4/22/20 Report - Sedwick Treasure Auction No. 27 Lots. Researching A Wood Handled Fork Find. Openings.

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

Sedwick Treasure Auction 27 Ad

Treasure, World, U.S. Coin and Paper Money Auction 

Live on the Internet: Wednesday-Friday, May 27-29, 2020

The Sedwick Treasure, World, U.S. Coin and Paper Money Auction #27 will go live on the Internet Wednesday-Friday, May 27-29, 2020

Below are some of the lots that will be auctioned as described by Sedwick.

Gold Cobs features a variety of choice Mint State coins from the 1715 Fleet including the very scarce Lima, Peru, 1703H 8 escudos graded NGC MS 62, a date that is missing in the State of Florida collection. We also have an unprecedented pair of Seville, Spain, cob 2 escudos from the Atocha and Santa Margarita shipwrecks graded PCGS AU50 and MS61 respectively.

Shipwreck Ingots boasts yet more treasure from the Atocha in the form of two long gold “finger” bars and three large silver ingots. Our usual wide selection of Shipwreck Coins features many dated silver cobs from the Concepción (lots 169-208) and Capitana (lots 209-243) as well as an assortment of choice pieces from the ever-popular Atocha (lots 77-158) and 1715 Fleet (lots 291-342).

Be sure to check out the Potomac Collection in Mexican Silver Cobs, which contains some key “Early Series” Charles-Joanna assayer-Rincón rarities like an ever-popular 3 reales (lot 439), a 2 reales plated in both Guttag’s and Nesmith’s works (lot 440), and a very choice ½ real (lot 443). A 2 maravedís from this collection (lot 460) is the first of its kind we have offered. Also don’t miss the very rare Royals (galanos): 8 reales 1727D (lot 478) and 2 reales 1715J (lot 491).

The Lima and Potosí Silver Cobs sections are packed with many 8 reales from a fresh collection, including several nice Potosí Royals (galanos), like a 1654E 8 reales discovery piece struck with previously unknown dies (lot 578).

In Other Silver Cobs we feature one of the largest selections of Colombian cobs we have ever had, a key being a very rare billon cob ¼ real of 1622 (lot 662), the first one we have offered. Here you will also find the first coins of the Nueva Granada Collection, an expertly crafted assemblage of the very best Colombian coinage from the Spanish colonial era into the Republic period. This collection continues into the World Coins section where we have such rarities as: the finest known Bogotá 1770VJ pillar 8 reales graded PCGS MS65 (lot 821); a Popayán 1814/3JF bust 8 reales of Ferdinand VII graded PCGS XF40 (lot 823); and the highly sought and finest known Medellín 1868 medio peso graded PCGS MS62 (lot 854); all of which are plated in Jorge Emilio Restrepo’s Coins of Colombia (2012). Also note the 1888 “Cocobola” 50 centavos (lot 874) and several other choice and rare Colombian “half dollars.”

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Fork Find.

I found three of these a number of years ago and did a lot of work to get them cleaned up.  This one is by far the nicest.  It cleaned up fairly well even though it took quite a while.  They were wrapped and stuck in a hollow space in a rock wall.

I recently decided to see what I could learn about the forks.

Here are some other older silverware that I found over the years.  The pewter spoon on the bottom is in bad condition but is probably one of the older ones.

Some Other Silverware Finds.

Of course the first thing I did, after getting the fork cleaned up, was look for a maker's mark or any other marks.  I looked it over carefully with magnification, but couldn't find any marks.

So I went to the books.  The one that seemed to have the closest thing was A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America by Ivor Noel Hume.

In the book I found the following illustration.

Figure 63 in A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America by I. Hume.

Notice the three tined fork at the bottom.  Below are the descriptions.

The fork at the bottom of the illustration (no. 9) is described as an American iron fork with bone-plated handle held together with pewter mounts, circa 1850-80?

The handle on my fork is wood, not bone, but how do the other parts match?

I got out a handy little magnet and tested the tines and tang.  They are ferrous.  The rivets are ferrous too.

Next I tested the arrow and metal around the bottom end of the fork.  They are not ferrous, but I do not know what they are.  Pewter is a possibility from the look.

According to Hume, the earliest recorded English silver fork is two-tined and has a mark that dates it to 1632/33.  He also says that silver forks did not become popular in England until the end of the 17th century, and at that time they had three tines.  By the mid eighteenth century English forks had four tines.

Spanish silver forks, in contrast to English forks, had four tines by the early eighteenth century.  Some of those have been salvaged from 1715 Fleet wrecks.

Four-tined French forks have been found in contexts of the 1730s and 1740s in Nova Scotia.

Hume notes that silver forks are seldom found in excavations in America, but  those in steel are common, and they range from two-tined from the last quarter of the seventeen century to the beginning of the nineteenth century, though three tined forks became common in the second half of the eighteenth century.

So it is quite a complex and mixed mess, but with the exception of the wood handle, my find seems to be similar to the one listed as number 9 in Hume's figure 63.  It has three tines, ferrous tines and tang and rivets, and possibly pewter parts.  So I'm unsure, but am thinking it could be mid 19th century.  Perhaps I'll learn more eventually.

\

One thing I want to point out is the usefulness of a small refrigerator magnet that allowed me to easily test the parts to determine if they were ferrous or not.   A large magnet would not have allowed me to test small parts independently.


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I've been hearing from people who are eager to get outside and would like to know of any beaches or parks have opened or any parks.  I'd like to hear form you when you learn of openings.

I read online that Jonathan Dickenson State Park is due to open today, but also heard that Palm Beach was not ready to open.  They have more cases than the Treasure Coast.

Georgia and South Carolina are opening retail establishments.

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I'm concerned about the ability of a population stressed economically, healthwise and psychologically to be able to respond well to hurricane season with the store shelves depleted and supply system disrupted.  Imagine having to ramp up to hurricane preparedness if an early threat emerged.  Even though we can shut down the economy, the world will not stop and there could be more events that we need to be able to respond too.  While some express delight in the crashing oil industry, if we are too weakened we will be more vulnerable to natural disasters or other bio threats or any of variety of forms of terrorism.

[ Less than an hour after I posted this, it is announced that Iran is causing trouble.  Pompeo scheduled to make announcement soon.]

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Here is a touching video showing a WWII vet serenading his wife in a long-term care facility through a window.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/video/peopleandplaces/wwii-veteran-serenades-his-wife-through-window/vi-BB12ZUKS?ocid=spartandhp

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Beach-side residents are allowed on the beaches now.  I was surprised to learn that some condos had the residents restricted for a while.

I am making some changes.  You might not see them for a while though.

The surf will be small for the next week or two and the tides moderate.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/1/20 The Case For Opening Beaches, Parks and Outdoor Recreation Areas.

The Case for Opening Beaches, Parks, and Outdoor Recreation Areas.

The United States Declaration of Independence lists "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" as three "unalienable rights."  Unalienable means not to be given or taken away.

Sometimes people don't do what is good for themselves or others, but the assumption seems to be that those in government can make better decisions for the entire population than individual citizens can make for themselves.  Prove it.  Where are the double-blind studies that prove those decisions safe and effective?  Are the citizens too dumb or irresponsible to exercise safe behavior appropriate to their own situation?

Not only do officials presume to know better and care more than the citizenry, but they often exclude themselves from the restrictions they impose.  In their "essential" functions they exercise their own judgement and remain immune to the penalties or forced compliance exercised upon the general population.

In the case of Coronavirus, is it safer, or even possible, for a family to remain cramped together 24 hours a day in a single dwelling?  Would not total confinement in close quarters mean that any one of them having other contacts be in danger of infecting the entire household, therefore leading to multiple contacts with healthcare workers and others.

Would not an automobile or outdoor setting actually provide or allow more effective isolation and social distancing while reducing stress and possibly adding the psychological and health benefits of exercise and fresh air?

People are capable of self-distancing.  They are wearing masks and staying away from others.  It is easier in open spaces.

Can't we see that packing people in close proximity is the worst thing you can do?  Compare the disaster in New York with Wyoming, or even Los Angeles, which has a very large population, but one that is much more spread out.

There is always risk.  Nearly 70,000 people die from drug overdose every year.  Nearly 40,000 people die from car accidents, while over 4.4 million are injured by car accidents.  The flu just two years ago was killing 4,000 a week for a period of time.  Are people willing to accept risky behavior?  Do we for some reason more easily accept some causes of injury or death?  The obvious answer is yes. There is a balance to be reached.  Some risk is acceptable.   Some risk is beneficial.

The elderly might be more at risk, but they've lived through World Wars and epidemics without modern medicine and survived.  The elderly living do not need anyone to tell them how to survive.  They have done it.

From their towers, the vision of researchers is as skewed as their data and models.  Their advise is valuable but it should not be taken as the whole wisdom of mankind.  If we are to maintain our form of government, our citizens must be thought intelligent and responsible enough to make decisions for themselves.

I am not minimizing the dangers of coronavirus.  It is dangerous.  It may be unprecedented in many ways, and adequate precautions need to be taken.  However one thing that must be considered is the risk of depriving the citizenry of their self-dignity and their right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Signed,
The TreasureGuide

Feel free to share.

9/4/19 Report - Metal Detecting Conditions on The Treasure Coast After Dorian. What I Know So Far.

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

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning.

I got out this morning and took a look at some beaches on South Hutchinson Island.  As you can see above, the waves were forming nicely with the west wind.

The bridges to South Hutchinson Island were open early.  I think the other bridges were too.  You could get over the Stuart causeway last night, but they wouldn't let you cross into St. Lucie County on A1A.  That has obviously changed by now.

Although the bridges were open, the parks were not.  The gates were closed at both John Brooks and Frederick Douglass.

I did see about seven detectorists on those two beaches.  I parked at a more southern access and walked a long way.  Others parked outside the gate and came in.

New Dune Eroded.

I saw almost no cuts.  The only cuts I saw from the Fort Pierce Inlet to about six miles south were just new dunes that were eroded, such as the one shown above.  Those were most common from Frederick Douglass and south.  High on the beach, just below those cuts were modern clad coins and pieces of aluminum cans.

There was a shell line, but not much of one.  Only smaller shells and pieces were in the line.  Not much else.  There were a very few pieces of fossil.

One Detectorist South of Frederick Douglass.

The water had been high, but not extremely.  I've seen it reach farther back on these beaches several times.

Looking North Towards Frederick Douglass.

The water had evidently washed directly up onto the beach and smoothed out the beach, including any previous cuts.

John Brooks Beach With Detectorist In The Distance

That is what the treasure beaches on South Hutchinson Island looked like.  Not very encouraging.

It could be better up in Indian River County were some of the beaches are fairly narrow and have step cliffs at the back.  I haven't been there and don't have any reports from there yet, so can't say for sure.

Yesterday Alberto S. sent me the following picture he saw on TV with a detectorist behind the TV reporter.

TV Image Captured by Alberto S. With Detectorist Enlarged.

Image by Alberto S.

That is all I can tell you at this time.  I haven't seen the Indian River or northern Treasure Coast beaches yet.

Perhaps I'll get reports from up there before long.  Some guys were out when Dorian just started to come in.

I'll let you know more as I find out.

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Some people email me asking very specific questions about when, where and how.  You have to realize that I do this blog for free, and don't post ads or sell anything, unlike some of the others, and I spend a LOT of time gathering and posting this information.  I don't copy what others say or steal their material.  I am sorry to say that I am unable to provide free detailed personal guidance to everyone who asks.  That would take much more time than I have.  If I had free time, I'd rather spend it metal detecting myself.

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That is all for now.  Maybe I'll get information on the Vero and Sebastian beaches.

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

5/27/14 Report - More On PSL Parks Rules, Action Needed, Emails and More On Returned Ring

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

Crazy Bottle Opener Find.

As you probably know by now, last week one detectorists who had been detecting the Port St. Lucie city parks for quite some time was told that he could no longer detect in one of the parks.  He was told that if he was going to remain in the park he had to put away his detector. 

After some one called to ask about it, the Assistant Director of the Department of Parks referred to two ordinances which did not refer to metal detecting but did address actions such as digging and disturbing the grounds.  

Here are the specific ordinances.

The city ordinances say, (c) No person shall dig or remove any sand, whether submerged or not, or any soil, rock, stones, trees, shrubs, or plants, down timber or other wood or materials, or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting, or other means or agency.


Also , No person shall dig in or otherwise disturb grass areas, nor in any way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.

You can find a link to all of the city ordinances if you go back a few posts.

I hope detectorists in the city and around the state are planning to address this issue.   Freedoms are lost a little at a time.  They must be protected.  If no one takes action, Florida will lose a hobby valued by many of its residents.  the Treasure Coast will lose a lot of tourist revenue, and jobs will be lost by those working in the metal detecting and supporting businesses.  The State of Florida has one of the biggest metal retailers in the country, as well as numerous smaller ones, not to mention the treasure salvage business, museums, etc.

I am willing to collect names of those of you who wish to be added to a letter requesting that metal detecting be permitted in the St. Lucie County Parks.

This is not only important to those who live and detect in Port St. Lucie.  Other cities and governmental bodies will do the same thing.  I therefore hope that we get the support and action of detectorists everywhere, as we did when the proposed Florida Statutes were stopped a year or so ago.

If you participate in other detecting forums, let the readers of those forums know that their support and action is also needed.


I received a number of emails concerning the Port St. Lucie Parks decision to stop metal detecting.  Here is a small part of one email from Terry T. that expresses a common sentiment.

Here is what Terry said,

It is a total shame that this country has become what it is because of elected officials. The youth today will never be able to enjoy what the older, and past generation's have enjoyed. Last July 40,000 new law's went into effect. How many new law's will go into effect this year? How many new law's do we need to live under? How many new law's will the next generation have to live under? ...

 Here is a small part of an email from Joe D., who talked to Mr. Keen, Assistant Director of PSL city Parks, after hearing about the detectorist who was told that he could not detect in a PSL city park.

 I remembered a little more of my conversation with Mr. Keen that I didn't have time to write yesterday. While explaining to him how I "dig" targets, I mentioned "probe" or "probing". He said that there was no rule on probing in the ordnance....

 SW wrote the following,

...A little over a year ago I was hunting my small local park, the Park and Rec. guy pulled in, sat and watched me for about 10 min., he left and two minuets later a Sheriff pulled in, parked diagonal across several spots, ran my plates and proceeded to stair at me. It made me quite uncomfortable as I was the only one in the park. When I left he followed me the four blocks to my house, he parked 3 houses down and sat there for well over a half an hour before leaving. I have not been in any park after that. I know for a fact if you get caught in the Savannah's they will confiscate your equipment including your vehicle. I was hunting private property adjacent to the rail road tracks (with permission). A small plane buzzed me, shortly after cops were everywhere. Good thing I had a letter from the owner, and was able to contact the owner by phone. They did not ask me to leave, they told me to leave and never return. There were lots of threats, jail, taken equipment, loss of business license. They said I was in the wrong spot. I know where I was I had maps and GPS. In closing I go nowhere without permission. An old timer that said he has walked and hunted along the tracks, those days are long gone. You will be arrested just walking the tracks. Sorry, just a little angry.

There are horror stories when over zealous officials run amok, but there are also wonderful stories that show how important metal detecting is.

One of many such examples was provided by Warren D. (who goes by ROBOCOP as a tribute to his dad) and who recently searched and found a lost ring for a Chinese exchange student at FIT.

He provided this follow-up to illustrate a couple of points who was to be taken to dinner as a reward for searching for and finding the ring.
...
She told me when she lost the ring her college friends, all foreign exchange students said, Go ask that redneck over there with the metal detector maybe he can find it. I wear a straw cowboy hat on the beach, now I laughed.

I told her I was born in Brooklyn, New York. My dad was a NYC cop in Manhattan. I got my BS from FIT in 1972 and my MS from FIT in 1983 when I worked at the Space Center. I said tell your friends I have more degrees from FIT than they do. We both laughed. I told her about the old saying you can't tell a book by it's cover and it's probably been my motto going thru life. I said tell your friend's that they read me wrong and do they like to play poker?

She is a graduate student in Electrical engineering and she told me her major which I can't recall the exact technical terms but she said it is the technology they put in automobiles that senses nearby cars to have collision avoidance. I said that sounds like metal detecting. More laughs.

She was interested in the differences in my metal detectors. Why one worked better in the water than the other.

I told her about pulse induction versus VLF and multiple frequency and mineralization, etc.

Very pleasant person. A lot of misperceptions in this world. From all sides including me. At least we were able to talk ours away.


This is just one of many examples of rings and other valuables being found by detectorists, who also remove a lot of trash and even dangerous items.

Although people might judge people by appearances, detectorists are fine group of people who do a lot of good deeds but are often misjudged by those who do not participate in the hobby.

We need to educate the public and our elected officials.

Sephan, a detectorist who reads this blog, is an attorney.  He is the one that gave me the link to the city ordinances.  Here is his suggestion.

You might get a group together to do a petition to exclude metal detecting from these two provisions.

I am willing to put together a letter to send to the parks department if there are a good number of readers who will sign on to it.

Some have already called the city to indicate their support for allowing metal detecting in the parks.

If that is something you wish to do, please be organized, prepared and friendly and present your position concisely.  Remember, there are no provisions against metal detecting, even though that seems to be what is being enforced. 

I don't know how many tons of trash I've removed form parks in the past.  Also dangerous items such as knives and brass knuckles. 


On the Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions remain unchanged, but there is no question that gold will be found after the busy holiday weekend.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
 

5/24/14 Report - 4 PM UPDATE on PSL Park Detecting Prohibitions, Another Ring Returned, and Beach Conditions

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


First, detectorist needed in Ft. Lauderdale area to find lost ring on beach.   UPDATE 5/25: The ring has been recovered.

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I've updated this post a couple of times today.  Important developments were added about 4 PM on 5/24. 

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I wanted to follow up on yesterday's post today.   Sometimes people think of detectorists as being the type of people they make fun of on TV.   People don't realize that detectorists are very different from that caricature.  There are many highly educated and very successful people involved in detecting as well as amateur historians and archaeologists that have made contributions to their field.  I am often impressed by the quality of people that I hear from.

The readers of this blog include engineers, attrorney's, teachers and experts from many different fields.  I have a Ph. D. and have worked in universities and provided consulting to fortune 500 companies, the US Navy, and schools and universities and have published in a variety of fields.  I just give that as one example.

As a result of yesterday's post, I heard from an attorney who read yesterday's post (Stephan S.), who looked up the city ordinances for us.

Here is the link to the ordinances that he provided.

https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=13414

Thanks Stephen!


I also heard from one reader that goes by the moniker Joe Dirt.  Joe called  Mr. Keen, the Assistant Director of PSL Parks and Recreation.  Joe said that Mr. Keen was very courteous while I asked questions and explained my position on this new rule! He quoted Chapter 96.20 AND 96.21 of city code. He said it was news to him about excluding detectorists...

Thanks Joe!

At this point there seemed to be some confusion, however our friend Stephan took a closer look and found the following

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LATEST UPDATE: 3:55 PM 5/24/2014.

Here is what Stephan had to say after looking into it a little deeper.


Here are the two sections referred to by Mr. Keen. I've highlighted the pertinent subsections:

Sec. 96.20. Buildings and other property.

(a) No person shall willfully mark, deface, disfigure, injure, tamper with, displace or remove, any building, bridges, tables, benches, fireplaces, railings, paving or paving material, water lines or other public utilities or parts or appurtenances thereof, signs, notices, or placards, whether temporary or permanent, monuments, stakes, posts, or other boundary markers, or other structures, or equipment, park or recreation center property, or appurtenances whatsoever, either real or personal.

(b) No person shall fail to cooperate in maintaining restrooms and washrooms in a neat and sanitary condition. No person over the age of five years shall use the restrooms and washrooms designated for the opposite sex.

(c) No person shall dig or remove any sand, whether submerged or not, or any soil, rock, stones, trees, shrubs, or plants, down timber or other wood or materials, or make any excavation by tool, equipment, blasting, or other means or agency.

(d) No person shall construct or erect any building or structure of whatever kind, whether permanent or temporary in character, or run or string any public service utility into, upon, or across such lands, except on special written permit issued hereunder.

(e) Except for the city recreation center, no person shall expose or offer for sale any article or thing, nor shall he station or place any stand, cart, or vehicle for the transportation, sale, or display of any such article or thing. Exception is made as to any regularly licensed concessionaire, nonprofit organization, or recognized city league or organization when acting by and under the authority and regulation of the director with the approval of the city manager.

(f) No person shall paste, glue, tack, or otherwise post any sign, placard, advertisement, or inscription whatsoever, nor shall any person erect or cause to be erected any sign whatsoever on any public lands, highways, or roads adjacent to a park or recreation center without proper authorization by the director or chief of police.

(g) No person shall use any city park trash receptacle for the deposit of garbage or other refuse from their place of residence or business.

 

Sec. 96.21. Trees, shrubbery, and lawns.

(a) No person shall damage, cut, carve, transplant, or remove any tree or plant or injure the bark, or pick the flowers or seeds of any tree or plant; nor shall any person attach any rope, wire, or other contrivance to any tree or plant. No person shall dig in or otherwise disturb grass areas, nor in any way injure or impair the natural beauty or usefulness of any area.

(b) No person shall climb any tree or walk, stand, or sit upon monuments, vases, fountains, railings, fences, or gun carriages or upon any other property not designated or customarily used for such purposes.

(c) No person shall tie or hitch a horse or other animal to any tree or plant.

You might get a group together to do a petition to exclude metal detecting from these two provisions.

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Thanks again Stephan.  So we cleared up the confusion.  There is no regulation against detecting, but there is a regulation against digging.

Stephan also provides a suggestion regarding a course of action for us.  We can take that up in the very near future.

I would be surprised if we can not make this work out well for both detectorists and the City Parks Department.

I'll be pleased to receive any communications from the Parks Department that they might want passed along.  They can also contact me to find detectorists to search for reported lost items.

In the past I've been able to find keys for a concessionaire that was totally out of business until the keys were found. 


Robocop wrote, This occurred last week in Melbourne Beach...

A FIT college exchange student from China lost her ring playing Frisbee in the water with friends.
She asked me for help, I tried but I had my dry sand detector with me, no luck.  I told her I would try again the next day with my Detector Pro Head Hunter PI detector and larger scoop.  I was able to recover it the next day at 6AM low tide.  She took me to dinner to repay me and she told me her mother back in China couldn't believe how caring and generous an American could be.
How's that for improving international relations.

Thanks Robotcop!  Excellent work!

That is the kind of thing detectorists do all of the time.  People need to know it.


On the Treasure Coast the surf is only one to two feet.  The beaches and shallow water conditions are generally poor, however there are a good number of targets.

It seems the beaches have been pretty busy lately and also the holiday weekend got off to a quick start.  There was a lot of recreational boating traffic already this morning, and I saw some recreational divers and fishermen. 

I saw good numbers of shiny new clad coins in the dry sand, and at one of those seldom detected hidden areas, also some green crusty clad and other things.

On the dry beach, I hit a gold ear ring less than a minute after turning my machine on at what I have previously described as a stop spot.

Where I was, the shallow water was pretty sandy.   The recent drops are the easiest right now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/5/13 Report - Alternatives - Off-Beach, Searching, Targets & Tropical Storm Karen

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

Finds From 3 Soccer Fields
Finds and Photos by Michael E. 

When I started entering this post I didn't realize that the theme was going to be all about alternatives -  alternatives to beach detecting, alternative targets and even alternatives to metal detecting.  That is how it turned out.

Lets get started.

As I told you a few days ago, Michael E. went off-beach for a while and has been hunting a park that has six soccer fields.  Here are his finds after completing three fields.

Not shown is a gold ring that he found and gave to the maintenance man for allowing him to detect the fields.

Here is what Michael said. 

Nickels, dimes, quarters from left to right. Not pictured is the gold ring. ... No silver coins, this isn't an old area or park. 4 1965 quarters closest years. I am sore as all heck... I see why beaches are more popular with the hobby.

Three more soccer fields remain for Michael to detect.

Notice in the photo above the bent quarters at the bottom left of the picture that look like they were hit with a lawn mower.  In the past I've shown coins found in the water that were bent nearly in half.  I think that can happen through natural means but always wondered about it.  My theory is that they get caught between rocks and get bent under tons of rocks and sand.  Not sure exactly how that happens though even though.

Beaches are relatively easy and very often more productive.  Dropped items drop and quickly sink and hide in the sand.   

It is easier to scoop things up in the sand rather than get down on your knees and try to dig neat little holes in grass.   There are alternatives though, and some can be very worthwhile if you do your research, but there are special opportunities that I would never pass up.

I also believe you usually learn something useful when you detect other types of places and detect for other types of targets.  You might learn new detecting skills, new recovery skills, or something about your detector or how to keep your eyes open for new opportunities.  I do believe that a little variety pays though.  I call it cross training.

I always enjoyed hunting fair grounds right after the fair pulled up and left.  You could quickly find a ton of coins, and could tell from the worn areas and the concentrations of coins where the ticket booths were.   The grass would be completely worn away in some areas.  Sometimes it seemed that entire rolls of coins were lost.  And none of those required much digging.  They were mostly on top of the ground, maybe covered by a little dust or grass.

Although there was little good jewelry to be found, I always enjoyed hunting fair grounds.   Occasionally there would be a surprise or two.   And occasionally you could eye-ball paper money, especially along fence rows down wind of the fair grounds.

That is a different game altogether than researching and detecting old historic sites.

A new and different kind of artifact is being excavated in a remote New Mexico Town.   I found this article both entertaining and interesting.

http://westerndigs.org/new-mexicos-atari-dump-a-midden-of-video-games-to-be-excavated/

Fossil camels along with a variety of other fossils were recently discovered in the wild West.   Another intersting article.  These fossils are from more than 5 million years ago.  We had some of the same animals in Florida at one the time.

http://westerndigs.org/fossil-camel-discovered-in-oklahoma-by-oil-workers/

Maybe you noticed that I placed a new poll on the blog.  Take a look and give us your answers.

Heavy 14K Gold Bracelet Found in Park Swimming Hole.

The park where this bracelet was found had a swimming hole with a sand bottom.  This was one of the items found in the swimming hole completely buried just an inch or so of white sand under only two or three feet of water.

The same park also had a number of volleyball courts where other good finds were made.

There is an art to detecting around metal.  It is not easy but you can detect right around metal beach chairs, metal volleyball net poles, concrete walks, driveways or roads with rebar, and other places where metal will give a loud signal from your metal detector.

The proper choice of detector and detector settings will help.  Places like that are often skipped by others not knowing how to detect places like that.  And those are good areas to detect.  They are places where people often drop and lose things, yet they are places where other detectorists can easily miss good targets.  Everybody goes for the wide open easy places to detect.

And don't forget, there are sometimes good alternatives to detecting.  Sifting can be one good alternative for small areas with a possible good concentration of targets.

And when looking for thin gold chains in sand, a rake will often do the job.  It can be a mistake to assume that you must use a detector all the time.

National Hurricane Center Map Showing Track of Karen

Karen is headed for the Mobile area as a tropical storm.  It looks like Karen won't affect the Treasure Coast beach conditions.

On the Treasure Coast the low tides are getting a touch lower while the high tide remains fairly high.

The surf this weekend will be down around 1 or 2 feet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net