5/28/20 Report - People Paying Well For Treasure. Gold Pancake. Lima 8-Escudos. Ducatoons. Hope.

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

The first day of bidding in the current Sedwick treasure auction has concluded and the bidding was exciting.  A very high percent of the lots closed higher than the high end of the auction estimates. 

One of the first day over-achievers was lot 55 - described as a round gold pancake (below).

Here is the lot description.

Small, round gold "pancake," 11.94 grams, ex-Espadarte (1558), with Sotheby's catalog. About 3/4" in diameter and 1/8" thick. Cute little droplet of gold with no markings but some areas of encrustation, one side covered with the original sticker from the salvagers, scarce provenance. From the Espadarte (1558), with certificate #1035 from the salvagers, and pedigreed to our Auction #3, with original lot tag #58, also with catalog of the Christie's (Amsterdam) "Fort San Sebastian Wreck" auction of May 2004.

The docementation and provenance undoubtedly had a lot to do with the price that was realize.

The auction estimate was $400 - $600, but the item sold for $3332.00, which includes the buyer's premium. That is four or five times the auction estimate.

Among the lots that brought high bids were a couple of early 1700s Lima 8-escudos.  Two different escudos went for $38,675, (including the premium).  One had an auction estimate of $17,500 - $25,000 and the other had an auction estimate of 20,000 - 40000.

One lot that caught my attention when I first looked at the auction listings was lot 270 - a neat clump including a couple ducatoons.  That lot is described below.

That was another lot that sold for several times the high end of the auction estimate.  Actually it was nearly six times the auction estimate.

The economic shutdown didn't seem to hurt the auction results.

World coins and paper money lots will be auctioned today.

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Douglas sent in a good tip.  Do a search of RPPC or real photo post cards on eBay or places like that.  You might add Florida as a keyword to your search.  Douglas sent this link to hippostcard.com for example.  You'll find some interesting views.

Here is an example.

https://www.hippostcard.com/category/florida/12186/?keywords=Real+OR+RPPC&sort=default&listing_type=product&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Postcards%2020200523-5878

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Yesterday was an inspiring day for me.  I managed to catch some of the coverage of the SpaceX launch.  It was on at least one TV channel.

The launch was postponed, but if you watched the coverage leading up to launch time, you saw the excitement of past astronauts and some of their family members as they talked about how important it was for the country to get back into the space race.  They said it represented a new era in space exploration for this country.  We have been paying the Russians big money to give our astronauts a ride.  That is embarrassing.  A small private company, much smaller than companies like Boeing, managed to attack a problem and come up with a new improved solution, and they did it more quickly and inexpensively than was thought possible.  There is always a better way waiting to be found.

The launch represents the huge creative talent of the human spirit.  It shows what people can do when they are propelled by their dreams more than their fears.

There are dreamers and there are haters.  There are those who give hope, and even those who hope against success.

Yes, there is risk.  That risk was acknowledged and confronted.  There are those willing to take the risk of sitting on the tip of a bomb because their sight is set on what is above.  Success is not guaranteed, but if not this time, eventually it will come - as long as there are people with hope.

Some channels didn't even cover the launch.  It seemed like they wanted no part of anything positive.

I hope you are not wondering what this has to do with treasure hunting.  It is treasure hunting.  It is about facing fears and overcoming problems.  It is about technology and innovation.  It is about accomplishing more than was thought possible.  But most importantly, it is about the human spirit and the treasures that await.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

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Today the surf will be about two feet and tomorrow just a touch higher.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

11/18/19 Report - Some Miscellaneous Finds and Some Info on Musket Balls and Related Things. Treasure Coast Surf Peaked Out.

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

Clump With Wood and Extricated Spike

'

This is a clump that I found yesterday.  I removed some of the junk and got the spike uncovered and cleaned off.  Don't know what else  might be in there, but it looks like there is at least part of a bigger spike.

Below is an odd find that is now falling apart.  Anybody have any ideas of what it might be?  

Unidentified Iron Object.

It is long (about ten and a half inches) very thin most of the way.   What I would think is the top is bulbous.

Here is a closer look at the top.

Closer View of Bulbous End.

Any and all thoughts will be appreciated.

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Yesterday instead of giving my answer to DJ's question about why some of his musket balls were cut in sections, I asked what you thought.   It was good that I asked for other opinions before giving my answer because the readers of this blog provided some very interesting answers.

Here what Glen S. said.

Musket balls were sometimes scored partially through so that when they were fired they would come apart and have a sort of "shot" effect. They were called "dum dums". Split shot was also made by casting two separate halves of the ball with a wire connecting them together and these would have a bola effect. There is a great book detailing all the weapons used by the Spanish called Small Arms of the Treasure Fleets which is a great resource for those wishing to identify their finds.

And William K. said,

Here is some info on the "musket balls" that were found. My guess would be that they are part of a packet of canister shot commonly used at the time. I'm pretty sure that they would prefer more rounded balls for muskets but irregular shot like those shown would work just fine in a cannon. 

William provided this Wikipedia link.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapeshot

And in a similar vein, Brian B. gave me a link to a YouTube video made at a Civil War relic show.  Near the end of the video a hollow cannon ball was shown and it was explained how smaller lead shot would be put into the cannon ball.

Here is that link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmx1YIBuPbY

Thanks for the responses Brian, Glen and William.

Concerning those little thin flat pieces of lead that I found a few days ago, the first thing I thought of was how lead was sometimes used to make a sleave or holder to hold a musket flint.  But I doubt that is what these ones were.  Then I thought of many other uses for lead.  Being so malleable it had a lot of uses in the days when you couldn't run out to a hardware store and pick up whatever you might want.

My pieces appeared to be hammered thin, but they were so beat up and irregular that I can't say anything specific about them with any degree of confidence.   It could be they were just left over odd bits.

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Looks like the surf will be decreasing later today and for the rest of the week.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/29/19 Report - Beach Conditions and Cuts On The Treasure Coast. A Few Finds. Decreasing Surf.

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

Treasure Coast Beach Cut Friday Morning.

Yesterday I struck out.  I spent more time driving than detecting and dug practically nothing.  This morning was different.  I enjoyed myself and made some interesting observations.

There was a number of targets down close to the water line at low tide.  Many were just discolored clad coins, some sinkers and fishing equipment, but also a few more interesting pieces.

The cut shown above was not close to any of the beach accesses.  I had to walk a way to find it. 

John Brooks Beach Friday Morning.

Like everywhere today, the water had been up and way over the berm.  You can see how mush the slope was if you look at the depth of the tire tracks.

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

Frederick Douglas Beach Looked very much like John Brooks.  You can see from the picture below how far back the water had been.

Frederick Douglass Beach Friday Morning.

Water Running Over Sand Bar and Back Out.

I started to put together a post on how sand and objects move on a beach, including some things that I've recently learned to better understand, and I saw a very interesting thing happening in the shallow water today.  I tried several times to capture it on video, but manage to capture it.

There is a sand hump in front of the beach.  At low tide there is a little trough in the swash zone.  The water would come in, and then as it ran back out, made a nicely formed wave reaching at least a foot in height that would collide with the water coming in over the hump.  The collision of the incoming and outgoing wave was pretty good.  I really wish I was able to get it on video.

Iron Clump and Clad Quarters Found.

Besides the iron clump and clad coins, I also found a couple old flat buttons and a square nail, and a piece of a large bronze pin.

Flat Buttons and Square Nail.

I was enjoying today because I got to do what I call "pattern hunting" and could have easily hunted a couple more hours but I had other responsibilities to tend to so had to cut it short.

I think I might be able to make out the marks on the back of these buttons.

The surf will be decreasing for a few days.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Even though we had some good north winds, the swells were predominantly from the east.

Really wish I was able to catch the returning waves on video.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/15/15 Report - Todays Beach Conditions. Getting To Know A New Detector. A Few Notes On Buying A Detector.

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

Two Treasure Coast Beach Views This Morning Near Low Tide.

 

 

As you can see from the top picture the North winds caused some fresh cutting.  Not much though.

 

I went out to test out a new detector.  It took me a little while to get the settings how I wanted them, but not too long.

 

I only spent a little over two hours with this detector, so am far from mastering it.  I was pleased with the performance even though I need to spend a lot more time and learn a lot more about it.

 

One thing that was difficult for me this morning was interpreting the signals.  With detectors that I have used a lot, I know what they are telling me.   Not nearly as much with this detector.  That will take a little time.

 

It is known as a "heavy" detector, and when you pick it up you can feel that it is indeed heavy, but it didn't swing heavy.  In actual use it didn't feel any heavier than what I have been using.

 

It always takes me a while to feel comfortable with a detector that I haven't used a lot.  Testing with test objects helps. 

 

I took coins and gold for test purposes.  The response to both seemed good.

 

There are a lot of good detectors to choose from.  I know there are people who will swear that one particular detector is the best.   I think there is always more than one good choice.

 

A lot of people want advice on what detector they should buy.  I can't answer that question.  I believe that the choice of detector is a highly personal one.   It depends upon so many factors.  It depends upon where you hunt and what you want to find.  Most people know that.  But it also depends upon how you hunt, your personality, and even your arsenal.  

 

By arsenal I mean what other detectors you have or use.  Different detectors will serve well for different hunts and even different stages of a hunt.  I've talked about all of that before.

 

I might start out detecting a site using one detector and then follow up with one or two other detectors.  

 

If you are just trying out detecting, I'd suggest that you select an inexpensive and easy to use detector.  Some inexpensive detectors perform very well for the price.  I've gone over that before using one particular example. 

 

If you stick with the hobby and decide you want to invest in a more expensive detector, the first detector will still be a nice backup, plus you'll probably find that it does certain things very well, and is worth keeping around.

 

For beginners I highly recommend visiting a shop where you can get a demonstration of any detector that you might consider.  Not only will that help you understand what to expect from that detector but it will also help shorten the learning curve.

 

Even if you are an advanced detectorist, it is still good to personally see a detector in operation before you lay down the money.  Take test targets with you.  I don't care how deep a detector will detect clad coins unless that is what I want to find.  Take small gold test targets or small cobs if that is what you want to find. 

 

You can read all the literature you can find and watch all the Youtube videos, but once you start actually using a new detector, it is likely that new questions will come up.  Of course, you can settle most of those by actual experimentation, but you want to learn all you can before you make your choice and commit to a particular detector.

 

That isn't what I started out to talk about today.  I'll get back to that some other day.

 

 

Copper and Encrusted Coin Found This Morning.



The first coin I found with the detector I was testing was a deep and heavily encrusted coin (See above.)  Just a penny though.  I think it was the most encrusted coin I ever found.  The crust was almost round and almost the size of a golf ball.   Most of it was removed before I could see any of the coin and before the photo was taken.

 

Another find from this morning was in a clump of rock. It seems to be a point, but not like a point from a blade.  It is triangular in shape.  You can see that in the second photo.

 

That was in a big clump about the size of two large fists.

We still have a North wind and will have the same tomorrow.  Too bad there isn't a bigger surf.

Beach detecting conditions will remain poor overall.

Happy hunting,
TreaureGuide@Comcast.net



9/5/14 Report - Gold Cob Found By Salvage Crew On Treasure Coast! Fascinating Clump of Artifacts Too. How Objects Sink In Dry Sand.

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

Gold Treasure Coast Shipwreck Coin
Photos submitted by Captain Jonah Martinez

The past few days I've given a lot of information on how objects sink on the beach, and I'm far from done with that.  I've only addressed a few factors so far and will continue with that topic in the future.

Today I wanted to take a bit of a break from that and show you some finds to drool over.  The finds were made by the crews working the shipwrecks off of the Treasure Coast.   Thanks to Captain Jonah Martinez for sending the pictures.

First, here is a gold coin they found.  Although this gold coin sure is pretty, they found a silver coin that actually might be much more rare.

I'm no expert on Spanish shipwreck coins - far from it.  So if you can correct anything I say here, feel free.

Notice the type of cross on the top photo.  Each arm of the cross is like a cross on the end.

That is not a real common type of cross, but that type of cross was used on some Mexican escudos,

On the left side of that coin, I think I can make out part of the "M" mint mark for Mexico.

I can not see the legend on this coin or the date.  They do not appear to be present.




Below is a photo of what I believe is a very similar escudo.

It is found in Monedas Espanolas desde Juana y Carlos a Isabel II 1504 a 1868, by F Calico et al, 1985.

Illustration of Similar Design Escudo from the Calico et al Book.

The following illustration more clearly shows a similar type of shield and the same type of cross although there may be some differences.

Illustration of Similar Escudo Design Elements.
Source: Cobs, Pieces or Eight and Treasure Coins book by Sewall Menzel

From what I've seen I would guess the escudo above to be an early 1700s Mexico two-escudo.  That is just m guess from what I can see from the photo.


Below are two pictures of a recovered clump.   Captain Jonah says this clump of objects was found by Mike and Gavin and ... if you look close you can see to buckles, two medallions, a silver spoon and maybe cuff links...

Photos submitted by Captain Jonah Martinez.

I always find clumps exciting.  You never know what all might be in them.  And I never know if I want to leave them alone or take them apart to find what is in them.  There is that conflict between wanting to preserve them and wanting to find out what might be in there.

They can be x-rayed or examined internally by using other technologies without taking them apart.

Those are just a couple of the photos that Captain Jonah sent me.  I'll show more of them in future posts.  Included are cobs, porcelain, and one very early and exciting cob.

Thanks for sharing Captain!


The last two posts that I did received  lot of +1s.  It seems they were very much liked.

I should explain that the did not discuss all relevant factors, but maybe it did help to put to rest some common misconceptions.  I still want to add just a little to that discussion today.

First of all, people might wander how objects sink in dry sand where the water does not hit if objects only sink through suspended or disturbed sand.   One big factor affecting dry sand is the wind.  Barrier islands and beaches in general tend to migrate away from the ocean as wind coming off the ocean tends to blow sand towards the back beach where it piles up as dunes and fills in marsh land.  You can find that fact in any number of books.

On our local beaches I've seen a lot of dune building over the past year.  Any plants or anything that serves as a wind break will cause wind driven sand to drop off and build up.  That causes items lost on the dry beach to be buried as the sand builds up.

If you go to the beach after a busy holiday, you'll notice how much the busy spots have been churned up by foot traffic, kids digging, etc.  That certainly disturbs the top layers of sand and causes items to sink or get covered.

Also, the water does occasionally come up over the dry sand and all of the way to the back dunes.

And they sink in when dropped, flung or thrown.

There are some ways that the dry sand is disturbed causing things to sink or get more deeply buried in the dry sand.

I'll discuss more details on how items sink on the beach and in the shallow water in the future, but I'll also be showing some more pictures of the Treasure Coast treasure finds that Captain Jonah sent me.


We still have a one to two foot surf on the Treasure Coast.  Beach hunters are tired of the consistently smooth surf this year, but it has been good for the salvage crews.

There is one disturbance coming off of Africa, but it is days out, and we'll have smooth water on the Treasure Coast for at least several days.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/11 Report - Neat Spike and Old Rusty Stuff

Really Neat Spike Found by Diver Off of North Carolina.

I saw this spike offered on eBay and thought it was really interesting. The seller inherited the item. He didn't know if it was a spike that was modified to be used as a knife or what. I just thought it was unusual and very nice.

Below is one of those things that looks like nothing more than a rusty lump. I think most beginners automatically discard ugly lumps like this, but that could be a mistake.

First, other objects and other types of metal can adhere to clumps like this. You can occasionally find cobs sticking to clumps or conglomerations. Take a good look before tossing something like this.

In this case, the object appears to have completely dissolved. However, there is a very good impression of the object to be found where the object used to be.




Object Found on a Treasure Coast Beach Last Week.


It looks to me like it used to be a square spike. Looking down the hole that I am showing in the photo, you can see that the hole opens where the head of the spike was.

The original shape of the object is very clearly and cleanly preserved in this clump. When that is the case, you can pour plaster, or better yet, a more flexible rubber compound into the hole. When it hardens remove the cast and you have a mold of the object.

Removing the cast from the clump can be difficult, but it can be done. I like to use a substance that makes a soft and flexible mold so it is easier to remove without damage. You might have an expert do it if you haven't mastered the procedure. You can really get a lot of detail on the cast when it is done well.
.
I might get time to make a cast of this object someday, and if I do, I'll show the results here.


Antoher Ugly Find From This Week.

I don't know if this one is old or not. So far it falls in the questionable category awaiting cleaning and study. If it is very old, it looks like it might have been a strengthening strap on a box or something. So far I haven't found any holes or markings, but it is still rather heavily encrusted.

Again, I think these types of things are worth taking a second look at. Even if they turn out to be nothing of interest, you can learn a lot in the process.

One point I want to repeat is don't throw things alway until you have looked at them well enought to know that they aren't of any interest. As I've recently discussed, I've held onto things for years before learning the true identity. I'm sorry I've thrown some things away. There are times when I should have kept things. I've never been sorry that I have kept them until I knew what they are.

As always, if you have any ideas or thoughts about these things, I'd love to hear from you.



Divers are finding Precolmbian artifacts in a water-filled crater in Mexico.

Here is the link to that story.

http://artdaily.org/section/news/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=43276&b=nevado%20de%20toluca

It is good to be somewhat familiar with Precolumbian artifacts. They have shown up on shipwrecks, especially the older ones.


Forecast and Conditions.

I got a report from Timothy T. saying that the cuts at Wabasso are getting bigger. As you know that is one of those places where the fill-sand is eroding. If it was the natural beach it would be a different story, but as it is, it's still worth taking a look.

Conditions are generally pretty much the same around the Treasure Coast. Still a north wind and seas running at four to five feet. I don't think you'll see much change out there.

That means keep on hitting the low tide areas, checking the shell and rock areas, and scouting around for cuts and dips.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net