11/15/18 Report - Holed Coins, Pockets and Pouches. Cold Front. Stone Ax Found at Mount Vernon.

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

Holed Coins Collected by Mike F.

Another addition to your ongoing “holed” coins stories. This is not so much to show you some holed coins that I collected (not found with my metal detector), but to add another reason for the holes. I left England when I was 22 to ’see the world'. Some five years later, in the mid 1960s, I arrived in Papua New Guinea. I lived in Port Moresby for about six months and was intrigued by the holed shillings which occasionally showed up in my change. I was told that the reason for the wholes in the middle was so that the New Guinea natives, who were not much into wearing western clothing, could hang them on a cord around their necks and take one off whenever they needed to purchase something. I collected as many as I could, but that was very few until I moved up into the highlands for six months. There were a lot more of these coins still in circulation in the remote areas and I collected many more shillings and even two 6 pence and two 3 pence coins, which I had never seen in Port Moresby. I believe these coins were minted in Australia, which was using the English pound, shillings and pence monetary system. They were all minted between 1936 and 1945 (1935-36 King George V, 1938-45 King George VI). Minting of these coins stopped in 1945 and no new coinage was issued until the 1970s when Papua New Guinea started minting its own coins. I’m presuming the coins in the attached photo are 925 silver, like English coins. The shillings are about the same size as a US quarter.

Keep up the good work. I never miss reading your reports.

Mike in NJ

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Back a few days ago I showed a beach-dug coin from Denmark that had a hole in the middle.  Denmark says the holes in their coins are simply to make them different and therefore more identifiable.

I also once mentioned how holed coins could be sewed into garments for safe keeping during transportation.  That led me to wonder about pockets, and when they came into common use.  Below is what I found in one article.

… This is because the original pockets weren’t like the sewn-in pockets we know today, but rather separate bags detached from clothing. From the 15th until the mid-16th century, men and women carried essential items and currency in a pouch that was typically tied around the waist or hung from a belt. As thieves and “cutpurses” became more of a problem in the 17th century, people began to cut slits in their shirts, skirts, and pants, and tuck their pouches inside their clothing for safekeeping. This practice necessitated making the bags flatter and easier to reach into, so they would be more accessible and not create a significant bulge....

And here is that link.

https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/a-mans-pockets/

So by the 17th century purses or pouches were inserted into clothes more like the pockets we have today.

I'm sure some items were still sewed into clothing.  I've read about that being done during WW II also.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/history-of-pockets/

Speaking of bulges, there was one time I was returning to the car after a good hunt.  As I was walking down the steps to the parking lot with a pocket full of coins, a young lady walking up the steps fixed her eyes on the area just below my belt buckle.  I wondered why she was staring.  When I looked down, the coins in my pocket were lined up to look something like two rolls of quarters.  That is all I'll say.  As much as I tried to avoid people on my detecting outings, there were a lot of memorable encounters and funny experiences.

Another thing about pockets - make absolutely sure your pockets have no holes.  I had to find a gold chain twice because one very small hole.  After I dug the gold chain I put it in my shirt pocket before the long walk back to the car.  When I got there I noticed the chain was gone and then noticed the small hole.  I had to walk back a long distance and was lucky to find the chain again right at the water's edge.

And there was the time I was detecting with my wife.  It seemed like she found a real hot spot.  She kept finding more and more coins in the same spot.  Turned out she had a hole in her goodie bag.  That was something I never let her forget.

Years ago I often used a small leather bag with a pull-string .   It was like the bag I used to keep my change when I delivered newspapers as a child.  Same kind of bag that was used to keep my marbles.  I might still have it around somewhere.

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About 6,000 years ago, a precious stone ax that had been skillfully carved and shaped by Native Americans was lost on a ridge overlooking the Potomac River in Virginia. The ax, about seven inches long, had been hewed and smoothed and was narrowed at one end where a wooden handle was attached. Its loss must have been keenly felt.

Six millennia later, on Oct. 12, 2018, Dominic Anderson and Jared Phillips, 17-year-old high school seniors from Ohio, were on an archaeological dig at George Washington’s estate at Mount Vernon, when a stone that looked like a big potato turned up in their sifting screen. Not sure what it was, they asked the Mount Vernon archaeologists working nearby...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2018/10/31/students-discover-year-old-stone-ax-mount-vernon/?utm_term=.ce483d4f1e4d

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On the Treasure Coast the tides are pretty flat.  The surf will be small too.  According to MagicSeaWeed, the surf is supposed to be around two or three feet for several days despite a cold front coming through.

Friday the high temperature is supposed to be 69.  I'll be happy to see that.  It has been too hot for this time of year.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/31/17 Report - Treasure Hunting, Digging Holes and a Metaphor of Life. Should Be Viral Photo. South Hutchinson Island Beaches. Bigger Surf Coming Soon.

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

Partially Buried Scoop In One Big Hole 

Photo by Eric H.

This is the perfect picture for New Years.  If the world was populated by detectorists like me, the photo would go viral.  As soon as I saw it I had to laugh and showed it to my wife, who also laughed when she saw it.

It isn't that the picture is so funny.  It is just so meaningful.  It is a metaphor for life.

I won't tell the story that goes with the picture yet.  As a detectorist you can probably identify with the big hole at the water's edge.  You get it.  You've been there.

You get a signal.  You check it out.  More beeps.  There is something definitely there.  You start digging.  It is still there.  Dig some more.  Still there.  Dig and dig and dig.  You are almost there and the tide tarts coming in and every time you remove some sand, water comes in and fills the hole again. The object is so close, yet remains just out of reach.

As one year comes to an end, it isn't really an end.  We aren't done yet.  There is more to do.  There are things that we haven't yet accomplished even though we put in a lot of work.  There will be obstacles to overcome but there will also be windows of opportunity. There are treasures that will continue to draw us on and some that will continue to remain just our of reach.

You don't know what lies in the bottom of the hole.  Imagination says it might be some exciting treasure, while discouragement says it might be nothing but junk.  The optimist keeps digging, but the pessimist gives up and says there is nothing good there.

There is a lot in life that we can't see and haven't yet reached, yet we know it is there waiting for us - urging us on.

I've been surprised how religious or spiritual so many detectorists are.  It is no wonder though.  They search for what they do not know and do not see, yet they believe that it is out there.  They can search and work for something and not know what it is.  They can do everything right and still not be successful - until the right time.

Yes, there is much left to do.  There is more to find.  There is more to learn.  The goal has not been reached.   2017 may have been the start of many projects and the finish of some, yet there is much more to do.

May 2018 NOT be a year of bottomless holes and junk targets.  May your efforts be rewarded, and may you find the real treasures of life.

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Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Yesterday Just Before Noon.

I took a look at the beach yesterday.  Here are some photos that I took at Fort Pierce South Jetty and John Brooks beaches.  There was no new erosion at those beaches.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach.

It was foggy still around 11 o'clock when I took the photos.  I had to enhance them a little because the fog made them look blurry.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Yesterday.

The wind was coming from the northwest.  The water had only been to the toe of the cliff.

I did pick up some fossil pieces.

John Brooks Beach Yesterday Just Before Noon.

John Brooks Yesterday.

There was no new erosion at either of these beaches.  I don't know if any of the beaches to the north improved.  Maybe some one can give me a report from up there.

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The surf predictions are encouraging.  As you can see, we are supposed to get a 5  - 8 foot surf next week.  Also some north winds.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Have a Happy New Year.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/17/16 Report - Foot Fanning and Expanding Holes. 12.5 Karat Diamond Ring Lost and Found.

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

14K Ring That Gave Penny ID
Submitted by Robert H.

Here is one more example of the dangers of going totally by target ID meters.  This ring rang up as a penny on the CTX 3030.   There is simply no perfect target ID system.  You can use it as much as you want, but beware of possible mistakes and make your decisions accordingly.

Thanks much to Robert H. for this example.

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A 12.5 karat diamond ring was accidentally thrown in the trash but was found in tons of trash by a waste company worker.

Here is the link.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/west-county-woman-s--carat-diamond-ring-tossed-in/article_e57fe788-cbef-5072-9eb1-c1d7ef1db01d.html

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I hope you took the time to look at the report on the Vasco da Gama ship.   It has a lot of very good information and a lot of hints for the detectorist or treasure hunter.  It talks a lot about the location of the wreck and distribution or artifacts.  Here is that link once again.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1095-9270.12175/epdf

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I like to find areas with a good concentration of good targets.  There are times when a hole just keeps getting bigger and bigger and produces more and more targets.

Here is one example of when I found an excellent shallow water spot.  The bottom was covered by rock and sand.  The rocks were close together and there was enough sand on and between the rocks that it was impossible to dig with a scoop.  It was almost like pavement.  I used one of my favorite techniques, foot fanning, to make holes.  I've described it before.

By fanning with my foot, the sand would be lifted from over and between the rocks and the rocks would then come up.  The targets would also eventually pop up out of the hole a lot of the time.

After the first hole was made and the first target retrieved, I then scanned the hole with my coil to see if there were any other targets in the hole.

In this example there was one in the side of the hole, so I fanned again to the side of the hole, which made the hole larger.  The second target was retrieved.  Then the hole was scanned again and another target located.  This was repeated over and over and the hole got larger and larger as it got both wider and deeper.  That continued for quite a while.  It was a lot of work, but a lot of good targets were retrieved.

In the simple illustration above, the brown circles represent rocks, The black dip is the first hole, the orange is the second hole, the purple is the third hole the yellow is the fourth hole, etc.  Targets were between and under rocks.

When you get in a good area like that, make sure to detect the sides and bottom of the hole after you remove sand and rocks.  As the hole gets bigger and deeper, more targets might be detected.  Take advantage of the additional depth you get by making the hole deeper.

I'd have to find my records, but I know a lot of coins and gold was found in that area.  It kept me busy a couple of days.

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The surf will increase a little today, reaching 3 or 4 feet by tomorrow, then not much more.

Happy St. Patricks Day,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/2/15 Report - More On Heart Shaped Cobs. Help For Identifying Native American Shell Artifacts.

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

You don't often get a good chance to look at many heart-shape cobs.  They are rare, but the recent Sedwick Coins auction provided the opportunity for us to get a look at several of them.

I was glad to receive Laura Strolia's email on that topic. Here is what she said.

Your stories, questions, and publicity on the Sacred Heart coins have made an absolute compelling topic!

On these heart-shaped cobs, the idea was to put the hole above the cross. People wanted to wear the cross

in a vertical manner to be the main symbol on the heart. One did not want to show it off as a piece of currency.

In my opinion the coin with two holes could be a mistake.

Someone must have been rushing, picked the wrong bar of the cross for a hole, and then corrected the error with a second hole.

I am investigating more into this mystery of this heart coin through archives, especially those of missionaries.

There's great knowledge to be learned concerning these objects because there are some discrepancies with their

usage, origin, and development (previously recorded). 

The answers will only be in archival material to substantiate theories.

If you've been reading this blog over the past few years, you know that Laura is the author of the book, The Marigalera of the 1715 Fleet, and has contributed a lot of information about  1715 Fleet artifacts, such as the Pelican of Piety.

In a second email, Laura added the following information.

...According to some scholars, the heart cobs began in production at a time way before St. Mary of Alacoque renewed the Sacred Heart devotion... 

I'm eager to see what her research eventually reveals about the heart-shaped cobs.

If you look at the heart-shaped cobs shown in the auction catalog, most are "holed" above the vertical bar of the cross, which often puts the hole in what appears to be the flame extending at the top of the cob.

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When you are metal detecting, you are probably not looking for a Native American artifact, yet you might find one if you have a sharp eye and are able to identify those kinds of artifacts. Arrow heads and other artifacts occasionally appear on Treasure Coast beaches, especially in good shell piles.  I've shown some of those in the past.

I ran across a Master's Thesis that provides a lot of pictures of Native American shell artifacts.  You might want to check it out.  It could help you recognize one on the beach some time.

Here is the link.

http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2025&context=etd

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The most read blog post of October was the 10/19/15 Report - Early Edition and Follow Up. Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Detecting Conditions Rating Increased To A Level 2. Beach Survey.

The most Google Plused post was the 10/27/5 Report - New Poll. Dynamics of Pebble Covered Beaches. Detecting The Past. Why Today Is The Day.

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Not much new to say about beach detecting conditions.

I'll have my analysis of the poll results for you in a day or two.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/21/15 Report - Wreck of The Griffin. Low Profile Metal Detecting. Image and Shovels and Holes.

Written by the Treasure Guide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Since the weather has improved in the keys, the Magruder and Dare are returning to the wreck site of the Margarita.

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In the past I posted some articles about the wreck of the Griffin, which sunk in the 17th Century.

I found an exceptionally good article about that wreck.

The image to the left is a woodcut image from that article.

Below is the link.



http://www.accuweather.com/en/features/trend/mysterious_shipwreck_found_in/40871618

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About thirty years ago I was doing contract work at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola.  I did a lot of work there and when I traveled to the area I took my metal detector and used it for leisure after work rather than sitting in a hotel.

I did a lot of work with some of the people there and they knew about my hobby.  One day one of the civilian employees at the Air Rework Facility told me about a site where an old hotel from the thirties and forties had burned down and been removed.  They asked if I wanted to detect the site, which was close to their home.  He told me where the site was and I agreed to go out to the site and meet him there.  When I arrived I looked around at what looked like a WW II battlefield.   Huge holes and piles of dirt were everywhere.  It was obvious that someone had already detected there.  The only other option was that someone dug about a hundred fox holes.

The fellow later told me what I had guessed- that he had detected the site but didn't find anything of value.  He wanted to see how I would detect the site.

I quickly found some old coins and tax tokens, a sterling silver plate, a vintage gold plated lapel pin, etc., etc.  You couldn't tell that I had been there.  I didn't use a shovel.  I didn't even use a scoop.  As I often do, I used a screwdriver, which when properly used can pop a coin out of the ground without damaging the coin or leaving an obvious scar on the ground.

A few days ago I talked about being a minimalist.  I don't take more equipment than I need and I don't take bigger equipment than I need.  I don't like fooling with a lot of extra equipment, but more importantly, I like to maintain a low profile.



Military Metal Detecting.

Take a look at this picture.  What would you think if those two fine fellows showed up on your front yard?  You might be concerned.  You might think of possible dangers.

The fact is that people draw conclusions from what they see.  If you show up at a front door with a bunch of drunk buddies carrying Rambo knives, picks, axes and shovels, you might not get permission to hunt a manicured lawn.

Last year the St. Lucie County Parks declared that they had nothing against metal detecting but that digging, plugging or probing was not permitted.

Many parks, as well as many private land owners, do not want people digging holes.  Carrying a shovel suggests (not unreasonably) that you are going to dig.  It is as simple as that.

One reason I do not like to carry a lot of extra equipment, especially equipment that might be obvious or might concern someone, is that it attracts the wrong kind of attention.

There are times when you might need a shovel.  There might be times when you need an excavator, but they are few and far between.  And if you use a shovel on park lands, county, state or federal, don't be surprised if you find trouble.

Image is important, probably too important, but that is the way it is.

I'm not one to judge a person by appearances.  Real scoundrels are usually smart enough to present a good appearance.  Some of the biggest bums dress in fine suits, however, right or wrong, people will draw conclusions based upon what they see.  If they see a big Rambo knife, they'll react.  If they see a big shovel, they might think you are going to dig big holes.

I'm not saying that you should not use a shovel.  I'm only saying that it will often draw the wrong kind of attention, as will a number of other things.  I'm not just talking about shovels here. 

My general advice is to use the most unobtrusive methods and tools that will do the job.  Do not be like the optometrist who fell into the lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself.

The fact is that the vast majority of good targets can be retrieved without making big holes and with very little equipment.  You can always make plans to return better equipped at a better time.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast is around two or three feet.  That will stay the same or even decrease in the next few days.

We do have a negative tide.  That is one good thing.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net