5/29/20 Report - Valuable Imitation Cobs Versus Modern Fakes or Copies. Beach Conditions On The Treasure Coast.

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

John Brooks Early Friday Morning.

We are into summer conditions now and the beaches are sandy.  Hurricane season begins Monday.

Walton Rocks Friday Morning.

This time of years there are other things to deal with in addition to the sandy beaches, especially if you go out in the morning after rain.  You might want to think of the insects.  

This morning I wasn't bothered by the noseeums or sand flies or whatever you call them, but at some locations the mosquitos were very heavy.  Insect repellant might be a good idea.

Walton Rocks Friday Morning.

There was a little chop and both the beach and shallow water was sandy.

Frederick Douglass Friday Morning.

Frederick Douglass Friday Morning.

As you can see, these beaches didn't look very good.

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One thing I noticed in Sedwick's treasure auction yesterday was a number of  "imitation" cobs.

You can use a lot of different words in addition to imitation, such as fake, counterfeit, or copy,  and you might think of all of them as being worthless, but that is not necessarily the case.

There were several good examples that sold for good prices.

For example, there was a Cartagena copper imitation 2-reales that sold for $6,545, including the buyer's premium.  Here it is.

I don't know what you'd think of it if you dug it up, but I suspect that you could think it is junk.  It really doesn't look very good.  

Here is another "imitation."  It looks very strange.   You might suspect right away that it is a fake, but it sold for over a thousand dollars.

Below is another imitation.  If you've seen many 1715 cobs, I think this one would immediately strike you as strange and probably fake.  But it is old, like the other two above, and was dated to the early 1800s.

And below is one more "imitation."

It looks strange too, but perhaps not as strange as some of the others.  It also dates to the early 1800s.

I've done posts on fakes, copies and counterfeits before.  There are different kinds.  Some are not meant to deceive.  They might be souvenirs.

Modern fakes should be stamped "COPY" but they are not always properly marked.  Sometimes they are marked but the mark can be removed or hidden.  I had one that was marked, but it wasn't easy to find the mark.

Here is one marked "COPY" I dug up down at Jensen Beach a few years ago.  It is a modern fake that isn't worth anything.

Fake Cob Marked "COPY."

Many fakes are often made of the wrong metal, as is the one above.  Fake escudos are often plated.

There were a lot of interesting curiosities in that particular session of the auction.   I never buy treasure coins or artifacts, but study the auctions.  You'll see more good examples in the Sedwick auctions than you'll likely see anywhere else, including museums.

One thing I say time and time again, is don't be too hasty.  It can take a quite a while to figure out the real story of a find.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/27/20 Report - Valuable Imitation Cobs and Coins. When Things Just Don't Look Quite Right.

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

Lot 1252 in Current Sedwick Auction.

See Online Auction Catalog

When you look at this coin, what do you see?  Does it look strange to you?  It probably should.

I was browsing the current Sedwick online auction catalog, and every once in a while, a coin would stick out to me.  I quickly browsed through a lot of coins, including ancient coins, coins of different centuries and different countries, different denominations and made of different materials, and featuring different designs, yet some of them just stuck out for some reason.  They just looked strange somehow.  And when I looked at the lost descriptions, I found they were described as "imitation" coins or cobs.  The one shown above is one of those.  Below is the lot description.

Caracas, Venezuela, "imitation cob" 2 reales, date "471" (early 1800s), quadrants of cross transposed, NGC AU 50, finest known in NGC census. Cal-749; KM-C13.1. 5.43 grams. Lightly toned over muted luster, with bold full details including 471 "date," two denominations (2) and "assayers" (M), three "mintmarks" (L), definitely one of the rarer "dates" for this series and a top-grade example as well. NGC #4771447-004.

We use a lot of different terms such as fantasy coin, fake, copy,  reproduction or counterfeit.  Sometimes those terms are used in a specific sense and sometimes a more general sense.  For me a counterfeit is meant to deceive, while a fantasy coin is not.  I suppose "imitation" is a general term, but I would not expect an imitation coin to be marked "copy" or anything like that.  Maybe there is a numismatic dictionary that defines the term, but I couldn't find one.

Anyhow, if you become familiar with a large number of examples, those "strange" coins might jump out at you.  It is easy to see what is strange about the coin shown above, but it might not be so easy to describe.  It looks like it was made by an unskilled person, and they didn't bother to put a lot of effort into it, but in general terms, it just doesn't look right.  If you are informed in an area, whether it is numismatics or some other area, certain things just won't look or sound "right."

One thing I should add, is that this coin, even though it is described as an imitation, that does not mean it is not worth anything.  This one is old and tells a story.  The auction estimate is $700 - $1000, and it already has a bid.  Lot 1253 is similar.  Check it out.

Here is another "imitation cob" that jumped out at me.

Lot 834 in Current Sedwick Auction.

This one looks messy.  One coin was struck over another coin, some of which shows through.

Cartagena, Colombia, copper "imitation cob" 2 reales, fantasy date "111" (ca. 1815), unique, quadrants of cross transposed, struck over a Cartagena provisional copper 2 reales (1813-14), NGC MS 63 BN. Restrepo-118.1; KM-unl; Cal-unl. A very rare type dating to the retaking of Cartagena by royalist forces in 1815, using Cartagena provisional copper coins for host flans overstruck with "imitation" designs meant to resemble Lima (Peru) cob 2 reales but with fantasy dates, this one "111" being the only one known to us (missing in all important collections), dark chocolate-brown in color with bold details including full pillars and cross, full "111" date and mintmark L, also with bold CARTAGENA visible in legend from undercoin, exceptional grade for any variety, in fact the highest grade possible, a true numismatic trophy combining rarity and quality. NGC #48372006-001.

This one is also old and has a lot of history behind it.  It is selling for a very good price.

I didn't plan to talk about imitation coins this morning, but these things just jumped out at me and I thought it was interesting.  Sone copies or counterfeits can be worth a lot.  If you look at enough examples, things that just don't look quite right will jump out at you.

There are a lot of curiosities to explore in the third session of the current Sedwick auction.

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I was planning on posting about some metal detector tests today.  I'll get back to that some other day.

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It seems like the surfers are having the same problems that the detectorists are, and they are suffering withdrawal.  Here is one sentence from an article on MagicSeaWeed that you might like to read.

For the first time in generations, surfers are having to skulk around and risk running afoul of the law if they are to ride waves. It’s like the 1950s all over again!

Here is the link.

https://magicseaweed.com/news/surf-bans-public-shaming-and-the-art-of-civil-disobedience/11848/

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I mentioned cause of death the other day as it relates to what we are seeing as Covid-19 statistics.  Tim M. sent this example.

My father, an Air Force veteran through out the "conflict" from 1957 through 1975 died of multiple cancers primarily agent orange specific leukemia. Death certificate states COPD.

That is one of the types of thing I was referring to.   For data to be meaningful, it has to be coded consistently and reliably.  Classification categories need to be clearly defined along with clear criteria for class inclusion.

In the past I've talked about the importance of definitions as they apply to metal detecting.  How, for example, do you define success?   If you are very clear about what you want to accomplish, your chance of success, as you define it, will be improved.

Tim also said.

I have been reading your blog for years now, and truly enjoy the knowledge you share. I personally  would be happy to pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee to continue to have the privilege of the continuation of the education you provide. '

Also I am completely on the same page as the sad state of people thinking beyond what media is promoting without any real scientific factual basis. 

I was most gratified by Tim's reference to "education."  

When I referred to subscription I wasn't necessarily talking about a fee, however I might be able to provide an upgraded level of specific timely service for a few folks that might find it worthwhile.

I'm still thinking about what I might want to do.  

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I've also been thinking about expanding on my formula for success.  I have a factor or two that I haven't yet added to the formula even though they should be added.

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The surf is supposed to be a touch bigger this week, but only up to around two or three feet.

As I've said some of the Indian River County beaches will reopen tomorrow.  I'll be watching for St. Lucie County news.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/24/20 Report - Treasure Coast Beaches Building Again. Another Look At Cob Finds. Found Beads.

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

In Front of Vero Boardwalk Monday Afternoon.

I wanted to see what was going on with the Indian River County beaches today.  The first photo is in front of the Vero boardwalk, where you see the renourishment sand that was dumped not too long ago.  As you probably know, reales have been found in that area.  I remember one storm when the area right in front of the Holiday Inn washed out and exposed some reales.  That was a number of years ago.

Turtle Trail Near Low Tide Monday.

The detecting crowds deserted Turtle Trail.  It looked pretty lonely.

There is now nearly two feet of sand on top of the layers that were exposed Friday night and Saturday.  The blue bags are now covered, as are some of the posts that were exposed.

Turtle Trail Near Low Tide Monday.

The Seagrape Trail access was closed.  As I previously mentioned, the stairs were damaged.

Wabasso Near Low Tide Monday.

I think I saw only two detectorists today.  I mostly saw snowbirds and sunbathers.

Ambersands Near Low Tide Monday.

Same thing at Ambersands.

Ambersands Near Low Tide Monday.

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Mexico Minted Half Reale Found at Seagrape Saturday by Josh D.
Photo by Josh D.

Josh D. sent me photos of these new finds yesterday but got better photos so I decided to post the new photos.

Another Cob Found by Josh D.

Photo by Josh D.

This cob shows a part of the legend.  You can most clearly see the cross and the H from Hispanarium Rex.  That is just left of center on the cob.

Thanks for the photos Josh.  Great first finds!

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Not all shipwreck finds are metal.  In fact one of my most favorite and the one that amazes me to this day is an impressed wax seal.  Hard to imagine it lasting on the beach for over three hundred years.

I do not limit my hunting to metal detecting.  I do a lot of eye-balling and enjoy non-metallic finds as much as those that are detected.   Here are some made Saturday at the same beach where cobs and musket balls and other metallic finds were being made.

Two Beads Found Saturday.

The trouble with these, like many other finds, is that it isn't easy to determine the source or age.  These ones are painted clay.  You can see the clay around the inside of the hole.

Now the research begins.

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Friday night and Saturday there was a window of opportunity.  It was one of the better ones that we've had for a while.  It didn't last long though - I'd say maybe two tide cycles at most.

We've been getting those fronts coming through.  The window opens and then the wind shifts, and the window closes again.

Sometimes you get some shifting, and sometimes there are a few straggling finds.  In fact, some of the best all-time ever shipwreck beach finds were made when the detectorist thought it was all over - and much of it was.

I'm still waiting to receive the photos of some of the reales that were found.  There was quite a group, including some large denomination cobs.

I always say, "Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd." There were tons of people gathered at one beach and not too many at other beaches, so you might be surprised to learn that reales were found at more than one Indian River County beach yesterday.  In fact I know of shipwreck finds made at three different beaches.

We're supposed to have another cold front come through soon, but so far they are not predicting a high surf to go with it.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/10/20 Report - 1715 Fleet Beaches: Rings and Reales. Private Beaches. Big Surf Predicted.

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

Among other things, yesterday I posted some comments from Jammin Jack.  The following comments and photo album picture is from Jack.

Below is a page from Gary Daemer's salvaging during the 1990s. Billy Elam was involved and I think put the album together. You will see many rings been found, but no silver! Possibly, more fragile and did not survive the beating of the ocean or silversmiths did not make many because silver harder to work with. 

Jack continued saying, The rings in the above picture are all gold.  Most were low karat, except for one, which was about 14K, according to the text by the photo.

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It is accepted that very few, if any, silver rings have been found on 1715 Fleet wrecks. (Deagan shows at least one.)  And now we have a beach silver ring "certified" as being from the 1715 Fleet.  So the question is why silver rings are so rare on 1715 Fleet wrecks.  The archaeological record of Spanish colonial land sites does document a few, but again, not many.   It appears they were not the rage at the time.  

Some people have suggested that the scarcity of silver finger rings might be made more extreme by fact that they didn't survive well in a rough salt water environment.

Despite the fact that very few silver finger rings have been attributed to 1715 Fleet ships, a lot of old silver finger rings have been found on the wreck beaches.  Being isolated finds having no substantial context, it would be really difficult to attribute such a find to a particular source without definitive markings.

We can not forget that items of roughly the same time period could come from 18th century salvage efforts and other activities drawn to the beaches by the wrecks.  I wonder, for example, if some finds might be trade goods used to pay/reward indigenous divers and other workers after the wreck.

Another question that is possibly related is why are so many half reales found on the 1715 Fleet beaches while cobs salvaged from the submerged wreck sites include such a high proportion of higher denomination cobs relative to half reales.  Below are a few possibilities.

Could it be because the lighter half reales are more likely to get washed onto the beach?

Are the half reales more difficult to find in the water as compared to larger cobs?

Do small denomination reales corrode and disappear more quickly (as some have suggested of silver rings) in submerged salt water environments?

Did contemporary salvage efforts affect the pattern significantly?


I have my opinions, but since they are nothing more than opinions I'll leave those questions to you.

One huge difference appears obvious: half reales were carried on the fleet in great numbers while finger rings were very scarce.  Nonetheless, both natural and human actions could affect the distribution and finds of both half reales and silver rings.

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Private beaches for the wealthy paid for by taxpayers: that is the subject of the following article, which I am sure will stir up some people.  The same subject had people up in arms a few years ago.

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/newswire/2020/02/03/privatization-coming-beach-near-you-opinion/4643308002/

You might want to be informed on that subject.  It is not a new one, but has not been settled.

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The tides are getting bigger, as is the surf.  We are now up to around 3 - 5 feet, but that isn't the best news.  Look out to next weekend.  The predictions are interesting.

The longer term predictions have been good recently - much improved over a couple years ago.

Source: MagicSeeWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

controversial article

1/26/20 Report - Still Looking At Treasure Coast Beach Finds Including Cobs and Things.

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

Uncleaned Four Reale Found Last Wednesday.

A day or two ago I showed a picture of the above four-reale which was found last week.  This is the other side of it.

I wanted to take a photo before I starting cleaning it.  I can't believe I waited so long before starting the cleaning, but I've had plenty to keep me busy.

After one hour in a diluted Muriatic solution, I could see the denomination mark emerging.

Details Emerging After Hour in Diluted Muriatic Solution.

The "4" is just to the right of the edge of the shield.  I think you'll be able to see it.

This one might be Charles II era (1665 - 1700)?  That's my guess now, but I'm not sure yet.  What do you think?

I also got a close-up photo of the half-reale I showed the other day.  Here is a closer look at that one.

One Gram Half Reale Found Last Week.

The little tail is interesting.  Does it remind you of anything?  Remember the Potosi "heart" reales?

Rare Potosi Heart Reales.

Very interesting heart reales were produced at Potosi, and they have a very similar little tail.

If you look at the top of the newly found half reale you might be able to see that it looks like maybe the top part was chipped off.  And if you stand that half reale so that the tail is at the very bottom, the cross is unusually well centered and oriented.  Most likely all of that is coincidence, but I sure would have liked to know what the top originally looked like.

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Yesterday I showed a variety of small items found on the Treasure Coast in recent months.  That included the little piece found by Captain Jonah.  Mark Myer sent me a photo that he sent me back in September of September of 2017 that shows a very similar small find along with a hinge.  Below is that photo from Mark. 

2017 Finds by Mark M.

Part of what I've been doing in this blog, without really starting out with that intention, is documenting and cataloging Treasure Coast beach finds.

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One thing I should have mentioned about the group of small items that I showed yesterday, is that there is a mixture of old and new items that were found in the same area on the same day.   While a small half reale was found with other old small items, there was also some obviously newer items.  One appears to be an electrical connector.  That goes along with the series I started not long ago on how difficult it can be too determine the age of finds and how context can be misleading when you are talking about beach finds.  Just because an item is found with older items does not mean it is also old.  It improves the chances some, but it doesn't guarantee anything.

Here is one way, and I'd say one of the most prevalent ways, that older and newer items get mixed together.

In the back dunes there are layers of material with older items buried deeper and under newer items. So when the dune erodes, it erodes from the bottom, and a vertical slab falls to the base of the cliff and the items are then redistributed by whatever waves might still be hitting the base of the cliff.  Depending upon various factors, those items will be redistributed over a small or large area.   If that area is relatively small, there won't be much sorting or classifying happening.

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I haven't received any beach photos the last couple of days and might have some for you tomorrow.  We have been getting some ENE swells and decent, but not large, surf.

Let me know if you have and ideas on these objects or any corrections.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/25/20 Report - Looking At Some of the Small Finds of The Week and Previous Months.

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

Miscellaneous Small Finds From Earlier This Week.

\

I posted this picture yesterday but promised to take a closer look at some of the objects.  I was glad I did.  

If you've been paying close attention and keeping track, you know that we've had some beach condition upgrades in November, December and January.  The latest being this week.  Each of those upgrades were similar in some respects, and when considered together provide some good clues.

Everybody seems to like the beach photos, but you'll get even more value out of them if you keep track of them over time and consider them in context of whatever else is going on.  

I showed one group of small finds I made yesterday.  Previously I also showed some of the small finds made in November and December.  There are some similar items, and many of them came from the same area of the same beach.

Captain Jonah found this nice little piece back in November.

And here are a couple small finds I previously showed.  One of those small tacks was found in November and the other in December.  I think you'll find them in my 12/20/19 post.

Two Small Tack Finds in Recent Months.

I'd be glad to receive any and all ideas about what these small tacks might have been used for.

The following small pieces were also found in the same area back in December, if I correctly recall.

I wondered about them when they were found.  Now it seems they might be part of a grouping, possibly coming from the same source as some of those found this week.  I'm interested in the possible source, if and how they might be related, and if they might be used as a clue or signal.

Below is one of the items found this week.  You can also see it in the picture at the top of the post.

Small Square Nail.

This is a common type of nail found on a number of the Treasure Coast shipwreck beaches.   

Below is another item found this week at the same location.

Item Found This Week.

I thought this one was a screw until I looked at it under magnification and found it had no threads and a blunt end.  Maybe a rivet?  It has the same patina as the nail shown above, but the shank is more round than square.  It seems to be of the same material as the nail.

Small Piece of Metal That Originally Had a Square Connector in the Hole.

When I picked up the item above it was covered with sand, and I thought it could be a reale. The little square on the right side of the dime is the head of a small square connector that was in the hole until it fell out after some handling.  In this photo it looks like rusted material, but it does not look rusted when viewed normally.  I'm going to have to spring for an XRF analyzer someday.   I think this item is probably more modern, but don't know for sure.

Below is a piece found in November or December.  It seems to be of the same material as the piece found this week, which you can see top and center beside the knife point in the photo at the top of this post.

Cuprous Object Found in November or December.

I've been looking at this one and trying to make out the marks.  It does appear to have a worked edge.  It seems to have a flat uniform rim that is about a half inch across.   I think it is cuprous, but not the same alloy as the nail.  If the item is a piece of a larger object, which I believe it is, and the circumference is similar to the worked edge on this piece, the entire object would be something like 3.5 inches in diameter.

Below are pictures of  the outside edge (top) and inner, apparently broken inner edge I(bottom).

Two Edges of Cuprous Object.

This is another one that when I first saw it in the sand I thought might be a cob.  I think it is a cuprous, but not the same alloy as the nail and rivet.

I found what could possibly be another piece of the same object on Wednesday.   Here it is.

A Slightly Larger Broken Cuprous Piece.

This one seems to be made of the same material, although the lighting and amount of crust obscures that fact.  Unlike the other piece, all the edges of this one are broken.  It could be an inner piece of the same object the other piece came from.  I don't know if it is a piece of the same thing or not, but that is something I'll consider as a possibility and watch for any more matching pieces.

The items I discussed today may not be very interesting, and they are certainly not valuable, but to me they are interesting.  I am pretty sure they provide some helpful clues.  Time will tell how useful those clues will be.  They definitely helped me learn more about the metal detector I was using.  

It is like you have some puzzle pieces and don't know how many belong to the same puzzle.   It is still fun to see how much you can put together.  

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I'll try to get around to cleaning some cobs soon.

The surf will be a little smaller tomorrow and for the next few days.

The primary swell will be ENE.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/24/20 Report - A Couple Reales and Some Other Finds. Treasure Coast Beaches and Beach Developments.

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

Four-Reale Found Wednesday.

The four-reale I showed yesterday needs some cleaning.  Much of the detail is obscured by a corrosion and crust.  Even the parts that look clean are not.  It took me a while to get the lighting so I could show some of the details.  In the photo above, you can see that the reale has the Florenza cross and was minted in Mexico.

Zooming in more, you can see that most of the surface, even the parts that look clean, is covered by crud (to use a technical term) and corrosion.

Close-up of Surface of Same Four Reale.

I think it will show more detail when it is cleaned some.

That four-reale was the first good target I dug Wednesday.  I dug a lot of small stuff that day too.

On the Equinox, using the factory preset settings, but in beach mode 1, the four-reale gave a coin tone, and the number I think was 26, or maybe 30.

I was very pleased that all the cobs I dug, whether it was the chunky 13 gram four-reale shown above or the small one gram half-reale that I dug a little later, resulted in what I'll call the coin tone, and none of the other stuff that I dug that day gave the coin tone.  If cobs are consistently identified as coins, that could be very handy at times.

I have not done a direct comparison under the same conditions, but suspect that the ATX might still be my choice to make sure I don't miss anything deeper.  With the ATX you can spend a lot of time digging very deep holes and trying to find very small nearly invisible targets.  I like the Equinox for doing quick general purpose scans, but might in some circumstances do a final check with the ATX.  I didn't have time to recheck with the ATX Wednesday.   Search strategies can get complex.  I'll have to do more posts on that someday.

Below is a pretty representative sample of the other miscellaneous small stuff I dug Wednesday in the same general area where I dug the four-reale.  I should have put a dime or something in for size comparison.  I'll look at some of these items more closely some other day.

Some Miscellaneous Small Stuff Dug Wednesday In The Same Area As Cobs.

I think a few of those are probably shipwreck related, but some are definitely modern junk, and I'm not sure about quite a few.  What I am pleased with is the equinox correctly identifying cobs with a coin tone while not giving a coin sound for any of these other various types of items.

Here is a quick look at another cob found Wednesday.  This one is the smallest cob I found that day, weighing just around 1 gram.  Again, it gave a coin tone just like the 13 gram four reale.

Half-Reale Found Wednesday.

The surface of this one is corroded almost exactly like the four-reale shown above.  I took close-up photos of the surface of both, but since the close-ups look so much alike I won't bother to show both.  They both have the same kind of grains attached and show the same kind of corrosion.

So what I'm going to do next is some cleaning on these and a couple more corroded cobs and take a closer look at some of the smaller miscellaneous finds.

DJ sent in the following photo showing the erosion control bags at Turtle Trail covered yesterday.

Turtle Trail 1/24

He also said, Went by Golden Sands where a sign said trucks entering and leaving, caution.
Two guys in orange vests were at the entrance... 

And,  Treasure Shores, strangely, had a photo shoot with about twenty vehicles and about 50 people milling around. 

Thanks DJ.

I think I showed a photo I took from there earlier in the day when the bags were just a bit more exposed.  That shows how the sand was accumulating at that spot during the day.

John Brooks Beach 1/24.

I took the John Brooks and Frederick Douglass photos just an hour or two ago.  I guess if you want to get the photos as soon as possible, it might help to Follow the blog.  Since I'm not peddling books or promoting anything, I don't know much about that, but I believe you get a notice when there is a new post if you are a blog follower.  I'm sure someone will correct that if I'm wrong.

John Brooks Near Low Tide 1/24.  

Some Detectorists Shooting the Breeze at Frederick Douglass 1/24

Frederick Douglass Near Low Tide 1/24

Frederick Douglass Near Low Tide 1/24

Of course beaches change continually.  Everybody knows that.  It is something like the stock market: there are minute by minute changes, daily changes and year over year changes.  A beach will continually change, but it helps if you know where it was recently as well as in the more distant past.  You can project some of the changes and develop some reasonable expectations if you know where the beach has been in recent days and what is going on that will affect the beach, which is the reason for the surf reports etc.  That is a big topic that will take a lot of posts.

The surf today was five to seven feet, dropping down to something like four or five feet tomorrow.  The decreasing surf can will give you access to spots you couldn't easily detect before.  There was a lot of open beach at low tide today.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net