5/11/19 Report - Pre-Columbian(?) Coin Found in Utah. WWII and Bullet Finds. Neat Sight Find.

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

Source: DailyMail - See Dailymail.com link below.

A visitor to Glen Canyon Recreational Area in Utah found two coins: one dated to around 1660 and the other is now thought to date to the 13th century, but that has not been confirmed.

The article ponders how the old coins, seemingly from a period prior to the earliest known Spanish presence in the area and Columbus' arrival in the Americas, could have been lost there. Here is a little of the discussion.

'It would be very strange, in a genuine early modern deposit, to have coins from such widely separated periods,' he said.

'These would not have been in circulation at the same time in Spain. With no further context, it is more likely that they are a modern loss: Basically dropped by a coin collector.

'This is not necessarily as unlikely as it sounds. A 19th-century shipwreck off the south coast of England was found to be full of ancient and medieval coins from the Mediterranean..

You can't assume that every time an old item is found that it was lost a long time ago.

One thing that is often forgotten is that, people did not dispose of things as quickly as we do today. Items were repaired or repurposed for decades or centuries. They didn't just discard old items and run out to the store and buy a new one that would last for only a short time.

The article leaves our a lot but is well worth reading (critically).  The article at one point suggests that the "coins" are Pre-Columbian, but only one of the two are.

Here is the link that was submitted by Dean R.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7009641/Mystery-Spanish-coins-Utah-desert-predate-Columbus-200-years.html

Thanks Dean.

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Variety of Bullets Found on the Treasure Coast Beaches.

A few days I posted some pictures of small copper finds that could be bullets or shells. I discussed some of the helpful ideas about the identify of those items, and just received another email on the subject.

Steve M, said, These are 50 caliber machine gun bullets from 1943 (See photo below.). We find a fair amount of these on the West Coast as there was a lot of training going on here then. These were both found same day about 50’ apart in the deep sand in the water. The outer casing or jacket is copper the inside is cast iron. It usually looks like the crusty one. You can see on the one that has just a tiny bit of corrosion that there is a hole at the back. That is why the crusty ones have that big glob of rust there. Those could’ve bullets. Just the copper parts and they could have actually hit something solid. 

50 Caliber Bullets.

Photo by Steve M.

Steve sent a couple other photos of these types of bullets, but you can see the hole in the back of the copper shell of the bullet shown above. It does look a lot like the melted or exploded ones that I posted (below).

Previously Posted Copper Finds.

These were found in the same areas as some of the black powder gun parts that I found.  It looks like another example of the intermingling of items from different periods.

Thanks to Steve and all the others who provided help in identifying the exploded copper finds.

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Here is a really neat find.  It is a sight-find made by Dustin L.

Bird Band.

Find and Photo by Dustin L.

Dustin L. said, Pretty neat find I thought I'd share. It was a sight find I found walking in a burnt field. It's a bird band with tag number. I contacted the federal government and was able to find out the type of bird and when and where it was tagged.

This belonged to a Cormorant that was tagged in 1984 in Canada. Anyhow, I thought it was neat. 

Very cool find Dustin.  Really good that you were able to get the information.

I once found a bird tag with my metal detector that was still on the leg bone.  It was on Key Biscayne.  As I recall I had a lot of trouble tracking down the information, but finally got it.  And again, if I correctly recall, it was from an egret that was tagged in North Carolina.  

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Bruce B. said, My parents had a couple of deer skin coats made by the Sioux in the 1940s, and it looks like the same material in the photo. 

Thanks Bruce.  I think that could be right.  It looks and feels like it to me, now that you mention it.

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It looks like we'll have nothing more than a two foot surf for a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/26/18 Report - Tropical Storm Kirk Again. Construction Unearths Fort Douglas. Collecting and Collectors.

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

Predicted Path of Tropical Storm Kirk.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see Kirk has become a tropical storm again.  He will probably weaken again.  There is also a turn to the south.  It is unlikely that we'll get anything at all from Kirk.

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SALT LAKE CITY — Archaeologists at the University of Utah's Fort Douglas are "geeking out" over an accidental unearthing of historical significance.

Contractors digging a utility trench about four years ago accidentally uncovered and partially destroyed parts of a sandstone foundation for what is believed to have been military barracks built sometime between 1862 and 1875.

"We don't get Civil War archaeology in Utah to begin with, and definitely not in such an accessible location," said Sheri Ellis, an archaeological consultant with Certus Environmental Solutions, who has been asked to help the Utah Division of State History oversee and determine the significance of what is found at excavation sites all along Potter Street... 

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.ksl.com/?nid=960&sid=46395469

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If you watch TV shows such as American Picker or Strange Inheritance, you know that there are extreme collectors.  They accumulate objects.  Some collectors put the emphasis on the search and acquiring items.  Some restore items, while others let them rust and corrode.  There are probably as many differences in types of collectors as there are different types of collectibles.

Some people do not collect items.  They collect friends and pour their time and energy into relationships.

I've read and have heard that millennials collect experiences.  They tend to spend their discretionary money on going places and doing things rather than buying things.  I guess that goes along with selfies which memorialize experiences.

Of the three, I'd guess that collecting friends is the best.  It seems that there are a few souls, who by circumstances or choice, simply stand alone.

People metal detect for a variety of reasons.  As a detectorist or treasure hunter, you can be seeker and collector of objects, friends, or experiences.  Or you can enjoy the meditative state of encountering nature.  Another possibility is that you do it for the money.  Or it can be any or all of the above.

Those who collect objects often share the objects or the hunt with others. Many friendships are made and relationships develop over a shared effort or around the objects found.

For some, the objects are a way of connecting with the past.  Some of the objects that I've saved were given to me by people who are no longer around, including grandparents and others.  Those objects are surviving pieces of past relationships and times of my life that seem distant now.

One fact that collectors have to face is that they will not always be around.  You see it time and time again on American Pickers and Strange Inheritance.  A person who has spent years acquiring an amazing collection finally realizes that there is no one else who knows, appreciates or understands the collection like he does.  Nobody has the same connection to the collection as the person who sought, found and cared for the items.  After all of that, the items of the collection will probably be passed on.  The hope is that they will find their way to someone else that appreciates them just as much.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/30/16 Report - 12th Century Kite Brooch Eye-Balled On Beach by Student. Two Weather Disturbances. More On 1715 Rings. Tobacco Used in Utah 12,000 Years Ago.

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

The above kite brooch was found by an American college student walking a beach in Irleand.  Imagine making a nice 12th century find just walking along.

It is called a kit brooch because of its shape.  It held a cloak or shaw together.

The NYU student said she was looking at a rabbit burrow when she noticed the brooch.  I always say,to look anywhere that the earth or sand is being moved.

Here is the link to the rest of the story.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/American-student-finds-12th-century-Irish-brooch-on-a-Galway-Beach-PHOTOS.html

That thing is in surprisingly remarkable condition.

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Two Tropical Disturbances.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As of Friday night, the first had a ten percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next forty-eight hours, and the second had a forty percent chance as of Friday evening.

The first looks like it will head towards the Caribbean while the second will probably head north into the Atlantic.

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I mentioned yesterday that I've seen the "clasped hands" motif on 1715 Fleet gold rings before. Checking today, I found one, though broken, from the 1715 Fleet in the Mel Fisher artifact database. The Fisher organization also sells replica clasped hand rings.  They call them friendship rings.

I also found one very much like the other ring that I showed yesterday.  I'm talking about the one made of connected circles with etched designs.  Unfortunately I couldn't see if the pictures on each circle were the same as the one recently found and submitted by Captain Jonah. I could only see what one circle had on his, and I couldn't see what was pictured on any of the circles on the one shown in the Mel Fisher artifact database, so I don't have any idea if they were the same or different, other than the fact they were both made of what looks like connected circles. They sell a replica of that type of ring too.

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Just a few centimeters below the sun-baked surface, researchers have discovered a campsite used by prehistoric hunter-gatherers 12,300 years ago — when Utah’s West Desert was lush wetland.
Artifacts found at the site include the charred remains of an ancient hearth, a finely crafted spear point, and, most surprising, a collection of tobacco seeds — likely the earliest evidence of tobacco use...

Here is the link.

http://westerndigs.org/ice-age-hunting-camp-replete-with-bird-bones-and-tobacco-found-in-utah-desert/

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I'll keep watching for possible storms.  Right now the surfing web sites are not predicting much of any increase in the surf for the next week or two.  We're having some nice negative tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net