4/3/20 Report - Alternatives to Metal Detecting. Putting Treasure Back. Hoard Uncovered. Seeking and Finding: The Necessity.

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

Tool - Possibly Paleo.

Photo submitted by JamminJack

4/4/20 correction: I originally described the above item as an archaic point, but JamminJack tells me it is close to six inches long so could be an axe or something else and may be paleo.  Also, it was found by Jack's buddy.


Some people have been doing other kinds of hunting since the beaches have been closed.  I received the following message from JamminJack.

I have been getting back into arrowhead hunting. The field was plowed last week, and was able to find two bags of flint and two archaic period points during one day visit.

Crockpot Shard.

Find and photo by JamminJack.

Today my buddy was already out and found the scraper (not shown) just as he was going back to his car. The scraper is close to 5 inches. 

Small Bottle.

Find and photo by JamminJack.

I found the ceramic crockpot piece and small bottle. Bottle about 2 inches...

Good signs for metal detecting too.  This is obviously a site that was populated or visited by different groups for quite a while.

I know I have that exact same bottle somewhere.

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Underwater archaeologists have returned 52 pre-Hispanic ritual objects to the place where they were found: the bed of one of the two crater lakes of the Nevado de Toluca volcano.

Members of the underwater archaeology team at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) deposited the mostly spherical and conical resin objects on the bed of the Lake of the Moon earlier this month.

The objects, believed to have been made by the Matlatzinca people between the 13th and 15th centuries and placed in the lake by pre-Hispanic priests, are stored in a specially-made container that allows water and sediment to flow over them. As a result, they are protected from deterioration.

The trove of objects is the first in situ underwater archaeological archive in Mexico, according to an INAH statement. The decision to preserve the objects in their place of origin complies with recommendations in the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/archaeological-objects-deposited-in-lake/

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While removing the floor of the church in Obišovce near Košice, the foundations of the old church were uncovered. After this discovery, the archaeological company Triglav conducted research that took place at the beginning of February 2020, the Regional Monuments Board Košice reported.

During this work, the archaeologists discovered a unique treasure trove of coins, kept in a ceramic mug and covered with a small stone slab, under the original stone floor close to the western entrance of the church.

The hoard consists of more than 500 coins, most of them mining salary plates. The silver coins were wrapped separately, probably in linen clothing. The coins date the treasure to 1702 at the earliest...


Here is the link for more about that.

https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22359500/archaeologists-unearth-treasure-in-obisovce.html

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Even when they don't yet see it, treasure hunter's know there is something good out there to be found.  Treasure hunter's by nature must be optimistic.  Not only do they believe that there is something good out there to be found, they also believe that it can be found, and they can do it.

You might have misinterpreted something I said.  It happens, but I never meant to imply that we should not take the threat seriously or that any individual should not be responsible in every action.  It is just the opposite.

I believe that men are not only created with inalienable rights, but they are also created with  minds capable of finding wonderful solutions.  Humans are creative.  That is how they have survived and thrived.

Yes there is evil - great evil, but eventually, through great vision, effort and hardship, mankind generally wins.  Innovators do not blindly accept authority.

You might call me an optimist.  I am a treasure hunter in some small way, although my seeking is not always limited to objects.  Sometimes my seeking is in the stars, or in the thought-ways of the mind.  I like astronomy, and I like thinking.

Some may think we will fail.  I think there is a better way.  I believe that there are ingenious solutions waiting to be found.  I believe in tirelessly seeking those solutions and, remaining open to alternatives ideas, always believing that we can do it, and knowing that we have not only survived in the past, but also improved.

I encourage striving and seeking the smarter and better way.  Thinking is the ultimate weapon.   We can not simply accept fear, sloth, inertia and blind dependence, but must always seek the better solution - the better way.

I seldom believe that what I am told or where I am is the end of the matter.  I  tend to believe that there is usually another and better way to be found, and I believe that it can be found, but only if we believe and strive.

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The Treasure Coast surf predictions have changed a little.  Now Sunday should see something like a 4 - 6 foot surf and Sunday, a 5 - 7 foot surf.   That isn't quite as much as was predicted a few days ago.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/8/19 Report - A Couple Beaches and A Couple Finds. College Inn Bottle.

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

Red Cross Blood Donor Pin Find.

I took a look at John Brooks and Frederick Douglass beaches late this morning.  Here is John Brooks.

John Brooks Beach Around 11 AM Sunday Morning.

For some reason the gates were still closed at 11 AM at John Brooks.  Frederick Douglass park was open though.

The beach at John Brooks looked very much like the beach at Frederick Douglass.

Frederick Douglass Beach Sunday Morning.

Neither beach had significant cuts.  There were a good number of shells up around the high tide line at both beaches.

Frederick Douglass Beach Sunday Morning.

There were still a good number of coins and other cheap jewelry on the Fort Pierce beaches.  I found the above Red Cross Blood Donor Pin at Fort Pierce.  It is only one half inch across.  At first I thought it must be a very small coins such as an Ore or Kopec.

I remember another type of Red Cross pin from when I was young.  It was more of a thin tin and had a tab that bent over to attach to your collar or lapel.

This one evidently had a straight pin at one time.

Back of Same Red Cross Blood Donor Pin.

I have no idea what the "A" means or the age of the pin.

Coins and a few bits of cheap jewelry were found this morning.

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A day or two ago I showed a College Inn bottle found by Joe D. and discussed some possibilities.

Jorge Y. sent this photo of a College Inn bottle he found online.

College Inn Bottle with Label.

Submitted by Jorge Y.

This bottle has the same kind of "College Inn" embossing as the bottle submitted by Joe D., so I'm assuming that it comes from the same company, but I think they probably held different things.

Thanks Jorge.

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Yesterday I was talking about how different beaches give up different kinds of finds.  Besides the different kinds of finds you can also get some clues about where certain items came from by the type of encrustation or corrosion.

I always like the gun metal blue patina on old silver coins from the cold fresh water lake of Minneapolis, for example.

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Button With Red Cut Stone Found Today.

Here is another item I found today.  Looks like it  would be from Marie Antoinette's treasure.  Just joking.

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The surf is going to increase a little through the week but not much.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/22/19 Report - Corroded Silver Coin. Old Bottle Finds. Dates For Artifacts. Weather System Developing.

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

Corroded Silver.

Can you identify the coin in picture above?

I think it is interesting how the corrosion causes different patterns on the silver.

If you could not tell what the one above is, can you tell from the picture below?

Same Object Shown Above.

The second photo is the same, with the same magnification, same lighting and everything, except it is more out of focus.

It is a silver Roosevelt dime.

I thought it might actually be a little easier to identify the Roosevelt profile in the out-of-focus photo.


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The first old bottles I ever found at the beach were found after Hurricane Andrew in South Florida.  I was digging old coins when I noticed what looked like an old bottle in the surf.  The coins I were finding were old but were in terrible condition.  I decided to start collecting the old bottles.  I found a plastic bag on the beach and started collecting the bottles.

 One of the very first that I found was an embossed Gordon's Dry Gin bottle like the one shown here.

This is one I found not long ago.  Since the first one that I found, I've found a few similar bottles.  One was found recently.

Two Very Similar Gordon's Dry Gin Bottles.

I've found several now.  Only the first was found down south.  The others were found on the Treasure Coast.

They all have the wolf's head symbol on the bottom (below).

Bottom of Gordon's Dry Gin Bottle.

These are not very rare bottles.  As I said, I've found a few, and you can find them online.  It didn't take much research to find an age for the bottle.

They also have a number on the back.  The number is 610617.

No. On One Side of Same Bottle.

It didn't take much research to find an age.  The BayBottles.com web site (link below) says that number means the bottle dates to 1912 -1913.

Interestingly, Miami-Dade County voted itself dry in 1913.

The lips on the bottles are different.

Lips On Same Two Bottles.

The lip on the greener bottle looks more crudely made.  The lip of that one is applied over the neck, which makes a more narrow opening.

That would make me think the bottles might be of different ages.

The initial Gordon’s Distillery dates back to 1769 in London and they began making a form of dry gin sometime after the advent of continuous distillation in the 1830’s.

Gordon & Company merged with Tanqueray  in 1898 and it was around this time  that listings for Gordon Dry Gin began to appear in U.S. newspaper advertisements. The first mention that I could find in a New York City newspaper were several advertisements for Macy’s, who listed Gordons Gin under the heading “Fine Wines for Medicinal Use.”

See https://baybottles.com/2016/11/07/gordons-dry-gin-london-england-regd-610617/

Also https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2015/02/gordons-gin-a-brand-history/

---

When you talk about the date of an object, exactly what is the date of interest?  Do you want to know when the item was made, or when it was being used, or the date it was lost?  Maybe the date of interest is the date of an associated event, such as a battle or the sinking of a ship.

One thing that can be forgotten is that items, especially older items, were often used for long periods of time and might have been repaired or repurposed and reused for centuries.  An old tea kettle, for example, could be repaired many times with additional copper and rivets and then finally the copper turned into points, decorations or any of a variety of things and used again and again in different forms. I have a book that shows many dug artifacts that were manufactured out of the copper of old tea pots.  The life cycle of old objects could be very long, especially when you consider how the items were repurposed and the parts reused.

I once found a ;penny bearing the date 1909.  The penny appeared to show almost no circulation wear, but had a few big scratches.  It was found at the site of an old house that had just been demolished, not far from the corner of the house. The date on the penny was the same year that the house was built.  I wondered if it might have been placed with the laying of the cornerstone for good luck.  That was  not an uncommon practice.

Being marked with a date, coins can provide good reference points, however the date marked on the coin is the year it was made, which can differ very significantly from the the dates it was used or the date it was lost.  Very old coins can be lost after being safely stored for decades or centuries.

In this case the date of the penny matched the date the house was built.  I knew the date the house was built from my research.   Were the matching dates significant or just coincidence?  That question remains.

When we talk of salvaged shipwreck items we might be interested in the age of the item (when it was made), but just as often, I think we are interested in the date of the wrecking, especially when you have no better information about the date of the item.

In summary, when I attempt to determine the date of an item, there might actually be several dates of interest. I might be most interested in the date of manufacture, the date or time period when the item was in use, the date when it was lost, or the date of some important event associated with the item.

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I added the GORDON'S DRY GIN bottles to my TGBottleBarn.blogspot.com site and added an archive gadget to make it easier to find old posts about other bottles.


Expect another week of small surf.

There is a weather system southeast of Miami that could develop.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/10/19 Report - Local Artist Creates With Dug Items. Prussian Button. Megalodon Tooth(?). Lil Squirt Soda ACL.

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

Terri Martin With Creations.

Source: Portfolio-VeroBeach.com

An artist featured in Portfolio-VeroBeach.com created art using metal dug by a local detectorists.  That detectorist is Dan B., and the artist is Terri Martin.

Here is the email I received from Dan.

I mentioned briefly in a past email about donating some metal detecting finds to a friend. I have been sorting through my bins and have avoided scrapping metal due to the flat tires that I was getting at the scrap yard. I sorted out my remaining metal that I had no use for and gave it to a local artist named Terri Martin. I was delighted to see that she created an attractive piece with mostly things that were buried just a few years ago. I had already seen the piece of art, but today I saw a write up on her in the Vero Beach Portfolio magazine and I felt like sharing it with you. I can look at the piece she is holding and remember where I found nearly all of those things and their individual patinas. I haven’t had the chance to tell her personally, but I was really impressed with her style and how well it turned out. I would like the local readers to know that she is always looking for metal trinkets. If they wish to contact the blog, maybe you could provide them with her phone number or email information.

The magazine article is online at www.portfolio-verobeach.com There is no way to link the exact page due to their website layout, just wanted to share.

Sure, I'll do that.  

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Here is the mystery button I posted yesterday. 

Mitch King says it is from the Prussian German Army, dating from 1870 to 1914.  

Thanks again Mitch.

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It may be necessary to add another large nation of Native Americans to the list of peoples wiped out by the rapacious Spanish conquistadors after they arrived in the Americas. The location of the lost city of Etzanoa, found recently in Kansas, mystified historians for 400 years.

When the conquistadors arrived in the New World they wiped out civilizations and/or cultures, including the Arawaks (Taino) in the Caribbean, Peru’s Incas, Central America’s Aztecs and Maya, and populations along what became the Mexico-U.S. border.

The city of Etzanoa was described in historical documents but its whereabouts were unknown until an archaeologist with Wichita State University in the state of Kansas started digging in recent years...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/possibly-decimated-conquistadors-400-years-ago-has-lost-city-etzanoa-021342

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I posted a few unidentified fossil teeth the other day and haven't received any responses from readers yet.  I think the shark tooth is a megalodon.

Here is how AquaExplorers says you can tell the difference between Great White and Megalodon teeth.

And here is the link.

http://www.aauaexpl\orers.com/fossil_shark_teeth_diving.htm:.XSPFhndFxYc

Great White and Megalodon teeth are very similar.  The most evident distinguishing characteristic is the separation between the top of the tooth and the main body of the tooth.  Notice the black area that separates the top from the main body of the Megalodon tooth.  You don't see that on the Great White tooth.


I miss Fred Dengler.  He used to answer all my fossil questions.  Don't know what happened to Fred.  Hope he is well.

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Here is an ACL bottle I found.  It probably dates to the mid 50s.  Usually the paint is gone or badly faded.  This one isn't too bad.

Squirt is a carbonated grapefruit drink created by Herb Bishop in 1938. Bishop’s intention was to make a soft drink that required less fruit and sugar than other sodas, due to the Great Depression. He started with a soft drink by the name of Citrus Club that was bottled in Phoenix, Arizona (which was quite popular in that part of the country).

Bishop’s experimentation resulted in a soft drink made from grapefruit juice and sugar that he believed to be the freshest tasting soft drink available on the market. He thought it tasted like a slice of grapefruit exploding in the mouth, so he called it “Squirt”.

In 1941, Bishop and his partner, Ed Mehren, created a character called “Little Squirt” to use in the marketing of their soft drink. The little tike encouraged people to “Drink Squirt”. He caught on right away with the consumers and sales increased.

The soft drink did well through WWII, because of its reduced sugar content, and in the 1950s, Squirt became a popular drink mixer. By the mid-1970s, Squirt was sold in Central and South America...

I believe it is still sold today.

Lil Squirt.

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There were over 1200 page views on this blog yesterday.

After the United States, the country with the most readers is Russia.  Don't know why that is.

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There is some weather that could form into a cyclone, but the chances at this point are slim.

Expect more of the same beach conditions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/21/19 Report - Ordnance on Beach. Mystery Item Identified. Checking Dug Pennies. Coastal Flooding. Mystery Jar.

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

Ordnance Found on North Carolina Beach.

A lady in North Carolina found an unusual item (above) at the beach, which she took home to put in her garden.  It began smoking.  Police identified the item as some kind of white phosphorous military ordnance.

Here is the link.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/north-carolina-military-ordnance-beach-garden-police

I don't know what she found attractive about it, but it is a reminder to be careful what you pick up at the beach.

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Speaking of ordnance, the last two mystery items were shot down like ducks in a shooting gallery.  It seems they were identified within minutes of being posted.

Mitch King was first again, identifying yesterday's mystery item as a shot bullet.  He sent these pictures.

Hollow Point Bullets

Scott B., with his military and law enforcement background, quickly followed describing the item as a fired hollow point bullet.

Thanks guys!

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I came across a container of pennies that I hadn't looked at in many years, and I know I didn't look a them well.  Probably I only looked for old dates or unusual coins, so I decided to look for the better ones to see if there might be any error coins.  Some of them were in very nice conditions while others were totally destroyed.

Here are a couple examples.  There were both worse and better coins.

Corroded Penny.

Not Perfect but Nice.

The varying patinas always amaze me.  There was bright red to black and silver colors.

No valuable coins were found, but there were a couple keepers.

Most will be rolled and exchanged.

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After three years of brutal flooding and hurricanes in the United States, there is growing consensus among policymakers and scientists that coastal areas will require significant spending to ride out future storms and rising sea levels — not in decades, but now and in the very near future. There is also a growing realization that some communities, even sizable ones, will be left behind.

Total cost of adding sea walls

1. Jacksonville, Fla.$3.5 billion

2. New York City$2.0 billion

3. Virginia Beach$1.7 billion

4. Galveston, Tex.$1.1 billion

5. Charleston, S.C.$1.0 billion

6. Tampa, Fla.$938.4 million

7. Barnstable Town, Mass.$889.2 million

8. Corpus Christi, Tex.$861.1 million

9. St. Petersburg, Fla.$751.4 million

10. New Orleans$725.1 million

Here is the link.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/climate/seawalls-cities-cost-climate-change.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

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I found the 14 inch tall jar shown on the left below.  I've been thinking it might be for motor oil.  It reads CAPACITY 64 OUNCES AT THE RIM.    A much prettier Tiolene Motor Oil Jar is shown on the right.

Can anyone identify the jar on the left?

14 Inch Tall Found Jar on Left.  Tiolene Oil Jar on the Right.

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No change in beach conditions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/20/19 Report - Sacred Heart Imagery and Cobs. Mystery Object. Sharing and Passing on Finds. Shoe Polish Bottles.

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

Here is a mystery find from John C.  As you can see it is only an inch or so across.  He says the center appears to be copper.

What do you think?

[ UPDATE:  This one has been solved.  Will have that for you tomorrow.]


===

Sacred Heart Image.

There is a good chance that you've found a pendant or item bearing the image of the Sacred Heart.

Here is an article on its symbolism and meaning.

https://aleteia.org/2018/06/08/explaining-the-strange-symbolism-of-the-sacred-heart/


I've addressed the issue of heart-shaped cobs to some extent before.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/11/11515-report-more-on-heart-shaped-cobs.html

And I posted Laura Strolia's excellent research on the sacred heart as it applies to heart-shaped cobs.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/11/11x15-report-dug-silver-christ-figure.html

===

I have often talked about labeling and storing your finds.  It is easy to forget the details over the decades, and someday you might want to pass the items on to someone else who will appreciate them as much as you did.  In that case it will be helpful to have the information to pass along with the items.

Maybe one of your children or a relative or friend has a special interest in some of your finds.  Share what you know and what you have learned about your finds.  Share the joy and passion with people who appreciate your finds.

We all know that you can't take it with you. so you might want to leave special items to those who appreciate them.

As you probably know, a young adult member of my family passed quickly and unexpectedly away about three weeks ago, and the process of taking care of the estate has barely gotten underway.  The person that passed didn't have very much at all.  He didn't have a house of his own or hardly any possessions, unlike many detectorists who have put together nice collections over the years.  He had very little money, yet the government requires those who are in mourning to take care of the distribution of the estate, whether it is big or very small.  Just because you don't have much, doesn't mean it will be easy.

One of the best things you can do if you have a checking account or any kind of financial account is make sure you have a beneficiary or beneficiaries designated.  That can make things easier.

If you want your cherished finds to go to a good home, get a proper will made by a good attorney in your state or residence.  We all know that there are some people who will appreciate old coins, arrow heads, old bottles, or artifacts, and there are some who know nothing about them and who will throw valuable or cherished items in the garbage.  In Florida, if you have a will, it is easy enough to specify who you want to get your favorite items, but you do have list them and specify who you want to get them.  The list will go along with the will.

A minimal funeral can cost thousands of dollars.  You might want to provide for that so your loved ones don't have to deal with the details and expenses while mourning your loss.

I know that people don't usually want to think about it, but you might also want to determine who gets your favorite finds.  It is better to deal with it when you don't really have to.

Most of all, enjoy your finds today and share the information and joy that you got from them.

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If you old enough you probably remember shining your shoes with Esquire shoe polish.  I remember doing it before church every Sunday.

I've been organizing my bottle finds and photographing them.  I've been doing mostly the more common and less valuable ones first.  

Here are a couple Esquire shoe polish bottles.

Esquire Shoe Polish Bottle.

I don't usually keep the screw top bottles, but some are so nicely embossed that I do keep them.

There would have been a cap with an attached dobber to apply the polish.

Below is the type that I remember using.

Esquire Shoe Polish Bottle

Front and Bottom.

Bottom of Same Esquire Bottle.

to search

From Wikipedia -

During the Great Depression Sam and Albert Abrams, chemists and entrepreneurs from Brooklyn, took over an ailing boot polish maker, the Knomark Manufacturing Company of Williamsburgh, Brooklyn.  In 1938 they purchased the Esquire brand.  After a saturation advertising campaign in 1944, the company became the best selling shoe polish manufacturer in the US... In the late 1950s, they sold the Esquire brand and the 1914-built Esquire Building on 330 Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn. In 1957, Revlon acquired the Esquire brand which made annual sales of 15 million dollars. Revlon sold the Esquire shoe polish brand and other Esquire product brands in 1969...

You can see "KNOMARK INC." on the top of the bottom, but it is in the dark area.

I like the older bottle barrel shaped bottle much more then the more recent bottom one.

I'm adding some of these to my TGBottleBarn.blogspot.com web site.

Funny how you can find local history laying around everywhere.

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No change in beach conditions.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net