6/7/20 Report - Meaning and Folding of Burial Flags. Being Prepared for Larger and Different Kinds of Finds. Cristobal.

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

Source: http://wvutoday-archive.wvu.edu/resources/1/1251677894.jpg

With the current controversy regarding showing respect for the flag, I thought it would be helpful to actually look at some of the symbolism and significance of burial flags and memorial flags for veterans.

Here is an excerpt from one site.


Here is how to understand the flag that laid upon it and is surrendered to so many widows and widowers: Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the year 1776?

Have you ever noticed that the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times? You probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we learn something new every day.

To understand what the flag draped coffin really means.

• The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life.
• The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life...

Etc.

Here is that link for more.

http://www.lanesboroamericanlegion.org/meaning-of-the-flag-draped-coffin.html

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A few days ago I started a series of posts on mistakes I've made after finding an object.  The first one that I discussed was having a hole in your pocket or goodie bag resulting in finds being lost before getting them home, and the second mistake that I already discussed was damaging an object during recovery, for example hitting it with your scoop or digger.   I'll discuss the third mistake today, which as to do with bottle finds.

Before starting with that new mistake though, I just remembered another example that fits in with the hole in pocket or bag mistake.  One day there were a lot of fossils on the beach - some of them being large. A few of them were a foot long, and some were heavy.  It was an unusual occasion.  I've only seen so many and such large fossils on the beach that one time in many years.

I wasn't planning on hunting fossils that day and had never found so many.  As a result, I got caught unprepared.  It caught me by surprise and all I had with me to use was some plastic shopping bags. Not only were some of the fossils large, but some were also pointed.

As I gathered fossils like a kid picking up Easter eggs, I stuffed them into my bag, which eventually broke, and some of the fossils came out as I walked far down the beach.  I lost some good fossils before I discovered that one of my bags broke.  I learned from that experience that it is a good idea to have some large and sturdy bag or container with me.  A back pack, big sturdy bucket or something like that can come in very handy.

Think about it.  If you ever come across that treasure chest or cache of silver bar that you always dreamed of finding, how are you going to carry it?   It won't fit in your pocket, and if you plan to come back for it later, you might be disappointed about how that works out.  It isn't like you are out in a remote location where there are no other people or where there are no tides or waves or anything.  The beach is not a good place to leave finds with the hope of retrieving them later.  A big heavy duty bag, bucket or container might save you.

Obviously you can't be prepared for every situation, but you might keep things in your car that might come in handy.   I have a large (about three by four feet) heavy duty bag  that I keep in the trunk of my car.  I've carried some big heavy stuff in that bag, but there are times when even that would not do the job.  You might not always need something like that, but you don't want to lose your best find just because you weren't prepared for something bigger or heavier than you expected to find.

Now I'll get back to the mistake that I planned to discuss today.  It is related - not having some materials for padding or packing fragile items.

One of the great things about treasure hunting, is that you never know what you might find.  The first time I found some good old bottles was after Hurricane Andrew.  That was my first experience collecting old bottles. I was metal detecting, when I noticed some old bottles rolling in the surf.  I took a look at some of them, and they were embossed and appeared to be old.  I didn't know much of anything about old bottles at the time, but decided to collect them.  Of course, that wasn't what I was thinking of doing when I went metal detecting that day, so I was totally unprepared to carry back a lot of old bottles.  I found some old plastic bags laying in the trash along the beach and used those.  They worked on that occasion.  I sold some of those bottles but still have a few of them.

Plastic bags aren't great for carrying old bottles or other breakable items though.  One day when I found some good bottles, I had a couple plastic bags along with me, and filled two or three bags.  I had two bags in one hand.  When I walked the bags would swing, and so eventually the two bags clashed together and my best bottle got broke.

Here is one way to find out which is your best bottle -  it is always the one that breaks.  If two bottles clash together, the best one will break.   That is my experience.  When the two swinging bags came together, the bottom corner of one bottle hit the weakest spot of the best bottle and broke the best bottle.   It was an pre-1900 Busch beer bottle.  I never again found one that old.

Plastic bags are easy to carry in your pocket and can come in handy, but they aren't good for carrying  heavy, sharp, or fragile items.  If you get caught in an unexpected situation and only have some plastic bags for carrying fragile finds, you can do what I learned to do - pad or pack the fragile items with something.  I've found, for example, that seaweed can be used to pad bottles.

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Cristobal is hitting the north Gulf coast.  According to the NHC...

We'll have a small surf and big tides on the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/4/19 Report - WW2 Bomb on 17th Century Wreck. Upturned Bottle Border. The Quandry of Collections.

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

Excavated Line of Upturned Bottles.

An 1800s lot in Houston was excavated.  Above is one of the interested features that was uncovered.

“One really interesting feature that we found tends to be associated with German households,” says Boyd, “was empty bottles upturned in a line,” which were used to border yards and gardens. Backhoes stumbled upon a still-intact bottle alignment— “Only one got nicked,” says Barrett—including three original Carl Conrad & Company Budweiser bottles from the 1870s.


Here is the link.

https://www.houstoniamag.com/articles/2019/9/25/frost-town-james-bute-park-artifacts-from-houstons-first-working-class-community

Reading and interpreting the patterns of the past can be fruitful and interesting for any detectorist.

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Navy divers destroy WW2 bomb found in 17th Century warship.

The 987kg (2,175lbs) explosive was towed away from the protected remains of the sunken vessel near Southend Pier.

Divers worked on the bomb in a six-day operation, working mainly by touch because of poor visibility.,..

The bomb was discovered by civilian divers from Historic England during an archaeological dive on the shipwreck London, which was launched in 1656 and sank in 1665...

Here is the link.


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-49863564

That is one example of how things from widely differing ages can get intermingled.  Items found on old shipwrecks, like this bomb, sometimes come from other age periods and sources.

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The Quandry of Collections.

I believe that most detectorists that hunt the Treasure Coast are interested in finding old historic items.  They appreciate the history and story told by those objects.  They aren't primarily interested in economic value, but that helps.  There are exceptions for sure, but I don't think there are too many.

We all know you can't take it with you, so what do you do with it.  Well, when you have it you study it, enjoy it, talk about it and share it, but eventually you have to pass it on.  Maybe you might want to turn it into cash, but hopefully you have children or relatives that appreciate your finds as much as you do.  You might take note of those people who appreciate your items and try to foster an appreciation of the objects and their story with your children.

In any case, accumulating a bunch of stuff requires storage space.  One solution is to convert some of your less favorite finds into cash and focus on improving the quality of your collection.

If you want to turn finds into cash, a lot of mistakes can be made.  You need to know exactly what you have in order to market it well.  You have to know a little about the market for different kinds of items, and the market will change.  Reading always helps.

Kovels produces good articles and price guides on collectibles of various types.  Here is one good article on things that aren't worth collecting anymore.  The market for everything seems to vary from time to time.

https://www.kovels.com/latest-news/10-collectibles-not-worth-collecting-anymore.html

One good thing about silver and gold is that there is always a market and you can easily determine the melt value, but you can still make big mistakes by not knowing the real market value of an item.
Valuable coins can be worth many times the value of the metals.

Maybe for you it is more about the hunt.  You enjoy the search.  In that case, you might not be so interested in the monetary value of your finds but you will want to share your stories.  In that case you'll want to write down the details, as I've suggested many times before.  People tend to think of hardcopy books (maybe just people of my age) even though they are going the way of the dinosaur, but you can easily share your stories on the internet - perhaps on this site.  Of course I cannot post them all.

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Somebody was wanting to FOLLOW this blog, but couldn't find how to do that.  My followers list is presently at the bottom of the left side.  You'll have to scroll down to find it.  Unfortunately lately there have been times when it isn't showing up.  I suppose blogger will fix that.

We're having a three of four foot surf.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

7/7/19 Report = Unidentified Button Find. Possible Shell Tool Find. Resource on Shell Tools. Florida Laws Web Site.

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

Old Unidentified Button.

Here is one old button find that I can't identify.  I can't make out the design on the front.  The back says "EXTRA FEIN."

Let me know if you can identify this one or anything about it.

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Israel officially opened a stairway, known as "Pilgrim's Road," that Jesus is believed to have walked on in ancient Jerusalem as another place with the significance of "biblical proportions" to billions, especially for Judeo-Christian visitors to the Holy Land.

The City of David Foundation unveiled the 2,000-year-old main thoroughfare from Roman-era Jerusalem that it says served pilgrims ascending to the ancient Jewish Temple from the Pool of Siloam built by King Hezekiah. Until recently, it was hidden under a potato field and discovered by accident in 2004 after a pipe burst...

Here is the link.

https://www.foxnews.com/science/israel-road-jesus-temple-ancient-jerusalem

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Scott B. sent me the following photos and email. 

Shell Item Found by Scott B.

Photos by Scott B.

After seeing the picture you posted recently, I remembered this piece of shell I found a while back. At the time, it just seemed like an interesting smooth piece of shell. I’m pretty sure I found it at a Treasure Coast beach, but not 100% positive.

After looking closer at it, the item really fits well in my hand including a thumb stop and two notches on the other side where my middle and ring fingertips fit. It’s quite smooth, the years in the elements haven’t left any visible signs that it was worked with tools.

I think this may have been some type of hand blade for skinning or slicing. The thinner side is a bit worn, but could have been sharpened, I imagine.

Perhaps this is all coincidence, but thanks to your picture of the celt, I gave this a closer look and realize it could be a neat piece of history.

As always, thanks for all you do.

Scott 

Thanks Scott.  I'm glad my post inspired you to take another look at the item.   There are a variety of online resources you might want to consult, but when I'm not sure about an item nothing helps like talking to a knowledgeable person at a university, museum or trade show or just getting the opinions of others who are more informed.  People who know what to look for can identify the signs of the item being worked or used.

Maybe some of my readers will add their thoughts about your item.

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If you are interested in learning more about Florida shell artifacts, here is a lengthy thesis of over 200 pages.  It presents many examples of various types.

Here is the first paragraph, which will give you some idea of the contents.

With this thesis, I aim to fill a gap in our knowledge of shell
artifacts from the northwest part of the state of Florida. It represents
a first look at the range of shell artifacts in the collections of the
University of South Florida (USF) obtained during the ongoing program
of archaeological investigations in the Apalachicola Valley and
surrounding region. There are 46 sites in the study area that have
been identified as yielding shell artifacts, of which samples from 27
sites are curated in the USF Archaeology Laboratory. The proposed
typology is based on an analysis of over 2300 specimens collected
from archaeological sites in northwest Florida, including the Gulf Coast,
barrier islands, St. Joseph Bay, and the Apalachicola River drainage.


Here is the link.

https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2025&context=etd

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Most detectorists don't know much about stone or shell artifacts.  I certainly don't.  But we should know enough to realize that they are out there and how to identify and respect them.  We also need to know something about the applicable laws.

I added the following to yesterday's post late yesterday, so in case you didn't see it, I'm posting it again.

As you probably know, there are laws regarding archaeological resources.  They are many and complex and can be very confusing.  I can't summarize or interpret them all, so don't ask me to.  Do, however, realize that there are penalties for removing artifacts from state and federal lands.  If you have WRITTEN permission, you CAN collect artifacts on private land.  That is my understanding.

On the Treasure Coast it is not extremely unusual to find artifacts on the beach or on your own property.  I've been asked several times while on the beach, about items just found by tourists.  I've found artifacts on my property and have posted some examples.  

Beachcombers, shell collectors and tourists often pick up unusual or interesting items on the beach without knowing what they are.  If you look through any large collection put together by a shell collector, there is a very good chance you will find a possible artifact or two.  

Metal detectorists do not generally go out looking for artifacts and might not recognize them.  I think I've shown that they can be difficult to identify unless you have studied a little.  I am not good at identifying stone and shell tools in particular and have to ask those who know more about them.

We all want to respect artifacts and follow the laws.  Laws can be broken unwittingly, and I hope this post will help you begin to become more familiar with artifacts so that you will be better able to identify, respect and protect artifacts and follow the applicable laws.

As a beginning, you might want to look at this summary of the Florida laws.  Here is a link.

https://dos.myflorida.com/historical/archaeology/underwater/laws/

I know that this quick summary might give rise to more questions than it answers, but that is the best I can do.

Here is one good principle: when in doubt, just take photos of the item and report your find.  Most of us carry smart phones with good cameras these days, so that is easy enough to do.

---

Keep learning,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/25/19 Report - Surprising Modern Clad Coins Without Mint Errors Worth Good Money. What You Should Know About Full Bands Designation.

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

Reverse of 2018 Dime.

Did you know that a modern clad Roosevelt dime can be worth tens or even hundreds of dollars even if it doesn't have some rare mint error?  I didn't.

I was looking through the latest issue of Coin and Currency Market Review and noticed some pretty good prices listed for modern clad coins, including Roosevelt dimes.  That is something I don't think most detectorist know about.  They simply throw their clad finds in their pocket and spend them without looking for coins that could be valuable.

Some coins are minted with errors, such as the double die error coins.  Error coins can be worth a premium - sometimes a large premium, but there are modern clad coins that can be valuable even without any rare errors.

A coin die will be used to stamp many coins.  Dies wear as they are used.  That means that the first coins struck with a new die will tend to show a clearer image.  Coins struck later will be less clear.

Here is an image of a dime showing the results of a lot of die deterioration.

Dime Showing Die Deterioration.

That is not corrosion, damage or wear from circulation.

Notice the lines radiating out from the center and how the letters are spread out.  That is the result of an old worn die.

The dime has a very rough surface.  Other than some error coins, coin collectors prefer coins with a surface that is near perfect - unlike this one.

You probably know something about coin grading, so I won't get into that.

What I noticed is that in the most recent Coin and Currency Market Review, for Roosevelt dimes they have an additional category beside the regular coin grading categories.  That category is Full Bands.  

As you know, Roosevelt dimes show a torch on the reverse.  The torch has two pairs of horizontal bands.  One at the top and another towards the bottom (See top photo.).  Full Bands means that each band in both pairs is completely clear and separate.

Roosevelt dimes showing "full bands" are more highly valued.  For example, a Full Bands 1992-D dime in MS66 condition is listed as being worth $21.  Some recent dimes without errors or anything special like that, if they are in excellent condition are worth much more.  Condition is extremely important.

A regular circulation issue modern coin in exceptional condition can be worth a good amount - even hundreds of dollars.  A 1993-D Full Bands dime in MS66 condition is listed as being worth $416, for example.

See https://www.pcgs.com/News/Mercury-Dimes-With-Full-Bands for additional explanation.

Another similar designation is Full Torch.  That designation considers the vertical bands as well as the horizontal bands.

There is a good article in the March 19, 2018 issue of Coin World entitled In Search of Full Torches.  If you want to learn more about his topic, that would be a good start.

The article describes why there are very few Full Torch examples for certain years due to hubs and dies becoming worn.  Since they are rare, they are also valuable.

Some guys do quite well getting rolls of coins at the bank and picking out the more valuable coins.  Of course, you have to be able to recognize the coins that are more valuable.

You won't find tons of valuable modern coins in your detector finds.  Most coin finds are not in great condition, but you can find an occasional nice example that is worth a premium.  If you find coins with your metal detector, you might as well learn something about how to identify those that might be valuable.

If you detect in the water, you will find fewer coins in good condition, but if you detect on land you can find more coins in nice condition, and a few in excellent condition.  I've found a few that grade very well.

In recent years I've learned to take a good look at modern coins as well as old coins.  Modern coins can be valuable too.  Too bad I didn't learn that years ago.  Maybe this blog will help you avoid some of the mistakes I've made.

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I had a dream last night that I was at the beach but my metal detector batteries were dead.  Seems like it was my subconscious mind reminding me to recharge my batteries.  I haven't done that for quite a while.

I've been meaning to talk about search patterns, but didn't get it done yet.

Another cool front moved through, but it didn't create much surf.  We are still having some decent tides.

It looks like we will be getting north winds for a few days, but nothing higher than a three to five foot surf.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Let me know if you find out anymore about the Inca funerary mask find that I reported yesterday.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/12/16 Report - Florida Archaeology's Position On the Proposed Citizen Archaeology Permit. Artifact Collecting From Florida State Lands.

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

Thanks to the informed readers of this blog, I'm able to present authoritative research and informed opinions on many subjects.  Not too long ago I mentioned the proposed citizen archaeology permit that is being considered by the Florida legislature.  I was not ready to present my opinions but wanted you to know about the proposed legislation so you could act as you thought appropriate.  I am still gathering information myself and recently received some good information from a few readers.  I'll start presenting some of what I received a day or two ago from Leroy G, who sent me a number of documents.

Leroy said,  While this is the first time I have communicated, I am an avid reader of your blog of long standing. I would like to contribute to the discussion of the proposed Florida legislation. Enclosed is information sent out by the Southwest Florida Archaeological Society of which I am a former member. Please let me know if you do not get the attached pdf files, as they state the case against this legislation. Arguments in favor of the legislation can be found by gong to the Tri-States Archaeological Society web page. Another proponent of the legislation, The Sunshine State Archaeological Society of Florida, may be a shadow organization set up to promote this legislation, as an internet search fails to find a home page for this organization, although it is listed as an affiliated member of Tri-States.

I myself have been metal detecting for over 40 years, am a scuba diver, and have participated with both professional and amateur archaeologists on land and underwater sites. I consider the present antagonism between amateur collector and professional archaeologists both unfortunate and unnecessary. While residing in South Carolina I held a Hobby License and that program works well. The great success in England of amateur metal detectorists collaborating with professionals is a perfect example of how legislation can be crafted to benefit both. By law, new discoveries by amateurs must be reported, with the government having first crack at purchasing rare items for museum collections at fair market value. Prohibiting collecting only makes lawbreakers out of otherwise law abiding citizens, oft times unintentionally. This is a very complicated issue and I hope this contributes to the conversation.

Thanks much Leroy.  

I'll present a copy of one of the documents I received from Leroy below.  It is a letter from the President of the Florida Anthropological Society.

I find the views expressed in that letter to be very reasonable although I will add a  few bits from another perspective.

One of the objections to the permit seems to be the requirement for the state to provide information on areas to be avoided.  Archaeologists claim to be saving history for the public, but evidently do not trust the public or feel that the public. There are some in any group who are not trustworthy.  There are some who would loot, but there are also some in the professional communities who abuse their privileges.  I won't go into that now, but everybody should not be penalized for the abuses of a few. The professional community needs to have more respect for the public that largely funds their work.

Distrust is the cause of the problem.  Information and understanding is the cure.

Those who break the law prefer secrecy.  A better informed and involved public will protect their heritage.  Most law breakers prefer secrecy.  The public, with eyes everywhere, will help police sensitive sites.

I am certainly not in favor of looting, and the people I know, and I know a lot of people that are interested in history, archaeology and metal detecting, as well as grandmas who have picked up an arrowhead knowingly or unknowingly while collecting sea shells, will do the right thing.  They would also more gladly support archaeology if they felt like a part of the process instead of being treated like a suspect.

The use of the term "private gain" always gets me.  How can people who make a good career out of a discipline pretend they are not personally gaining from the activity?

People who sell archaeological items are always villainized.  Museums both purchase items and sell items they no longer want.

It is always said that the Isolated Finds Program failed.  What criteria was used?  What percent of the public ever heard of it? Go out and ask a thousand people and see if you find one or two people who knows what it was, never mind understanding it.  By what criteria did it fail?

Yes there have been abuses and will be abuses, but do not penalize the public and as a result the academic community.  I am sure that better solutions, such as those mentioned by Leroy can be implemented.  Fear of the public does not serve the public, and it does not promote archaeology.

I didn't mean to write so much.  I am not so much against the views that are expressed in the above letter as it might seem.  I just wanted to present the other perspective.  Archaeology and the public needs to learn to work together without fear and suspicion.

Thanks again Leroy!


Here is a web site provided by The Florida Public Archaeology Network.  It has the title Frequently Asked Questions about Collecting from State Lands.  Take a look.

http://flpublicarchaeology.org/resources/collecting.php

I could provide comments to their answers too, but I won't right now.  It is good to know both sides of an issue.

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We had a west winds and a smooth surf for a couple of days.  The wind will turn to a north wind Saturday afternoon and the surf will start to increase a little.

We're having some nice negative tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/30/14 Report - Portable Antiquities Scheme And The PAS Web Site. Switching It Up.

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

Treasure Coast Lion Head Gold Ring
Find Marked 10K.

I've talked about England's Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), which as their web site says, was developed ... to encourage the voluntary recording of archaeological objects found by members of the public in England and Wales. Every year many thousands of objects are discovered, many of these by metal-detector users, but also by people whilst out walking, gardening or going about their daily work.

The PAS has been highly successful because it respects the public and encourages them to be involved and rewards those that make properly reported finds.  That is very much unlike what we have in the United States, which presents the public with a confusing mess of rules and regulations, topped by intimidating penalties.  I once wrote to Tallahassee asking what a person finding a Native American artifact on the beach should do and who they should contact or whatever.  I never received a reply.  A person in this country that finds something would not know what to do and might well be afraid of doing anything.

One of the big problems is that here almost anything and everything is considered historic and is protected.  PAS, on the other hand, defines treasure as being over 300 years old.  In Florida, anything 50 years old is considered historic and protected.  That would include my high school class ring and a lot of my other possessions. 

In Florida, at least the fossil collecting laws are reasonable.  You can obtain a permit to collect fossils on state land (which includes all waterways in the state) for $5.00 per year.  Reporting finds is required.  

But what I wanted to do today is simply point you to the PAS web site.  The web site is a useful tool.  It illustrates the public-friendly attitude of the program.

Here is the link.

http://finds.org.uk/

The PAS web site makes it clear who to contact, explains the program, answers many questions, explains how to conserve items, how to collect and display items, provides a database of finds, and even gives people advice on selling items that do not qualify under the program if a person finds something that he eventually wants to sell.  In short, it is helpful, treats the public with respect and consideration instead of as a mistrusted enemy, invites participation, and most of all has been very effective.

Take a look.

Don't write and ask me what the metal detecting laws and regulations are in Florida.  As I just said, it is a confusing mess, and I'm not going to try to explain it even if I could.

I noticed a YouTube video testing the Minelab 5000.  It is a  detector costing over $5000 and is designed to be used in the gold fields.  But what struck me most is that it has a setting for fine gold and another setting for larger gold.  In the test that I saw on the video, the "fine gold" setting detected two small nuggets but not two larger nuggets.  Then the other setting was used and the other two nuggets were detected, but not the smaller ones.

To me that just emphasized to me something that I have been learning to appreciate more and more myself.  It takes more than one shot to cover an area well, and using more than one detector can be very helpful.   That is true in any area of size, but especially true in a junky area.  You'll find things with one detector that will be missed by another.  And you'll find things in one mode that will be missed in another mode while using the same detector.  An area that is worth detecting can be covered many times and good targets will still show up.   I challenge you to put that to the test.  If you don't find it true, I'll bet that you are hunting the area the same way every time instead of changing where you focus or how you use your detector or detectors.

I'll also bet that if five different detectorists visit the same site, four of them will hit the same spots.  The tendency is to go to the nice flat open areas.  Some areas simply appear more inviting.  While the types of areas that draw people will most likely be over-hunted, the probability is that there will also be areas that remain overlooked.

To give just one example.  The tag that I showed yesterday was in a yard that had been hunted several times with different detectors.  The tag was found in an area less than a foot wide between a concrete driveway and bushes.  A large coil could not be used there.  And many detectors would have been nearly useless there because of the rebar in the concrete drive way.   To top that off, there was also a iron item buried close to the tag.

Most people tend to see and approach a site the same way over and over again.  If you make an effort to switch things up, I think you'll find that there is more to be found even though you might have hunted the same site before. While most people will make a bee line to those nice inviting areas, the little nooks and crannies can contain a lot of goodies.


Now that September is nearly over I can report that the most read post of August 2014 was the 8/6/14 Report -  Young Boys Find Very Rare and Old Gold Hair Tress.   Fake or Real Escudo?  Error Dime.  Poor Beach Conditions.  It's All About ...  

It is interesting that the most read post was not the post that received the most g+1 clicks.

Coincidentally, the gold hair tress was an item covered by the PAS.

There are only a few hours left to respond to the blog poll.


One area of disturbed weather has been sitting off of North Carolina for a few days now, but it is not likely to form, and it is not likely to affect us.

On the Treasure Coast we are having a two-foot surf.   It will be just a touch less for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@Comcast.NET

11/4 Report - Insulators & Stuff

Two Insulators Found on the Treasure Coast.

Here are two of many insulators that were found on the Treasure Coast. The one on the right still has the metal mounting and so could be detected with a metal detector. The other one, like most found insulators, does not have any metal attachments and would probably be a surface find.

I often remind detectorists to keep their eyes open when they detect.

Kovels Komments reported on some insulators that recently brought good prices.

Here's What they said.

"Insulators like the ones found on the top of old telephone poles are often overlooked by those who have not been introduced to them. But insulators, fire grenades, target balls, lightning rod balls and other glass made for industry in past years are now collected. A fall Glass Discoveries & Pole Top Discoveries auction by Ray Klingensmith brought amazing prices--especially amazing for those who are unfamiliar with the hobby. A CD 726 red insulator sold for $24,640 ("CD" stands for "Consolidated Design"). A CD 726 cornflower blue example was $8,400. And a bright aqua CD 736 E.R.W. (Erie Railway) insulator with a threadless bracket brought $10,080."

Those are some pretty nice prices. Of course, most common insulators are not worth anything like that, yet they make a nice collection and are often worth picking up.

I personally like insulators.

I mentioned the other day about the effect of the falling dollar. Here is a link to a story on how that is causing the prices of things like food to increase.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/fed-policy-sinks-dollar-commodity-prices-soar/19701878/

Forecast and Conditions.

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning.

It's still sandy out there, and it is raining this morning.

It seemed like a strange morning to me. First off, it didn't get light until late because of the clouds in the East. And the beach accesses weren't opened until about 8:00 or later in St. Lucie County. I don't know why that was, but there was a helicopter very closely inspecting the beach from the Fort Pierce inlet down towards the St. Lucie inlet. It looked like the Sheriff's office to me. I guess there might have been a drug drop or something.

There is still a lot of sand protecting the front of the beach. At high tide the surf is breaking on the bottom of the beach in many places. That should stir some things up.

The high tides are really nice and high now, and the swells are hitting the beach from the southeast.

I would expect some piles of lighter materials to show up at low tide at some locations.

We're still expecting six foot seas around Sunday.

Tomas hasn't moved much yet and seems to be headed in the same direction.

Oh, before I quit, here is the helicopter that was scanning the beach this morning.



Too bad I don't have one of these.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net