10/10/17 Report - 1715 Fleet Eight-Escudo. How High Will It Go? Evaluating Metal Detecting Zones.

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

Lot  In Current Sedwick Treasure Auction # 22.
Source: auction.sedwickcoins.com

Here is the lot description.

Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1697H, "PVA" variety, very rare, encapsulated NGC MS 62, finest and only specimen in NGC census, from the 1715 Fleet (designated on label). S-L25; KM-26.2; CT-8. 26.85 grams. Broad flan with good full cross, clear king's ordinal II, bold full crown above full pillars-and-waves, minor peripheral flatness, frosty surfaces. This is one of only six dates (1696-1701) struck under Charles II, whose name on these coins appears simply as "C.II.," which are naturally highly sought for the type. One of two varieties for this date--with and without dots in the motto--but this is the only specimen of either variety in the NGC census. NGC #4485215-002. From the 1715 Fleet.

This is an exceptional cob that already has a bid of $20,000.The auction estimate was 20 - 40 thousand.

What is your guess on the final price?   Make a guess and send me your estimate.

Here is the link,

http://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Lima-Peru-cob-8-escudos-1697H-PVA-variety-very-rare-encapsulated-NGC-MS-62-finest-and-only_i28138985

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I recently wrote about a stretch of beach and various metal detecting zones I identified along that stretch.  I mentioned how those areas differed.  Some differences were apparent by simple observation.  You could see the people, how many were there, what they were doing, what types of things they had, etc.  You could see the natural environment, including the sand, slopes, sea grass, etc.  But there were some things I had to check with my metal detector.  I sampled every area at least a little - some more than others. 

I had to pass by some areas to get to others.  Even if I didn't want to spend much time at a particular zone, I would at least pass through it quickly with my detector to check it out..  I always like to collect a little data to check my previous conclusions.  Occasionally I would run across an unexpected good find or something that might make me want to check a little more.

My main point here is that it is important to really get to know different areas and don't write them off too soon. Check things out, and improve your understanding of any area.

I highly recommend keeping detailed records.  I've said that before.  I never regretted keeping records, but often wished I had kept more.

Areas change over time.  You might want to compare observations over the years and it is difficult to remember everything over a lengthy time span.  Those fifteen zones I described were only along one 8 mile stretch, and I detected a lot of places other than that small area.  

It is nice to have a good long stretch with a variety of different types of zones.  When one zone isn't producing another might be.  You can select different ones to work at different times, depending upon what is going on.  And as you walk from one to another, you can always check those in between.

Different zones had different concentrations and types of targets.  That is something important to keep track of.  I once did a post on math for metal detecting.  You can probably still find it.

When the value of targets can be quantified, you can calculate the most likely value of your finds per time unit at the different zones.  That will help you compare and select detecting sites.  Some zones produce more finds, but on they might be low value finds so that your average find value might actually be higher at an area where you find fewer things.  The numbers will help you assess the situation much better.  It is amazing how a very few remarkable finds can quickly add up to hundreds or thousands of low quality finds.

Of course you can't go entirely by the numbers even though the numbers will help you get a good picture of the situation if you put in enough time and keep records.  Some people just want to go by feel.  Some people are just more interested in certain types of finds even though they might not be as valuable.  Some people just like old coins or other old things, for example.  On the other hand, a lot of people don't have the patience for the low-quantity zones even if there are some very high quality finds to be made there.

One of the zones I mentioned yesterday was supposed to have produced old shipwreck coins, according to one book..  I never found that to be the case, but by looking at the area I could tell that it would take a very good storm to wash old coins in even if the book was right.  The book, by the way was written by an author not known for the highest standards of accuracy.  That is another reason I tend to go by my own observations and data.  I try to experiment and test everything that seems important and questionable.  Having spent part of my career in science, it is just my nature.  One thing I emphasize and teach a lot is an empirical scientific approach to metal detecing.

More on metal detecting zones some other day.

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I hope you will take time to respond if you have not yet responded to the blog poll.  I know of finds that were made that do not show up in the poll yet.  In fact there are some that I showed in this blog that are not represented in the poll yet.  I know that because the area the cobs were found still shows zero finds for that area.  Of course the poll isn't complete yet, so I expect it to fill in.

Thanks for your help.

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Tropical storm Ophelia is out in the middle of the Atlantic and won't affect us.

We are back to three and four foot surf for the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/8/17 Report - Knowing Your Beaches: Classifying and Categorizing for Metal Detecting. The Blog Poll. Hurricane Nate.

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

Hurricane Nate caused a lot of flooding and road and beach closures in the western Florida Panhandle.  There is a storm surge and still high waves.

I wanted to talk a little about the blog poll today.  I had a lot of information entered and lost it so I'll start over.    I'll do a little now, and if I have the patience, more later.

The current blog poll should provide some good and interesting information.  It will unoubtedly give us some good insight but also leave some unanswered questions.  Already the early responses made it clear that cobs are found other places than on the Treasure Coast.  That isn't surprising, but those of us  who live here focus so much on the Treasure Coast, that we might not think much of hunting other areas of Florida and the world.  It is always fun to travel and detect new places.

People have reported cob finds from both other areas of Florida and areas outside of Florida.  As you probably know, cobs can be found on the West Coast of Florida, Canaveral area, West Florida, and many other places.  I have regular readers from North Carolina and other states and regions where cobs are found.

I am hoping that you will take the little time necessary to respond to the poll, because when we have good information we all win.  You don't need to be afraid of giving away your favorite spot.  The poll covers five years and does not tell anyone what area is hot now or next week or next year.  And we all know that things change.

In retrospect, I wish I would have specified a longer time period than five years.  Hurricane Sandy was about five years ago, and I'd like you to include that time period.  Since then beach detecting conditions on the Treasure Coast have been poor more than not.

If you read this blog and get anything out of my free work, I hope you'll make a contribution in the form of your response to the polls.

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There was an 8-mile stretch of beach that I detected frequently in the 1990s.  I looked at it as consisting of 15 different zones.

The first zone was a very narrow swimming beach where a lot of people crowded on nice days.  It produced a lot of good quality jewelry on a regular basis.

Moving north and going around a bend was what I considered zone 2.  This was a longer and wider shallow-water area that produced significantly less jewelry, and the jewelry there was of a significantly lower quality, even though the area was still in the same park.

Moving farther north was zone 3 - a dead zone.  Almost nothing came out of there.  It was in front of a condo, but it seemed few people from that condo ever went outdoors, let alone swimming.

Zone 4 was the next area, which was in front of a condo or resort that was closed.  The beach there produced relatively little, but on a few occasions when the beach eroded, you could find good coin lines with a little jewelry on the eroded slope.

Zone 5 was a private beach club.  A lot of people went to the beach and swam there.  I found less there than I thought I should and always suspected there was somebody else that cleaned that location regularly.  I wouldn't doubt if it was some of the staff of the club.  They didn't like me being there and I once was told I couldn't detect there, but I knew better.  I called the county offices and they told me the public had every right to use that beach back to the erosion control markers. Public tax dollars maintained that part of the beach.

Zone 6 was another dead zone.  One or two nice pieces came out of the shallow water even though it was covered with sea grass and had  lot of aluminum junk.

Zone 7 was around a sand spit that extended out into the shallow water where a lot of boaters parked.  The interesting feature of this zone was the remains of a wreck  under the beach where the sand bar joined.

Zone 8 was a good hole.  It was in front of an active high-scale resort.  Not as many items as in zone 1, but higher quality.  Some very good finds came from there even though there was known competition.  I believe that it was resort staff.  A fellow stood and watched me working the water one day and left cursing when he saw me dig a gold chain in very shallow water.  I could tell that  a lot of my finds from there were not the easy finds and were things somebody could easily miss.

Continuing north some more, next was zone 9, another condominium.  This one had more active people and produced a few good finds.  It was much better than the other condominiums but not nearly as good as a few of the other zones.

Zone 10 was long dead zone.

Zone 11 was a big public park with a huge shallow swimming area.  This swimming area would produce very few coins but almost always a piece of gold or two.  It was visited by more detectorists than any other zone other than possibly zone 1.

Zone 12 was at the north end of the parking areas.  Most park visitors stayed in the main swimming area just south of there.  Zone 12 was a relatively small area where it seemed people parked before the paved parking was put in.  This area produced coins and jewelry dating back into the 1800s.

Zone 13 was larger and had a much lower concentration of coins.  The quantity of finds was low and the quantity was no better than average.

Zone 14 was  rock outcropping that was usually covered by sand, however after one storm there was a virtual carpet of older silver coins and jewelry there.

The next zone (zone 15) was a small area where people in the past evidently parked along the road and visited the nearby small beach.  The coins there were generally mid to early 1900s.  They were usually very heavily corroded.


I have a number of reasons for going through the list, but mainly wanted to give some idea of how you should get to know your beaches as potential detecting sites. 

I might expand on this some other time in the near future..

---

Sunday the wind is from the south and the surf is down again.  There is a nice high tide today though.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/7/17 Report - Difficulties of Dating An Artifact: Florida Dugout Canoe Find. New Poll. Hurricane Nate. Sand Monster.

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

Hurricane Nate
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Hurricane Nate is not going to affect the Treasure Coast but might affect the Florida Panhandle.

Bathtub Beach is eroded and they are talking about bringing in more sand next week.  It seems like that is a continual thing there.  I talk about obstacles to sand flow like rocks and sea walls that cause localized erosion.  The houses to the north of Bathtub Beach cut off the sand flow.

Remember what I posted yesterday about renrourishment sand.   Depending upon various factors, it could have something good in it.

The winds have turned southerly and the surf is now down to 2 - 4 feet.  There will, however, be a good high tide.

---

The dugout canoe found in Cocoa by Randy Lathrop back in October was thought by some to be very old.  After closer examination, its age is in question.

A Florida Division of Historical Resources archaeologist inspected the 15-foot log vessel, and radiocarbon dating results were released Thursday. The tests determined there is:

• A 50 percent probability the wood used to make the canoe dates between 1640 to 1680.

• A 37.2 percent probability the wood dates between 1760 to 1818.

• An 8.6 percent probability that it dates to 1930 or later...

"The canoe has some interesting features, like the presence of paint and wire nails, that indicate it may have been made in the 19th or 20th century, so this adds to the mystery," she said...

Or, perhaps the canoe was made in the 1600s or 1700s, saw use for many years, and was modified over time..

"Florida has the highest concentration of dugout canoes in the world. We have more than 400 documented dugout canoes in our state. Each canoe is important in that it adds to our database and helps fill out the picture of how people used these canoes over thousands of years," Revell said...

Here is the link for the complete article.

http://www.whas11.com/news/cocoa-canoe-washed-up-by-hurricane-irma-may-date-to-1600s/481283670

Of course we want to learn the age and identity of finds, but it can be difficult or impossible to do with precision.  Even with readiocarbon dating you are left with probabilities, not a precise date.

One tricky thing we often neglect is that an item can be from widely disparate age ranges.  Part of an item can be older than another part, and then it can be used for years or centuries and modified, repurposed or remanufactured.

It is especially difficult to put a date on some barely identifiable clump or something without any context shown in a photo.

Even coins that give you a mint date don't tell you when they were lost.

---

I posted a new blog poll.  This one should be interesting.  I'm trying to determine where treasure coins or cobs have most often been found during the past five years.  Answer to the best of you recollection.  Thanks much!

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You might find this interesting.  It is about a real sand mover.

http://magicseaweed.com/news/the-gold-coasts-bank-making-machine/10504/

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/30/17 Report - Its Not Over Yet. More Surf To Come. Mayan Monument. Ballast Rock? Worked Bone. Blog Poll.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

If you are not yet tired of hurricanes and stormy weather, there is still a lot out there to watch.  Hurricanes Maria and Lee are still on the map, but more importantly there are two areas closer to Florida to watch.  One is right over Central Florida and the other, down towards Puerto Rico.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

As you can see, MagicSeaWeed is predicting a 6 - 9 foot surf for Wednesday and Thursday.  That is a pretty good surf.  I don't care for the predicted wind and swell directions, but at this point all of that  is just a prediction and could change.  That surf is enough to keep my attention.

The tides are very moderate right now too.

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First M LB* Sports Cards

Discovered in 2015, the two ballplayer panels are the first of their kind to be found in Belize, the researchers said. Both have carvings depicting ballplayers and hieroglyphic captions, and they are thought to date to between about A.D. 600 and A.D. 800, Andres said...

The ballplayer was depicted as standing and holding one hand over his heart.

Researchers said the panels had a sweet smell and there was a pink residue on the panels.

They evidently weren't old enough to know that in the fifties and sixties, baseball cards came in a pack with a big wad of bubblegum.

The first part of this is true - down through the blue text.   The part after that was just me entertaining myself and perhaps a few other oldsters.  If you are old enough to have collected the old bubblegum cards, you would know what I was talking about - otherwise probably not.

Anyhow, if you want to read about the archaeological find, here is the link.

https://www.livescience.com/60552-maya-ballplayer-stone-panels-discovered.html


* MLB indicates Mayan League Ball

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Possible Ballast Rock.

I posted this stone the other day and labeled it as a ballast rock.  I put a question mark after it because I'm not absolutely sure that is what it is.

First, it is that it is not a type of rock that is natural to Florida.  Here is a link that will take you to a web site that shows the types of rock that are found in Florida.

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/rocks/florida_rocks.htm

Second, it would make excellent ballast, being dense and rounded.  Although they would use all kinds of things for ballast, including metal or whatever rocks could be found including more angular rocks, Robert Marx wrote that rounded rocks were preferred.  Rounded rocks were also readily available in rivers near many European ports.

I've seen ballast rocks just like this, and this one did come from a beach very close to a known wreck ballast pile.

It is always possible that it a landscaping or other rock imported to Florida for some other purpose, but in my opinion, weighing all the pros and cons, there is a better chance that it is a ballast rock than an imported ornamental or construction rock that somehow found its way to a beach very near to a ballast pile.

Here is an interesting and relevant article on The Provenance of the Stone Ballast on the Molasses Reef Wreck by William Lamb, 1988.

http://nautarch.tamu.edu/pdf-files/Lamb-MA1988.pdf

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Piece of Fossilized Bone.

I took a closer look at this piece after it sat around for a few days.  I almost always do that with finds.  I noticed what appears to me to be a rounded cut at the top.  I don't know much about either fossils or Native American artifacts and would like any informed opinions.  I do know that they often made an attempt to get the marrow out of bones, and this bone is hollow, but I don't know if it is natural or worked.

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I woke up last night after what I thought was the funniest dream.  I was in school.  I just found a desk and sat down.  The teacher, who looked much like my little old lady first grade teacher, came over to my desk and told me to go get a cantaloupe.  I looked at her quizzically, and she said, "Go buy a cantaloupe and bring it back here."   That struck me so funny that I woke up and had a big suppressed belly laugh trying not to wake my wife.  It just seemed so odd and funny to me.  I don't know if you'll find it humorous at all.  I had another very funny dream after that, but I doubt you really want to hear about it.  I guess I'm just in a funny mood.  I hope you can forgive me.  Very entertaining night though.

It must have been those MLB (Mayan League Ball) cards that got me started.

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All responses to the blog poll are much appreciated.  Thanks.

If you've been watching that, you've seen that some good things were found since this turbulent month began.

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I wanted to talk more about the changing shoreline, but didn't get it together yet.  Might take some more days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/29/17 Report - More Storms Brewing? Importance of Shoreline Changes. Rose Colored Gold. New Blog Poll.

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

Source: Weather Channel

What was I just saying?  I think it was something about people giving up too soon.  Anyhow, there is still a lot of weather that might affect.

Take a look at this.

Latest MagicSeaWeed Prediction for the Fort Pierce Area.

Five to eight feet isn't shabby.  It all depends upon how it hits us.  In the next few days I'll be looking at the predicted wind and swells.

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Alberto S. sent me the following message.

I haven't done much detecting lately but continue to read your posts everyday and today I saw your comments about coastal change, I went to the link you provided and looked up Miami Beach which is the closest beach to me at this time and what I saw was impressive as far as the change that has taken place over time, the actual coast line back in 1848 is where you find today's famous Ocean Drive. The other item of interest was the beach around the Ft. Pierce inlet specifically the north side vs the south side shore line, the original shoreline based on this information is actually in front of the year 2000 timeline in the South shore and way up in the parking lot area in the North side. Guess if I go up there I will be digging the parking lot.... :) 

Thank you for sharing this information. 

Thanks for writing Alberto.  I was hoping that people would see the value in that web site.

Here is another example from that USGS web site.

Source: USGS Web Site (See yesterday's post.)

Here is a location on Virginia Key where I used to get lots of U. S. silver coins in very good condition.  Whenever the dunes in front of the building would erode, you could find silver coins eroding out of the dunes. You can see that back in the early 1800s, the shoreline was farther out, then in 1900s it varied frequently.

I wasn't really targeting silver U. S. coins that much, but it was fun and easy when conditions were right and I was passing by.

In locations where the shoreline is moving seaward you'll have less chance of finding old items on the beach and in the shallow water, but when the shoreline recedes at that location, you'll have a better chance of finding older items.  Places where the beach is building, such as north of most of our inlets, many older items will get buried under the accumulating sand.  The building and removal of sand has a lot to do with what beaches will produce older items at any particular time.  

I remember back a few decades ago that the beach north of John Brooks was eroded back to very near the condos.  There was a line of pine trees, which were removed.  Now the sand is out a long way from there even though it has erode a little lately.  

There was also an old concrete foundation exposed at the water line between John Brooks and the condos.   I haven't seen it in quite a while.  I don't know if it was for the submarine observation tower or what, but it was there and was very much exposed at one time.

A beach might look like it is eroding, but the erosion might only be into relatively recently accumulated sand.

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Here is an article that tells how some ancient South American populations that knew how to do gilting and other techniques, actually preferred a more rose-colored gold and removed some of the gold content to get the more copperish look they liked.

Here is the link.

https://www.livescience.com/60535-ancient-colombians-preferred-rose-gold.html

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As you probably noticed, I added a new blog poll.  It will help us determine how much of what was found as a result of Irma, Jose and Maria.  In order to get good information I need your participation.  I hope you will respond to the poll.  There will be other polls after this one.  I can only do so much in the limited poll app provided by blogspot.  Thanks for responding to the poll.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/9/17 Report - 2011 Law Concerning Ownership of Artifacts and Space Exploration Artifacts. Blog Poll Conclusions.

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

The Cape Canaveral area, being the site of so much history, including early historic sites and a treasure wreck or two, provides another class of artifacts.  I'm talking about space exploration artifacts.

Space exploration artifacts occasionally show up on the Treasure Coast, most commonly including the relatively common melted bits of titanium, which I've discussed in the past, including instructions for identifying titanium. Occasionally more interesting items show up.

The recent Cooper's Treasure TV programs suggested another type of connection between space exploration and treasure hunting.  This blog's posts concerning the questionable trustworthiness of that show received a lot of attention.

On July 20th, Sotheby's will hold their Space Exploration auction, which among a long list of artifacts, includes the flown flight plan from the Apollo 13 mission.  That flight, which encountered serious problems and could have ended very badly, was the subject of a movie.

As I've said before, you can not separate politics from treasure hunting.  In 2012 President Obama signed a law concerning the ownership of space exploration artifacts.  (I won't get into the Odyssey Marine issue again, in which the courts ruled to give tons of silver recovered by Odyssey Marine to Spain, reportedly as part of a deal to obtain a valuable painting for a U. S. citizen.)  Here is how the Sothebys site describes that law concerning ownership of space exploration artifacts and how that law relates to the flight plan.

Here is the link for more information related to the flight plan and various incidents that occurred during the mission.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/blogs/all-blogs/sotheby-s-at-large/2017/06/houston-problem-here-flown-apollo-13-flight-plan.html?cmp=email_N09759___selects_space_hero3_30-jun-2017

You might also want to browse the auction lots.  I found them interesting.

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The most recent blog poll has concluded and the results are in.

As you can see from the bar chart below, the respondents generally go more by analysis and observation than intuition. That isn't surprising considering the amount of time I spend on analysis of beach conditions and other things.  Only one of the 45 respondents said that they went almost exclusively by intuition and hunches.

On the other end of the spectrum, 4 respondents said they rely almost exclusively on analysis.

The vast majority of those that responded, appear to use some mixture of analysis and intuition.  Overall the results were definitely skewed in the direction of analysis and observation over intuition.

Here are the results expressed in a bar chart.  I reordered the categories from how they were ordered when the poll was presented, and also shortened the category labels.  The numbers in the chart are percentages.

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Sunday I watched a series of TV programs on the Dare Stones and the Lost Roanoke colony.  Pretty good series.

---

I've been working on another topic for a few days, but it just won't seem to come together.

There is no tropical weather in the Atlantic or Gulf right now.  No significant changes in beach conditions are expected real soon either.  There will be a little bump in the surf around Thursday, but not much.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/16/16 Report - New Blog Poll Started.

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

First here is a little explanation of the new blog poll.

I'd consider Jupiter to Melborne to be the Treasure Coast.  That might be a too broad, but lets go with that for the poll.

As you know, Matthew hit North Florida harder than the Treasure Coast.  I know of cobs being found to our north so I included poll responses for both the Treasure Coast and elsewhere, which would include North Carolina and other areas affected by Matthew,

Since Nicole sent so much water this way, some finds could actually be attributed more to Nicole rather than Matthew.  If you were not affected by either Matthew or Nicole, this poll is not for you.

The poll will give us some idea of how much of what was found after these storms.  I don't think it was a lot, but there were some interesting finds that I've heard about,

I think the poll is otherwise pretty much self explanatory.

Your answers are very much appreciated.  Not only do they help us learn what has been found, but it also helps me to improve my beach detecting conditions ratings,

I might or might not add more to this post or another post later today.

12/23/14 Report - Very Interesting Mystery Find. Gold Band Found. Buckle Found. New Blog Poll Posted.

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



Find and photos by Robert H.

Here is a very interesting find made by Robert H.

Notice the design shown on the top picture and the ridge and groove shown in the bottom picture.

Robert would appreciate any ideas about the piece.  If you've seen a piece like this before or know of some good references, let us know.

Great find Robert!  I'll do some looking.

Other Side of Same Sherd.

One good book that might be helpful is John Goggin's The Spanish Olive Jar; An Introductory Study.

I'm not saying this is a Spanish olive jar, but just that these references might be worth checking.

Below is one very good link for information about Spanish olive jars.  It is from the book Pottery From Spanish Shipwrecks 1500 - 1800, by Mitchell W. Marken.

It is a preview of the book and is limited to one chapter or so, but it is a very good chapter.

Again, if you have any thoughts on this sherd, let us know. 

Here is the link I mentioned above.

http://books.google.com/books?id=-4q8LQ4WA90C&pg=PA41&dq=isbn:0813012686&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false


And here is another good link.

http://www.academia.edu/8566480/Sean_Kingsley_Michael_Decker_and_Ellen_Gerth_Rome_in_Spain_Spain_in_the_Americas_Amphoras_Olive_Jars_and_the_Economics_of_Long-Distance_Trade


This is the type of thing that can be found during a calm surf after a period of rough or high water. 

Added Later:  It appears the object might not be a sherd at all.   Gives a metallic reading on the detector.

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Steve from Iowa is in the area and hit some gold.  Here is what he said.

Arrived for my annual Christmas visit and checked out one of my local
spots. Pretty much sanded in. I noticed up the beach an area that looked
flat as if the beach had a slight fold in it so I decided to give it a
try. Shortly after I began detecting I got a whisper of a signal and dug
it. I spread the sand out with my foot and before I could swing the coil
over it I caught a glint of gold. Picked it up and lo! It was man's fat
gold 14 karat wedding band. Ten minutes later I found another ring, this
time an old junky one. It proves your point to check out those out of the
way areas. I'd never gone up there, so it paid off. Thanks for all your
great advice.

Thanks for writing Steve.






Nice Dug Buckle
Find and photo by Dan B.

Yesterday I showed a Masonic ring found by Dan B.   Have a look if you didn't see that.

Here is another nice find from Dan B.









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As we come to the end of 2014, a slow year for sure, it is a good time to look back and find out what people were finding.

I posted a new blog poll.   As always, your participation is helpful.

-----------

For those of you who wrote with get well wishes, my back is improving quickly. 

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On the Treasure Coast we'll have one more day of two-foot surf and then we'll get a few days of slightly increased surf, though nothing that I'd expect to significantly change beach detecting conditions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

12/21/14 Report - A First Gold Ring Find For One Detectorist. Blog Poll Results Summary.

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

First Gold Ring Found By Dan B.
Photo by Dan B.

Concerning this Masonic gold ring, here is what Dan B. said.  As soon as I did my tests and started pulling tabs out of the ground, I found my first gold ring. Masonic at that! Funny thing was, the back is separated like a kids you ring, due to a previous repair. So I was thrilled to feel some weight.

Did you notice that he said he was digging tabs?

That is a unique ring for a Mason's ring - not one of the standard off-the-shelf varieties.

Great find Dan!  Congratulations on your first!

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The most recent blog poll has concluded and the results are in.  Nearly half of the respondents (47%) indicated that the primary reason they detect is simply because it is fun.  They enjoy it.  What more can you say?  I won't try to break it down to all of the elements that make it fun, but you never know what you might find.  There is always the element of possible surprise and discovery.  And it is nice just being out there on the beach or wherever.

Nearly as many (42%) indicated that uncovering or touching a piece of the past is their biggest reason for detecting.  I suspect that that number is so high because this blog is very much about the Treasure Coast where we have a lot of interesting history and that is what a lot of people shoot for here. 

The third biggest reason selected by this blog's readers is financial.  It was the third highest response but still only 5% selected improving their financial situation as the "biggest" reason for detecting.  Again, that number would probably be higher if the focus of this blog was not the Treasure Coast. 

Something valuable can always pop up and some people make that their primary objective and become quite good at it.  Beach detecting on the Treasure Coast is not the easiest place to be successful if you want to make a living from metal detecting even though it is one of the better places if you have a salvage lease, but it is still not easy. 

There was a time when I hunted to maximize financial gain.  I lived down South then and kept track of how I was doing.  I was between jobs for six months one time and during that time proved to myself that I could make a living at detecting if I had to.  It is not easy, and for me trying to maximize the dollar value took a lot of the fun out of detecting.  I like detecting more for fun rather than doing it as a profession, but if you need or want to and are willing to work really hard, it is possible if you are good at it.  Now I do it more as a hobby and have the freedom to do it at leisure.  I don't have to go for the maximum value in finds and can hunt the things and way that I like, even if it isn't the most profitable. 

The next most frequently selected response (selected by 2% of the sample)  was "intellectual curiosity."  Some people like to figure things out, solve problems and learn.  Of course that can be coupled with some of the other objectives, but it is the primary motivation for some.

Both "social enjoyment" and "helping others" was each selected by one person as the biggest reason they like detecting.  I'd bet that the person who selected "helping others" has enjoyed returning some nice finds to those that lost them.

Well, maybe you found it hard to select one answer out of all the alternatives, but over a hundred people managed to do so.   Here is what Robert H. said is his biggest motivation.  The next best or rare find. I'm really driven to find Spanish treasure. Big catches would be amazing also. So I guess there's lots to it and hard to just name one thing.

I'm sure a lot of us are out there hoping for that rare or big find and never know when it might happen.  I'm sure the suspense of it all is something that adds a lot to the hobby for all of us.  You never know what exciting thing might pop up or when it might happen.  Maybe it will be today or tomorrow, but if you keep at it long enough I'm sure you'll hit something that surprises and excites you.

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I hurt my back yesterday morning trying to recover a big heavy item.  I could barely move at all yesterday but am quickly getting better.  I wanted to remind you to be careful.  Various kinds of injuries can occur while detecting.  I've had a variety myself over the years.

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On the Treasure Coast we're not expecting around a two-foot surf for a few days yet.  We are finally getting some negative tides though.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/2/13 Report - December Treasure Coast Beach Metal Detecting Conditions & Reworked Poll

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

Treasure Coast Beach Near Low Tide Yesterday

Updated 2:00 PM.

I had to remove and fix the blog poll which was not working properly.  The poll was not accepting multiple responses as was intended.  Now it is.

I also changed some of the wording and responses.  I think the poll was improved by the changes.  We'll see.

It is always nice to have real data about what is being found.

I made some changes that I already had in mind.   It was evident to me that some people were not interpreting a couple of the responses the way I intended.  LB also made some suggestions.  I hope the poll is working properly now and will give us better data than the original version.

Sorry for any inconvenience, and thanks for your participation.

Still Near Low Tide.

Notice the shells on top of the cut.

That was from a while back when the water and shells were washing up over the cut.  The water hasn't been that high for a while.

There were some scattered shells down by the water line too, but most of the shell piles were now covered again.

Sand Bar at Front of Beach Near Low Tide.

Notice the flat sand in front of the beach.  The sand bar is now connected to the front of the beach.

Many of the shells which you could see a few days ago are now covered by sand again.

I would expect to be able to find some encrusted objects on the low flat beach.

Cobs would be hard to find now.  My T. C. beach conditions rating is definitely a 1 (poor) now.

We had a good November this year.  December is not starting out so well.

Now the predictions have nothing but a 3 foot or less surf for about a week, so hunting will remain poor.

I'll try to get the poll fixed and started again with some slight modifications.

I know these polls aren't perfect.  My doctoral dissertation involved constructing a poll (not on metal detecting) so I know a little about the problems with polls.  No poll is perfect.  There is always a matter of analysis and interpretation as well as problems with data collection, yet they do provide information.  And the ones I've been doing on metal detecting provide information that is not available anywhere else.  I'm glad to have it and exercise extreme caution when making interpretations.

As you recently saw, I also combine the results of multiple polls.

I only have X number of characters to phrase the poll, so that is limiting.  Part of the way I deal with that is to do additional polls to provide additional detail, as well as comparing the results of multiple polls.

Anyhow, as I said, I'll rework the last poll and fix the technical difficulty and start it over again.

That is it for now.  I might have more later.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net