6/19/20 Report - Metal Detecting Hobby Makes Contributions to Archaeology. Digging Gold Mining Camp. Old Postcard Treasure.

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

Viking Era Coin Found by Detectorist.

Source: See news.err.ee link below.

Another archaeological find has been made on the island of Saaremaa, just weeks after a major haul including a 1,700-year-old gold bracelet came to light.

The recent find dates from a later era, the viking period, ERR's online news in Estonian reports, and includes a large number of silver coins, according to both the Heritage Protection Board (Muinsuskaitseamet) and Saaremaa Museum.

As with the earlier treasure trove, the latest find was the work of a metal detector hobbyist, who, in line with Estonian law, informed the authorities.

"We are grateful for the licensed hobby detector, who reported the findings to the Heritage Protection Board, which can now preserve some of the crucial history of Saaremaa," Saaremaa Museum stated on its social media page...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://news.err.ee/988737/another-saaremaa-archaeological-haul-includes-viking-era-silver-coins

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Postcard Postmarked June 10, 1875.

This post card is postmarked June 10, 1875. It was written to Thomas Gillespie of Stephenstown, Ohio, by Charles Louis Loos, who was a noted professor of ancient languages at Bethany College. I've been to Bethany, which was not far from West Liberty University (formed in 1837) where I once taught. The town of West Liberty was named in the late 18th Century as the westernmost point of the new liberty provided through the Declaration of Independence.

Source: Wikipedia.

Back of Same Postcard.

Notice the signature from the Wikipedia site and the postcard- very good match.

The one cent that it cost to send this postcard in 1875 would be roughly equivalent to 20 cents today.  Not bad.

To me this is an interesting piece of history that found its way to me.  I enjoy ephemera as much as any type of treasure.  Unfortunately you can't find it on the beach, but I've found a lot of it.  

You can learn a lot of history from old books and postcards.  I especially enjoyed this postcard because I was able to research the person and already knew about the places.  It bears the handwriting of a famous and historic person.  

Reading old script isn't easy, but with some difficulty I was able to make it out.  Whether you are trying to decipher documents from the Spanish archives or something else, reading old script in any language can be a challenge.

I have a lot of old books and postcards.  A good number of the books I puchased at thrift stores years ago for one dollar a piece, but a lot of the old books and postcards just found their way to me.  I guess it was just because I appreciated them.

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Here is a link to an article about digging through the remains of a old Chinese gold mining town.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/gold-rush-garbage-mined-to-unearth-history-of-chinese-miners-in-b-c-1.5595906

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Trivia question -  What language is aare the word for treasure?  Hint: the Finnish word aarre is very similar.   You'll find the answer in a June 2019 post.

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It looks like the Treasure Coast will have a week or more of one or two foot surf.  The tides aren't big either, and there are no tropical storms to pay attention to now.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/14/19 Report - Great Coin Collection Dug Up. Kang Hsi Porcelain. Surf Worth Watching.

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

Source: CoinWorld (See link below.)

An eight-coin 1876 Proof set containing silver and minor coinage, buried by its owner in the backyard of his Chicago home more than two decades ago, was brought for authentication and grading April 27 to the Central States Numismatic Society convention in Schaumburg, Illinois, by the late owner’s son...

The unusual story has a tragic element. The late collector, who died in 1994 at age 84, suffered with Alzheimer’s disease the last five years of his life, according to his son. The son said there’s a possibility that his father may have buried his entire extensive collection of United States coins. The coins, which have been off the market for more than 50 years, were primarily silver and gold issues...

The son said he has purchased a metal detector to help better pinpoint where else on his father’s property other coins may have been buried.

The son said his father told him some time before his death that, if something happened to him, to be sure to look under the home’s front porch. After his father passed, the son said, he did just that, and discovered three metal coffee cans housing Morgan silver dollars that were also wrapped in plastic bags. Although he has never executed a complete inventory of his discoveries to date, he said there are examples of Morgan dollars from the Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans and Carson City Mints...

Here is the link.

https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2018/05/family-finds-1876-proof-set-buried-in-yard.all.html


When I post stories like this, there is always something to learn from it. These kinds of stories generally tell you where things were discovered and how. That is something to remember for your own hunts.

It seems it is not highly unusual to bury valuables in the back yard or under a porch.

I've seen some porches that I'd love to get under, especially at commercial locations where there have been millions of people and there are spaces for things to fall into.

I still remember the first time I detected under a walkover at Hollywood beach and found a good bunch of coins.  It was exciting.  I hadn't been detecting very long at the time.

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Not all treasure is made of silver or gold.  There are treasures that are not even metal.  One thing you can find on the Treasure Coast is fine Chinese porcelain that was being carried on the 1715 Fleet.  I've mentioned it before and you are probably aware of Kang Hsi or Kangxi (spelled various ways) porcelain.  On the beach you will usually find only a small piece but there are cases when intact cups, plates or other porcelain items have been found.  Those can be quite valuable.  The small pieces are often mounted in silver or gold jewelry.  The Kang Hsi item shown immediately below is offered by Sothebys is offered with an estimated price of 6 to 8000 dollars.

Source: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2019/kangxi-the-jie-rui-tang-collection-part-ii-n10031/lot.301.html

Unless you have studied, it can be difficult to identify Kang Hsi porcelain from a lot of other pottery.  Kang Hsi is often blue and white, and that is also a common color of a lot of old but less valuable pottery.  I've done posts on how to tell the difference.

See https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2013/12/122913-report-1715-fleet-kang-hsi.html

In the past I've also posted photos of pieces that were found on the Treasure Coast.

Here is a link to a Sothebys auction of  Kang Hsi porcelain.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2014/kangxi-porcelain-n09110/kangxi-porcelain/2014/02/kangxi-porcelain-a-.html

That will give you a good idea of possible values.

And here is a Kang His teapot that was found on a shipwreck, although the site doesn't say which wreck.

https://orientalceramics.com/index.php/product/a-yongzheng-porcelain-teapot-from-the-ca-mau-cargo/

They are not always marked, but if you are lucky enough to find a mark, this site that shows the Kang Hsi marks might come in handy.

https://antique-marks.com/kangxi-chinese-porclain.html

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

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It looks like we could get some good surf next week.  The forecast surf has increased to 4 - 7 feet now.  It will probably change some in the next few days.  It could get either bigger or smaller.  It is something to watch though.

In the mean time, we're getting some decent southish winds.  There are a few beaches that sometimes improve with south winds.

The tides are pretty flat.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/8/14 Report - Drone Used to Discover Archaeological Site, Treasure Coast Beach Conditions & NOT 1715 Fleet Kang Xsi

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

Below is a picture of the beach at Pepper Park in the morning.  I finally managed to get a video uploaded into blogger.  It wasn't quick though.  Maybe I'll be able to do more videos now.

NOTE:  It appears that there may be some problem with the video.  It seemed to work when I first put it on, but now it seems that it is not always loading for some reason.

That doesn't look very promising.  You could tell that the dry sand had been kicked up by plenty of beach goers though.   I didn't bother detecting there. 

That beach usually gets covered well during the winter by snowbirds who park their trailers there.


A drone equipped with an thermal camera was able to find signs of a 1000 year old village in New Mexico.

Here is the link to that article.

http://westerndigs.org/hidden-architecture-of-1000-year-old-village-discovered-in-new-mexico/

There are a lot of new techniques these days. 

Have you heard about the Pocket Drone.

It is a small drone that can be folded up into a small package and then opened for use.  It costs less than $1000 and can be equipped with a good camera.  

Pocket Drone.

Quite a few have already been sold to hobbyists and people who want to get another angle for their photos.

My concern is how stable it would be on a breezy day on the coast.

I saw the creators showing it on the business channel.

Here is a link for more information.


https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/airdroids/the-pocket-drone-your-personal-flying-robot


Yesterday or the day before I showed an ancient Chinese "chicken cup" which is expected to sell for millions.  I showed it because it was an example of fine ancient Chinese porcelain. 

In the Sedwick auction they have a couple pieces of Chinese porcelain.  This one

The upper estimation on this one is $375.

The graphics on this one didn't appeal to me when I first looked at it and didn't look like the K'angxi I've seen from the Treasure Coast.

It does have a couple of the typical characteristics.  The shade of blue is similar and it is a nice thin and very white piece of porcelain.

This piece was once evidently confused as being from the 1715 Fleet, but when I saw it, the graphics were definitely not like what I had seen of 1715 Fleet Kangxi.  It just didn't look like what I had seen.  And I didn't find it as appealing.

It is still very different from the more common domestic 18th century pieces you will see.

I was pleased that my opinion of the piece had some basis and that I was able to recognize the difference.

Here is the auction description.

Small, blue-on-white Chinese porcelain teacup, K'angxi period, ex-Ullian. 44 grams, 1-3/4" tall and 2-1/4" in diameter. Completely intact, with some glaze remaining, traces of red overglaze too, simple exterior design of three cloud-like panels with diagonal stripes. With original Real Eight Co. certificate signed by Lou Ullian, which says this cup was "recovered in 1963 by the Real 8 Co. from the Almiranta of the 1715 Fleet. It was one of 11 small cups found." Recovered from: Spanish 1715 Fleet, east coast of Florida. UPDATE: It has come to our attention that this piece was actually recovered from a suspected pirate wreck of the 1720s-30s in the Red Sea during an archeological expedition in the 1970s. The pattern on this cup is distinctive for the Chinese market and would not have ended up on the 1715 Fleet. The salvager subsequently sold it to Ullian, and we surmise that it simply got confused in Lou's estate.

So this piece was not from the 1715 Fleet.  I am totally surprised that my gut reaction actually had some basis.


The best way to learn to identify items is to look at many examples, preferably in person.


On the Treasure Coast we still don't have good detecting conditions.  Take a look at the video.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net