3/20/18 Report - One Nice Find and How To Test It. Shot Gauge From Port Royal. Screw and Wingnut.

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

Cameo Find by Sharon P.
Photo by Sharon P.

Is it treasure?  That is what Sharon P. asked about this cameo that came out of a cut dune on Hutchinson Island.

I can't tell much for certain by the photo alone.   You can only see so much in a photo, and many of the tests that I would apply are not visual.  Weight and texture are important, for example, as are details that you can only see with good magnification.  I'll offer a few comments anyhow.

The most common material used for quality cameos is shell,  A cameo is carved to expose various colored layers.  Agate and coral are also used, but not nearly as frequently.

There are a few tests that might prove helpful.  Shell, and also agate and glass, will be cooler to the touch than plastic, which is used for inexpensive costume jewelry.  Shell, in addition to be cool to the touch, will also be heavier than plastic.

One good test for plastic is a flame heated pin stuck in some inconspicuous place.  Plastic of course will be marked by the hot pin.

A quality cameo will also be set in a precious metal, and perhaps be signed by the artist.  This setting doesn't look like silver.  It looks costume.

With magnification you might be able to see signs the gouges made by carving.

The big tip off to me is the nose.  The type of figure shown in cameos changed over the centuries.  The ski jump nose is typical of contemporary cameos - no earlier than the mid-1800s.  Older cameos typically show a straighter nose and not a large volume of flowing hair.  This one definitely looks more modern to me.

This could be vintage, but I very much doubt that that it is antique.  And it does not appear to me to be an expensive hand carved cameo.  From the photo I can't tell if the cameo is shell or what.

I can't tell how nice the figure is in person, but I'd consider putting it in a nice new frame if it is in good condition.

I didn't say yet if it is treasure.  Treasure is what you treasure.  I'd say it could be, and if it was up to me, I'd treasure it.

Below are some examples of quality new artist-signed Italian hand-carved shell cameos.  Notice the ski jump noses, high relief and color separation.  They will be set in silver.

Many of the best are sent to Japan where they go for higher prices.

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Illustration of Shotgauge Recovered From 17th Century Port Royal.
Source: Masters Thesis. See below.

I thought this illustration could be instructive.  I found it in a 1993 Master's Thesis entitled, An Analysis of the Port Royal Shipwreck and Its Role in the Maritime History of Seventeenth-Century Port Royal, Jamaica by Sheila Clifford.

Here is the link.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/Theses/pdf-files/Clifford-MA1993.pdf

The item is a shotgauge.  There are a number of lengths of metal, each of which had on the end a hole to measure the size of lead shot. The thing that I think might be most instructive is the connector: a screw with wing nut.

There was a time when I considered all screws to be modern. That isn't the case though, as you see from this example.  Wing nuts evidently go back hundreds of years.  That is the first time I learned that.

Old screws were hand made and you can often tell by looking at them.

I just thought that was an interesting artifact, and if you are like me, you might have learned something from it.

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Another school shooting!  As someone who grew up with a gun rack holding two shot guns, a navy carbine, and another military rifle referred to as the deer rifle right outside his bedroom door just like the other kids in the neighborhood, we never shot anything but targets and game.  It was a different culture.

We didn't hear rap music glorifying violence.  We didn't have blood splattering video games.  To stop violence the culture has to change.  It took years but smoking was discouraged and has really diminished.  The culture war on smoking was pretty effective.  Now it is time for a culture war on crime and violence.  The movie industry can't continue to preach against guns and continue to make the kind of movies they do.  If guns were banned from the big screen, they'd actually have to write stories.  There is no bigger hypocrisy.  Want to ban guns?  Make inspiring uplifting movies and stop relying on all the gratuitous violence.

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Expect a small surf but decent size tide today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/13/16 Report - Wedges and Chisels and Other Old Nautical Tools. Iron Artifacts of Port Royal. Conservation of Iron Artifacts.

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

Artifacts Found On Treasure Coast Beaches.

There are more than coins and gold and silver to be found on the 1715 Fleet wrecks.  Besides the cargo there were all the necessities of daily life, and the nautical tools that were needed to keep a sailing ship in good working order.  While those things might not be as glamorous or valuable as the queen's jewels they can be just as interesting and meaningful.

After finding information on the awl or fid that I showed yesterday, I decided to research a couple more iron beach finds a little more.  They fall into the category of tools.  They are shown above.

The larger one is not a chisel.  That is what I called it for a while, but then one helpful reader informed me that it is not a chisel.  It is a wedge.

A chisel removes material.  A wedge separates things, like boards on a ship when they are going to be caulked.

I'm not sure if the smaller one is a wedge or chisel.  I suspect it is a wedge too.  If it is a chisel, it would be for wood - maybe stone.

Years ago I found the bronze one shown immediately below.

While doing research on nautical tools, I found a great resource.  It is a master's thesis by Katie Custer, entitled Wrought Iron Hand Tools From The Underwater Archaeological Excavations of Colonial Port Royal, Jamaica, C. 1692.

The thesis is a very informative paper that you will probably want to browse.  As the title suggests, it describes iron tool artifacts having to do with various trades active in Port Royal in the late 17th Century.

Not only does the thesis look at the artifacts, it also considers historical records and inventories.  And of course there is a very useful reference list at the end.

Here is the link.

http://anthropology.tamu.edu/papers/Custer-MA2004.pdf

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If you learn to interpret and appreciate iron artifacts, you will also want to be able to properly clean and conserve them.

One good reference is a PDF file entitled, The Care and Preservation of Historical Iron.  This article was authored by Clara Deck, Senior Conservator of The Henry Ford Museum.

This one has a lot of good useful information too.

https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/the-henry-ford-iron-conservation.pdf?sfvrsn=2

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Horsing Iron.

Here is another web site you might want to look at.  It shows a lot of antique nautical tools, including this horsing iron, which would be used for caulking.

http://www.ageofsail.net/aosbt.asp


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I wanted to comment on the mystery item that I posted on 8/11.  I received an number of excellent thoughts from helpful readers of this blog.

My opinion is that the item is likely more modern.  A couple of knowledgeable and well-known shipwreck experts told Bob C. that the mystery item could be from a shipwreck.  The item was found near other items that I believe are probably 1715 Fleet. I don't presume to be more knowledgeable than the well-known experts, who also had the advantage of seeing the item in person, but my opinion after viewing the picture, is that it is most likely more modern.  My confidence level is 70 or 80 percent that it is modern.  Of course I could be wrong.

The item might be easier to identify after it is cleaned.

Thanks to all who offered opinions.

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There is no tropical activity of interest right now and the surf will remain calm for at least a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net