6/10/16 Report - Federal Maritime Law Versus State Regulations. Huge Monument Found By Satellite Image. Revolutionary War Structures. Are 17th Century Escudos Worth More Than 18th Century Escudos?

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

Satellite Image Showing Evidence of Huge Monument.
Photo by I. Labiance, National Geographic.

An enormous monument has been hiding in plain sight at the World Heritage site of Petra according to a study recently published in the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research.

Archaeologists Sarah Parcak, a National Geographic fellow, and Christopher Tuttle, executive director of the Council of American Overseas Research Center used high resolution satellite imagery followed by aerial drone photography and ground surveys to locate and document the structure.

Here is the link.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/06/space-archaeology-satellite-petra-ancient-city-discovery-jordan-monument/

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Experts found 60 Revolutionary War era structures off Limekiln Road near Redding Connecticut.  Piles of square stones from collapsed chimneys provided the most obvious evidence of several decayed structures.

Here is the link.

http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2016/06/06/experts-found-60-revolutionary-structures-off-limekiln-road/

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I provided the following link the other day and pointed out a few interesting pieces of history from that document.  I did not refer to the Conclusions of Law section, which might also be of interest to some of you.  I always felt that there was a conflict between federal law and state regulations, but had no idea that a judge would agree with me.  It said,  "Florida's statutory and regulatory framework for the exploration, recovery, and disposition of sunken historic artifacts is inconsistent with federal maritime principles in at least three material respects:). They then went on to give more details.

Here is the link again.

https://coast.noaa.gov/data/Documents/OceanLawSearch/Cobb%20Coin%20Co.%20v.%20Unidentified,%20Wrecked%20&%20Abandoned%20Sailing%20Vessel,%20549%20F.%20Supp.%20540%20(S.D.%20Fla.%201982).pdf?redirect=301ocm

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I took a look at auction prices for some Mexican eight-escudos and Bogota 2-escudos.  These were the same escudos I posted about in separate posts recently.  At first glance, and within the limited range of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, there was no clear relationship between realized prices and age.  It bears repeating that all of the cobs considered were between 1600 and 1800, but within that range there was no obvious strong relationship between price and age.  In order to really detect such a relationship, if there is one, some of the other variables need to be controlled.  At some later time I might get around to doing that.

Given the limited access to the Florida Collection that is available to the citizens of Florida, I find the auction records more useful.  I have access to more complete information through private collections and auction records than through the Florida Collection.  As one person interested in studying our history, it is very fortunate that so much of our history is in private hands and changes hands through public auctions.

Alan Craig's books on the silver and gold coins in the Florida Collection were printed in 2000.  While his books provide some access to information about the Florida Collection, his books are expensive and now 16 years old.  Many coins have been added since that time, and I haven't seen any publication of the coins and artifacts that were added in recent years.

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We still have rainy weather, small surf and decreasing tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/28/16 Report - Tropical Storm Bonnie Forming. Has It All Been Found? Fisher Airlift Video. 14.000 Year Old Discovery.

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

Diver Using Airlift.
Source: Fisher YouTube Video.  See link below.

You might not think this story has anything to do with you, but read on a little and you'll find that it does.

A series of prehistoric cave paintings has been uncovered in the Basque Country, northern Spain, in a discovery experts have called a "once in a generation" find.

The paintings, which include those of bison, horses and goats, were discovered by archeologist Diego Garate at a depth of 300m in the Atxurra caves, around 50km from Bilbao.

The paintings are between 12,000 and 14,000 years old and depict traditional hunting scenes, including a bison pierced "with over 20 spears" - which marks the cave painting of a bison with the most spear marks in all of Europe...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

http://www.thelocal.es/20160526/ancient-art-gallery-discovered-in-basque-country-atxurra-cave-paintings

The reason I mention this article is that the paintings were there for 12,000 to 14,000 years and were just discovered.  They were there thousands of years before being discovered.

There are some people that think that there is not very much left to find.  They believe that it has all been found.  This article shows that you just don't know what might be under your feet or around the next bend.  There is always more, you just don't know what is still there.

The amazing gold coin finds north of Vero last year is a good example.  All of those gold coins were in shallow water just yards off of the beach and buried under just a few feet of sand.  Detectorists walked within yards of those gold coins hundreds of times never knowing the gold coins were there or how close they were.

That is the thing about detecting.  You never know what is there until you detect it.  When the detector beeps and you dig up what was causing the signal and see it for the first time, it can be a surprising discovery.  Of course, that also means it can be a bit of a disappointment too.  It is a little like unwrapping a gift on Christmas morning.   When you actually see whatever it was, it is a discovery, and sometimes it is a surprising and wonderful discovery.

In Alan Craig's book on the silver coins in the Florida Collection, James Miller, the State Archaeologist at the time, wrote, "The law of diminishing returns has had its way with the increasingly expensive search for the finite remains of the treasure fleets.  Each year more people try a little harder to recover that which is more difficult to find."

He goes on to say, "Between 1975 and 1982, ten separate salvage contracts resulted in a little more than five hundred coins being added to the collection."   That is just over 70 coins per year.  There were ten separate salvage contracts at the time, and Dr. Miller tells us that only four of those "added more than five coins to the collection."

Craig's book was copyrighted in 2000.  If the finite supply of treasure was diminishing to a trickle before the turn of the millennium, surely after another decade and a half, the flow of treasure on the Treasure Coast would now be down to almost nothing.  But that is not what we saw.  Despite Dr. Millers outlook, the 2015 salvage season produced amazing discoveries, both in terms of quantity and quality.

It is easy enough to accept the law of diminishing returns.  It is easy enough to accept the idea that it is getting harder and harder, and maybe it isn't even worth going out there any more.  If you've accepted all of that, you probably won't be the one to make the next big find.  What is in you is as important as what is out there.

It might not seem easy.  It might not come quickly.  I don't know that it should.  If it did, there wouldn't be so much joy in the success.

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Here is a recent video of a diver from the Dare using an airlift to uncover deeply buried barrel hoops from the site of the Atocha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-W-rylDTpU&mc_cid=ab461745d0&mc_eid=e9c86e5425

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Early Saturday the Treasure Coast will have northeast winds and up to a four or five foot surf as topical depression Two heads towards South Carolina. Tropical depression two is expected to become Tropical Storm Bonnie on Saturday night. Bonnie will bring bad beach weather to the coastal Carolinas and Georgia for the Memorial Day weekend, including rip currents, potentially heavy rain, and battering waves.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/14/16 Report - Contributions By Amateurs, Hobbyists, Detectorists and Treasure Hunters. TV Shows. The Florida Collection.

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

A Small Part of the Multi-million Dollar Staffordshire Hoard Found by a Detecting Hobbyist In a Farm Field.

I recently received an email from a casting director for a TV production company that is casting a new show designed to. in their words, "bring credibility back to the treasure-hunting world."  I don't know exactly what that means, but it sounds good.

I didn't followed up on several previous inquiries from TV production companies, but I am considering this one and suspect that I will do one someday when I find the right one.  It would be good to help set the record straight.

Despite their many contributions, treasure hunters have been vilified by some.  To read some sources, you'd think that treasure hunters are nothing but looters.  But looters are just that - looters.  There are unethical opportunists that will take advantage of any opportunity, but one quack doctor does not mean that the medical profession is bad.

I've been critical of some TV shows about metal detecting or treasure hunting, but this one, from the little I now know, seems like it could be something that I could support.  I can think of a couple shows that gave into the need for drama and ratings and presented treasure hunting in an inaccurate or unrealistic light.  I hope they keep this one honest and clearly portray the many benefits and contributions of treasure hunting.

I've discussed some of the issues concerning treasure hunting before and won't try to repeat all of that now.  I will, however, quickly remind the reader of the many contributions made by treasure hunters as well as amateurs, including those that might be considered amateur archaeologists.  Just yesterday I told about how one fifteen-year-old enthusiast discovered a previously undiscovered Maya city.

Detectorists, treasure hunters and amateurs have made a lot of very significant contributions.  I ran across a web site presenting what the authors felt were the six biggest treasure finds made by amateurs. They can be called treasure finds, but they are also important archaeological discoveries.

To get an idea of how significantly amateurs have contributed to archaeology, here is a link to a site that shows six of the most important discoveries made by amateurs in Britain.  The photo at the top of the post shows a small part of the Staffordshire Hoard, now owned by the British Museum and valued at around $6 million dollars.

Immediately below is the link to see the other amazing treasure finds made by amateurs.

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/money/treasure-hunt-finds.aspx

In the past year, I showed some of the important finds made by Treasure Coast salvage crews.  Not long ago the State of Florida selected and took possession of their share of the 2015 treasure salvage finds, and the Florida collection was vastly enriched.  I hope to have a future post giving some detail about the 2015 distribution.

If you ever read one of Alan Craig's books about the silver or gold coins in the Florida collection, you know that a lot of the Florida Collection was provided by treasure hunters, and Mr. Craig acknowledges that in his books.

Those who work the 1715 Fleet wrecks work under a detailed agreement with the state.  Without the salvage crews our state collections would not be anything like what they are.  Our history would not be as well preserved, and we would not be able to enjoy and study the many items that are now available for viewing and research.

Only a small portion of the Florida collection is on public display and it is not easy to gain access to what the state holds in its vaults. We can't forget that the purpose, as I understand it, is to preserve history for the people.  I would like to see the Florida Collection better documented online for viewing by the public.  It would not seem difficult for good photos of yearly distributions to be posted online.

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It looks like we're going to have a continued small surf for several days.  Take advantage of the smooth water.

With the 2015 distribution now completed, the 2016 salvage season is just getting underway.

I have been receiving photos of nice modern jewelry finds lately too.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/22/14 Report - Denominations Of Silver Treasure Cobs Found On Treasure Coast Beaches And Why

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

Going back to the eighties it has been my observation that more low denomination cobs are found on the Treasure Coast wreck beaches than high denomination cobs.  There are eight and four reales found on the beach, but not as many as the lower denomination cobs. 

Of the cobs found on the Atocha and Margarita, which can't be compared to 1715 Fleet wrecks for more than one reason, 8 reales are most numerous (63%), followed by 4 reales (22%).  2 reales were rare (15%), while 1 reales were scarce (.001 %).  1/2 reales recovered from those two wrecks are almost non-existent.  It appears that cobs of the larger denominations were chosen for bulk transport of the Crown's silver.  That makes sense.

That information came from the Odyssey Marine Paper (30), 2013.

By the way, there were no gold coins listed on the Margarita or Atocha manifests, although at least 77 were found on the Margarita site and 128 on the Atocha site.   Those were undoubtedly the personal property of individuals.  

Alan Craig in Spanish Colonial Silver Coins in the Florida Collection states, Since the Florida Collection is based on samples of bulk specie being shipped back to Spain, it is deficient in these small denominations that were usually retained in the New World to support daily commerce.  Those that were  placed on board treasure galleons often did not survive well in the corrosive marine environments...   HE goes on to say, Eights dominated colonial mint production...

OK.  So large denomination reales were a good choice for the bulk transfer of silver, and small denomination cobs were needed in the New World for daily commerce.  That all seems to support the idea that more large denomination coins would be found on the treasure ships.

I don't, however, buy the idea that smaller denominations disappeared in great numbers due to corrosion.  They do indeed corrode, but the numbers that have been found on the beaches do not seem to me to agree with that idea.  They might be corroded but you can usually tell pretty much what they are.

Commenting on the small number of small denomination cobs in the Florida Collection, Craig says, The contrast between large denominations recovered from salvaged shipwrecks of the 1715 Plate Fleet is easily seen beginning with the year 1710.

Taking 1714 as a prime year for 1715 Fleet cobs, the Florida Collection, as of the time Craig's 2000 book was written, contained 288 eight-reales, 81 four-reales, 2 two-reales. 2 one-reales, and 3 half-reales.

That is very different from what I have observed of those that were found on the Treasure Coast beaches.  I've seen a lot more half reales, followed by a good number of one and two-reales, with very few four and eight reales that were found on the beaches.  That is almost the opposite of the sample in the Florida Collection.

I did a poll in this blog once and found that the results supported the idea that more small denomination cobs were found on Treasure Coast beaches.

Some beaches, such as Bonsteel, to name one, is known for the small cobs that have been found there.  Not only are they small denomination cobs, but they are also heavily worn.

Bonsteel, not being associated with a nearby wreck, might be an exception.  From what I've seen though, some other beaches have produced a big disproportion of small denomination cobs.  That could be more true in the last ten years than it was in earlier years when I believe more detectorists were missing the smaller denomination cobs on the beaches.

I know that there are places and times when eight reales and four reale cobs have been found on Treasure Coast wreck beaches.  I'm just talking about overall relative numbers.

In 1713 the Mexico mint produced about four times the number of eight reales as half-reales.  I don't have the numbers for 1714.   In the years leading up to the 1715 Fleet, there were times when nearly ten times more eight reales were produced than half-reales. 

All things considered, I believe that higher numbers of small denomination cobs have been found on the Treasure Coast beaches than were salvaged from the water.   I know I haven't provided an iron-clad closed case.   Maybe some day I'll take the time to get this all put together better.

Here are some possible reasons why smaller denomination cobs have been found so disproportionately on the beaches even though it would seem from what I've read that there should be many more large denomination cobs on the treasure ships.

1.  Smaller cobs are washed up onto the beach more easily and frequently than larger cobs which tend to remain out in deeper water.
2.  Smaller denomination cobs might for some reason be salvaged first by the Spanish salvors.  For example, maybe they were personal property and so the owners traveling with them made sure to get them out.
3.  Maybe they weren't carried in the depths of the cargo areas.
4.  Maybe they were used for commerce during salvage operations.
5.  Once salvaged, maybe they were more easily lost or left behind in the surf and sand of the beach.
6.  Maybe they were not cared for quite as carefully.


I'd like to hear what you think.   Let me know if you have any additional reasons or think any of these ideas are not likely true.



On the Treasure Coast today we have the wind coming out of the North/Northwest.  Doesn't seem like much wind at all.  The surf is supposed to be up to about five feet today and declining for a week or so.

On the basis of what I saw yesterday, I'm not expecting much good to happen.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net