrecksite. Coins 4324, 4325, 4327 and 4331, which were found buried under 15cm of coarse sediment, have more or less retained their original dimensions. Coins 4315, 4030, and 4342, which were found lying atop the seabed, have lost a majority of their original surface and dimensions. 

The first sentence in the above excerpt supports a main point that I presented yesterday.  Where a coin spends its time determines what happens to it, therefore if you know how various environments affect certain types of coins, you can then look at a coin and get an idea of where it came from.

As I have documented and mentioned in this blog in the past, many beach-found cobs weigh much less than their minted weight.  They have lost significant amounts of material.

This study shows, however, that cobs that were buried under 15cm of sediment were not corroded that much.  They were protected by the sediment.

It should be noted that this wreck site was in 3 to 9 meters of water. The deeper the water, the less the bottom sediments will be churned by the waves.  Also in deeper water, the bottom sediments will generally be more fine.  The passage of a wave only affects the water down to the wave base, which is half the wave length. Below that depth there is negligible water movement, so the sand will not be moved unless conditions are unusually rough.

Unlike the protected coins, coins that were found lying exposed had lost material.  

For coins to wash up onto a beach, they must be uncovered and go through the rough and turbulent zone at the front of the beach where the waves crash and the sand is churned.  Coins that are in excellent shape most likely did not come through that zone.

So how can you find old coins on a beach that look almost like new?  One way is that they can come from the dunes rather than being washed up.  I also supposed that there are rare occasions when coins can remain protected for very long periods of time only to be exposed and washed up by very unusual conditions such as a hurricane without spending much time in the rough surf.

Here is the second excerpt.

There was only one coin (no.4325) with any significant amount of concretion; the deposits consisted of sand-sized to pebble-sized sedimentary particles and small shells bound together by calcareous concretion (see Figure 2). Coins 4325, 4331, 4324, and 4327 all have considerable amounts of iron corrosion products on their surfaces.

Concreted Coin 4325.

Coin 4325 (left) was concreted.  It was one of the four coins that were found covered by 15cm of coarse sediment, and the only one of the four with significant concretion. So why was this one encrusted while the other three were not?

The immediate environment of a coin can affect what happens to it.  Note the appearance of rust on this particular coin.  I've seen that on some beach-found cobs and mentioned that in this blog in the past.

Here is another excerpt from the study.  I'll call it excerpt 3.   It provides a clue as to why coins like 4325 have rust on the surface.

The large amounts of iron found in the concretions and as distinct films on the coins recovered from a buried microenvironment is consistent with the history of the site. The majority of the surfaces of coins 4325, 4327, and 4331 were covered with a layer of pure hydrated iron oxides, such as FeOOH.xH2O. The films are compact and of relatively uniform thickness. The deposition of this material is likely to have occurred during the salvaging of the João Diogo as a continuous film that was subsequently eroded/corroded away in areas to reveal underlying layers of silver halides. The absence of iron on coins 4315, 4030 and 4342 is a reflection that these coins are highly eroded and corroded and have very little concretion.

I am not so sure that the Joao Diogo wreck, which occurred later in the area of the San Pedro, is the entire reason for the concretion.  I plan to address that tomorrow or sometime soon when I continue this discussion.  That is as far as I can go with it today.

You might wonder why all of this is important.  The answer is that if you understand how the environment affects coins and other objects, you can look at the object and get a good idea where it has been.  That can help lead you to the source and the possible location of additional items.

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I didn't get many emails concerning the proposed citizen archaeology permit that is being considered in the Florida legislation.  I hope that does not mean that the metal detecting community is becoming apathetic.  If you don't stay informed and active, you can expect to encounter more and more legislation that will prohibit or limit metal detecting.

If you did not read that post, I'd recommend that you go back and check out the sources and become informed on the issues.

One link provided a list of emails of Florida representatives.  Please make your feelings on the subject known to them.  Apathy is a good way to lose freedom.

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There was a whale and baby in the Sebastian Inlet.  Crowds were able to see these magnificent mammals.  That was a rare opportunity.

Here is a link to the story.

http://www.fox35orlando.com/home/87340117-story

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We got another cool front and will have the west wind for another day.  The surf remains small.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net