8/19/18 - Really Old Stuff That Can Be Found On the Treasure Coast Beaches. Fossils.

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

Great White and Megaladon Tooth.

I've always encouraged people to keep a keen eye on the beach while they metal detect.  You can find so many interesting and potentially valuable things.  As I've said before, you can find almost anything on a beach, and if you are out there enough and look around, you will find a lot.

I recently did a few posts on my all-time favorite finds.  For some types of finds, it is easy for me to pick out a clear favorite.  That was the case with sea glass.  There was one piece that really stood out from all the rest.  For modern jewelry it was difficult to pick a favorite.  It was the same way for fossils.

I don't go out to look for fossils, but I did once.   I went with a fellow who had a permit and takes people on fossil hunting ventures to the Peace River.  It has been quite a few years now, and I don't know if he still does that.   I just picked up a few fossils over the last thirty or so years while metal detecting.

Fossils can be valuable, but of course, most aren't.  Value depends upon the usual factors; including rarity and condition.  I've never sold any fossils, but I've seen megalodon teeth offered for sale in some of the Sedwick auctions, and there are many web sites where you can find all kinds of fossils for sale.

On the beaches you find more when there are big new shell piles.  We haven't had much of that for several years now.

If you like old things, fossils can be very old - even millions of years.  Its amazing to see something that while just walking along a beach.

One of my favorites is the Great White shark tooth on the left in the photo above.  It was found on the Treasure Coast.   I was just walking along, and there it was.  I never saw another one in the same area even though I've been there many times.

It is in great condition.  You can see the sharp serrations in the photo.  They show up even better in person.  I don't think it is my favorite fossil find, but it is my favorite shark tooth find and ranks right up there.

On the right in the above photo is a megaladon tooth.  It is one that was found on my trip to the Peace River.  The serrations on that one are gone.

On the Treasure Coast beaches, it is more common to find smaller shark teeth, like those below.

Tiny Shark Teeth.

You can find fossils on most beaches along the Treasure Coast when conditions are right.  Just a little north of the Seagrape Trail access is one good place to find small shark teeth when there are a lot of shells.  One of the fellows that lives by the beach in one of the condominiums hunts shark teeth there a lot.

But shark teeth aren't the only fossils of marine animals you can find on the beach.

Small Fossil.

The small fossil show above is the first fossil that I found and kept.  I didn't know that it was a fossil for probably twenty years after I found it.  I was in the water hunting jewelry and saw the unusual item in my scoop.  I didn't know what it was, so I decided to keep it.  I kept it for many years until I finally had a fossil expert tell me what it is.  It is a fossilized grinding tooth from a fish such as a red fish.

Fossilized Inner Ear Bone of a Whale.

I found this larger fossil near the waterline on a Treasure Coast beach when there were a lot of big shell piles.  It is a fossil of an inner ear bone of a whale.

Large things will wash up when beach conditions are right, and some of them won't make your detector beep.

Fossil Dolphin Vertebra.

Back a few years ago there were more fossils on the beach.  They'll return again some day.

Among the most common Treasure Coast beach fossils are turtle shell and horse teeth.  I just wanted to talk about marine animal fossils today.

Not much new with beach conditions to report.

Keep looking down.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/27/13 Report - Beach Finds, Coin Downloads, Biggest Year for Shipwreck Discoveries, Dorian & More

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



Mystery Encrusted Object.
Photo by William M.

As I said yesterday, people are seeing interesting things along the Treasure Coast beaches, but no cobs or treasure coins.  A good number of fossils are being seen in with the shells, some encrusted objects and other items that tend to appear along with shells are being seen.

Here are a few photos from William M.  First is an encrusted object.  A museum is taking a look at this one.  Could it possibly be a hand guard?  That seems like one possibility.

Below is a connector that was found in the same hole as an olive jar neck.

Those are the kinds of things that are being seen on the Treasure Coast beaches right now.


A couple of days ago I also showed a 18th or 19th century button that showed up on one Treasure Coast beach recently too.

Thanks for the photos William.


As I often repeat, when beach conditions are not right for one kind of item, it is good for another.  Right now we are seeing these types of items that tend to go along with shell piles.

Old Connector
Photo by William M.

It appears that Dorian, much like Chantal did, is falling apart.  Now predicted to take a more southerly track, it is expected to reach Cuba as only a depression.



What do you think was the biggest year for important shipwreck discoveries?  I know that is a hard question, and probably impossible to answer, but one candidate has to be 1985.

From the online archives of People Magazine, December 1985, is this brief article mentioning three big shipwreck discoveries that year.   The discovery of the main pile of the Atocha, which occurred on July 20, 1985, and the Titanic and Whydah, both of which were found in 1985.

Below is the link to that People article.

http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20092640,00.html


The Numismatic News web site offers some very useful free downloads including a visual guide for grading circulated coins and another guide for handling and collecting coins.

Here is the site where you can get the downloads.

http://www.numismaticnews.net/



One waitress found $5000 in a diner booth and another woman found $20,000 along the side of the road.  Both women found the owners and returned the money and received a reward.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/georgia-waitress-jennifer-shaw-returns-money_n_3653696.html


Today's the day.   Most everybody knows that phrase and its role in treasure hunting.  The People article says that Mel Fisher said that almost every working day for 17 years.


In a very general sense, everyday is indeed the day.  Today is the only day you can grasp and work with.  It is the time at hand - it is where you make decisions and take action.  It is there to be used well or poorly.  The past is over and the future isn't here yet. 

If you take the phrase how I think it was meant - expecting that long-awaited big find - it seems to me that it was wrong hundreds of times before it was right.   But no matter if it is right or wrong, it represents a useful attitude.  It is the mind set of an optimist.   It enables a person to keep going with enthusiasm even when the odds are very long against you. 

A good positive attitude can be very helpful.   It is too easy to give up if you don't have a positive attitude.  Pessimists don't last long in treasure hunting.  And it would seems to me that pessimists struggle unnecessarily with life.

One way to maintain a good attitude is to have smaller goals as well as a large one.  Take pleasure in the little things as well as the big.  Don't define success too narrowly. 

Appreciate the little things in life.  The sun, the wind, the rain, the feel of sand between your toes, the relief of being in the water on a hot day, etc. 

Count your blessings.  Make it a habit.

Take advantage of obstacles and failures.  Learn from them.  Turn them around.  

Optimism leads to success, and success leads to optimism.   

Did someone need that today?  I thought about not posting it, but felt like I needed to.


Here is the new projected track of weakening Dorian.

Beach detecting conditions remain unchanged so far.  Most beaches are sandy and many have a lot of shells.

The ocean is smooth this morning.  The surf will be increasing up to a peak of about 2 - 4 feet Wednesday, and according to the predictions, decreasing again.

It looks like nothing is going to shake the beaches up for a while.


The poll is progressing nicely.  I hope the results will show our government officials the importance of detecting to the public and its impact on the region.

Thanks for responding.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net