7/2/20 Report - Holiday Beach Closures. Useful Research Resources: Postcards and A Great Book, Ages of Detectorists.

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

Vintage Postcard Showing Captured Two-Man Japanese Submarine.

On the subject of postcards for research, nautical subjects are common.  Here is one postcard in my collection.  The back reads: The two-man Japanese submarine was captured off Oahu Island on December 8, 1941.  This suicide craft is 81 feet long and 6 feet in diameter and weighs approximately 17tons without the electric motor which was removed to lighten it.

(They must of had a decent battery.  See https://fleetsubmarine.com/battery.html.)

The only means of entrance and exit to the submarine is through a 16-inch hatch at the top of the conning tower.

In addition to the two 18 foot torpedo's, which were carried in the forward end, the submarine had a demolition charge of TNT sufficient to blow up two entire city blocks.

I don't know where this postcard came from but would guess my father picked it up during the war.  

And here is another example, postmarked Sept. 2, 1924.  It was sent from a pastor to members of the congregation mentioning that upon his return from Israel, he would be giving a sermon entitled "The Footprints of Jesus."

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I recently did a post on a great thrift store find of treasure hunting memorabilia.  One of my favorite treasure coin books was found in a thrift store years ago.  Here it is.

I use it often and have referred to it many times in this blog.

It shows the largest selection of Spanish colonial coins I have seen anywhere.  The only problem is that it is written in Spanish.  Still you can find the photos and easily make out the important details.

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In 2014 I did a poll in this blog to determine the age of those who metal detect.  Here is what I learned.

Of the 152 (very good sample size) who responded to the poll, only 1 person was under 25.  

Even more surprising to me is the fact that only 7 (2%) of those that responded to the poll were 35 or under.  93% of those that responded to the poll were 36 or older. 

According to the poll, the peak age group was 56 - 65 (33%).  That certainly corresponds to the beginning of the retirement years, so maybe it is a matter of leisure time.

23% were 66 or older. There is a time when detecting becomes more physically challenging.  It does seem that among hard-core detectorists, they continue until it becomes difficult.

Source: https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2014/01/11214-report-age-of-those-who-metal.html


I decided to go back and look at the results of that poll after reading that the new coronavirus cases seem to be coming from those who are 30 and under.  As my poll numbers show, people of that age  are seldom detectorists.

I'd like to do more polling but haven't taken the time to select a new polling app after blogger deleted their poll app.

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St. Lucie County Beaches will be closed during the 4th of July weekend.

Vero beaches will only be open for residents of the county.


There are no developing storms in our area of the Atlantic and the surf remains calm along the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net



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3/31/20 Report - Some Very Old New World Spanish Reales. A What? Sunken Submarine Found. The Importance of Good Questions.

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

Early Mexico Four-Reale Displayed by McLarty Museum.

Submitted by JamminJack.

Not long ago I did a post on some of the oldest coins found on the Treasure Coast.  The one shown above is from the period of Juana and Carlos.  It is a Mexico minted four-reale.

Monedas Espanolas Desde Juana y Carlos a Isabel II: 1503 a 1868 by Calico, Calico and Trigo, 1985, shows a lot of early coins from both old world and new world mints.

See if you can tell the denomination of the one shown below..

Three Reale Shown in Calico et al Book.

Look between the two pillars above the banner and letters that run across the middle of the pillars.  Do you see three dots?  That is the denomination.  Yes, it is a three-reale!

Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins by Sewall Menzel shows an illustration of the designs on a a three-reale.  Here it is.

Three-reale as shown in Menzel book, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins.

This next one isn't real clear, but I think you can see the two dots between the caps of the pillars.  It is a two-reale.

Two-Reale Shown in Calico et al Book.

Menzel also presents an illustration for that type of coin.

Carlos y Juana Three-Three Reale as Shown in Menzel Book.

Similarly, the one-reale has a single dot between the pillars.  I won't bother to show that one.

Both the one and two-reale, as well as the three reales shown above were minted in Mexico.

Unfortunately coinage of this period was not dated so it is nearly impossible to determine the date, or even the order of the coins.

The Calico book contains many examples and variations even a ten-reale from an old world mint.

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The crew of the USS Stickleback didn’t expect things to end this way—rising from the depths on May 28, 1958, only to be broadsided by the hull of a friendly American destroyer, the USS Silverstein. The Stickleback sank to the bottom, an 11,000-foot journey to nowhere.

Now, 62 years since the sub disappeared from any radar screen—and became one of only four U.S. Navy submarines lost since the end of World War II—it’s been found again...

Thanks to Douglas, here is that link.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/stickleback-submarine-wreck-found

---

Unfortunately you can't separate Covid-19 from metal detecting since it has resulted in the beaches being closed.

Checking the statistics this morning I find that there have been 3,170 Covid-19 deaths in the United States so far.

After looking at a sea of additional statistics, one of the things that sticks out is this Fortune Magazine report from 2018 -

The Flu is Killing Up to 4,000 Americans a Week

By 

Bloomberg

February 10, 2018 9:53 AM EST

So, if this headline is correct, and as far as I've been able to find, it is, then more people got killed by the flu in one week in 2018 than have been killed in the U. S. so far this year by the current Coronavirus.

Dr. Fauci, in the March 26 New England Journal of Medicine, gives a much less dramatic estimate of Covid-19 than he has been giving on TV lately, suggesting that it might not be much different than the normal flu.

CBS admitted the image they used to show an overcrowded U. S. hostpical was actually an Italian hospital.  I'm not saying that U. S. hospitals aren't crowded.  They usually are during flu season, but the media can be deceptive.

In another report I saw that the CDC said that up to 15 times more people die of the flu than is reported on death certificates.  Health statistics can be very unreliable.  You have to look at the details.

You always have to ask questions.  I once said that the question is more important than the answer, which seems like a stupid thing to say, but the question is important.  Asking the right questions is critically important, no matter whether you are talking about something like metal detecting or epidemiology.

I'm surprised by the high degree of compliance of the American people so far.  They've been conditioned by a deluge of threats ranging from the danger of riding a bicycle without a helmet and pads to the threat of monster plastic up to the apocalyptic threat of the climate killing us all.  Americans and citizens of the world have been drowned in a sea of experts and bad reporting and have surrendered their independence to those who are thought to know better.  An informed involved public is necessary.

I'm very suspicious of what is going on here.  It is time for a whole lot of good questions.  Not the type of questions that the media is asking, but penetrating questions that will put this whole thing in a meaningful context, resolve doubt and confusion and lead to good practical decisions.

Ask the hard questions.  Hold your officials accountable.  They aren't losing their jobs and businesses.  

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The Treasure Coast surf will begin to build Saturday night.  We are supposed to have some good high surf on Sunday.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/2/19 Report - Sand Accumulating on Treasure Coast. USS Johnston Found. Hunley Theory.

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Friday Evening.

Friday we had some good wind and a higher surf.  It did nothing good to the north end of South Hutchison Island.

Even up by the Fort Pierce inlet where it had been eroded, it had filled again.  Like the other beaches I looked at, it was very mushy.

John Brooks Beach Friday Evening.

Nothing but accumulating sand down around John Brooks.

John Brooks Beach Friday Evening.

Shells were up near the high tide mark.

John Brooks Beach Friday Evening.

From what I saw at the few locations I visited, it looks like nothing but accumulating sand.  Things could be different elsewhere.

North of John Brooks Friday Evening.

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A few days past the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Samar, researchers from Vulcan Inc.’s research vessel R/V Petrel believe they’ve found wreckage from the engagement’s famed Fletcher-class destroyer, USS Johnston (DD-557).

Images of twisted metal, a destroyed deck gun, a propeller shaft and other less recognizable debris were posted to Petrel’s Facebook page Wednesday, with a video narrated by Rob Kraft, Vulcan’s director of subsea operations, and Paul Mayer a submersible pilot with the team started by the late billionaire and philanthropist Paul Allen...

See more at...

https://news.usni.org/2019/10/30/wreck-of-famed-wwii-destroyer-uss-johnston-may-have-been-found

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Ever since the Confederate submarine Hunley was discovered off the South Carolina coast, theorists have wondered what caused it to sink in 1864.

Now Clemson University researchers might have found an explanation to what caused the world’s first successful combat submarine to vanish.

Researchers discovered the Hunley’s air circulation system was not in use when the sub and her eight-man crew disappeared in 1864, the Friends of the Hunley said Wednesday in a news release.

The Hunley held enough oxygen for the crew to survive for roughly two hours, and there were only two ways to replenish the air supply, according to the release...

See https://www.thestate.com/news/local/military/article236813773 for more about that.

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Live bidding on the Sedwick Treasure Auction number 26 continues today

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/15/19 Report - WW I Wreck Exposed. Genuine $3 Million Coin. FUN Convention and Counterfeits. Great Research Sites.

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

Remains of WW I Sub Exposed.

Source: See BBC link below.

Shifting sand off Wissant, near Calais, is exposing the remains of the UC-61 which was stranded there in July 1917...

It is now becoming a tourist attraction again, although the local mayor warns it may only be a fleeting visit...

"The wreck is visible briefly every two to three years, depending on the tides and the wind that leads to sand movements, but a good gust of wind and the wreck will disappear again," said Mayor of Wissant Bernard Bracq...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46846988

Thanks to Douglas for that link.

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Here is an excerpt from an article that talks a bit about the recently concluded FUN convention in Orlando, counterfeits and the recent history of numismatics.

Nowadays, the Internet has reorganized how we collect...

I held fake clad quarters in my hand at the FUN show thanks to Beth Deisher and the Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force of the Professional Numismatists Guild.

They have the correct electronic signature to fool vending machines.

Most collectors would have no trouble seeing that they are fake.

These coins are not intended to be offered as collectibles.

Collectors might not even look at a clad quarter in their hand if they don’t think the Chinese would bother to fake our circulating coins.

They need to think again. We all do...

Here is that link.

https://www.numismaticnews.net/buzz/fun-gives-great-start-to-2019-coin-business

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… An 1885 Proof Trade Dollar certified by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®) realized an astonishing $3,960,000 at auction, one of the highest prices ever paid for a coin. This coin led a group of NGC-certified rarities that achieved extraordinary results in the Heritage Auctions Platinum Night sale, held January 10, 2019, at the FUN Show in Orlando, Florida...

The price realized by the Eliasberg specimen is the second-highest at auction for an NGC-certified coin, surpassed only by a 1787 Brasher Doubloon. Graded NGC MS 63, that coin was sold by Heritage Auctions for $4,582,500 in January 2014....

And the link.

https://www.ngccoin.com/news/article/7099/heritage-fun-realized-january-2019/

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Today I want to bring attention to some of the great reference links in my Treasure Site Reference Link List.  There are some really good links there that I'm sure you will find useful.  I find my self usng to them often.

On top of the list you will find the 18th Century Material Culture Resource Center link.  Great site.
http://materialculture18t.wixsite.com/18thcmcrc

After that you will find a very extensive database of Spanish coinage.  It is one of the most extensive and useful reference sites that I've seen.
http://www.fuenterrebollo.com/faqs-numismatica/menu2.html

Then there is the token database. Again very useful and extensive.
http://tokencatalog.com/

And the Society for Historical Archaeology antique bottle web site.
https://sha.org/bottle/makersmarks.htm

Also the Spanish Colonial Military Artifacts site.
http://www.artifacts.org/default.htm

These and some of the others in the list are some of the best artifact reference sites.   Take a look.  They are there on the first page of my blog for your easy access.

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We really haven't had much good beach hunting weather this Fall or Winter yet.  There have been a lot of fronts come through, but only lasting one day or so, and producing not much more than one foot cuts.

We are going to have some higher surf for a couple of days, but only three to five feet.

Here are the MagicSeaWeed surf predictions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/21/18 Report - Exploring Sunken Swedish Warship. Hundreds of Years of Artifacts From Canals. H L Hunley.

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

Source: See ScienceNordic link below.

Cannons, hand grenades, and up to a thousand soldiers were on board the large Swedish warship when it exploded in the Baltic Sea, 454years ago.

The ship, known as Mars, belonged to the Swedish navy and was one of Northern Europe’s largest and most feared naval vessels used in the Northern Seven Years’ War.

The remains were discovered at the bottom of the Baltic Sea in 2011, near to the Swedish island of Öland.,,

“This year, we have come closer to the people aboard. We found more skeletal parts, including a femur with trauma around the knee which we believe to stem  from a sharp-edged weapon,” says maritime archaeologist Rolf Fabricius Warming, who is one of the researchers involved in the investigation.

“We also found large guns and a hand grenade. We can see from the wreckage that it was a very intense and tough battle. Between 800 and 1,000 men were on board. That is comparable to the population of an entire medium-sized town at the time. Most of them died in the explosion or when the ship sank into the watery depths,” he says.

Researchers had previously discovered silver treasure among the Mars wreckage...

This shipwreck is nicely preservered in the cold Baltic Sea.

Here is the link for more information and pictures.

http://sciencenordic.com/archaeologists-reveal-new-finds-legendary-swedish-warship

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Coins, bones, toys and weapons are among the hundreds of thousands of artifacts recently surfaced from the canals of Amsterdam. Meticulously catalogued by location and organized by age, these finds span the Dutch capital’s 800-year history. Their rediscovery and display was made possible by a massive excavation project being undertaken to create a new metro line through the city, carefully orchestrated to operate alongside an unprecedented archeological dig.

The associated website, book and documentary set titled Below the Surface has been years in the making. This project catalogues everything from bits of ceramic, metal and glass to fully intact artifacts. Some finds predate the city’s founding — there are medieval coins and even pieces of sharpened stone from as far back as 4,300 BCE.

“Rivers in cities are unlikely archaeological sites,” explain the organizers and curators of the project. “It is not often that a riverbed, let alone one in the middle of a city, is pumped dry and can be systematically examined. The excavations in the Amstel yielded a deluge of finds.” The resulting website is an amazing interactive museum, allowing visitors to dynamically connect various artifacts by type, material and time period...

Here is the link to read more about that project.

https://99percentinvisible.org/article/metro-archeology-explore-700000-artifacts-uncovered-in-dutch-canal-excavation/

Thanks to GoldNugget for sending me that link.

Here is the link to the searchable database.

https://belowthesurface.amsterdam/

This is a great project with a database of easily searchable artifact photos.  The best I've seen.  Take a look.  I think you'll be amazed.

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H L Hunley in Conservation.
Source: See SavannahNow link below.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Scientists studying the world’s first submarine to sink an enemy ship said Wednesday that the doomed Confederate crew did not release an emergency mechanism that could have helped the vessel surface quickly.

The 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) of what are called keel blocks would typically keep the H.L. Hunley upright, but also could be released with three levers, allowing the sub to surface quickly in an emergency, said archaeologist Michael Scafuri, who has worked on the submarine for 18 years.

Scientists who removed the century of corrosion, silt and shells from the submarine found the levers all locked in their regular position, Scafuri said...

Here is that link.

http://www.savannahnow.com/news/20180718/clues-to-confederate-mystery-subs-crew-never-dumped-weight

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There are no tropical storms to watch right now.  The surf is running around two feet and will increase about a foot in a couple of days.  The tides have moderated.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/25/18 Report - Piso Old Bottle For Cure Containing Cannabis. Nazi Sub Recovered From Great Lakes. Detectorist Term.

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

Old Cure Bottle Find - Piso Co.

I took a little walk Saturday and found this cure bottle.  The embossing is, PISO CO WARREN PA.

The side is embossed, but the front and back evidently had a paper label, which might have been like the one below.  Notice the ingredients.

Cannabis, choloroform and other valuable ingredients!  Alcohol was another ingredient, but not listed.  Opium was ingredient at one time.

Originally named after one of the founders Ezra T. Hazeltine, the Hazeltine Corp., of Warren Pennsylvania, was founded in 1869, and soon became famous for its cough medicine, "Piso's Cure for Consumption". In fact, the product became so popular that in time, the company actually changed its name to "The Piso Company."

Unfortunately, Piso's has the distinction of being the only brand name cannabis medicine named in Samuel Adam's (now classic) book on quackery "The Great American Fraud."

Now in all fairness it should be pointed out that the company has its defenders, who point out that the company itself voluntarily gave up the use of opium and opium by-products before the 1880's...

Here is the link for more about that.

http://antiquecannabisbook.com/chap15/QPiso.htm

The company came to end end before WW II, perhaps caused by the Marijuana Tax Act and the barring of marijuana from medicines.  I'd put the particular bottle as early 20th century.

Here is a very good document on the company and its medicines.

https://www.fohbc.org/PDF_Files/PisoTrior_JSullivan.pdf

I haven't had a chance to do any detecting this month, but continue to find a little time for surface hunting.

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Fake news story on Nazi sub was removed after it was determined to be fake.

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I once read where someone said they preferred the term "coin shooter" rather than "detectorst."  Coin shooter works for me when it describes someone that is actually hunting coins, but for someone that uses a detector to hunt other things, such as meteorites, gold nuggets, or artifacts and has little or no interest in hunting coins, I can't imagine why you would use such a misleading term as "coin shooter."  When I first started detecting I hunted coins.  My records at that time showed how many and what type of coins I found, but that changed.  Later I hunted jewelry and didn't care much coins.  At that time I kept track of my jewelry finds but not my coin finds.  If I wanted to describe myself at that point, I would not call myself a coin shooter, and if I did, it would give a very misleading impression of what I was actually doing.  Detectorist, to me, is a more general term than coin shooter.

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I have a post for you that will likely help you answer some big questions.  If you ever wondered if you got it all or if you are missing something, I'll help you answer those questions tomorrow.  I have the numbers.  One reader not only detected a lot multiple times, but also sifted the lot to determine what he missed.  The results are amazing.  I'll post this in the next day or two.  You won't get this anywhere else.

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The Treasure Coast surf will build to 4 - 7 feet Tuesday and maybe more Wednesday.  That is something to watch.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/21/18 Report - Mystery Item. Magnetometer Repair Help Needed. Sedwick Consignment Deadline. Deep Sea Cold War Submarine Search.

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

Mystery Item
Photo submitted by Al C.

Al C. said, 

Hello! I was visiting a buddy of mine down in the Keys this weekend and he had this displayed on a shelf. He bought it years ago from a Fort Pierce guy who used to sell shipwreck items occasionally. He couldn't remember exactly what the guy told him this was used for so I thought maybe you or your
readers might have an idea.

I asked Al about the back, and this is what he said.

It seems like bronze. Dark copper color and very dense, heavy. The back side has no markings at all.

It looks like the four corner circles have FRS in big letters and small numbers 1738 one way.  I looked at it upside down at first and the numbers looked like 8021 that way..  I don't know what is in the middle circle.

If anyone has any ideas what this might be, send me an email.  Thanks much.

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Information on Magnetometer Needing Repair.

Need to find someone who is able to fix a handheld magnetometer (Aqua-Mag). The photo above shows the label on the mag.

The owner says he searched the internet with no luck. The company that made this unit is no longer in business.
If you can repair this item or have any leads on someone who might, send an email to.Robert P. at the following email address.

abacoparadiseproperty@gmail.com

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Time to consign to the next Sedwick auction is running out.  Here is a message from Sedwick Treasure Auctions.

Now is the time to contact us for consigning to our Treasure, World, U.S. Coin & Paper Money Auction 23, which is already shaping up to be another great sale. The consignment deadline is February 28, 2018, so there is plenty of time still to include your consignments. Click here for more information on how to consign. Then, call the office at 407.975.3325 or email us at office@sedwickcoins.com. Read to the bottom of this email to see the big highlight for this sale!

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Here is an interesting article about the cold war and the search for a deep sea Russian sub that was conducted under the guise of deep sea mining.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/deep_sea_mining

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I have plenty more to talk aboutbut that is all I'll get done for today. I'll pick up on some topics that I started and didn't finish. I'll also be telling archaeology why they don't get the public support they should.  I have a chapter from a book in which a Florida state archaeologist discussed that problem.  I'll answer his questions.   
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/29/17 Report - Treasure Coast Beach Conditions. Civil War Submarine. Peru's History. Snooping. Tropical Storm Situation.

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

John Brooks Beach This Morning Just Before Low Tide.

I took a look at a few beaches this morning to see what was going on.  As you can see from the picture above, the surf was near flat.

High Tie Line Showing Shells Pushed Up By Recent High Tide.

Mushy Beach Front North of John Brooks.

John Brooks Looking North.

The beaches in the area of John Brooks were mushy.  In the above picture you can see the old cut and the new lighter colored sand that accumulated in front of the cut.

Detectorist This Morning At Fredreck Douglas.

This detectorist got caught by the Treasure Guide Cam this morning around low tide.

Overall, beach detecting conditions remain poor.

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Researchers say they’ve solved one of the most enduring mysteries of the American Civil War: what caused the puzzling demise of the H.L. Hunley, the first combat submarine in history to sink an enemy warship...

It looks like the explosion that sank the USS Housatonic could have also been responsible for the sinking of the Hunley.

Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.nature.com/news/scientists-solve-mystery-of-us-civil-war-submarine-1.22447

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Archaeologists exploring Peru’s pre-Colombian past recently unearthed a glimpse of a less prominent chapter in the Andean country’s history - the remains of 16 Chinese labourers who toiled in the country over 100 years ago...

Here is that link.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-peru-archaeology-idUKKCN1B504L?il=0

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Google’s trademark mobile phone may be appropriately named, the “Android.” Some privacy experts warn that consumers are being spied on, fleeced by intrusive advertisers, and their whereabouts tracked, all through cell phones.

Android phone users beware.

Google has effectively turned millions of its users’ smartphones into listening devices that can record and store conversations not meant for Google’s ears...

Here is that link.

http://www.wnd.com/2017/08/how-google-secretly-records-your-private-conversations/print/

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Harvey is going to go north, as is Ten.  The one that has the best chance of affecting us is still over by the Canary Islands.

There is one day left to respond to the most recent poll.

Come together to support relief efforts in Texas.  

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/6/15 Report - Treasure Coast Compared To South Florida For Detecting Modern Gold. Submarine Found Off Highland Beach.

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

Small Cuts Along A Treasure Coast Beach Yesterday.

Notice the remnant of an earlier cut at the top right of the photo.

Walton Rocks Not Showing Any Cuts Yesterday.

There was a nice cut here back a a few weeks ago.  It is gone now.  Just to the north, though, the beach was steeper than it was before.  Sand had been lost, but there were no significant cuts.

It can be difficult to recognize when a beach gets cut back and slopes at a steeper incline.

At another beach, there was a fresh new one or two foot cut, but the new cut was in sand that accumulated just a few days ago over top of an older and deeper cut.  The new cut was a good foot or two above where the old cut was.  If you didn't know where the old was, you might have found the new cut more interesting.

Below is a picture of a submarine-like tube found floating near Highland Beach.

Submarine-Like Tube Found Floatin Near Boca Yesterday.

It had a small propeller and motor.

They thought it was for transporting either drugs or immigrants.  My bet is on drugs.

Photo of The Propeller.

---

Someone asked me why it is so much easier to find gold jewelry down south than it is on the Treasure Coast.  It is easy to answer that.  There are a number of reasons.

First, look at the pictures of the Treasure Coast beaches shown above.  You can see down the one beach for a long distance and you will only see two beach-goers.  There aren't a lot of people on the Treasure Coast beaches.  The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area has hundreds of resorts and hundreds of times more beach goers.  There are only a few beaches where people really congregate on the Treasure Coast, and you get nothing like the Miami crowds on any of those.  Instead of tons of large beach-side resorts, there are very few big resorts on the Treasure Coast.  You also won't see the parasailing and other concessions that are so common down south.

Not only does the Miami/Fort Lauderdale have a lot of big resorts, but they have had them for decades.  I remember back when Fort Lauderdale was the place to be for Spring Break,  The beach towels were so close together on the beach that you could hardly walk down to the water.  The crowds were that densely packed.

Secondly, the people on the Treasure Coast do not wear a lot of gold jewelry.  It is a not a glitzy showplace.  It doesn't have the same culture.  Many beaches on the Treasure Coast are frequented by those who either want a more private or natural beach or a low-cost vacation.

Third, how many people swim on the Treasure Coast beaches?  Not many.  I seldom see people wading or swimming along the Treasure Coast, and when I do, there are just a few.  The Treasure Coast beaches are not the type of beaches where people wade and play a lot.  The Treasure Coast beaches do get some surfers, but they don't wear a lot of expensive jewelry.

A lot of the beach-goers on the Treasure Coast are either residents, part-time residents, or frequent visitors.  They are familiar with beach life and are generally more careful.  They are not here to get drunk and party.

Fourth, despite the low number of beach-goers on the Treasure Coast beaches, there are a lot of detectorists.  There are a lot of detectorists down south, but the relative number of detectorists on the Treasure Coast is much higher.

As one example, I saw maybe twenty or thirty people total on three Treasure Coast beaches yesterday morning.  At the same time I saw three other detectorists.  That is a high number of detectorists compared to the low number of beach-goers.

The Treasure Coast ocean beaches often have a rougher surf - very often too rough for most water detectorists, and much of the water is off limits to detectorists because of the salvage and exploration leases.  As you know, a lot of the jewelry finds are found by shallow water hunters.

There you have it.  I could name a couple more factors, but they are not as significant, so I'll leave it at that for now.

---

Expect a two or three foot surf on the Treasure Coast for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net