10/25/19 Report - Avoiding Deterioration and Preserving the Value of Coins. Pre-Contact Images Found. Jamestown Graves. Storm Forming.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Can you believe it?  It looks like there might be another storm developing in the Gulf.

The surf will be up to around three to five feet today, and the tides will be high too.

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It is rare to dig up a coin that is in near perfect condition.  Most coins that you dig will have been in circulation for a while and buried in dirt or sand or worse.  That means that the coins value will already be reduced, but even though detectorists are seldom handling the most pristine of coins, it can still be helpful to be aware of the things that can harm coins and reduce their value.  I recently received an email from Joe D. in which he mentioned that coins he had stored in a cardboard folder were corroding.  Even if you purchase a near mint coin and keep it in a coin folder or something, there are many ways that a coin can be damaged and reduced in value.

Here are some things that can damage coins even if they are carefully stored.

Humidity.  That is a big problem for us in Florida.  Some companies market "air tight" holders, but they aren't guaranteed to be airtight.

Acids.  Coin collecting supplies made out of paper or cardboard can cause damage.  I just received an email from Joe D. telling how coins he stored in a cardboard folder had corroded.  Copper and silver coins are especially vulnerable to toning from household acids or even vapors emitted from cooking.

Chlorine.  "One of the main sources of this are flips made from plastic that contains PVC.  Additionally, vapors from a hot tub or pool can seep into the area where you store your coin collection."  You'd think that coin holders sold for the purpose would be safe, but not all of them are.

Air Pollution can also damage coins.

Improper Handling is one of the biggest causes of coin damage. Of course dropping or improperly cleaning coins will damage them, but acids and oils on your hands can also cause damage.  Gloves can be used.

Coins can also be damaged when sliding them into and out of coin holders.  Coin collectors use the term "flip rubbing."

Here is a link that will take you to an article that more fully describes the above sources of damage and how to store your coins safely.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-safely-store-your-coins-768295

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… Federal Reserve banks receive coins at face value because they are obligations of the United States Government. The Banks store the coins until they need to fill orders from the commercial banks in their district. The Federal Reserve banks fill these orders from their vault stocks of both new and circulated coins. Also, they fill the orders without regard to date or mint mark. Coin shipments leave the Federal Reserve banks by armored car, registered mail, or express.

If a commercial bank has excess coins on hand, they may return the coins to the Federal Reserve bank. It then sorts the coins for fitness. They return badly worn or bent coins to the United States Mint which melts them down and makes them into new coins. Also, the banks remove foreign and counterfeit coins from circulation. According to Federal Reserve sources, over 20 billion coins valued at well over $2 billion pass through their coin processing units each year..

Here is the link for more about the US Treasury

https://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/distribution.aspx

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Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have found 11 pre-Hispanic images in a tunnel in Ecatepec, México state, that is part of a dike system that dates back to colonial days.

Among the images discovered on the sides of the 8.4-meter-long tunnel are petroglyphs and stucco relief panels, INAH said in a statement.

The tunnel is part of the four-kilometer-long 17th-century dike system known today as the Albarradón de Ecatepec.

A war shield, the head of a bird of prey and a “paper ornament” are among the images carved into the walls of the tunnels while a teocalli, or temple, is etched into the central stone of the arch entrance. The temple is dedicated to the rain god Tláloc, the INAH archaeologists concluded...

Here is that link.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/archaeologists-find-tunnel-with-pre-hispanic-images/

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Archaeologists are digging up 17th century graves at Jamestown.

https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-jamestown-grave-1019-20191022-qlypvf4xm5dedm4eptzt3hmcua-story.html\

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Send me your beach reports and photos.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/31/17 Report - Shipwreck Sinking and Debris Dispersion Model. Detector Depth and Finding Cobs. 103 Gram Meteorite Find.

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

103 Gram Meteorite Found by SuperRick with Metal Detector
Photo by SuperRick.

We don't have great meteorite hunting in Florida, but they can be found.  I for one don't know if I ever found one or not.  I don't know enough about them to know for sure. Some Florida people have told me that they did find meteorites.

Rick thought the one above (which was not found in Florida)  was a "cold" meteorite, which means that it was not found in a known meteorite area, but then another fellow said he found one in the same area. When it comes to meterorites, a "cold find" is a find made where none had been found before.  It is something like finding a shipwreck cob where there is no known shipwreck and where cobs have not been found before.  That is very different from hunting on a well known shipwreck beach.  It makes the odds much bigger against you, and it makes the find potentially very significant.

Here is the link to SuperRick's YouTube video about the meterorite find.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vva01ePYkg&t=14s

You might remember the big meteorite auction that I mentioned not long ago.  Some meteorites can be worth a lot.

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Here is an excellent scientific article on shipwreck sinkings and the formation of the debris field.

On the Hydromechanics of Vessels and Debris Fields During Sinking Events by Sean Kery.

Here is the abstract.

When a vessel leaves the surface and plunges to the seabed, a lot of things can happen that will affect its orientation and position on the seabed and the creation and distribution of the debris field. Crushing and catastrophic implosion due to the rapidly increasing hydrostatic pressure has been noted on portions of many wrecks. Extensive damage due to bottom impact and subsequent motions have also been observed and documented. This paper describes the successful numerical modeling of the sinking of several historic vessels. One was in deep water and another in shallow water. In both cases it was possible for the simulation to replicate important details of the debris field. Further work is planned to help explain some of the taphonomy observed as the wreck decays over time as it is acted on by bottom currents, benthic storms and in the shallow case storm waves. 

This is not light reading.

http://www.sname.org/HigherLogic/System/DownloadDocumentFile.ashx?DocumentFileKey=a7f10ad9-1b65-03ed-757b-7be8daa49310

When thinking about how a ship breaks up and debris gets distributed, here are a few types of damage and debris dispersion to consider as presented in the article.

Damage unrelated to the sinking which occurred over the vessels service life prior to the sinking 
Damage which was causative in the sinking 
Damage which occurred during progressive flooding 
Damage which occurred in the water column on the way down including hydrostatic implosion, and unsecured objects falling off 
Damage due to bottom impact, including collision damage leading to hydraulic outbursts 2 
Debris dispersion due to objects which came off higher in the water column sinking at different rates through layered currents. Objects that fall slower are carried further by currents. 
Debris dispersion due to the sinking microburst plume and hydraulic outburst plumes 
Damage due to currents, waves, benthic storms, corrosion, and biodegradation in situ. 

That gives you some idea of the type of information you will find in that article.

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Depth is always the big question when it comes to metal detectors.  People usually do an air test and report that X detector will detect a coin at Y inches.  I've talked extensively about the limitation of air tests in the past and recommended some alternatives.  That isn't what I want to talk about now.

The deepest seeking detector, no matter how depth is measured or defined, is not always the best detector for a particular job.  There are a lot of factors to consider.

People often want the deepest seeking detector, but then use their "deep seeking detector" in a way that achieves much less than the best performance.  The wrong sweep or settings can result in very poor performance.  There can be a big difference between the potential depth and the actual depth in field conditions and actual use.

The main point I want to make right now is that depth isn't as important as you might think when hunting cobs on a beach.  The vast majority of cobs I've found have been within and inch or two of the surface.

A few days ago, I provided a link to a video that showed a guy finding old silver coins on the surface without even using a metal detector.  That was because he was looking in the right place.  He was looking where coins had been exposed.  The most important thing in my opinion, is looking in the right place - which are the places where things accumulate and remain near the surface.  In those places they will be on the surface or very near the surface.

Besides eye-balling, another way to know when you are in the right type of place is by analyzing what is in the area, including junk.  That is one reason I don't discriminate a lot.  Junk gives you important information about how good the area is.  Junk can be a good sign or a bad sign, depending upon the type of junk it is.  Different types of junk will normally, on a beach, have a predictable relationship to good targets.  Good targets will tend to be closer to junk targets that are in some ways similar to the "good" targets.  Density is one of several characteristics to consider.  Junk and other targets aren't randomly distributed.  There are reasons they are where they are.  There are enough unknowns and enough complexity to disguise some of the patterns though.

I've eye-balled cobs laying on the sand several times.  And that was not back decades ago and it was not after any of the major hurricanes.

I'm not talking about cobs back in the dunes, where they will often be down a foot or so.  I'm talking about beach cobs, which as you know, most often show up during periods of erosion.

A couple days ago I showed what appeared to be a seawall and discussed how coins can work down along a wall or other things.  That is a little different situation too.  Still they are not going to sink until the sand moves from the area.  It can take a long time for them to sink very deep.  But that was a special situation and not the type of thing I am talking about now.  Coin traps are another matter that I'll talk about again some other time.

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On the Treasure Coast we're still having smooth seas.  The tides are more moderate.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/26/17 Report - Metal Detector Damage That Can Be Prevented. Artifacts Left Behind After Inca Attack.

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

Detector Showing Poor Maintenance and Serious Damage.

Yesterday I started a post in which I was talking about why you might want to keep old metal detectors in good working order.  I mentioned the dangers of salt water.  Above is a good example of the damage that can be done to a metal detector by things like wind driven sand and salt spray and splashing water.

Notice the corrosion around the knobs and toggle switches.  Also notice the sand in the speakers.  The headphone plug is also vulnerable.

The best conditions for metal detecting can be the worst conditions for your detector.  The wind can be blowing sand and salt and the water can be splashing off of steep cliff faces.  Even knowing all of that, you can be caught by surprise.

There was one time that I was wading not much more than knee deep water in a calm bay and a single wave surprised me and splashed up onto my detector control box (not the detector shown in the pictures).  While I mostly use submersible detectors, I was not using one on this occasion.  The very small amount of salt water that splashed onto the control box was noted by the manufacturer and voided the warranty even though the detector worked fine for many years to come.

Closer Look At Some of the Corrosion.

The damage to the detector shown in these pictures is extreme and severe but happened with normal but heavy usage.  Obviously much needed maintenance was not done.

Most of my detectors are submersible.  Submersible detectors are better protected from the dangers of salt water environments, although even submersible detectors need to be rinsed and properly maintained.  If you work salt water beaches at all, wind driven sand and salt spray is enough to require periodic maintenance.  Salt and sand seem to find their way into the smallest cracks and crannies.

A lot of people complain about detector rods freezing up.  My experience is that all detector rods used on salt water beaches or in the salt water will freeze if they are not maintained.  Rinsing and working them occasionally should prevent that.  While I hear a lot of complaints about the ATX rods, I've had no trouble with them and prefer that type of rod to the others that I've used.

Some people seldom change their detector settings.  I advise working all knobs and switches once in a while even if you don't change your settings much.  I think it helps keep things in good working order and helps you identify any signs of deterioration early.

Even if you get salt water in your control box, rinsing it out with an electronics cleaner can save the electronics.

WD-40 or other oils and cleaners can be a good idea for various parts of your detector.

The Florida sun and heat can also cause damage.  The sun and heat can weaken plastic parts.  I had a lot of trouble with the plastic parts on a White's detector breaking.  It wasn't an old detector either.

Replaced Ear Phone Attachment.

Plastic parts on both the rod and ear phones broke.  I replaced the ear phone tab by making a new one from the metal of a soda can.  The rod was repaired by using a small section of PVC pipe.

I like to have more than one detector with me but I seldom do because I don't like to leave a metal detector in the car in the hot Florida heat.   I also don't like to leave anything good in the car because of possible theft.  That does happen on the Treasure Coast.  I saw some broken glass in a beach parking lot no long ago.  I reported other break-ins at the same parking lot before.

Dennis S. wrote and reminded me to mention the damage that can be caused by leaving old batteries in a metal detector.  Leaking batteries damaged one of his detectors.  I'm sure that many of you have experienced the same thing.  Don't leave batteries stored in your detector when you are not using it for a while.  Thanks for the reminder Dennis.

My main point today is that the beach is a tough environment for metal detectors, but with periodic maintenance you might be able to keep your metal detector working for many years.  The pictures I showed today show extreme and severe cases, but they do show what can happen.

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Here is an interesting article.


Treasure trove of bronze and copper reveals incredible speed of flash Inca invasion

Bronze jewellery, stone tools and intact pottery were abandoned as the native Colla people fled...

Bronze Chisel Left Behind by Colla.Source: See link below.

Here is the link for the entire article.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/treasure-trove-bronze-copper-reveals-incredible-speed-flash-inca-invasion-1618394

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I have some good emails and other things to talk about tomorrow.

The weather is beautiful on the Treasure Coast.  The air was cooler this morning after the front went through.

The surf is small, but we're having some nice low tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/28/16 Report - Fairly High Surf. Metal Detecting Favorite Finds Are Usually Surprises. St. Augustine Area.

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

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

We've had a lot of wind, a fairly high surf, and even pretty high tides lately, but the angles haven't been good.  As far as I can tell it hasn't been hitting the right places yet.  The only places that I've seen erosion is by inlets or rocks or other obstacles.  I'm sticking with a 1 (poor) beach conditions rating for now.  I haven't seen a lot of the beaches and there might be a spot or two where you could find something good.  There are certainly some good spots for modern coins right now, but I haven't seen any good spots for cobs.  There might be one or two though.

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A couple days ago I mentioned that I stopped at one beach where there were a lot of modern coins and the tide was already coming in so I tried to skip signals that sounded like clad coins and managed to pick up a gold band.  If you've been reading this blog very long, you know that I often tell people to dig everything.  This was a special case and a strategy that I've seldom used.

Digging everything is highly recommended, especially if you haven't been metal detecting for decades and you don't know the area inside out.  You will learn a lot by digging a lot of targets and it will keep you from making a big mistake.

As I think back, most of my favorite finds were surprises.  Raw gold nuggets found on a treasure wreck beach are some of my favorite finds.  I wasn't targeting gold nuggets.  I didn't expect them on a Treasure Coast beach.  I don't know if I would have passed them over or not if I was discriminating or using target ID, but since I was digging everything, there was absolutely no danger of that.  Would you correctly identify gold nuggets while beach hunting or might you miss them?

Most of my favorite finds would not be easy for any detector to identify.  Take for example the Rolexes and other high-end watches.  Do you really want to take a chance on missing targets like that because you don't feel like digging? I know it doesn't happen often, but it doesn't have to happen often to be very worthwhile.

How about a three hundred year old pistol or rapier blade?  Would you correctly identify them or discriminate them out and pass them over and then complain about finding nothing but clad.

The vast majority of my all-time favorite finds were surprises.  You don't find those kinds of things everyday.  In fact it is to some extent their rarity that makes them so valuable.  You never know what you might find, and how you detect not only determines what you find but it also determines what you don't find.

I've told stories about how I learned those lessons.  It was a long time before I ever found a shipwreck spike.  I should have found one much sooner and surely would have found one much sooner except that in those days I was targeting modern gold and was skipping a lot of things that did not sound like coins or gold jewelry.  That was until I learned that I was missing things that I would really like to find.

The more narrowly you define acceptable targets, the more things you eliminate and skip.  It is a trade-off. There are interesting and valuable targets of all shapes and sizes and made of all types of materials. Be aware of that and realize that your detecting style will determine not only what you get but also what you miss.  Your strategy should take into account your goals and what might or might not be in the area you are working.  You can't be too sure of what might or might not be there.  There is always the possibility of some big surprise.  And isn't that what detecting is all about?  Don't you want to see something appear out of the soil or sand that you never expected?  Maybe you hoped for it, but didn't dare expect it.  Do you really want to eliminate the possibility of such a surprise?

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The damage to the Fort Pierce area was so light that you would never think that Hurricane Matthew passed by so recently.  For all practical purposes Matthew has been forgotten and life moves on.  That is the way life is.  About the only remaining sign of Matthew around Fort Pierce are the piles of limbs along Indian River Drive and perhaps a few other places where Waste Management has not yet finished picking it all up.  Things are not so normal elsewhere along our coast.

Here is what Darrel S. had to say about St. Augustine.

Went over this morning to check on our condo and I really did not see much to remind me a hurricane hit. Downtown St. Augustine was back to normal. So I thought, when I went Vilano, ton of debris out in front of every structure. From Vilano Beach up to Ponte Vedre Beach was not pleasant. I went back through St. Augustine and over the Bridge of Lions. In Davis Shore was same as Vilano. Also, sewage was backed up, and many still without water or power. Drove down to St. Augustine Beach and numerous streets had trash out front. Further down our condo was okay, but Crescent Beach had the largest devestation. Piles of trash and construction debris everywhere. Matanzas Inlet Restaurant no longer. Been eating there for over 45 years! Summerhaven was closed to thru traffic as well as the old A1A gone!! Went down to Marineland, and a new surf spot was created. The beach was now on A1A. Decided to turn around and as I went over 206 bridge could see numerous homes and docks damaged. Yet, as I was headed back to Gainesville there were people heading over for Fla vs Georgia game in Jacksonville this Saturday. GLAD to be back in Gainesville...

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net