11/11/19 Report - History Between the Pages of Old Books. Memorable Metal Detecting Experiences.

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

I decided to pull out an old book that I hadn't read, and I'm glad I did.  The book is George Gable's The Grandissimes, originally published in 1880, I had an 1899 copy.  Gable writes historical novels, or what I might call dramatized history of old New Orleans.   His books give you a better idea of what life was like than a history book would.  He fleshes out actual historical people and events with realistic interactions and dialogue that is authentic to the times and period.  It presents a complex detailed picture of society and racial relations as they were.  In my opinion, the George Gable books are much better than "history" books in more ways than one.

Anyway, I found the obituary of Captain Benjamin Saxon clipped from the Dec. 11, 1901 Times-Democrat newspaper.  Captain Benjamin Saxon Story was a prominent citizen of New Orleans who passed in 1901, and the obituary mentions actual places and people mentioned in the book.  

There is much more to the clipping than what I am showed above.  The obituary talks about Captain Story's experience in the Civil War and his feelings of the defeat of the Confederacy.  It also mentions his acquaintance with Bulwer Lytton, a very prolific author of many books which I have. 

Treasure hunting is to me a broader subject than metal detecting.  Metal detecting is one kind of treasure hunting.  

Valuable books are treasures too.  Not only can old and rare books be valuable, but old books can conceal other treasures.  I've found money, old photos, and a business card of a famous person between the pages of an old book.   And  the information in a book can be a valuable treasure too.

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This morning I was thinking about my most memorable metal detecting finds.  Two that first came to mind were valuable finds.  They were both diamond rings.  One had the largest and finest solitary diamond that I ever found, and one had the largest total diamond weight.  

You would think that the most memorable finds would be the most valuable, but while thinking about it, I discovered there are a lot of other factors involved besides the value of the find.  Some of the finds that stick out in my memory are not the most valuable.  In fact I think those diamond rings are so memorable to me because of more than their value.

The first, my largest and finest solitaire diamond, was found on a particularly beautiful day.  The sky was deep blue and the water was bath-water calm.  I distinctly remember when that scoop of sand was lifted from the bottom, I could see the diamond sparkling while it was still under a few feet of water.  At that point I didn't know that it was a valuable diamond ring at all, but I remembered the sensory experience of that beautiful day and the diamond sparkling in the scoop under the water.

The other diamond ring that I remember so well, involved an experience too.  It was a day when I had very little time to hunt.  In fact before I went hunting, I had a hard time deciding if I would go because I had so little time.  I figured that by the time I got to the site I wouldn't have more than a half hour of time to actually hunt.  Despite how little time I had, I finally decided to go.  When I got there I stepped into the water, not much above my ankles, and bingo - I hit the ring in just a few minutes.  It turned out I didn't need much time, but something told me to go, and I was glad I did.

I also well remember finds that were not valuable at all.  For example, my first piece of Treasure Coast shipwreck silver.  I remember that find detail for detail.  I dug it up, my wife took it out of my scoop, looked at it, and started to throw it away.  I told her to keep it.  It was a black sliver of silver.  I didn't really know for sure it was silver until I got it home and tested it.  It isn't worth much of anything but it was a first for me, and it was a long time coming.  

Surprisingly, unlike the experiences I just described, I had to think a while to remember exactly where I found my first escudo.  For some reason, I don't remember that one so well.  I do remember that it was on my birthday weekend and I also found a gold US coin the same weekend.  Maybe that made the escudo less memorable to me as a unique experience because what I remember is finding two totally different kinds of gold coins in the same birthday weekend, but I don't really remember the details of finding those two coins very well.

It seems that I do not so much remember the details of individual finds on days when there were many finds.  On days when I dig a lot of good stuff, that is what I tend to remember - the quantity of finds. 

When I think over my memorable finds, there are several factors that make them stick out.  Value is only one.

I tend to remember first finds, especially when they are something that I have sought for a while.  I had been trying to find shipwreck silver for a quite a while when I finally found my first.  I think that made it more memorable.  Also the experience of not knowing for sure immediately and having to go through the process of testing before getting the final answer made it more memorable.  And also sharing the experience and telling the story made it more memorable.

Many of my most memorable finds involved interactions with other people - for example, sharing the experience with my wife.  In some cases, it was returning the item to a grateful person.  And telling the story never hurts.  I'm sure that sharing the experience and sharing the story makes the find much more memorable.  

I remember, for example, the day when I arrived at one site after leaving another with a pocketful of quarters and encountering a fellow that asked if I could spare any change.  I gave him a couple dollars worth of blackened quarters, and he told me, "God helps those who help others."   I stepped into the water and, bingo, I found a diamond ring in just a few sweeps.  A few sweeps more and I found another diamond ring.  What I remember most about that is what the fellow said to me and then what happened and the very coincidental nature of the whole thing.  

It isn't all about the value of the find.  It is very much about the experience and sharing with others, and also the meaning it has to you.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

We're supposed to have another increase in the surf for Wednesday and Thursday and then another one next weekend.  

Like I've been saying, this is the time of year when we often have cold fronts coming through.   November is often a decent hunting month.  Hopefully we'll get something that moves enough renourishment sand to improve conditions.  There is a lot of sand in front of the beaches and covering the dunes.

Remember the veterans today.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/16/17 Report - A Metal Detector Beginners Observations and Experiences Plus Commentary. New Tropical Disturbance Brewing.

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

Tropical Disturbance In The Atlantic
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There is now a disturbance that has a 20% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.  You would expect this to continue heading west and turning north at some point.

No significant increase in surf is predicted for the Treasure Coast yet.

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NPR's Alex Chadwick talked with Slate contributor Emily Yoffe about her latest Human Guinea Pig experience: metal detector-ism. Subsequently Emily wrote a post on www.slate.com having the subtitle Metal Detecting Is The World's Worst Hobby. I listened to a few minutes of the NPR interview and read Emily's article.  I found the article interesting because it clearly presented the impressions of someone just giving metal detecting a try.  And as you would guess from the subtitle, Emily and her family, didn't like it at all.  You might wonder why.

First of all, the Staffordshire Hoard was one of her first references to metal detector finds that she made.  With images of such sugar plums dancing in her head, surely the reality must have been a shock after going out and finding the typical junk.  The point of that being that expectations need to be realistic.  Big treasure hunting dreams usually come true only after a lot of effort. Optimism is a plus, but patience is required.

The author of the article (Emily) called a metal detector salesman to purchase her first metal detector and told him she wanted something her seven year old could easily use and she wanted to find Civil War relics because she lived where they could hunt for those.  She was surprised when the salesman told her the seven year old would probably only want to go metal detecting one time.  That is about the way it turned out.  He also told her he had been detecting for three years (pretty much of a beginner himself) and had never found any Civil War relics.  She was surprised that a salesman would tell her something like that.

In her post she said, I started metal detecting for the latest episode of Human Guinea Pig, the column in which I do things people are curious about but wish someone else would do for them. But metal detecting was something our family actually did want to do, even without Slate's encouragement. It was my daughter's idea, actually. She requested a metal detector for her 7th birthday—she had seen a TV commercial that promised diamond rings and other amazing treasure.

Many people are curious.  They sit and watch and try to get a glimpse of what you dig, and they ask if you found anything.  Emily actually tried it, spurred on, it seems, by her seven year old daughter who was enticed by a commercial.  I guess the commercial worked to sell one metal detector, but the result was an entire family being turned off by the experience, and perhaps many more people being negatively influenced by her interview and blog post.   

She, as I suppose most beginners, was confused by the variety of detectors offered on the web.  That must be very common.  I receive a lot of questions from people wanting to get started who don't know what to buy.  

Here is something else she said that I believe people need to pay attention to.  The beep of the metal detector, like the car alarm, the busy signal, and the colicky baby, belongs in the catalog of irritating sounds. The booklet that came with my Tracker IV instructed me to study the different tones emitted by the machine so I would know the kind of metal being indicated. But I could never keep straight whether the chirp that resembled a dying sparrow meant iron or the drone like that of a truck backing up meant copper.

I agree one hundred percent that metal detector sounds are irritating.  Do they have to be so cheap and unpleasant sounding?  Most are.  Secondly, and more important, it isn't easy discriminate a lot of the sounds.  A musician might have an easier time with it than the average person.  In my opinion, that is one of the better reasons for visual displays.  (You might remember my recent post discussing aural versus visual signals.) 

After some discouragement, she consulted a neighbor who was a detectorist.  He showed a box of his finds, evidently exciting her interest to some extent again.  He did another thing for her.  She said, Phil adjusted the arm length on my Tracker IV, resulting in the immediate relief of what was becoming a debilitating case of metal detectorist elbow.  It wasn't long ago that I referred to the importance of a properly adjusted rod.

Metal detecting isn't something that someone with no experience or help can easily jump into on their own.  It is not as simple as buying a detector, turning it on and admiring the finds.

Emily's post (no pun intended) should be of some assistance to metal detector manufacturers.  It might also be of some assistance to beginners, as discouraging as it might sound.  If you are a beginner, expect to put in your time learning how to use your metal detector and find treasure.  It can be an activity that provides a world or interest and education.  Take your time to get educated before making a lot of commitment.

I personally found Emily's observations interesting.  They might be of value to both metal detector manufacturing companies and retail outlets. 

Here is Emily's blog post.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2009/09/full_metal_racket.html

And here is the NPR radio interview here.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/recycled/2009/09/full_metal_racket.html

Happy hunting and happy learning,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net