6/30/20 Report - Calm Surf and Sandy Beaches. Treasure Coast Fossils. Fishing Artifacts.

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

Typical Sandy Treasure Coast Beach.

The Treasure Coast beaches have been accumulating sand for weeks now.  In the photo you can see where the waves are crashing on a sand bar and then washing sand in, during high tide, up on the beach.

Waves Breaking on Bar

If there is a dip inside the bar, the waves will break on the bar and then disappear if the dip is deep enough.  Where there is less of a dip, the waves will continue in.  You can easily look out and see where the dips are.  

Waves Breaking on Sand Bar.

The dip shown in the above photo had a lot of loose sand and shells in it.  The water was clear and you could see what look like waves of sand on the bottom.  It was far from washed down to bedrock.

John Brooks Beach Yesterday Morning.

---

Recently I posted a photo of a fossil snake vertebra that I found on a Treasure Coast beach.

Here is an article discussing the evidence that men ate snakes long ago.  Notice the reptile vertebra  pictured in the article (below).

Source: LiveScience.com link below.

Here is the link.

https://www.livescience.com/ancient-humans-ate-snakes.html

---

Here is another small fossil vertebra found on a Treasure Coast beach.  It is in great shape and is very different than the snake vert.  I don't have any idea what type of animal it might have come from.

Two Views of Small Fossil Vertebra 

on US quarter for size comparison.

If anyone can tell me the animal, I'd love to know.  It doesn't look like the fish verts that I'm familiar with.

---

Here are a couple stone-age fish hooks found at an inland site that was once a lagoon.  Between 1932 and 2020 the land was drained.  You can see that the fishhook that was excavated before the land was drained is in much better condition than the one excavated from the drier earth.

Source: See ScienceNorway link below.

Here is the link for the article about the excavation of fish bones and fishing artifacts from a stone-age site.

https://sciencenorway.no/archaeology-history-stone-age/archaeologists-have-found-astonishingly-well-preserved-gear-from-a-fisherman-who-lived-5000-years-ago/1705054

---

As they mentioned on the Dino Hunters TV show, bones have to have the right conditions to fossilize.  After an organism's soft tissues decay in sediment, the bones are left behind. Water seeps into the remains, and minerals dissolved in the water seep into the spaces within the remains, where they form crystals.

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

An area of low pressure off North Carolina has a small chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours, but it is expected to head northeast.

The surf remains small on the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/13/20 Report - Treasure Coast Beaches Building. A Morning On The Beach. One More TG Mistake.

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

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

I went out to take a look at a few beaches this morning.  My first stop was at John Brooks.  As you can see above there was a lot of seaweed.  There was a flat front beach that was building.  You can also see a small cut in the photo.

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

Frederick Douglass Beach This Morning.

Frederick Douglass, as usual, was very much like John Brooks.  Notice the waves breaking right on edge of the front beach. 

The difference at Walton Rocks is the bar about 75 yards out and the small dip in the water in front of the beach.  The waves are breaking on the bar.

Unlike John Brooks and Frederick Douglass, you don't have the flat front beach at Walton Rocks.

Walton Rocks This Morning.

I did about twenty minutes of detecting in the dry sand this morning and found a handful of coins and a silver shepherd's hook earring and small turtle.  I don't know what that is mounted in the center of the earring.   No good finds, but I enjoyed spending a little time before it got real hot.

Morning Finds.

I was actually surprised by the number of easy finds this morning, even if they aren't much good.

---

Captain Jonah says he is off to a slow start but will be sending photos when good finds are made.

---

I've been listing some mistakes I've made.  Here is another.

Yesterday I posted some fossils.  I was looking for a dire wolf tooth that I found near the water's edge one day all by itself.  I precisely remember finding it and where, and I remember the research I did on it, but I couldn't find it when I wanted to.   I have one box of fossils and some of them are stored in bags with their labels, but I have fossils in other places too.  The mistake is pretty obvious: I wasn't organized enough in how I stored things.  Some were just thrown in a box together.  Some were in different places.  Right now I don't know where the dire wolf tooth is and there are probably a number of others that I couldn't find right away if I wanted to.  That doesn't apply to just fossils.

You might think you'll remember where things are and there is no reason to take the time, but if you are like me, the years will pass and you won't be able to locate finds when you want to.  That is an easy enough problem to solve, but you have to decide it is worth taking the time.  It might not seem like it now, but it will later.

---

For an insightful look at COVID-19, try the book that Amazon.com tried to censure - Unreported Truths about COVID-19 and Lockdowns: Part 1: Introduction and Death Counts and Estimates by Alex Berenson. Amazon.com made tons of money as the primary online shopping retailer during the lockdowns.

Here is the link.

https://www.amazon.com/Alex-Berenson/e/B001JRVEO4%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

---

Don't expect beach conditions to change much for at least a few days.  There is no tropical activity on the NHC map right now.

The surf is running around two or three feet, and the surf is small.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/2/20 Report - Beach Conditions From Frederick Douglass to Turtle Trail. Tropical Storm Cristobal.

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach.

I took a look at a few beaches Monday.  You can see a couple of them here.

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday.

We have summer beaches now, and it is hot so people are getting in the water more.

Frederick Douglass Beach Near Low Tide Monday.

John Brooks beach looked very much like Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday.

I managed to find a small gold lion pendant.

Gold Lion Pendant.

Tuesday Morning I visited Turtle Trail.  Here is what it looked like.

Turtle Trail Tuesday Morning.

Tuesday the weather was the kind I like - cloudy and rainy.  No crowds - just nature.

There were a few very small cuts and dips.

Turtle Trail Tuesday Morning.

Down around the low tide swash area there was about a foot of fine sand over a layer of coarse shells.  The shell layer contained miscellaneous light trash and a few pennies and things like that.  There were deeper objects, but they were difficult to dig out.

---

About a month ago I did a couple posts on Rolex watches.  There are now a lot of new stolen ones out there.

Last night looter's took $2.4 million worth of Rolex watches from a looted Soho store.

Here is the link.

https://nypost.com/2020/06/01/looters-swipe-2-4m-worth-of-watches-from-soho-rolex-store/

By the way, if you are wondering why the police aren't doing much to stop the rioters, looters and Antifa trouble makers, it is because a lot of them are from well connected political families that support Antifa.  For example, the son of former VP candidate, Tim Kaine, is a member of Antifa, and Mayor de Blasio's daughter was recently arrested during the riots.

---


We have a new tropical storm in the Gulf.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

It looks like it will head towards Louisiana.  I doubt that it will affect us much.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

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.

---

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

5/20/20 Report - Beaches. Mystery Items Reappear. Borderline Conditions Last Week. Surf Increasing.

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Park Tuesday.

I was in the area and stopped to see how the renourishment project at the Fort Pierce South Jetty beach was doing.  It looks like they finished but didn't dump as much sand as I was expecting to see.  They didn't go as far east or south as I thought they would.  The sand is a fine white sand - nicer looking than some of the previous projects.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Tuesday.

Also stopped at John Brooks.  If I had my pole, I would have done some fishing.  There were some nice schools close in and a nice big fish chasing them.  I didn't take my detector out.

John Brooks Beach Tuesday.

Sand had piled up on the front beach.

John Brooks Beach Tuesday.

I also took a quick look at Frederick Douglass.  Not very exciting, and a thunder storm was coming.

, 

Frederick Douglass Beach Tuesday.

---

A couple days ago I posted a photo of a mystery find by DJ.  I got some good information on that object from John C., who showed five examples of the same thing.

Here is what John said.

Yeah, we  used to find those pretty frequently back in the 90s.  I was told back then that they were from a shipwreck, but not associated with 1715, but it's been a while, I haven't found one since I would say the hurricane season of 04.  It's interesting seeing them show up again.

Thanks.   James 1v12 

Items That Look Like the Mystery Item Found by DJ.

Finds and photo by John C.

Thanks John.

Also from the Not Just Coincidence department, below is a find from Steve L. It is the same kind of copper tack I found a few days ago.

Steve said, I also detected turtle trail around low tide Sunday. I saw 2 other guys detecting south ahead of me but none of us were digging much.  I managed to get only one target but I am happy with it. I took a picture next to a penny for size reference. I think it is like the one you found a few days ago I enjoy your blog. Steve L 

If anyone can tell me more about these items, please do.  I'd like to hear from others who have found them and whatever ideas you have about them.  Thanks.

Copper Tack Find by Steve L.

Photo by Steve L.

I always say when you find one of an item, there is a very good chance that there is more nearby.

Last Thursday I checked out a beach and there was some erosion, but I didn't know if it was enough.  I found this piece of lead, which as I said in a previous post, I took as what I call a signal find.

That piece, dense and nearly the size of a cob, told me that there was a possibility of other older dense metals nearby, so I checked the next day and found a few more small and seemingly old items, including another folded piece of lead.  My finds, along with John and Steve's finds, suggests to me that beach conditions were getting very close to producing some cobs, and perhaps would have produced one or two small ones if I had been in just the right place.  While beach conditions were not great yet, they were improving.  Unfortunately, the next day, conditions on the same beach seemed to deteriorate.  With the calm conditions we've had lately, I would guess that there are still some things that are close and could easily become accessible again with a little more movement of sand.

---

Archaeologists are racing against the clock to save the remains of a buried Viking ship from a ruthless foe:  fungus.

If the project is successful, the 65-foot-long (20 meters) oak vessel — called the Gjellestad ship — will become the first Viking ship to be excavated in Norway in 115 years, said Sveinung Rotevatn, the Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://elexonic.com/2020/05/18/fungus-is-destroying-a-buried-viking-ship-heres-how-norway-plans-to-save-it/

---

Looks like after today the small surf will disappear from the Treasure Coast.  Then we'll get up to six feet.

Surf Predictions.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/19/20 Report - Bonsteel and Douglass. Renourishment Coming To Beaches Near You. Distancing. Surf.

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

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday

Photo by Steve M.

Steve M. sent these photos from Frederick Douglass beach.  As you can see it is low tide, and there are a lot of shells.

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday.

Photo by Steve M.

Sunday Steve was up at Bonsteel.  I haven't been there for a good while.

Bonsteel Sunday

Photot by Steve M.

Thanks Steve.

Bonsteel Sunday

Photo by Steve M.

DJ found sent me the following information from Indian River County offices.

Seagrape Trail Dune Crossover Update - In response to questions regarding when Seagrape beach access will reopen, it likely won't be before late 2020 or early 2021. It was badly damaged from high surf, strong winds from the east and higher than average tides, and County staff deemed it was not repairable. The descending stairwell and pilings will need to be designed, permitted and replaced. Seagrape Trail Beach Access is located in Sector 3, which is scheduled for a beach and dune nourishment project starting in November 2020. The replacement of the crossover will take place and be synchronized with the beach and dune nourishment project.

I added the underlining.

Sector 3 includes Turtle Trail too, so expect a lot of new renourishment sand in a few months.

Thanks DJ.

---

A couple months ago I added a social distancing hoop and coronavirus cap to the fashion model below.

Turns out it was not too far off.  One restaurant is using wearable innertubes for distancing.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N536P6JBl50  for the video.

---

Surf Predictions

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like the Treasure Coast will see an increase in the surf in a day or two.  We'll see how the timing of the wind and surf direction plays out.

The general level of knowledge and discussion about metal detecting, especially beach metal detecting, has advanced since the time this blog began.  It used to be that people watched for and talked about big waves.  There was little talk, however, about the importance of the direction of the wind and swells.  Some detectorists (though they weren't called that much back then) may have understood the importance of direction, but if they did, it wasn't often a part of the general discussion.  If you don't believe that, dig up some of the old metal detecting books and magazines and take a look.  The importance of wind and wave direction simply was not understood and talked about as much as it is today, and I think this blog had something do to with that.  That is just one example of how I believe this blog has advanced the general level of knowledge and discussion of beach metal detecting.   I could mention several more examples that I think you'll agree with if you think back to ten or twelve years ago.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/14/20 Report - Tropical Storm Forming. Beach Conditions Around the Treasure Coast.

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

Turtle Trail Beach Thursday Morning.

It looks like we could get our first tropical storm of the year before long.  More on that later.

I took a look at a few beaches.  At Turtle Trail this morning, there was a little erosion, as you can see above.  Just the top of the bags was showing.

There was a flat area in front of the beach that had mostly aluminum bits but also a few pieces of lead.  The biggest piece of lead I got was a small strip, maybe two inches square if it wasn't folded.

Turtle Trail Thursday Morning.

The flat wet area is where I was finding most of the targets.

I dug a few small holes just to see how deep the orange sand was and found that it was more than a foot where I checked, but I didn't get all the way down to it.

As I was leaving, I saw Warren doing a few test holes.  He mentioned that the orange sand was down about 18 inches at one location.  That is about what I would expect when just the top of the bags are showing.

The parking lot at Seagrape Trail was still closed.

Ambersands Beach Thursday Morning.

Here is what Ambersands looked like.  I didn't check it with the detector at all.

Over the past couple of weeks, if anything, it has deteriorated a little.

Ambersands Beach Thursday Morning.

Wednesday evening I took a look at John Brooks.  It was much like Turtle Trail, with a small cut pretty far back on the beach and a lot of sand out front.

The cut at Turtle Trail was fresher, and the bar in front of Brooks was wider.

John Brooks Wednesday Evening.

John Brooks Wednesday Evening.

Frederick Douglass Beach Wednesday

Photo by SuperRick.

Rick lost his controller for his XPDeus, so if anyone finds it, let me put you in touch with Rick.  Here is what he said.

While there I lost my controller for my XPDeus that came off my chest high holder that was Velcroed on and I was using the controller for my pin pointer!

At the time I was using my Equinox 800 to hunt with down in the wet so if you hear of anyone finding a controller I lost it!

Frederick Douglass Beach Wednesday

Photo by SuperRick.

Rick found on cheap ring on the day.

---


As I said, a tropical storm is forming down south.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

According to the NHC,  Environmental conditions are expected to become conducive for 
development, and this system is likely to become a tropical or
subtropical depression or storm this weekend when it is located near
or north of the northwestern Bahamas. The system is forecast to
move generally northeastward over the western Atlantic early next
week. Regardless of development, the disturbance is expected to
bring locally heavy rainfall and gusty winds to portions of
southeastern Florida and the central and northwestern Bahamas over
the next couple of days...

The beaches are not too far off now. If we can get some good direction to the wind and swells, we could get some nice finds.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net