8/24/18 Report - On The Beaten Path. Clues To The Mystery Coin.

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

Source: See dunmowbroadcast.co.uk link below.

I always look for erosion or earth removal that occurs as a result of construction, but there are other kinds of changes that can reveal good old detecting areas.  Here is an excerpt from an article that tells how an old pathway was discovered because of draught.

... Visitors will be able to see the excavation of the newly-exposed path, which follows a route walkers still use today, performed by a small team of archaeologists and volunteers on September 20 and 21.

The exceptionally hot and dry weather this summer caused scorching on the grass which led to the discovery of the path which could provide an insight into the history of the 2000-year-old forest, a former royal hunting forest....

The above photo shows a part of the path.  Notice the more compact and lighter color earth towards the bottom of the photo.  (I added the arrows.)

Here is the link if you want to read more of that article.

http://www.dunmowbroadcast.co.uk/news/visitors-at-hatfield-forest-have-the-chance-to-see-a-newly-discovered-ancient-path-1-5662568

If you want to find good new metal detecting spots, you should realize that they are all around you.  If you are a keen observer, you'll notice things that others won't.

Almost everywhere you go, people have been there before.  They were there a few decades ago and centuries ago.  If people spent much time in an area, the area will be permanently changed in some way.  In the story of the newly discovered path, the earth was compacted, which also affects vegetation.

Sometimes the signs are hidden, and as in this story, it takes a change of some sort to reveal the signs. Very often it is erosion that exposes signs of the past.  In recent days I also posted a article telling  how the wildfires out west uncovered ancient camps.  It doesn't matter if the changes are caused by man or nature, there might be good metal detecting clues exposed.

---

You know those elongated coins that you can make out of pennies at Disney World or other tourist locations?  Well, like with many things, there is a collectors club for them; TEC or The Elongated Collectors.

The web site is http://tecnews.org.  They have a quarterly newsletter for those who join and also a new Facebook page.

---

Coin For ID.

I posted this on 8/21/18 and asked if you could identify it.  I said I wanted to see who would get the answer first.   The winner is... Mitch King.

Mitch King was the first to offer a guess on the coin I posted on 8/21/18.  He said, A real quick guess without any research is it's a copy of an 8 Escudo and was probably plated gold at one time?

That is the consensus.  Congratulations Mitch!

You can clearly see two things on this coin - the mint mark and the denomination.  The mint is Lima, and the denomination is 8.  You can also see a P in the first column of the second row and an A in the last column.  You can't see the date, but here is the trick.

A reale of that type should show the letters PLV SVL TR in the second row.  An escudo would show P V A.  Therefore, the design is that of a escudo - not a reale.  But it doesn't look like it is gold.  As Mitch suggests, the plating probably wore off.

The first fake I ever found was like that.  It had the design of an escudo, but was not gold.  On top of that, it was very heavily encrusted.  I painstakingly removed the crust and and it took me quite a while to figure it out.

I should see if I can find my first fake.  It might be the same.

This was many years ago and I didn't have the experience or reference resources that I have today.  If I had only had it tested and found that it was a base metal, that would have answered the question more quickly, but I still had to free it from the crust.

---

No storms or big changes in beach conditions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/10/17 Report - 1715 Fleet Eight-Escudo. How High Will It Go? Evaluating Metal Detecting Zones.

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

Lot  In Current Sedwick Treasure Auction # 22.
Source: auction.sedwickcoins.com

Here is the lot description.

Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1697H, "PVA" variety, very rare, encapsulated NGC MS 62, finest and only specimen in NGC census, from the 1715 Fleet (designated on label). S-L25; KM-26.2; CT-8. 26.85 grams. Broad flan with good full cross, clear king's ordinal II, bold full crown above full pillars-and-waves, minor peripheral flatness, frosty surfaces. This is one of only six dates (1696-1701) struck under Charles II, whose name on these coins appears simply as "C.II.," which are naturally highly sought for the type. One of two varieties for this date--with and without dots in the motto--but this is the only specimen of either variety in the NGC census. NGC #4485215-002. From the 1715 Fleet.

This is an exceptional cob that already has a bid of $20,000.The auction estimate was 20 - 40 thousand.

What is your guess on the final price?   Make a guess and send me your estimate.

Here is the link,

http://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Lima-Peru-cob-8-escudos-1697H-PVA-variety-very-rare-encapsulated-NGC-MS-62-finest-and-only_i28138985

---

I recently wrote about a stretch of beach and various metal detecting zones I identified along that stretch.  I mentioned how those areas differed.  Some differences were apparent by simple observation.  You could see the people, how many were there, what they were doing, what types of things they had, etc.  You could see the natural environment, including the sand, slopes, sea grass, etc.  But there were some things I had to check with my metal detector.  I sampled every area at least a little - some more than others. 

I had to pass by some areas to get to others.  Even if I didn't want to spend much time at a particular zone, I would at least pass through it quickly with my detector to check it out..  I always like to collect a little data to check my previous conclusions.  Occasionally I would run across an unexpected good find or something that might make me want to check a little more.

My main point here is that it is important to really get to know different areas and don't write them off too soon. Check things out, and improve your understanding of any area.

I highly recommend keeping detailed records.  I've said that before.  I never regretted keeping records, but often wished I had kept more.

Areas change over time.  You might want to compare observations over the years and it is difficult to remember everything over a lengthy time span.  Those fifteen zones I described were only along one 8 mile stretch, and I detected a lot of places other than that small area.  

It is nice to have a good long stretch with a variety of different types of zones.  When one zone isn't producing another might be.  You can select different ones to work at different times, depending upon what is going on.  And as you walk from one to another, you can always check those in between.

Different zones had different concentrations and types of targets.  That is something important to keep track of.  I once did a post on math for metal detecting.  You can probably still find it.

When the value of targets can be quantified, you can calculate the most likely value of your finds per time unit at the different zones.  That will help you compare and select detecting sites.  Some zones produce more finds, but on they might be low value finds so that your average find value might actually be higher at an area where you find fewer things.  The numbers will help you assess the situation much better.  It is amazing how a very few remarkable finds can quickly add up to hundreds or thousands of low quality finds.

Of course you can't go entirely by the numbers even though the numbers will help you get a good picture of the situation if you put in enough time and keep records.  Some people just want to go by feel.  Some people are just more interested in certain types of finds even though they might not be as valuable.  Some people just like old coins or other old things, for example.  On the other hand, a lot of people don't have the patience for the low-quantity zones even if there are some very high quality finds to be made there.

One of the zones I mentioned yesterday was supposed to have produced old shipwreck coins, according to one book..  I never found that to be the case, but by looking at the area I could tell that it would take a very good storm to wash old coins in even if the book was right.  The book, by the way was written by an author not known for the highest standards of accuracy.  That is another reason I tend to go by my own observations and data.  I try to experiment and test everything that seems important and questionable.  Having spent part of my career in science, it is just my nature.  One thing I emphasize and teach a lot is an empirical scientific approach to metal detecing.

More on metal detecting zones some other day.

---

I hope you will take time to respond if you have not yet responded to the blog poll.  I know of finds that were made that do not show up in the poll yet.  In fact there are some that I showed in this blog that are not represented in the poll yet.  I know that because the area the cobs were found still shows zero finds for that area.  Of course the poll isn't complete yet, so I expect it to fill in.

Thanks for your help.

---

Tropical storm Ophelia is out in the middle of the Atlantic and won't affect us.

We are back to three and four foot surf for the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/30/16 Report - Big Surf From Hurricane Matthew Coming Soon. Detecting Sites: Virgin or Not.

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

Hurricane Matthew Friday Morning Cone
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

By two AM Saturday Matthew is expected to have winds of over 110 mph.  That is nothing to take lightly.

You can still see the northward turn that is predicted, taking it up near Jamaica and over Cuba.

The west edge of the cone is now touching Florida, at which time it is still shown as a hurricane.

Below are the surf predictions for the Fort Pierce area.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

If this prediction is accurate, the surf will begin to increase Tuesday and reach a peak of up to ten feet on Wednesday.  That is not just a one or two day bump either.  Could actually do something for us, but I hope it stays to the east.

Keep watching.

---

Back in the eighties when the economy was still good and I was doing a lot of consulting for corporations and government agencies, I flew into Washington D. C. for a conference, and in the taxi on the way to the hotel I saw block after block of prostitutes.  They were on every corner and in between.  Being a country boy at heart and not spending any more time than necessary in cities, I had never seen anything like that before.

People tend to think that you can't find virgin detecting sites anymore.  That is partly because the virgin sites aren't the most obvious.  You can't find them on every street corner.  Because I do mostly beach hunting these days, with few exceptions, I hardly ever think about finding what other people might call a virgin site.  I do think of detecting some out-of-the-way places or relatively unexplored places from time to time, but it is not much of an issue to me how many people might have been there before.  There are a few reasons for that.

I am often surprised by how much is left to be found at sites that have been hunted and hunted.  I also usually feel that there is some virgin ground even at most sites that have been heavily hunted.  It might be a bit deeper, or masked by junk, or under bushes, or next to concrete or rebar, near power lines, or it might be beach sand that just got uncovered or that just got replenished in one way or another.

Take for example the Jupiter beach that I talked about the other day.  That beach was hunted by Dave and others many times before I hunted it.  It sure wasn't what you would call a virgin site by any stretch of the imagination, yet all of sudden it became very productive because of the erosion.  Those coins had been there in the dunes waiting for a long time.

Every once in a while you get access to new layers of sand on a beach or new targets that wash out of the dunes or out of the water and onto the beach.  Something similar happens on land sites.  Areas get uncovered in one way or another.

Take for example, the old Indian and wagon trail that I hunt up in the hills of West Virginia.  It has been hunting many times by others and myself, yet it still produces.

Just this year they had heavy rains there.  It undoubtedly washed out parts of the trail as well as the cliffs beside the trail, and eroded gullies and hillsides.  I can't wait to get up there again some time this Fall because I know I will have access to new virgin layers of soil and new targets.  It doesn't matter if others have been there, I'll still find spots that have not been detected and feel like it is virgin ground all over again.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/18/15 Report - Surface Hunting Old Bottles To Locate Old Detecting Sites. Accu-Sound Pinpointer.

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

Miscellaneous Bottles Found While Surface Hunting On The Treasure Coast Yesterday.

Besides doing good library research, another way to find good detecting sites is to simply go out and scout around.  One of the first signs of an old site will normally be broken pieces of class or pottery on top of the ground.

A lot of people dig for bottles, but they can also be found on the surface on beaches or along waterways.  I found my first old bottles after Hurricane Andrew when I was hunting silver coins with a detector and noticed old bottles floating in the surf.  I started picking up the bottles, and that was the beginning of my bottle collecting.

Below is the type of area where these bottles were found.  Their were many more modern bottles, broken bottles, pieces of glass and other junk.  The few older bottles were partly buried, except for the small ones.

Areas Where Bottles Were Found.

At this particular location I've found mid-19th century bottles and a surprise horse tooth fossil.

If you find a cluster of old bottles, it might be a good sign of a nearby old detecting site.

None of these bottles are very interesting, and they aren't worth much, but if you are in an area like that something more valuable might also be found.   It is worth looking.  You never know what you might find.

Generally there will be so much junk in an area like this that it won't be worth detecting.  You might however detect the original site that is the source of the bottles.

----
A bottle of wine from a blockade runner that sank in 1864 was opened and drank.   The verdict - yuk!

Here is the link to that video.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/Uncorked-Wine-From-1864-Shipwreck/414769219890/Comcast/Today_in_Video/?cid=hero_sf_TIV

----

An Inexpensive Pin Pointer.

I got this pinpointer free with the purchase of a metal detector.  It is one of the less expensive pinpointers.  It is also not very effective.

I tested it with the four objects shown above and you nearly have to touch the object to get a signal.  It could be of some help I guess.  But if you really want a pinpointer, you probably want something more effective.  I never use a pinpointer myself, and my experience with this one did nothing to convince me that I should.

A pinpointer is not as much help if you beach detect.  You can sift sand fairly quickly.  If you hunt in muddy soil or clay, a pinpointer might be of more use.

I personally pinpoint rather well with my metal detector, being able to determine a lot about the location, size, shape and depth of the object from the detector.  There are also other helpful tricks that you can use instead of a pinpointer.  I've talked about some of those in the past.

Some detectors provide easier pinpointing than others.

I actually made a video showing the use and effectiveness of this particular pinpointer but haven't managed to get it uploaded to the blog yet.

---

Sotheby is auctioning a large selection of valuable travel and discovery books including some on the Indians of North America and various voyages and wrecks.  If you are looking for good lead information or just like to read history, this auction will give you a good start.  You don't have to buy the books, but when you see one you like, you can do an internet search for digital books, cheaper replications, or other material you might find by the same author.

Here is a link to the auction lots.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2015/exploration-discovery-library-franklin-brooke-hitching-l15411.html

----

There is little hope for improved beach detecting conditions on the Treasure Coast in the near future.  The surf is smooth today.  Tomorrow (Thursday) we're supposed to get something up to about five feet, but the wind will be southerly.  That's too bad.  Maybe we'll get a little stirring.

Happy hunting anyhow,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net