3/11/19 Report - Anchor of Merchant Royal (?) Recovered. Snorkeler and Whale. Increasing Surf.

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

Anchor in Tangled Net
Source: https://www.foxnews.com/science/anchor-from-most-valuable-shipwreck-in-history-found

A scuba-diving treasure hunter said he now fears a “dangerous” gold rush after what is thought to be the anchor of the most valuable British shipwreck in history was found off the coast of Cornwall. The anchor is believed to be that of the Merchant Royal, which sank some 400 years-ago while carrying 100,000 pounds of gold and 400 bars of Mexican silver – thought to be worth more than £1bn today...

The Merchant Royal, a 17th-century English galleon, was known as “the El Dorado of the seas”, and traded with Spanish colonies between 1637 to 1640. As well as its golden and silver, the vessel sank while carrying nearly 500,000 pieces of eight and other coins – making it one of the most valuable wrecks of all time. Added Mr Milburn: “I know there are lots of anchors that look just like that one – it’s from a big wooden ship. “It’s an admiralty patterned long shank anchor, it’s the right type for the Merchant Royal...

Here is the link for more of that article.

https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/merchant-royal-anchor-shipwreck-billions-pounds-treasure-cornwall/

It seems that good reporting is quickly becoming a thing of the past.  They just go for attention-grabbing headlines these days and don't much bother to document what they are saying or give important details.   Both the inews article and Fox video leave out a lot that a careful reader might like to know.  For example, I'd like to know what makes them so sure they know what ship the anchor belongs to.  Is it only the style of anchor and location where it was found?  Or were they just eager to put something like "most valuable shipwreck ever" in the headlines.  I suspect the headline has a lot to do with it.  Why be careful about facts when you can get attention?

I'm not saying that it couldn't be the Merchant Royal.  I'd just like to know what makes them think it is.  Maybe I missed that somehow.

Odyssey Marine once thought they were on the Merchant Royal, but later it was later concluded that they were actually on the Mercedes and had to give the treasure to Spain.  If it was not easy for Odyssey Marine to know what wreck they were on, I don't know how a single anchor can be so conclusive.  Maybe I don't know anything, but that is how I see it.

Wikipedia says the following about the Merchant Royal.  (The links on that don't work, and I didn't take time to remove them all.)

Merchant Royal also known as Royal Merchant, was a 17th-century English merchant ship lost at sea off Land's End, in Cornwall County, in rough weather on 23 September 1641. On board were at least 100,000 pounds of gold (over 1.5 billion USD in today's money)^[3], 400 bars of Mexican silver (another 1 million) and nearly 500,000 pieces of eight and other coins, making it one of the most valuable wrecks of all times.^[4]

The Merchant Royal spent three years trading with Spanish colonies in the West Indies from 1637 to 1640. England was at peace with Spain at this time. The Merchant Royal and her sister-ship, the Dover Merchant, called into Cadiz on their way home to London. By all accounts she was leaking badly after her long voyage.

When a Spanish ship in Cadiz at the same time caught fire just before she was due to carry treasure to convert into pay for Spain's 30,000 soldiers in Flanders, the Merchant Royal's Captain Limbrey saw his chance to make a little more cash for his owners. He volunteered to carry the treasure to Antwerp on his way home.

The Merchant Royal went on leaking after she and her sister-ship left Cadiz and, when the pumps broke down, she sank off Land's End in rough weather on 23 September 1641.

Eighteen men drowned in the sinking. Captain Limbrey and 40 of his crew got away in boats and were picked up by Dover Merchant. It is not likely that the treasure was taken aboard the Dover Merchant.

Thanks much to Dean R. for pointing to that story with the inews.co link.

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Source: See FoxNews link below.

One web site proclaimed, "modern day Jonah."  Well, it did involve and man and a whale.  And the the man, a snorkeler, did end up in the whales mouth.  You can see the man's bottom and legs above.  But he wasn't in the whales belly, and it wasn't for three days.  I'm sure Rainer was glad about that.

Rainer Schimpf, 51, was snorkeling off the coast of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, when he ended up in the path of a Bryde's whale, which opened his jaws and engulfed him headfirst...

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

https://www.foxnews.com/world/diver-survives-after-being-scooped-up-in-whales-mouth-off-south-africa

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

As you can see, there will be an increase in the surf up to three to five feet Wednesday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/25/19 Report - Mysterfy Find. Another Copper Button. Behavioral Tendencies and Metal Detecting. Site Selection. Increasing Surf.

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

Same Ceramic Find For ID

Ceramic Find for ID

I received the following email from Chief G. along with the above ceramic item.


I’m a retired CMSgt and live on Dover afb in Delaware I recently found this object on a beach where a trading ship went down in the 1700’s I have found broken pipe bowls and other objects over the years but never ran across an item like this it feels like old red brick like material but is shaped like a cork...could it be a stopper for used for mineral water the ship was carrying stuff like that it’s roughly the size of a quarter. Any help would be appreciated...by the way I enjoy your blog it is awesome.
Chief G.

I'd like to hear if anyone else has found a similar item or can ID this one.

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Copper Button Found by Fred B.

Copper Button Found by Fred B.

'
Fred B. found the same type of copper button that I showed a week or two ago.

His is generally more corroded than mine, but his shank is more intact.

Below is the one that I found and posted previously.

Thanks Fred.  He says the shank is copper.  I couldn't see much of the shank on mine and evidently mistook some of the shank for corrosion.

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Human behavior is somewhat predictable.  Some types of behavior have been thoroughly studied and are well understood.  Metal detecting involves some of those behaviors.

It is obvious enough that people tend to do what they are rewarded for.  If they are rewarded for something they tend to continue doing it.  On the other hand, if they never are rewarded for a behavior in one way or another, they generally quit.

None of that is surprising, but you can see it with metal detecting.  It applies in many ways, including site selection.  People tend to visit sites where they've found things and quit visiting sites where never have success.  Again, that isn't at all surprising.  But it can be a problem.

Just because a site did not produce for one period of time, does not mean it never will.  Beaches are very dynamic systems,  That means they change a lot.

A beach can be fairly productive for a day, week, year or more, or it can be unproductive for various lengths of time.  That is why it is important to be able to read a beach, and it is also why it is important to not get stuck in a rut.

Even if you have never had luck at a particular beach, that doesn't mean that won't change at some time.  And just because one beach has become your favorite, does not mean it should always be your favorite.

I've found most cobs at one particular beach.  It is no surprise that I have also detected that beach more than the others.  If you have luck at a particular beach, you will visit it more, and that in itself increases the chances that you will have more success there.

On the other hand if you never had luck at a particular beach, you won't like it as much, and won't check it as much, and as a result, your chances of finding something at that beach are further decreased.  It becomes a bit of what is called a self-fulfilling prophecy.

According to well established behavioral laws, if you have continual luck at a beach over a period of time, if things change and you start to find nothing there, it won't be too long before you give up on it.

If, however, you only have intermittent luck at that beach (find things occasionally), you won't give up on it as quickly if it starts to yield nothing.  That is typically what you have.   Very few of us have been lucky enough to find a beach that produces every time we visit for an extended period of time.  That builds up a level of tolerance for failure that actually will help you not give up on the beach so quickly during unproductive periods.

I've heard of people that had unbelievable luck when they begin detecting, then give up quickly when things aren't great.  If you get used to great finds right away, there is a tendency to quickly get bored with less productive outings.

I could give this explanation in the terms of behavioral psychology, but the laws translate very well to observable metal detecting behavior.

If you are aware of behavioral tendencies, you can monitor your own behavior and react more effectively.

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The wind is up this morning on the Treasure Coast and the surf will be increasing during the day, becoming higher tonight and tomorrow.

I might get a chance to check a beach or two later today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/5/18 Report - Bigger Surf Coming. Gordon Hits Mississippi. Florence Headed Towards Bermuda. Mystery Find Identified.

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

Found on Beach by Alberto S.

I often say you can find anything and everything on a beach.  The items shown above were recently found by Alberto S.  Do you know what they are?   I'll tell you later.

Here is how Alberto described this find.

I am attaching a couple of images hoping you may have the time to view and comment. The image with the green capsule - I do not have a clue as to what this is for.  It's about an inch long and inside are a couple of tiny pouches with a silver looking liquid and a small black bead or something like that.  It was a surface find.

---

Brian B. had the following to say about the beaches up in the Flagler area.

... I think you were smart hitting the inland over the year as the sand has been rebuilding since Jan 5 this year in Flagler when the N Easter hit along our coast. 25 million dune restoration has been underway since Feb with a mile a month getting new sand from some 50 miles away and trucked in. While it's white fine sand and does not match the existing it was DEP approved and even though it won't hold together like existing sand, it seems that DEP doesn't care just so it's a sand of their approval. Thanks

---

And DB said, I read the report today and saw you haven't been up north any. Vero and north are all sanded in as well.

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Thanks for sharing Alberto, Brian and DB!

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Tropical Storm Gordon made landfall around Mississippi, and Hurricane Florence is headed towards Bermuda.

Hurricane Florence.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

For the Treasure Coast, the one to watch is the undeveloped system behind Florence.  It is still far away.

This weekend the surf will increase.  Here is how MagicSeaWeed shows it

I don't believe we've had four to six feet all summer - at least not sustained for any length of time.  Looks like summer is about over.

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About the mystery find shown at the top of the page - here it is.

It is a dental amalgam kit containing 600 mg of mercury and 600 mg of alloy.

Here is some information added by Alberto.

There's no secret reason NIST (and partners like the Environmental Protection Agency and United Nations) have pushed scientists away from mercury. It's a neurotoxin—exposure can cause tremors, partial blindness, deafness, memory loss, and many, many other problems—and, if mercury does spill, it's very hard to clean up. But toxicologists have known these facts for ages—what took so long? Inertia, partly. People grew up using mercury thermometers, and damn it, they want to keep using them. But mercury thermometers also have real advantages over the alternatives. 

So I went looking for amalgam and found this:

Potential Risks: Dental amalgam contains elemental mercury. It releases low levels of mercury in the form of a vapor that can be inhaled and absorbed by the lungs. ... Based on this evidence, FDA considers dental amalgam fillings safe for adults and children ages 6 and above.Dec 5, 2017 

He then wondered, as you might expect, how it ended up on the beach.

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Concerning mercury, below is what Carla Phillips says in her book Six Galleons for the King of Spain.

... The galleons often carried mercury on the outbound voyages, because it was a crucial part silver refining in the New World.  Once the mercury arrived in Cadiz, special containers had to be built to protect it form dampness, and that could take considerable time.  Altogether, some 198 toneladas would be sent in 1632, both to New Spain and to Tierra Firma for transshipment to Peru.  Although Oquendo was no e too pleased with the extra trouble caused by the mercury, after several years of uncertain fleets the New World mines were desperate for it.  The fleet also carried muskets and harquebuses, gathered from all over Andalusia, for transsihpment to Peru...

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net


\

12/30/17 Report - Increasing Surf Along Treasure Coast and Beach Photos. Shards. # 5 Most Popular Post of 2017.

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

Pepper Park Yesterday Morning.
Photo by Alberto S.

Alberto S. visited Pepper Park and Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach yesterday morning and sent these photos. 

Fort Pierce South Jetty Yesterday Morning.
Photo by Alberto S.

Since the higher surf had begun I wanted to see what was happening at the beach, so I went out yesterday afternoon to take a look.  Below is what I saw.

John Brooks Beach Yesterday Afternoon Before High Tide.

Frederick Douglas Beach Yesterday Afternoon Before High Tide.

You can see that at both John Brooks and Frederick Douglas the water was getting up over all the newly accumulated front beach.  It was getting as high as it has been for quite some time and it was not high tide yet.

Frederick Douglas Yesterday Afternoon.

You can see the sand along the berm of the front beach here.  That irregular spot to the left is an area that has been interesting for months now.

The water is getting high enough that there might be some spots that open up at some other beaches after the next high tide or two.

---

As you probably know I have been listing the top ten most popular posts of 2017.  It has helped me get an overall perspective on the year and what has been most interesting to the blog's readers.

My number five most popular post of the year was another one of the September posts having to do with Hurricane Irma.  As I said before, five of the top ten posts were done in September.  That was a busy time for Treasure Coast detecting this year.

Number 5 was the 9/12/17 post on some of the first Hurricane Irma finds that were reported.  Below is that link.

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2017/09/91217-report-early-irma-treasure-coast.html

A lot of musket balls and lead were found after Irma.

---

Consensus on the ceramic pieces found by Gaylen and shown in yesterday's post seems to be that they are not from old shipwreck pottery.  I am always very hesitant to evaluate pieces like that from just seeing photos, and other readers felt the same way, however, they do not look like either olive jar shards or majolica.  My first impression, though I was hesitant to say anything on that basis alone, is that they look too hard and dense and the edges are too sharp.  I was waiting until I studied it a little more before I said anything specific, but the responses I received via email seemed to be in line with my first impression.  I hope to take the time to study those pieces a little more so I can be more specific and perhaps show some examples of the real thing and how they differ.

You might look at my 11/18/12 and 11/19/12 reports, for example.  I am obviously far from an expert on shipwreck pottery or ceramics, but you have to start somewhere.

Here is the link to the 11/18/12 report.

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2012/11/111812-report-sherds-or-shards-water.html 

Of course there are books and resources that you can consult that are much more authoritative and thorough.

---

The most important topic today is the surf.  As I mentioned yesterday, it is getting bigger and hitting higher up on the beach.  Some spots might open up.

Here are the surf predictions for the next week.

Source; MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.netn

3/2/17 Report - Bigger Surf This Weekend. Ancient Trails of America Discovered By Spanish Explorers. Archaeological Pub. HMS Victory Galley and Mess.

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

Source: See link below.

On August 26, 1776, after descending the eastern side of the Uncompahgre Plateau to the Uncompahgre River Valley, Father Francisco Silvestre Vélez de Escalante wrote, “In the meadow of this river … there is a very wide and well-beaten trail.”

Similarly, on Sept. 9, when the expedition he led with Father Francisco Atanasio Domínguez descended the north side of Douglas Pass, Escalante wrote that the group traveled nearly 30 miles “over a very well-beaten trail with only one bad stretch.”

Since very few Europeans had traveled this region prior to Dominguez and Escalante, it’s clear that these “well-beaten trails” were established by the natives who lived there. In 1776, that meant the Utes. But the trails were likely used by a variety of native people over the ages...

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/routes-trails-crisscrossed-area-long-before-europe

Having done some hiking in the area I couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to hike those ancient Indian trails.

---

The restoration of an historic pub on Falmouth's waterfront has led to some "remarkable" archaeological finds which has delayed the project.

St Austell Brewery are currently restoring and refurbishing the Chain Locker and builders have discovered that not only is the building older than first imagined, but some of the earliest features of the place are still in situ.

This includes an original earth and hair plaster-bounded wall, a timber partition wall featuring hand-painted wallpaper and a stone-built fireplace...

Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.cornwalllive.com/archeological-finds-during-restoration-of-falmouth-s-chain-locker-pub-surprise-st-austell-brewery/story-30163164-detail/story.html

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Not too long ago I talked about galley bricks.  I just found this nice article about the galley of the HMS Victory.  Here is how it begins.

The galley provided the means for cooking hot food for all of the ships crew - at the time of Trafalgar, 821 men. The galley stove burned firewood (kept dry in its own store in the hold). Due to the risk of fire in a wooden ship, the galley fire was put out in rough weather or during action to prevent sparks or burning embers from setting light to the deck around the galley. Crews were often given a hot meal before being called to clear the ship for action - there was little knowing when the next hot meal might be able to be cooked. In rough weather, when the crews were often wet and cold, there was no respite from cold food.

The crew ate in groups of 8 to 12 men known as a 'mess'. These groups remained together throughout a voyage so the men became 'mess-mates'. Each day one man would take his turn as 'duty cook'. It was his responsibility to fetch the day's rations from the hold and to prepare the food for cooking. The prepared food was then taken along to the galley to be cooked (each mess marked its food with a metal tag). The galley cook was often a naval pensioner or wounded sailor - unable to perform the normal heavy shipboard tasks, he cooked the food for all the crew - a cook's pay substantially supplemented the poor pension given to a man wounded in battle. The duty 'mess cook' would then collect the food for his mess and carry it back to his mess-mates...

And here is the link for the rest of the article.

http://www.stvincent.ac.uk/heritage/1797/victory/food.html

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The Oak Island TV program brought in another expert to clean up the "spike" mess.  I expect her, after much study and deliberation, to declare it a shipwreck spike.

Don't know why they never had the board that they thought might be a deck plank dated?

There  was a fellow that used to be on a sitcom that is now a teacher who they were going to follow in the classroom to make a reality program out of it.  They dumped the idea because they said there wasn't enough drama.  Of course the producers are going to try to keep a program exciting to keep the ratings up.

---

Hope and change coming.  Looks like the weekend could get interesting.  Its about time.

Source: MagicSeaweed web site.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/22/17 Report - The Real Facts About Pirates. Big Shark Takes Bite Of Five Foot Shark. New Book On Catholic Roots of La Florida. Increasing Surf.

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

This partially eaten five -foot  shark washed up onto the beach in Volusia County.   They think there must be a great white cruising the coast.

Here is a  link to that story.

http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2017/02/half-eaten_shark_washes_up_on.html

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I found an interesting Ph. D. dissertation about pirates.  It tells a great deal about pirates.   Below is one table from the dissertation showing the types of goods they got.

As you can see, the greatest amount was classified as personal necessities, including things like clothing, provisions, alcohol and medicine - very useful things.  Only 38% of the take was the kind of treasure that you typically think of, such as gold, silver, coins, and gems.

Notice that the data was derived from resources detailing 88 different piratical seizures.

I thought that was an interesting table.  I think you'll find much more of interest if you read the dissertation.

Here is the link.

https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10871/14872/FoxE.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Of course, dissertation always provide a bibliography, which can be worth browsing.

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Michael Brown has written a new book.  It is Where the Cross Stands.  Here is part of the description.

...a book that swiftly details the surprising and astonishing Marian history of this nation -- of La Florida -- as the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, guided explorers and dozens of priests in the earliest days, brave men who faced hurricanes and Indians, disease and snakes, as they planted Crosses at the very first places they set foot -- most notably, what is now St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., where the original Cross planted on September 8, 1565 has been replaced by the tallest Cross in the world.

Here is the link to learn more about the book.

http://store.spiritdaily.com/product-p/gi-798.htm

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Rainy day!  Finally the surf is increasing.  Expect something like 2 - 3 feet today and 4 - 6 feet by Friday.

That might stir things up a little.  It has been a while since we got any bump in the surf.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/7/17 Report - Increasing Surf Coming Soon. Human Skull Found. Glass Penny. 1715 Fleet Silver "Razor"

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

Predicted Surf For The Fort Pierce Area
Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

This is the big news for me.  Keep an eye out to see what happens this weekend.  The wind direction will be critical in determining if the increased surf significantly improves overall beach detecting conditions.

Saturday morning the wind was from the west.

===

Part of a human skull determined to be hundreds of years old was recently found on Ormond Beach.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-skull-found-volusia-beach-20170105-story.htm

Ormond Beach was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew.

Thanks to Doug E. for that link.

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An experimental glass penny from World War II sold for 70 thousand dollars to an anonymous bidder.

During the war, copper was needed for ammunition. The U.S. Mint authorized tests that included making uncirculated pennies from other metals, plastic and rubber. The Blue Ridge Glass Co. in Tennessee made experimental pennies using tempered glass.

Here is that link for the rest of the story.

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2017/jan/06/rare-glass-penny-from-world-war-ii-sells-for-70k/

Thanks to SuperRick for that link.

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I saw the following on a poster the other day.  I thought it was pretty good.

You can't change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails.

To elaborate, you can't always change what happens to you but you can change how you react to it.  People tend to think there feelings about something are the result of events, but it would be more accurate to say that their feelings are caused by how they think about the event, rather than the event itself.

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Readership was generally high in December, but the most read post was the 12/3/16 Report -  Historic Florida Shipwreck Claimed by France.  Your Attention and Action Needed.  Antique Bottle Find.

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Yesterday I mentioned my first silver find from the Treasure Coast.  Here it is.

You can see how it could not be recognized as a silver anything, being so black, featureless and thin.  I don't know if it was a coin or not.

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I've been looking at some great information on colonial coins and shipwrighting.  I'll have that for you sometime soon.

In the mean time I'll be most interested to see what happens to the beach over the next couple of days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/27/16 Report - A Couple Sight Finds From the 1715 Fleet. Increasing Wind and Surf.

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

Below is an email I received from John.

I saw your post about finding non metallic items today and thought I'd share one I found the day after the 7th Annual Treasure Hunters Cookout ( about a year ago. I found this at the top of Turtle Trail when I went into the bushes to take a leak…At first I thought Adventura or Jadeite, however...

It has been identified as Serpentine by Laura Strolia with some interesting history behind it. I got this information from elle:

New Jade (Serpentine) makes an exceptional meditation stone. It helps you to find inner peace. Serpentine was carried in ancient Assyria to request the gods and goddesses to provide double blessings. Nursing women used it to regulate their milk supply. Serpentine can be placed directly on the skin. It is an aid to kidney and stomach complaints, relaxes cramps and menstrual pain and helps women who are unable to reach orgasm due to tension.

The picture below shows a perfect match. I would venture a guess that it came off the Corrigan's wreck (Capitana?)

Thanks John!  You made today's post really easy for me.

A good number of finds have been the result of leaks.  You'd be surprised how often I hear about that.

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Concerning `1715 Fleet "sight finds, " I've posted a few in the past, including emeralds.

My personal favorite is the wax seal shown below.  I talked about it in more detail in my 2/13/16 post.  Unfortunately it does not photograph well.

Found Wax Seal.

The image on the seal is a bird postured very much like the one shown below - wings spread, head turned, breast and thighs prominent.  The wings on the wax seal are wider as is the breast of the bird.

Image Similar To That On The Wax Seal.

The wax seal was found at water's edge on a day of calm surf.  It was found just north of the Turtle Trail access.

It is hard to imagine that the wax lasted all those years.  

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Sunday was a little windy.  East northeast mostly.  The surf is increasing.  Monday it is supposed to be somewhere around 4 - 6 feet.   The wind will be more easterly though.

It could open up a spot somewhere.  I suspect good spots will be scarce, but there might be a few.

I haven't been out much.  My latest problem was a broken finger.  Its better now though.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/3/16 Report - Non-metallic Treasures - Valuable Seashells: Fossils and Artifacts. Higher Surf Coming In A Few Days

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

Eight-Inch Long Fossil Shell Find Sold.

I always encourage detectorists to keep their eyes open for non-metallic treasure. You can find a lot of valuable things on the beach that are not made of metal.  You can find fossils, sea shells, wood items, stone and shell artifacts, old bottles, sea glass, etc..   Those kinds of things might be worth more than you think. 

The fossilized shell above might look like any broken old shell, but it quickly sold for a nice price.  Sea shells are used for home decor and collected by shell collectors and others.  Some are fossils and some are artifacts.

I hate the fact that I have such a hard time identifying shell artifacts, but I've found a few.  I take my own advice and keep things that I'm not sure about.  If I don't know about them then I ask people who do.  I'm still sure that I occasionally pass up some good things on the beach not realizing how valuable they might be.

Reading helps, but sometimes you need the opinion of specialists or at least people who are more informed.

With shell artifacts it is often difficult to tell the difference between shells that have been modified by humans and those that nature has shaped.

Lightning Whelk Shell Hammer
Source: See link below.

You can find pieces of shell on a beach similar to those shown above.  Who would ever guess that they are artifacts?  It is not easy to see the signs of human workmanship.  Context can help a lot.

Who would ever guess that the following is anything but a broken shell?

Shell Hammer.
Source: See link below.

Like I said, it can be difficult to tell.  But you might be walking right by artifacts like this when you are detecting.

My wife has a found some interesting artifacts while looking for shells on the beach.  Tourists sometimes ask me about the things they've found, and they sometimes have some nice artifacts or fossils.

The beach is an amazing place where all kinds of treasures show up from time to time.  It helps if you learn to recognize them.  I recommend browsing the following thesis which you can read online.  It is lengthy, but you can jump to the pictures or get into it as deeply as you want.

2004 Prehistoric Shell Artifacts From The Apalachicola River Valley Area, Northwest Florida by Eric C. Eyles.

Here is the link.

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

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The surf will increase this weekend, up to a peak of about seven feet on Monday or Tuesday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/26/16 Report - One Exceptional Four-Reale. Beaches This Morning. Increasing Surf.

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

Nice Four-Reale
Find and photos by Darrell S. 

This is not a new find.  Here is what Darrell said about it.

... My machine was still on and started screaming! I thought scrap iron or aluminium, but to my surprise was a beautiful 4 reale. I showed to some local gurus and they believed it was shaped as if snipped off a bar or strip. Many square shaped coins have been found, but not showing both edges of a bar or strip. There is a faint "4" right of the shield on edge of coin. It is so smooth it is hard to see unless up close. 

Cannot say who bought it, but Kenny made several copies. This was the actual coin before sold. I thought would be cool to take with the book. Kenny didn't remove the material in the bottom left hand corner when he made copies. We believed to have been part of a bag coins were in!!!

That is one very interesting coin Darrell!  Thanks for sharing.

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Surf This Morning Just Before Low Tide

Last night the wind was blowing pretty good.  The surf was supposed to begin increasing today as you can see from the MagicSeaWeed predictions.  You can see the surf as it looked this morning in the picture above.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Tomorrow the surf is supposed to be up to 5 - 7 feet.  We're supposed to have a few days of 4 - 6 foot surf after that.  The problem is, at least for the next couple of days, that the wind and waves will be coming directly from the east.  There are still places where the beach is eroding, such as around inlets or other obstacles to the natural flow of sand.

This afternoon I tested one swimming beach that was producing tons of modern coins - so many that with the incoming tide there was no time to get them all, so I actually started to pass over obvious coin signals.  I expected nothing exciting nothing but modern coins, but I was surprised to dig a wheatie before I shifted strategies.  I didn't look at them when I was at the beach.  I just stuck them in my pocket as fast as I could.  I wasn't expecting anything even that old.  It was a 1940 penny, so maybe I'll have to take another look at that beach.

I did find one gold band in a hurry, which is what I was trying to do when I decided to skip targets that sounded like coins or junk.  I seldom do that, but this time just had a short time to work as I got there late and the tide was already coming in.

Wreck Beach This Morning Before Low Tide.

You can see the mushy front beach in the above picture.  The wreck beaches along South Hutchinson Island aren't doing much right now.  Modern coins can be found at various places.  The water did not get as high the past few days.

That is all for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/19/16 Report - Cyclone Forming in the Gulf. Higher Surf. Milagros and Spanish Colonial Artifact Web Sites

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

Disturbance With 70 Percent Chance of Becoming Cyclone in Next 48 Hours.
Ssource: nhc.noaa.gov

Right now we have a disturbance in the Gulf that will likely form into a hurricane in the next 48 hours.

One organization predicts an 80 percent chance that 2016 will be the most active hurricane season since 2012.

Two others predict an average to slightly above average hurricane season, 30 or 40 percent above the 2006-2015 norm.

Here is the link.

https://www.inverse.com/article/17113-the-2016-hurricane-season-could-be-most-damaging-since-sandy-in-2012

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I've talked about milagros before.  Those are items, mostly silver, shaped like body parts, animals or a few other things. 

In the classical sense, milagros (also known as ex-votos or dijes) are offered to a favorite saint as a reminder of the petitioner's particular need, or they are offered to the saint in thanks for a prayer answered.

Apart from the contemporary use of milagros as decorative elements, milagros as symbols have new uses and meanings in New Mexico these days. If a friend is about to have an eye operation, the gift of a eyemilagro helps to say, "I wish you well." A pair of lungs can say, "I hope your cold gets better." An arm and a leg given to a couple trying to buy a house can wish them good luck obtaining financing. An ear milagro can suggest that someone be a better listener. An axe milagro might suggest that a relationship should end.

Milagros then, are not solely religious items, nor are they only for collecting. They are part of the magical and symbolic past common to all cultures which continues to influence our lives today. Whether used traditionally or in modern ways, milagros are an ongoing part of a fascinating folk culture in New Mexico and elsewhere.

Here is a good site about milagros.

http://www.collectorsguide.com/fa/fa052.shtml

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I want to point out a great web site that should serve as an example for collectors and museums.  It was created by John Powell of St. Augustine.

The site iteself says, This site is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of Spanish colonial military artifacts from that vast region of southeastern North America which once comprised the Spanish Floridas and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Spanish Guale, Luisiana, and Tejas. While other materials are included in the illustrative displays, the interpretive emphasis of this site has been placed upon military clothing and, as they evolved, uniform-related artifacts: the buttons, strap and accoutrement buckles, and insignia worn by Spain's regular, provincial, and urban militia forces in the study region.  The period of interpretation is from ca. 1539—when Hernando de Soto began his epic journey of exploration in what is now the southeastern region of the United States—to the conclusion of Spain's colonial tenure in North America in 1821.

Here is the link.

http://www.artifacts.org/

A day or so ago I mentioned the Oxford Celtic Coin Index, which was put online by an coin collector.  That was excellent example created by a coin collector.

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The wind has increased and the surf is increasing today.  The peak for Sunday will be 4 to 6 feet.  Tomorrow we are supposed to have a higher surf.

I'll go out and check around a little.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/14/15 Report - Finds On An Inland Hunt. ID Help Requested. Surf Increasing On Treasure Coast

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

Mystery Item.
What do you think it is?

As I said the other day, I was up north recently and did some detecting in an area that has a wooded path up a hillside that has been more or less continually used for hundreds of years.  Everything from Indian artifacts to yesterdays losses are found there.  That makes it difficult to tell what era unidentified finds might be from.

Here is one find that I'd like help in identifying.  The most obvious answer is drawer knob, although it is a little unusual for that.  For one thing, I think it is iron.  Another thing is that it is slanted oddly.

I'd like to hear your opinions on what it is.

Another item found along the path is this ring.  It is not silver or gold.  I think it is older and still needs some more cleaning.

The last ring I found on this path was a 1930s gold high school class ring.

I can not see how these stones are mounted.  I've looked at it under close magnification, but part of it is still encrusted.

It is a rather large size.  Too large to be a child's ring.  The band is broken and bent in.  It was in compacted rock and soil.



Copper coins found in this area are usually very corroded and many are unreadable.

Below are a few examples of that.

1939 Penny.

Totally Unreadable
Maybe Penny.

Barely Readable 1946 Nickle.

Here comes the exception.  The above coins were typical.  Not very readable.  Then comes this silver dime out of compact rock and soil just like it is shown.  I did not clean it or anything.

1957 Dime As Dug.

It still blows my mind.

This is the same general area where I found the 1829 large cent a year or so ago.

The silver Rosie would have about a dollar of melt value and a few dollars for collector value.

There were other finds.  I should have the good one ready for you soon.

There were a couple of things that struck me about this hunt.  One is that the path is not hunted out yet despite the number of times it has been detected, and not only by me.

The heavy weed coverage that protected the sides of the path in the spring was now gone.  That allowed me to detect where I couldn't easily detect then.  There is a seasonal aspect to hunting there.  Of course, the path will soon be covered by ice and snow.

Another thing that struck me, is how certain areas produced and others didn't.

On one side of the path there is a hump having a few inches of rock and soil over top of a layer of yellow clay.  The used part of the path is much lower, in some places a foot or so.  And on the other side of the path is a hill.  At the bottom of the hill on that side of the path, there were no targets other than junk. Old items were deeply buried beyond detector range there.

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On the Treasure Coast the surf is increasing.  We're supposed to get something like five feet today and six tomorrow.

The wind was coming from the northeast or a while.

I hope to get out to see what is happening on the beach.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net