3/2/18 Report - Big Surf Coming. Rain Uncovers History. Ancient Burials in Gulf. Button Links.

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

Predicted Wind Direction Early This Afternoon.
Source: Ventusky.com

Here is the big news.  A front will start coming though this afternoon.  You'll see a wind shift.

MagicSeaWeed was down this morning but the last time I looked the predictions still looked very interesting - 9 - 13 feet by Sunday.  I'll update this later today.

Surfline.com is predicting a 5 - 7 foot surf for Central Florida Sunday AM, and 8 - 12 feet Sunday PM.

---

Anytime earth is moved, especially in places there was a lot of activity, something good and old might be found.  Here is a story about how a rain after a drought uncovered historic ruins.

The heavy rains that hit Iraq over the past two weeks have not only put an end to the dry season, which has almost dried up the historic Tigris River, but it also helped uncover hundreds of historical ruins that were washed away in Babylon, one of the country’s most important archaeological sites.

Hussein Fleih, Babylon's director of antiquities, said in a press statement: "Among the findings were pottery utensils, coins and metal pieces."

"The discoveries will be examined to determine the exact historical period they date back to," he added, suggesting that they belong to the Parthian and Islamic eras.

"Last year, 1,000 pieces were discovered this way, which proves that the ruins may be close to the surface and not always buried deep in the ground," Fleih said.

Such discoveries after heavy rainfall are not rare in Iraq.

https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/1189666/rain-iraq-ends-drought-uncovers-historic-ruins

---

A fossil hunter while on a dive in 2016 reported possible human skeletal material off the coast of Manasota Key in Charlotte County, Florida. State officials explored the site in the years since and announced Wednesday, Feb. 28, the site is, in fact, a 0.75-acre Native American burial site in a peat-bottomed pond, according to a news release. 

The only known examples of submerged offshore prehistoric burial sites are known to be in Israel and Denmark.

Researchers say the water level in the Gulf of Mexico 7,000 years ago was about 30 feet below compared to today. It's likely the pond at the time was on dry land about 9 feet above sea level...

http://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/florida/unprecedented-native-american-burial-site-discovered-off-floridas-gulf-coast/67-524076059

A fossil hunter discovered and reported this site.  He isn't described as an archaeologists. He wasn't a looter.  That was one of the things I was saying the other day about the public discovering and protecting archaeological sites in my post on the problem with archaeology.  The public must be trusted and become a bigger part of the solution instead of being alienated and treated as the problem.

---

A few days ago I showed a button that I was wondering about.  As I said, I thought it was probably modern decorative.  Mitch King confirmed that and pointed out that the shank was modern.  I wasn't absolutely sure of the shank because it was crusted over and I wanted to clean it.  Well, the cleaning didn't go well.  When the crust was removed, there wasn't much left of the back, as you can see below.  That can happen.  I would have been more careful if I thought it was likely to be something good.

When trying to ID a button, the back can tell you as much or more than the front.  The shank is important, and you might also find other important marks on the back.  Remember that when sending photos for ID.

Here are some good links that will help you ID buttons.

http://nationalbuttonsociety.org/Home.html

http://www.buttoncountry.com/WorkSheets/Glossarys-FF.pdf

http://www.buttoncountry.com/BackTypes2.html

What Remains of Button Back.

As Mitch pointed out, the button back can provide good information on the age of a button.  That is something to remember.

Another thing that stuck out to me after I thought about it a while, is the small differences on the front of this button and the picture of the one that Alberto sent.  The differences seemed to be nonsensical.

Mitch found several sites where similar vintage blazer buttons were sell on the internet.  Some were said to be from the 80s, which makes sense because the pile of coins I was cleaning probably came from back around then.

Here is one of the links Mitch sent.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/566969846/mens-vintage-jos-a-bank-blazer-buttons?ref=pla_similar_listing_top-1

Thanks Mitch.

Here are a couple other things that I cleaned that were in the pile of encrusted coins.

Heavily Encrusted Objects After Acid Cleaning.

The silver ring is corrodes and very thin now.  Both are probably from the eighties or not much older.  I think the other was an earring.

There was also a flattened thimble in that group of finds.  You don't see many thimbles around anymore even though they were used for centuries.

---

We could get some good hunting soon if the surf and wind predictions have been right this week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/26/17 Report - Erosion in Jupiter/Juno Area. Cuban Silver Ten Centavos. Erosion Is Erosion.

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

Joe D. sent the above pictures from the Jupiter/Juno area.  He says that the got more erosion this week.  You can see that in the pictures.  Notice also the nice shell line.

Thanks much Joe.

I haven't been able to get out since the last pictures I posted, so I have seen what the beaches are doing for myself.  Thanks for any reports.

UPDATE:  Joe D. tells me these beaches have changed in the past 21 or so hours.  More on that later.

---

It looks like Brian M.could have identified the mystery coin I showed yesterday.  The mystery coin looks very much like the Cuban 10 centavos shown here.

The coin is silver and was made in this design from 1915 to 1949.

Here is the link Brian sent.

https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/uploaded/XavierOfGreen/20110825_1915cuba10centavos.jpg

Thanks much Brian.  Looks like a good match me.

I very much appreciate the help.

---

The Dare is returning to Key West from the hunt for the Lost Merchant and will be gearing up to work on the Atocha or Margarita site.

Storms move sand in the ocean as well as on the beach. The Fisher organization flew over the Atocha and Margarita sites and was able to see the Margarita main pile from the air after it was uncovered by the storm.

---

Treasure hunting, especially beach and shallow water hunting is very much about moving sand. Erosion is key, no matter how it happens or where it happens.

Erosion can be caused by wind, rain or waves and currents. We don't often mention wind or rain erosion, but whenever it happens to any significant extent, I always check it out. 

Erosion caused by wind is usually not a big factor, but it can be helpful.  There have been times when I walked a beach looking for anything that might have been uncovered after the beach was scoured by strong wind. Wind erosion can uncover non-metallic as well as metallic targets.  You might find shards or fossils or other things.  It also gives you a chance to take a look at whatever is normally hidden by the top layer of sand.  Important clues can be uncovered.

Rain can also be an important source of erosion. There are places on the Treasure Coast where million-year-old fossils are uncovered any time it rains.

Back from the beach or inland, little gullies produced by rain can be worth checking. I remember finding some nice historic artifacts in a little gully back from the beach near a historic site.  There are places like that which you can't detect, but a little erosion gives you a chance to see what lies under the surface.  I've also found some older silver coins in gullies cause by rain.

On the Treasure Coast we are always waiting for some good erosion to the beach or dunes, but I very much enjoy checking out erosion at inland sites too. Creeks and rivers are always moving earth. One of my friends usually hunts river banks up north and has found a lot of Native American artifacts by that way.  Camp sites were often near creeks or rivers.  Bottle dumps are often found in small dips or valley running downhill towards a larger creek.

Always check out erosion no matter how it was created. It doesn't have to be huge to be helpful. You might discover a find or at least see something that provides a good clue.  

---

Enjoy the nice cool weather.  

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/7/17 Report - Salvage Boats at Work. Rain Delivers New Treasure Coast Fossil Finds. Lost and Found Wedding Band.

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

Two Salage Boats on the Nieves Site Yesterday.

There were three boats on the Nieves site yesterday.  Two are shown in the above picture.  One was farther north, up by the condos.

After a rain I checked out a place where fossils are found.  Some had been exposed.  It was a small area and mostly small pieces were found.

Below is the first that I found.  It is on a penny.

When I first picked it up I thought it was a tooth, but after looking at it more closely, I'm pretty sure it is a claw.

Small Fossil.

One End of the Same Fossil.

Here is the proximal end of the same item.  You can see how it fit the joint.

I'd appreciate if any of you fossil experts can tell me what it belongs to.  Thanks in advance.

That is one small fossil.  Not easy to see in the sand.  I especially like finding the smallest items, becuase that suggests that I'm not missing much.  If you don't miss the small ones, you're probably not missing much.  I like to keep my eye-balling skills sharp.

A lot of the fossils I found were just broken pieces.  It only took me about ten minutes to pick up about 15 fossils.  Like, I said, the producing area was small.  Most of the fossil dirt was still covered by sand.

Three Fossils Found After A Recent Rain.

The one on the bottom left is a piece of a turtle skute.

---

On the night of June 2, 2017, Meg Walls of Chambersburg, PA, was playing football with her young son on the beach near 4th street and the boardwalk when her diamond wedding band flew from her finger and disappeared into the sea of sand. After several hours of emotional, desperate and unsuccessful searching by family and friends, the search was stopped and the ring was assumed lost to the sand forever...

Here is the link to read about how a detectorist found and returned Meg's ring.

http://sbynews.blogspot.com/2017/06/citizens-and-police-working-together.html

Thanks to Dean for sending me this link.  I'd like to see more of these kinds of stories showing how  detectorists find and return cherished items.

---

It really turned rainy, didn't it.  If you've ever been standing out in the ocean in shallow water when the rain started pouring, you might have seen how the rain can diminish the waves.  At least that is how it looked to me on many occasions.

We still have a another day of one-foot surf in the preditions.  And the tides are moderate.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/4/14 Report - Windy Rainy Day On The Treasure Coast. Silver Hoard Found, Carved Fossil Shells May Help Rewrite History. Turning Trash Into Cash.

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

The wind picked up this morning and it was coming from the northeast.  We're supposed to have somewhere around a five foot surf today.  Then in a week or so maybe up to seven or eight feet.  That is the kind of surf that will normally improve conditions, and it is supposed to be from the North too.  We'll have to wait and see if that really happens.  As I've often pointed out, the longer range surf predictions aren't very accurate.

----------

A 100-piece silver hoard including coins and jewelry was uncovered by archaeologists.  Here is the link to that story.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/unearthed-hoard-of-roman-and-pictish-silver-found-in-aberdeenshire-field.1417626970

-----------

Fossil shells collected in the nineteenth century were being photographed when human markings were noticed.  Some think that discovery could rewrite the history of human evolution.  The engraved and worked shells are thought to be at least 300,000 years old.

Here is the link to that story.

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/news/2014/12/worlds-oldest-engraving-discovered

-----------

One day some time ago I posted about collecting trash finds and turning them into cash.  Here is a quick video showing how much money one detectorist got for scrapping the junk copper, lead and brass that he dug.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXkf5G9DLP0

-----------

I think we need to start a protest against crime and a support the police movement.  They aren't perfect, but for they are generally better than the criminals they have to deal with.  My advice for those who don't like police is just stop crime.  That is one good way you can put the police outwork.  If we didn't need them we wouldn't have them.

----------

If I looked at the current predictions and picked out the best looking day to do some beach metal detecting on the Treasure Coast , right now I'd pick Dec. 10.  I would not be surprised, however, if things change again before then.

It also rained along the coast again this afternoon.  I'll do a reassessment of beach detecting conditions tomorrow.

Don't forget the seminar at FIT on Friday.  If you don't know about that, see my previous post.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

7/9/14 Report - Eye-balling, Seahenge, Overstruck Cobs & Changing Price of Silver




Silver Coin Eye-balled by Russ P.
Photo by Russ.

Here is an email I received from Russ P.  It provides a couple of good reminders.

After a heavy rain, I took a close look at a pile of dirt at a construction site.  I was thrilled to see the rim of a silver quarter.  This is an old site and I could tell from the condition of the rim that the quarter was in nice condition, so the possibility of a nice Barber or SLQ crossed my mind.  It was a 1963 Washington but I'll take it!  I also found a 1948 Roosevelt dime laying on the surface like it was just dropped.

Always check out newly disturbed dirt.  You never know what might be in it.   Eye-balling can be especially good after a rain, which can uncover items that were dug up.

Thanks Russ.


Coastal erosion uncovered a wood circle referred to as "Seahenge."  Interesting story.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/03/prehistoric-circle-dated-same-seahenge-2049-bc

Beaches move.  That is what they do.  Items on a beach will be moved and items under a beach will eventually be uncovered by storms or rising water.  Those items will be lost if not recovered or protected.  The beach is a high energy zone that will wear down or destroy anything in time.

 I previously did posts on the transposition and muling of cobs.  Overstrikes can also be found on cobs.

One type of overstrike you might find is the date.  A die from a previous year might still be in use and the date would need to be corrected.  The new date would be cut into the old die.  The result being one or two numbers being cut over the previous number or numbers. An entire run of cobs with overdates would then be produced.

Examples shown in Sewall Menzel's book includes a 7 struck over the 6 when a date was changed from 1676 to 1677,  and a 1 struck over a 0 when the date was changed from 1670 to 1671.  

Check the dates on your cobs for overstrikes.

Assayer initial overstrikes are known too.  When one assayer would replace another, a die might be recut with the new assayer initial cut over the old initial.

Known examples include L over B, C over P and P over T on Potosi cobs.

Watch for these anomalies or errors on cobs just like on modern coins.


If you sell your silver and gold it matters when you sell it if you want to get the best price.  That being said, it is very difficult to time your transactions.  Nobody knows which way prices will be headed.  It they did they'd be richer than Midas.

You will hear ads claiming something like silver or gold can double in price in the next six months.  Of course it could, but it could also go down to practically nothing.

Here is a chart showing thirty years of silver prices.

Source:  http://silverprice.org/silver-price-history.html

The chart on gold prices has a very similar profile.

Notice the spike back in 1980.  That is when the Hunt brothers tried successfully to manipulate the price of silver.

The chart does not adjust for the value of the dollar.  Fifty dollars was worth a lot more in 1980 than today. 

If you were lucky enough to sell silver back around 2011 you would have got a lot more for it than you would today, but if you sold back in 1991 you would have received a lot less.

As I write, the spot price of silver is just over $21 per troy ounze.


Don't sell anything for melt value that might have additional value.  That is a mistake that people sometimes make.  They even sell rings for melt that have good gems that they receive nothing for.


On the Treasure Coast we're stuck with more days with a 1 to 2 foot surf.  There is no tropical activity expected in the Atlantic for the next 48 hours.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net.

 

7/1/14 Report - Tropical Storm Watch on Treasure Coast, Massive Gold Nugget Found, Transpositional Errors on Cobs & Pot Shard

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




Source: Link found below.

Some fourth of July firework shows could get rained out.  Tropical Storm 1 has formed and a tropical storm watch is in effect from Fort Pierce to Flagler Beach.

I'm enjoying the cloudy weather.  It's nice that the sun isn't beating down all day.

Yesterday we had some nice north winds for a little while.  I'm afraid we won't really get much surf from this storm because it is north of us and the wind we get from it will be coming mostly from the south and west.

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/tropical-depression-one-20140626

Expect a lot of rain the next few days.

Here is a massive 14.7 pound gold nugget that was found in Siberia named the "Devil's Ear."

The sifting machine kicked it out as a rock.  That, of course, set off a search for more.

It was found on what the miners thought was a very unlucky time, Friday 13 and during a full moon.

That is very good bad luck.

Below are a couple of links to that story.



http://blog.gainesvillecoins.com/2014/06/24/massive-nugget-siberia/

http://www.odditycentral.com/news/gold-nugget-dubbed-devils-ear-weighs-6664-grams-was-discovered-on-friday-the-13th-on-a-full-moon-night.html


Archaeologists have discovered evidence that torture occurred near Durango, Colorado 1200 years ago.  As hard as it might be to believe, it wasn't the white men that did it.  

http://archaeology.org/news/2269-140630-colorado-torture-evidence

If you ever get to Durango, take the train up to Silverton.  You'll enjoy some of the most awesome scenery as well as the historic mining town of Silverton.  It's like stepping back in time.


Odyssey Marine stock made a good move Monday after a lot of analyst downgrades and a long decline.  They must be expecting improved 2nd quarter results.

And GoPro which went public at around $28 a few days ago is now up to over $46.  I mentioned them a couple of days ago and their plan to become start a media channel.


Spanish colonial cobs like modern coins occasionally show errors.  One common error that you might see is a transposition.

The castles normally appear in the upper left and lower right quadrants on the cross and shields.  However you will occasionally find the position of the lions and castles reversed.  That is a transposition error.

Some assayers seemed to be more prone to making those types of errors than others.

I'll discuss more cob anomalies in the future.

A few days ago I mentioned shards being found north of Vero.  Here is one.

This one was found by Philip I.

Thanks for sharing Philip.


I'll be taking a look at some beaches to see what is going on and will post some photos.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net