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

9/9/19 Report - Dorian Visits Canada. Two More Systems. More on Beach Closures. Bottle Find.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

It looks like there are a still a couple more systems to watch, but nothing imminent.

Dorian hit Canada too.

TORONTO (AP) — The storm that already walloped the Virgin Islands, Bahamas and North Carolina lashed at far-eastern Canada with hurricane-force winds for much of Sunday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people before weakening and heading into the North Atlantic.

Dorian had hit near the city of Halifax Saturday afternoon, ripping roofs off apartment buildings, toppling a huge construction crane and uprooting trees. There were no reported deaths in Canada, though the storm was blamed for at least 50 elsewhere along its path...

Here is that link.

https://news.yahoo.com/dorian-still-slamming-eastern-canada-124131012.html

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Alberto S. sent the following message.

I found this in the City of Vero official website (see below). Based on the update published, all beaches and parks would be open as of 9/5 with a couple of exceptions but that was not the case since I made my way down A1A late on Sept 5 and the police cars were still blocking the entrance. The attached image also includes the name, email and phone number of the person signing the communication in case others might be interested in sending him their concerns with beach closings.

 

Thanks Alberto.

Did anyone see severe beach erosion?  I did see where some of the most recent beach renourishment sand got washed away, but I'd hardly call that severe.

I think some of the confusion might be due to city beaches being confused with county beaches.  The city seemed to have their beaches open earlier.

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Chris N. sent me a long email.   I won't post the entire message, but here is one very good tip he provided.

Do what you want to do, without breaking the "LAW."  Cameras are a great tool for your Safety especially when approached by whomever and the Buddy System too   Chris N.

A camera can be very handy for documenting what actually happens.  That can be very helpful if you are accused of something.

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Erin A. found a few bottles washed up by the storm.  Here is an older one.

Find and photo by Erin A.

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I haven't heard any reports of treasure coins being found after Dorian yet.  I thought the two days of big surf and north winds would do more.  
There were a few fossils washed up, and some bottles, but not much. Maybe there are some that haven't been reported yet. Keep watching the Atlantic. It isn't too late for something to happen there. I plan to get some detector to detector comparisons in field conditions soon. As I said, my first field test with the Equinox showed well for the Equinox. It will take a lot more experience before I feel like I really know that detector though. I'll try to keep you up on my progress. Happy hunting, TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/3/18 Report - $100,000 Gold Coin and $70,000 Silver Cob. Old Auto Frame on Vero Beach Used by Detectorists in Years Past. Man Saves Whale.

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

Source: Sedwick Coins Treasure Auction # 24.

You might be surprised to learn that the coin that received the highest bid in the first session of the current Sedwick Coins Treasure Auction wasn't from the Atocha, Margarita, 1715 Fleet or any famous shipwreck: it was a 20th century 50-peso coin from Cuba.

Here is part of the auction description.

Cuba (struck at the Philadelphia mint), specimen 20 pesos, 1915, unique, NGC SP 63, finest and only known in NGC and PCGS censuses. KM-21; Fr-1. Struck on a special planchet with higher rims and smoother fields, the resulting (prooflike) luster a treat to behold, perhaps missing a higher NGC grade for a couple tiny rim-nicks on the reverse but at least recognized for its specimen status. NGC #4499455-006. 

The winning bid was $110,000, not counting the buyer's premium.

Other Cuba coins of the same period also did extremely well.

In the second session (silver cobs) there was one coin that stood out head and shoulders above all others.  The winning bid of that lot was $70,000.  The cob, shown below, is an experimental three reale in the Early Series.

Source: Sedwick Coins Auction # 24.

Here is the lot description.

Mexico City, Mexico, 3 reales, Charles-Joanna, "Early Series," assayer R (Rincon) at bottom between pillars, with waves, three-dots denomination, all-Gothic lettering except O, NGC VF 30, finest and only example in NGC and PCGS censuses, ex-Rudman. Nesmith-5b/5; CT-unl; S-M1. 9.74 grams. A classic and highly important issue, this is the first of the experimental 3-reales denomination (see article below), and it is arguably the finest in style, making for a very attractive and artistic design. It is also among the earliest coinage of this mint and the entire New World. The presence of water lines (“waves”) below the pillars is a feature that does not return until the “Late Series” a few years later. Exceptionally broad flan with full details, lovely toning and choice strike, one of only two problem-free examples known of this extremely rare and mysterious "with-waves" variety (the other impounded in the Banco de Mexico collection), worthy of inclusion in the finest of collections.

Some Boliva reales, a heart-shaped cob and some Panama cobs also did well in the same session, but nothing close to the above cob.

Some people aren't much interested in auction results, but I think it is good to browse the auctions so you know something about the various types of treasures that are out there in the world and what makes some more valuable than others.  You can learn a lot by looking through the auction catalogs and listings.

The final live sessions of the auction will conclude today.  You can watch the bidding online.

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Mitch King wrote concerning the picture at the top of yesterday's post.

I know right where that picture was taken. For years we used that car as 
a gauge for how much sand was on the beach. That car sank down several
feet thru the years. Then the car was visible the chance of finding
silver coinage was very good. The car remained there till sometime after
the 2004 hurricanes when I believe it was removed. The location is just
south of Humiston park in Vero beach. If you look in the back ground you
can see the street drain pipe that is extending into the ocean. The
reddish building at the top is where the old "Crab Shack" was. There is
a whole new building there now constructed after the 2004 hurricane season.

Thanks Mitch. I remember seeing the frames there myself. ---- I just saw a rerun of the Oak Island Curse TV show. I noticed once again that the spike given to Lori, the art historian, was clearly not the same one that she showed when she returned with her verdict.  If you want to compare them for yourself, take a good look at the head of the spike(s).

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Fisherman saves humpback whale.

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Fishermans-Rescue-of-Entangled-Whale-Caught-on-Camera-499221291.html

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.

Another Fall front came through yesterday.  In my opinion, the nice cool weather is excellent for walking the beaches.  

We are going to have some nice high tides.  We have northeast winds now, and even though the surf is not supposed to be very big, I'm betting there are a few small cuts around the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/26/18 Report - Where Is The Treasure Now? One Thing You Should Know. Red Tide in Vero.

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

Fort Pierce Inlet.

Snipped from Floridadep.gov.  Full link below.

I mentioned a project to find gold bars dropped along a West Coast beach a few decades ago.   The bars were scattered to some extent.  Those hunting the bars have a general description of where the bars were dropped (scattered)  relative to the beach and a delta.

Since the bars were dropped a few decades ago, the first thing I'd want to know is where the shoreline was when the bars were dropped relative to where the shoreline is now.  Beaches change over time and it is important to know where the beach was relative to where it is now.  That is often an overlooked and very important piece of information.

Let's just say the bars were said to be dropped along the shoreline very close to the water.  Where was the water line at that time?  Was it farther out than it is now, or is it now under the beach.

If we use the Fort Pierce inlet area as an example, we know that north of the inlet the sand has been accumulating for quite some time, and the shoreline just south of the inlet continually erodes.  The shoreline to the north of the inlet has been moving one way, while the shoreline south of the inlet has been moving the other.  If the bars were dropped along the waterline, if they were dropped north of the inlet a few decades ago, they would probably be under the beach now.

Fortunately there is good detailed data on shoreline changes.  For Florida you can find very detailed data for most of the 20th and 21st century.  If you do the research you can find out where  the beach was back some years ago and compare that with where the beach is now.

If you were told that a bar was buried ten yards back from the water line fifty yards south of the Fort Pierce inlet fifty years ago, it might seem like you'd have a good idea of where that bar was.   However, the shoreline might have changed a lot in those fifty years.   In recent years the beach just south of the inlet changes a hundred yards east/west every year or two when they renourish the beach and then it erodes again.  You can't just go out to the waterline and march back fifty yards and figure that is where the bar is.

It doesn't have to be bars of gold.  Resort beaches have changed the same way.  One beach that I hunted a lot in the past is now covered by at least a hundred yards of new sand.  The beach and dips in front of that beach that I worked thirty years ago are now deeply buried, as are the items dropped there back then.  It helps a lot to know where the beach was compared to where it is now.

Below is an example of a map that shows how erosion changed a shoreline between 1954 to some time in the 2000s.  If there was a swimming beach at this location in the 1950s hundreds of yards farther out than they would be most recently.  Or if there was a shipwreck offshore, it would now be much farther out from shore.

Map Showing How a Shoreline Changed Over a Few Decades.

There will be daily, monthly, yearly changes, but there are also fluctuations that occur over decades and centuries.   A shipwreck that was in the water could now be under the beach if it is in an area where there is accretion rather than erosion.

Florida provides an immense amount of shoreline data.  The database is not easy to use unless you are familiar with it, but the information is there if you are willing to do the hard work.

Here is a link to the Florida shoreline database.

https://floridadep.gov/water/beaches/content/historic-shoreline-database

If you take the time to dig into it, you'll be amazed at the detail that is available.  There is map, survey and photographic documentation on virtually every foot of shoreline.

If you look at the photo at the top of the post, you'll see that there are six small red triangles west of the shoreline.  Those are the survey monuments.

The Florida Public Land Survey System (FLPLSS) was established by the United States Government Land Office (GLO, now re-organized under the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, BLM) beginning in 1824, with the establishment of the Initial Point in Tallahassee. This system of rectangular survey grids was gradually extended through the remainder of the 1800's eventually covering the entire state, dividing all the public lands first into six mile by six mile areas (Townships), then subdividing these Townships into one mile by one mile regions (Sections). Physical survey markers, or monuments, were placed every half mile on these section lines to delineate the surveyed lands. Monuments were also placed at points on the section lines where they intersected bodies of water or previously occupied (private) lands...

(Source: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/pdf/faculty/gibsonresearch.pdf)

I better wrap this up.  If you have a general description of the location of a beach treasure, the first thing you might want to do is check to see how the beach has changed since the time of the description.  It seems that people don't appreciate how much or how rapidly beaches change.  You will want to know where the beach is now compared to where it was in the past.

Shipwrecks that were once underwater can now be under sand.  Treasures that were once buried on the beach, can not be out in the water.  People talk a lot about how items move, but beaches move too.  The movement of the beach is just as or more important than the movement of the items.  A lot of data is available if you are willing to dig it out.

--

There is a lot more to be said on the above topic.  I might pick up on it again real soon.

One reason I chose the picture at the top of the post is that it is not a simple case.  It is more complex than an unbroken stretch of beach.  See if you can see how the sand is flowing at various spots.

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I've noticed that more people are starting to use DuckDuckGo.

DuckDuckGo says, DuckDuckGo is an Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs. With our roots as the search engine that doesn’t track you, we’ve expanded what we do to protect you no matter where the Internet takes you.

See DuckDuckGo.com.

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It seems that the Indian River beaches have some of the most toxic Red Tide contamination.

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/health/2018/10/16/red-tide-florida-2018/1656605002/

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-county/2018/10/20/crews-remove-thousands-dead-fish-indian-river-beaches/1710002002/

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/27/14 Report - Vero and Sebastian Beach Conditions. Abandoned Burt Reynolds Property. USS Houston. Flourescent Fossil Shell.

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

Corrigans

Turtle Trail Access Looking North

Sebastian North of McCarty

I took a look at a few beaches this morning.  Here are some of them.  I also looked at Rio Mar.

All of the beaches looked pretty much the same.  They all still have some renourishment sand. 

I didn't see any cuts.  There were a few scallops around Rio Mar. 

Nothing to make me upgrade my beach conditions rating.  They were all pretty mushy.  And all had a some new sea weed - not a good sign.

As it turns out, Christobal didn't do much for us.


The first target I dug produced this very small children's silver ring.

The small items tell you that you probably aren't missing much.


Here is an interesting video.   I thought it was anyhow.   It shows the abandoned and neglected Burt Reynolds property in Jupiter.

There are over grown paths, old docks falling apart, old film sets and all kinds of junk.

I found it interesting.  Think about where you would detect as these two looney guys explore the property.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-xVB-FfKLM

Navy divers explored the wreck of the USS Houston.

http://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/010301


Christobal is up by North Carolina now.  There are two other disturbances that could develop.  One nearing the West Indies and one in the Gulf by Texas.

Source: www.nhc.noaa.gov

We still have a 3 to 5 foot surf on the Treasure Coast.  The surf is supposed to decrease a bit after Thursday.   Maybe the next system will kick things up again.

Right now it will be hard to find anything but modern items. 


There haven't been hardly any shells on the beach lately.  And I haven't seen any fossils for a while.  I did run across my old black light and took a photo of a phosphorescent fossilized shell

I didn't know if I could take a photo of it or not.

Not bad.

The crystals glow yellow.

Haven't posted any fossils lately.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

2/22/14 Report - Vero Beach History, Driftwood Inn, McKee Jungle Gardens, Sherds, and Driftwood

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

Source of photo: http://www.verobeachdriftwood.com/

Sometimes the obvious is completely overlooked.  Most of you know about the major 1715 wreck beaches, but did you know that in years past Spanish cobs have been found right on the beach in the center of Vero Beach?  Some were found directly in front of the Holiday Inn. 

But what I wanted to mention today is a place that is right in the middle of Vero Beach that is listed on the National Historic Register - the Driftwood Inn.

It was created in the 1930s by Waldo Sexton, partly from driftwood found along the beach.

The cannons that you can see on the property today were said to be dug up on the same property. 

If you've never been there, I think you'll enjoy seeing Sexton's fascinating collection of beach combed items and antiques that decorate the unique local landmark.

Also, you might be interested to learn that Art McKee, who I've mentioned in the past along with the treasure museum that he had down in the Keys, started McKee's Jungle Gardens near Vero back in the 20s.

You can learn more about those by using these links.

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2002-06-09/travel/0206040634_1_waldo-sexton-beach-house-mckee-jungle-gardens

http://www.examiner.com/article/escape-to-the-driftwood-inn-vero-beach-where-history-was-made-on-the-treasure-coast



I received some responses from readers about the items found by Eva S that I posted a couple of days ago.  First, William M. did not see any evidence of Native American pieces among the finds.

Bill S. sent the following.

Hi, Treasure Guide!

Concerning the post on 2/21 with photos of materials found by Eva S, I find the photo of what appears to be earthenware ceramic sherds with a green glaze, or what is left of a green glaze, interesting. The photo has a penny in the center for scale; I think it was the 4th or 5th photo down from the top.

I have seen a large number of earthenware ceramic sherds from the 1715 wrecks. All are either unglazed (or the glaze has been completely worn off), or have traces of red glaze. None has any green glaze, or traces of green, at all. The sherds I examined are primarily from two 1715 wreck sites, but I am convinced they are representative of what has been found all along the cost at 1715 sites.

I read a paper a while back on the history of Spanish colonial period olive jars, by Dr John Goggins. He was an archaeologist or anthropologist from Florida, and his study concentrated around the cache of complete jars found on a 17th century wreck site in the Bahamas. This paper indicated green glazes were more common in the 17th century than in the 18th. So, if Eva's finds are earthenware ceramics, and if they are from the Spanish colonial era, they may pre-date the 1715 fleet.

They are interesting finds, regardless. Thanks for sharing them in your blog!

Thanks Bill and William for sharing your observations.  It really helps!  People love to learn more about the things they see on the beach.

I'm one that believes in making good use of what you have.  I like preserving old items and making new items out of old items.  As a result I like to pick odd things up on the beach that might have some value or use. 

It seems strange to me that people will spend their day looking for coins and pick up a few cents here and there but pass up other items that are actually worth more.  That is one reason that I mention things like sea glass.  It has value too and can be more valuable than modern clad - not that economic value is the big thing for me.  Sometimes it is just an item that is unique or that I like or that I can use of make into something else.

Anyhow, one thing that I sometimes pick up is driftwood.  I sometimes make things from driftwood but was not aware that of the market for driftwood. 

If you look on eBay, for example, you'll see many pieces for sale.  Driftwood is used in aquariums, both fish and reptile, as well as used in crafts. 

Furniture and other items are also made of distressed or reclaimed wood.  That makes sense to me.  I like the look of wood, especially old weathered wood.

I was just surprised to learn how big the market is for driftwood and thought you might want to take another look at the wood you see on the beach. 

I've done posts before on old shipwreck wood that rarely but occasionally washes up after a storm.  Sometimes it will still have spikes, nails, or sheathing.

Don't forget that you can search old posts in this blog (there are really a lot of them) by using the blog search box.


On the Treasure Coast we still have around a three foot surf.  That will be decreasing very slightly for a few days.  Don't expect beach detecting conditions to improve in that time period.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net