7/16/19 Report - Native American Plummet. Old Spanish Friendship Bracelet. Roman Shot. Archaeological Metal Detecting. Old Lead Physics.

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

Plummet Found At Jupiter,Beach.

A few days ago I showed some arrowheads that had been found on the Treasure Coast, and I asked people to send in Native American artifacts they found.  Bill T. sent in this photo of a plummet that he found in front of the Jupiter Civic Center about 4-5 years ago when the beach was heavily eroding.  That is a nice piece that would bring a good price.

Congratulations, and thanks Bill!

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Yesterday I posted a photo of what I think might be a silver bracelet from a 1715 Fleet wreck and mentioned that there were some things about the design that are common to other Spanish shipwreck artifacts that have been found.  I mentioned that rings and bracelets from the period and culture often featured hands.  Then I noticed this "friendship bracelet" reproduction on sale at the Mel Fisher Museum web site.

The bracelet I showed yesterday is thinner and the hands are not clasping, but there are some similarities.  The one shown here also has ruffled cuffs, although they are a little different too.

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I was reading a good article on an archaeological investigation of a Roman assault on a hillfort in Scotland.  The article included a discussion of the distribution of shot and what could be learned from that.  Included was the following discussion of the use of metal detectors.

… Unlike many battlefields that lie below featureless arable land, our site lay directly on top of a fragile and eroding hillfort from which mass extraction of artefacts would hamper any subsequent archaeological investigation. We therefore proposed a non-invasive metal-detection survey. This aimed to use the latest metal-detecting technology to profile the nature of the metal targets without extracting the finds, and then carry out highly selective test excavation to confirm the projectile scatter. This was made possible by the use of a high-quality reference detector, which was harmonised to the signals received from sling bullets from the 1898 Burnswark excavations held by the museum in Dumfries.

Of course, the use of systematic metal-detecting is not new: it has been around at least since the 1980s, when the pioneering work of Scott and Fox revealed what had really happened to General Custer and the men of the 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Little Bighorn. Indeed, metal-detection represents the primary survey technique for identifying and determining the extent of battles that have taken place since the advent of gunpowder; the Roman lead sling-bullets presented an ideal opportunity to investigate the true extent of the metal-projectile scatter at a site that saw action at a much earlier date. The Burnswark Project was also designed to review the Roman camp morphology and how this related to the hillfort defences (or lack of them) and the wider landscape. It would take a forensic look at the fabric and ballistic properties of the Roman missile assemblage too....


I wonder if someone might be able to find more detail on the specific detector and procedures they used?

Good article that you might want to read.

Here is the link.

https://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/burnswark.htm

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... The use of old lead for shielding increases the sensitivity of our most delicate experiments by orders of magnitude, an increase that is crucial when looking for a reaction that sheds light on new physics. Lead recovered from roofs, old plumbing, and even stained glass windows has been used, but Roman lead from a shipwreck is the best you can find...

That excerpt comes from an article about the conflicting uses of archaeological lead.

Here is that link.

https://newatlas.com/relics-physics-archaeology-roman-lead/30032/

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There has been a lot of talk in the news recently about an asteroid carrying tons of gold and other valuable minerals.  It seems I lost that link though.

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I was thinking this morning of subtitling this blog Treasure Every Day - Almost.

It seems like every morning I think of some type of treasure to talk about.  When I think of it, it surprises me that I almost always have something to say.  But I have a lot of contributors to keep me going - such as Bill's plummet today.

I think it is good to know all the different types of things that can be and are found along the Treasure Coast.  It is really remarkable how much is out there, even though it might seem at times like everything has been found.  When that happens, you just have to do things a little differently, because there is always something waiting to be found.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, they say is the definition of insanity.  I don't know about that, but doing something different once in a while can be fun and profitable.

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Barry is fading away, and we are left with another week of predicted one-foot surf.  You can be sure, though, that we will be getting some storms before long.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/2/19 Report - Part of Rosary Found Off Shore by Sea Reaper. Lead Shot Found. Revolutionary War Records Free. Spear Point.

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

Salvage Boat and Tender Working North of John Brooks Monday Afternoon.

The salvage season has started well.  The weather has been good for salvage work, and most of the crews have found some gold, along with other items.

For the beach detectorist, things have not been so encouraging.

John Brooks Beach Monday Aftternoon.

There was just a faint strip of shells along the waterline.

Wherever there were people at the beach, there were people in the water seeking relief from the heat.

John Brooks Beach Monday Afternoon.

Most of the salvage vessels on the Treasure Coast have already found some gold this year. I already talked about one piece - a probably religious item. More recently, part of a gold rosary was found by captain Josh Fisher-Abt and the crew of the Sea Reaper. That item was farther from shore than most, and it was speculated that it may have been from a passenger that went overboard before the ship  broke up

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Musket Balls, Lead Shot and Melted Lead From Turtle Trail Area.

Most of those shown above, as well as other pieces not shown. came from just a few feet north of the Turtle Trail beach access a few years ago.

Among the items are a lot of small caliber bullets that look like they were shot into the dunes or sand.  As well as on the beach, I've found them sliding down the cliff in front of the dunes.  There are more than those shown.  I always wondered if someone was shooting birds or just doing target practice.  They are flattened out and look almost like buttons.

There are a few musket balls in the mix.  One larger one and a few smaller ones.  Note also the melted lead bits at the bottom.  Also there are a few larger caliber bullets.

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Here is something you might find interesting.  Ancestry.com is giving free access to Revolutionary War records for a limited time.

Here is the link you can use to register.

https://go.fold3.com/revolutionary-war?xid=2388&utm_source=content&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=odp-revwar-july2019

I've found at least six ancestors that served in the Revolutionary War through my wife's research, beginning with Nehemiah Day who served in New York and New Jersey to Captain John Wetzel, on the Western Front.

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Putin's net worth shows how socialism solves the wealth inequality problem. 

https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/what-is-russian-president-vladimir-putins-net-worth

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I'd like to see photos of Native American artifacts found on Treasure Coast beaches.  If you have any points or other finds. send them in and I'll post a good selection if I get enough.

Here is one to start you off. It is a broken spear point.

Broken Spear Point.

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No change in Treasure Coast beach conditions is predicted for the rest of the week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/24/17 Report - More Post-Irma Finds. The Meaning and Derivation of Names Such as Nuestra Senora de las Nieves. Preserving Iron Artifacts.

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

Lead Shot and Half Reale
Finds and photo by DB

I've shown a number of Irma finds, including a lot of musket balls and a piece of gold.  Here is another post-Irma find.

With the photo I received the following email from DB.

Hello,

I started reading your blog not too long ago. I've learned a lot from them and always like to see cool finds from the area. I found my first Spanish coin and wanted to share with you. A half reale and little musket ball from a beach in IR County...

Thanks and keep up the good work!

Congratulations on your first Spanish cob DB!  Thanks for sharing.

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The shipwreck off of John Brooks is commonly thought to be the Nuestra Senora de las Nieves

Nieves is a Spanish surname and a female given name from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows."

Many of the names of Spanish ships refer in Mother Mary in one say or another.  Here is an article about various names and references to Mary.

It begins, Mary has many names, or shall we call them titles? The Litany of Loreto refers to many different titles of Mary, but not all of them. Some of her titles refer to a city name corresponding to an apparition location, for example, Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fatima. There are also devotional titles of Our Lady such as Our Lady, Undoer (or Untier) of Knots. And then there are many variations of titles which all have a unique history. One such devotion is to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Good Help...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

http://catholicexchange.com/our-lady-of-good-what

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In my previous post I showed an an old anchor find.  Here is another smaller one.  It isn't as old.

Anchor Find Before Conservation and Coating.

I showed this anchor before, but what I wanted to say about it today is how I finally coated it.  I used clear Rustoleum after getting it stabilized.  Since coating it with Rustoleum, which I did five or more years ago now, it has shown absolutely no signs of deterioration.  It is very important to get it stabilized first before putting on any coating.

I like the clear glossy finish for some items, but you can chose any finish you like.

Here is what it looks like after it was cleaned and coated.

Anchor Coated With Clear Glossy Rustoleum.

It can take a good while to stabilize iron, especially if it has been in salt water.  I've talked about that before, but will refer you to the TAMU web site for tips on how to conserve iron items.

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The Treasure Coast surf is calmer now.  It is only a couple of feet, which will give you a chance to get a little farther out at low tide.

We're supposed to get some nice cool air, which I like a lot better than the 90 degree summer stuff.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/4/17 Report - Beach Erosion and Conditions. Jupiter Beach. Musket Balls and Lead Shot Finds. Nine or Ten Foot Surf. PM Update.

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

Seven Foot Cliff At Fort Pierce South Jetty Park Yesterday Afternoon.

Most of the sand they dumped here a couple of months ago is almost gone.  It is all renourishment sand.  That doesn't mean there can't be something old in it.  I showed one WW II hat emblem that I found in renourishment sand there once.  It depends upon where the new sand came from, and I don't know where that is, although I think it is from near the south bridge in the river.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Park Looking South Tuesdsay Afternoon.

You can't see it in the picture, but there was a detectorist working the slope at the bend.  That is the an area I mentioned once as producing a lot of WW II dog tags.  It is also not far from an old wreck that is believed to well picked over.

Frederick Douglass Park Looking South Yesterday Afternoon.

As I said yesterday, the water was high and getting back over the berm, but there were no cuts or other erosion at John Brooks or Frederick Douglas Tuesday afternoon.  I suspect most erosion will be around barriers or obstacles such as rocks, jetties or erosion control structures ( irony ).

I was going to take a picture at John Brooks too, but the rain started pouring down and I couldn't get the picture.  It turned out to be so much like Frederick Douglass that it wasn't necessary anyhow.

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Joe D. sent the following report from Jupiter.

South of inlet conditions are pretty much unchanged! Worked a little farther south past the renurished beach and did find a small coin line along a small cut that had formed from morning high tides! Hoping the King Tides will create a few more cuts since the wind and waves are making low tide hunting unavailable awhile!

Thanks much Joe!
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I showed a lot of lead and musket ball Irma finds.  In one other post I mentioned the following web site that was referred to me by Trez.

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2016/04/more-on-small-shot-for-smoothbores.html

If you do some research, you'll find that musket balls can be tell you a lot.  Don't just look at them as round balls of lead even though that is what they look like.

The size can tell you a lot.  You can find tables that tell you the size to be used for different types of wild game, for example.  One size is recommended for pigeons and another size for ducks and another size for geese.

The size can also tell you something about the type of gun.  Smaller sizes were used as buck and sometimes shot with larger size balls.  The next larger size would be used for pistols, and then carbines and muskets.

You can find tables giving the size and weight of lead shot recommended for both different kinds of wild game and different fire arms.

By looking at the examples I've posted the last few days, I think the musket balls were being made at a camp on the beach.  Any spare lead could be melted and poured into molds.

Here are a couple links to start, if you want to learn what you might be able to tell from musket balls, or perhaps more properly, lead shot.

http://www.rubiconheritage.com/2011/12/16/biting-the-bullet-the-archaeology-of-musketballs/

https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/266828

The PAS finds database is a good resource.  Too bad we don't have something like that in Florida or the U. S.

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There was a time when everyone would be eagerly hoping for a nine or ten foot surf.  Now after the hurricanes and big surf that brought very little erosion, it seems that a lot of people are discouraged, but even without big cuts and erosion this is still better than the continual summer south winds.  It gives you a chance, and at any time a window of opportunity could open up.  I'm rating Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions as a 2 on my 5 point scale.  It is far from excellent, but certainly better than those boring summer conditions.  Some old things will be found.

Here is the Wednesday prediction summary.

I love the windy rainy weather.  I guess I associate it with some of the better hunting days of the past and for me it is a lot better than the hot beating sun.

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One day remaining to respond to the blog poll.  Shortly after that one, there will be another blog poll to follow up.

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PM Update

I took a look at John Brooks, Frederick Douglas and Waton Rocks and saw very little change in any of the beaches from yesterday.  No cuts other than to the base of a few new front beach dunes in one case, and some renourishment sand near the back of the beach in another case. 

It looked like a the first two beaches might have a flat spot near the waters edge.  There seems to be a wide sand bar in front of those beaches.  Maybe it will separate from the beach a little at low tide.  I still feel a few old things will be found on the Treasure Coast.  I thought there were some spots worth checking out even if they weren't terribly exciting.  I have not seen and have no reports from Vero/Sebastian yet.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net