4/5/20 Report - Pre-Columbian Indigenous Metallurgy and Tumbaga. An Old Find. FDOH Dashboard.

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

Source: See Penn.Museum link below.

AD 1519, central Panama: the conquistadors were angry. They had promised the Spanish court a mass of gold in return for investing in their risky transatlantic voyage. But having failed to find the legendary gold mines of the region, they had resorted to looting the treasuries of the local chiefs and the grave goods of native cemeteries. Then came the shock. As the soldiers began to melt down the heaps of ornaments they had gathered up, they discovered that scarcely anything was made of pure gold. Rather, the metal was debased with large amounts of copper....

Here is the link for the rest of that article, Confounding the Conquistadors: Tumbaga's Spurious Luster.

https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/confounding-the-conquistadors/

Good read.

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You might also like the article entitled Pueblo Indians Adaptation of Spanish Metallurgy, which discusses a 17th century site.  Here is the link.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253235062_Pueblo_Indian_Adaptations_of_Spanish_Metallurgy

Here is one illustration from that article.

It reminds me  of some of the small pieces that I was picking up when cobs were found earlier this year.  Some of those were modern, but not all of them.

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The Aztecs certainly had lots of gold, but nowhere near as much as the conquistadors believed. It turned out that all that glittered was not necessarily gold - much of it was an alloy called tumbaga.

The metallurgical skills of the pre-Columbian Indians went unrecognized for centuries prior to the pioneering work of Dora M. K. de Grinberg and others in the past fifty years or so. De Grinberg, an Argentinian archeologist working in Mexico, doggedly followed tenuous leads to uncover ample evidence that the ancient Indian metalworkers were far more knowledgeable than had previously been supposed...

Here is the link for that article.

https://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1238-did-you-know-lots-of-real-aztec-gold-was-only-tumbaga

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Archaic Period Point Recently Found in Plowed Florida Field.

Find and photo by JamminJack.

A couple days ago I posted a photo of an axe or tool and had it mislabeled as an Archaic point.  I went back and made that correction in the old post.  This is actually the Archaic point that was found the same day as the other item.  It measures about two inches and was among the finds that Jack and his buddy found in a newly plowed field.

Jack said, I did some research and found there was an outpost and old post office (1800s) nearby...

Thanks Jack. 

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The Georgia governor despite a shelter-at-home order, opened the Georgia beaches, which like almost everything these days, was a very controversial move.

Here is the link.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/georgia-reopens-beaches-coronavirus-shelter-in-place-order

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Here are today's Florida numbers from the Florida Dept. of Health dashboard.

You can use this link to access the interactive dashboard.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/96dd742462124fa0b38ddedb9b25e429

As you know the models depend upon data and assumptions, and the data, in my opinion is not very good.  There does not appear to be an overall highly consistent system and many states have not been reporting at all.

If you take the numbers from Germany, they have about a 1% coronavirus death rate, while the mortality rate for Spain and France is about seven times that.  That is a huge difference, which I believe must be due to measurement or reporting differences rather than population differences or differences in treatment.

Anyhow, you can keep up with the Florida statistics by using the FDOH dashboard.

You certainly can't say that coronavirus is irrelevant to metal detecting while the beaches are closed and we are under a variety of orders and advisements.

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The Treasure Coast surf today is 3 - 5 feet and tomorrow is supposed to be 5 - 8 feet.

Be safe, be wise,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/6/16 Report - Mystery Find Analyzed and Identified. Orichalcum Ingots, Why I Do This. Land Finds. New Weather Disturbance Near Florida.

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

Previously Posted Unidentified Find 
Photo submitted by Bernie C.

In my 6/24/16 post I reported on the above find made by Jason F. and commented that it might be tumbaga.  The item has been analyzed and was found to be 61% copper, 38% zinc and 1% gold. Now we know what it is made of.

Bernie C. sent me a link to an article describing a 2,600-year-old shipwreck on which was found 39 ingots of orichalcum.  Take a look.  Those ingots look very similar to the newly found Treasure Coast piece.

Shipwreck Ingots of Orichalcum.
Source: Daily Origins article link below.

That shipwreck was found in the Mediterranean, but similar ores are found in Latin America. Copper and zinc are often associated in nature and alloyed to make brass.

Back in the day this ore was valued second to only gold.

Here is the link for the article on the 2,600-year-old shipwreck and orichalcum.

http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/orichalcum-legendary-metal-atlantis-or-just-common-ore-003318?nopaging=1

Questions remain.  How did this item get lost on the Treasure Coast?

You never know when the next interesting find will be made or what it will be.  The find is just the first step towards learning the story behind it.

Congratulations to Jason F. for making this exciting find, and thanks to Bernie C. for reporting it to me.

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Shortly after starting this blog, someone asked me why I did it.  I don't post ads or sell anything.  I don't promote myself.  In fact, I do my best to keep myself anonymous.  I don't get money for clicks of views, and I don't take financial contributions, although there have been offers.  So why do I do it?

I do it because I enjoy learning and sharing what I learn.  I do it to promote the hobby that I've enjoyed, and to help people become involved with history in a way that preserves history.  I do it to share ideas and values that are important to me.

I've done a lot of posts now, have received complaining emails from only three people, as best as I can recall.  On the other hand the blog has received well over one million hits and many times that number of page views.   I receive emails of thanks daily, and I receive many contributions in the form of links, information, pictures and ideas.  That helps me tremendously, and I appreciate all of that.  Despite publishing anonymously, I've made many friends, the vast majority of which I never met. 

I make every decision about what goes into the blog, spend hours in research, which I enjoy, and a lot of time writing, which I do not enjoy as much.

If I quit doing this blog, or if I change this blog in any way, the decision will be made simply because I feel like doing something different. 

This blog isn't for everybody.  Those who come here, come here on their own.  I don't even promote the blog, let alone ask anyone to read it.  I just put it out there, and hundreds of people decide on their own to visit daily.  That is something I like about the internet. Readership is self-selecting.  People make up their own mind about where they will spend their time.  I'm just being me, and so that is what you see here and will see here as long as I choose to do it.  If anyone influences me at all, it is the many kind and helpful people who have become my friends through this blog.

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Not only does Dan B. salvage 1715 Fleet items, he also does some land hunting.  Here are a few of his land finds.  First, is this nice ornate sterling silver ring.

Silver Ring Find by Dan B.
Photo by Dan B.

Below are some more of Dan's land finds including a silver dime, some wheaties and a nice trade token.

More Recent Land Finds by Dan B.

The trade token reads, "Good for trade 5 cents."   Dan says it also bears the number 31549.  If you can provide any information about the token, please let me know.

Thanks for sharing Dan.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We now have a new disturbance up by Apalachicola. I don't expect it to affect the Treasure Coast much.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/28/16 Report - 1715 Fleet Gold Rings Found. Tumbaga and Depletion Gilding. A Diamond Ring, Gold Coins and Stinky Cheese. Two New Tropical Disturbances.

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

Gold Rings From 1715 Fleet Just Found.
Submitted by Captain Jonah Martinez

I just received this photo of the latest 1715 Fleet gold ring finds. Amazing finds! Great job guys!

The clasped hands motif is very common. I have seen it on a variety of 1715 pieces.

The clasped hands signifies friendship and love. That design motif has been used on antique jewelry since Roman times and continues to this day.

I wonder if the bird shown on the top ring is another reference to the pelican of piety that my friend Laura Strolia wrote about.  It very much looks like it could be.

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Yesterday I mentioned tumbaga and how they used a procedure to get a relatively pure gold on the surface of the item.  I didn't remember the exact process at the time, but here is paragraph that describes the details.

The surface color of the objects could be modified by a process called “depletion gilding” (miseen-couleur), a gold surface enrichment. The cast copper-gold alloy figurines were treated chemically to remove the base metal from the surface of the object giving the finished piece the appearance of high purity gold. Either mineral salts or acidic plant extracts could have been used for this procedure. Depletion gilding produces a well bonded but porous and spongy layer only a few microns thick, which was then burnished. A higher copper content would result in a more reddish color and a higher gold content produced a more yellowish color.

That paragraph is from the web site found through the following link.

http://resources.conservation-us.org/osg-postprints/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2015/02/osg012-06.pdf

Here is another web site showing a variety of tumbaga artifacts.

http://www.sbai.uniroma1.it/~giovanni.gigante/Lavori/10.1007s00339-013-7738-8.pdf

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A diamond ring, 14 gold coins, and you guessed it, 340 year-old stinky cheese, was found on an old shipwreck site.

Here is that link.

http://www.thelocal.se/20160727/old-stinky-cheese-found-on-swedish-17th-century-ship

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There is now a tropical disturbance, two in fact, coming off of Africa.  One has a 20% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours and the other has a 30% chance.  When you see them start to line up like that, they sometimes keep coming.

They are too far away now to have any idea where they might go or what they might do, but keep watching.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/24/16 Report - Found On Treasure Coast: Gold Finger Bar? Ivanka Trump's Earring Found and Returned. Creative Problem Solving For Treasure Hunting.

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

Unidentified Treasure Coast Find.
Submitted by Bernie C.

Bernie says it looks like it could possibly be gold, and he is going to have it tested to determine the metal content.

Gold usually does not have a crust like that, but I have found tumbaga items that did have some very similar darkening on parts of the surface.

Tumbaga is an alloy of copper and gold, and sometimes with significant amounts of other metals. The amount of gold can be fairly small in tumbaga. If I correctly recall, the Inca had a method that drew more pure gold to the surface of alloyed items.

Many of the gold items found by the early conquistadors in South America was tumbaga.

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College Student Returned Ivanka Trump's  Earring.

The earring shown above was found at the convention center after the convention.  The college student used twitter to arrange for the earring's return.

Here is the link.

http://www.people.com/article/ivanka-trump-lost-earring-college-student-twitter-found

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I often try to encourage creative thinking and creative solutions for treasure hunting.

While enjoyable, the purpose of metal detecting is to find things  The goal for most people is not metal detecting.

There are some characteristics of metal detecting that make it addicting.  I believe the rhythmic repetitive action, active awareness, curiosity and element of mystery or surprise of every dug target all adds to the addictive nature.


Did you ever hear of the nine dots puzzle?   The puzzle involves nine dots arranged in the shape of a box.  You are supposed to connect the nine dots with the smallest number of lines.

Here is what the puzzle looks like before it is solved.

How many lines does it take to connect the dots?

Probably fewer than you might have thought at first.

Here is one solution.

That required four lines.  Did you think of that?

Most people do not come up with that solution.  Why?

They work inside the area defined by the dots.   That is not necessary.

To say it very uncreatively, they did not think outside the box.

There is actually a much more simple solution.  You can connect all of the dots with one line.  Who said the lines have to be straight? You can connect the dots with one curved line.

That is just one way of showing how people accept unnecessary limitations, and work inside the box.

One of the biggest obstacles to finding really creative solutions is being overly influenced by what everybody else is doing.

Minimize your starting assumptions.  For example, you might think you need a better metal detector. But is metal detecting the goal?  Finding items is the goal for most of you, not metal detecting.

Once you back up and define the problem better - finding stuff rather than metal detecting - you open up a lot of additional possibilities.

There are times when dredging might be a better approach.  And there are times when sifting might be a better approach.

I've used a Merkitch sifter on a beach and found it to be very effective.  In some situations sifting is more effective than metal detecting.

Pulling a sifter is a lot of work, and somehow not as addictive as metal detecting.  It is also not very good for the deep targets and can be impossible in wet packed sand.  You will find thin chains and non-metallic items that you could very easily miss with a detector.   Here is the fun part.  It can be done on beaches where detecting is not allowed

Is the goal to make a better mouse trap, or to get rid of mice?  How you define the problem has a lot to do with how creative you can be with solutions.

Again, is the goal to metal detect, or is the goal to find stuff?   Is the goal to scoop, or is the goal to recover targets?

Have you ever thought about training an otter or seal to dive and retrieve odd items, especially shiny things?  I have.

The Navy has trained porpoises to assist lost swimmers and locate submerged mines.

It is always easier to fall in line and do what other people are doing.  There is certainly a time for that, but making a creative break-through of your own can be a lot of fun and very profitable.

I enjoy thinking about other ways of doing things. You won't come up with a great idea everyday. Really creative solutions are rare treasures, but don't be afraid to consider wild ideas. Despite the rarity of great new ideas, there are always better ways to do things.  If you don't always follow the pack, you just might be the one to come up with the next great idea.


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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/30/12 Report - Pre Columbian Tumbaga, Benefit Cookout & Sandy Find

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

 

Tairona Tumbaga.  Photo Submitted by Aquanut John

Aquanut John sent in some exciting updates concerning the treasure hunter’s benefit cookout coming up this Saturday at the Pennwood Motor Lodge. If you haven’t heard about it, look at the poster in my 10/9/12 post for more information.

I know a lot of people will see this today because yesterday this blog had over 1000 hits.

I was going to continue with my reporting on Sandy and various recent finds, but I need to interject the exciting news about the cookout. It looks like the biggest event on the Treasure Coast this weekend and for quite some time. Wait til you see some of the exciting raffle and auction prizes. And all for a good cause!

Here is what John had to say.

The cookout may turn into a monster! The food will be a prize by itself, but we're going to have live entertainment with a well known singer/Steel drummer from the Bahamas and a disc jockey to give him a break. We'll also be supplying beer and soft drinks. Kellyco is donating 4 new metal detectors plus 250 backpacks with accessories and there are going to be one or two more from elsewhere. The White's people are sending something I haven't seen yet, but they're supposed to have a rep here. There are a few cobs from various ships, one 8 reale from Taffi Fisher valued at $800, ship artifacts, signed copies of new books such as "The Practical Book Of COBs" and many others, two Tairona Tumbaga pieces, two Chinese rice bowls from a shipwreck of the Tang Dynasty (circa 900A.D.) and a bunch of other stuff too. We're going to have some sort of a treasure hunt and experiment with the dowsing/ LRL stuff. Ray Walker of Kellyco is bring stuff down to test some of these guys out. It should be interesting. Of course the live and silent auctions along with the raffle and voluntary donations for the Benefit are the most important part of this whole event. I hope no one loses sight of the fact that we're doing this to help one of our own (Tom Gidus) overcome his bout with cancer.

 

Aquanut John sent the two photos showing Pre Columbian Tairon Tumbaga pieces. Tumbaga is a mixture of metals containing less than 40% gold content. Tairona is a region. Expect to see them at the cookout along with the raffle and auction prizes, and maybe take home some fantastic treasures.

You can’t see those at WalMart.

John also said my questions about the wreck beach closings in Indian River County were posted in some other forums but no one seemed to have the answer, except that one person said it was because of a ten foot drop off at Turtle Trail, which of course, does not account for why flat wreck beaches such as Ambersands and Treasure Shores were closed.

　

I heard from local detectorists that said last weekend was the most fun they had treasure hunting for quite some time. I heard of more cob finds and more silver US coin finds as well as some neat artifacts.

Like I said yesterday, very soon I’ll post a poll or two in this blog to try to get some good information about finds from Sandy, who by the way, is dumping snow on some areas up north.

I have a lot of great info that I’ll be posting soon. It is one of those times when I have a backlog. With all of the excitement over Sandy and now the cookout, I’ve been putting plenty of great information off for a few days. I will get around to all of it though.

　

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc 3:1

Talking about timing. Timing is so important in beach detecting. Things are found at one spot one day and gone the next. Or vice versa. Or one minute and gone the next.

Heavily Worn Cob Found Friday

That is something relatively unique about beach detecting. Things come and go so often and so fast that you have to be there at the right time.

I was at a hole digging all kinds of US coins including silver one day and two days later at the same spot the sand had filled and there wasn’t anything to be found. About a foot of new sand was there. I’ll post more about how that happens in the near future.

Here is a photo of a cob that was found Friday.  You can tell from the style of the cross alone that it was minted in Mexico.

From the edges that show the silver underneath the black patina, I would say it was washed around in the sand quite a bit just before I found it.  I would say therefore that it is not a cob that was just washed out of the bank.

I am not sure now if the assayer mark is an F or a P.  I haven't done any cleaning on it yet.



I'm sticking with a 2 rating on my Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions scale. 

That's all for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

7/22/11 Report - Silver, Gold, Patinas, Tumbaga & More

Intricate Silver Bracelet Found.

Yesterday morning I was working the front beach where some new material had washed up over the past couple of days. I found some old almost completely dissolved spikes, crunched up copper sheeting and stuff and this silver bracelet.

I haven't found any markings on it at all, but maybe I'll be able to see some markings if it is cleaned. I don't know if I want to do that.

Viewed with a high powered loop, the sand encrustation really sparkles. It is unusual. I've seen a lot of black encrusted silver, but this really different under the loop.

I like all kinds of patinas and crusts. Sometimes I hate to remove them - and don't.

A patina can tell you a lot. Different patinas come from different environments.

When an item is under the sand or in the ocean, what it is next too can determine how it corrodes or what happens to it.

Bill P. reminded me yesterday that even gold can take on some coloration if it lays next to or on a cannon or anchor or something like that.

I've told before how even gold items can corrode. It isn't really the gold, but the alloys in the gold that corrode. You will often see green around where a gold ring has been soldered for example.

Much of the gold found by the Spaniards in South America was mined with some copper content. Copper gives color to gold and if there is a good bit, can make the gold more rigid.

Tumbaga refers to a copper, gold, and silver alloy that was often used by the South American groups to make religious items.

You might want to read more about that here.

http://www.answers.com/topic/tumbaga-1



The Mel Fisher organization says that the Dare is now on the Lost Merchant site and are checking out some hits.


You can still register to bid in the current Sedwick Online auction by using the following link.

http://www.sedwickcoins.com/internetonlyauction1/catalog.htm

This is the final week of the auction.


It might be a good time to check your scoop. Take a good look at the front edge. Any bends can make digging much more difficult. If you can't hammer the edge back into shape, you might consider getting a new scoop. Check to see how much the damaged edge affects digging.

If you dig in loose sand, you probably won't damage your scoop, but if you are digging in packed shells, rocks, or hard clay or anything like that, a bent scoop will cause a lot of additional effort.


I added an additional web site to my Tide and Surf Projections section. It gives access to the live web cams for Florida, including quite a number on the Treasure Coast.



Treasure Coast Beach forecast and Conditions.

As Bret and Cindy mover further away from us, a new tropical wave has formed about 500 miles east of the Windward Islands. This wave has about a 20% chance of developing into a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

The wind is from the south again and the seas very calm. You can expect 1.5 foot seas for the next week or so with little exception. That, of course, means very little change in conditions.

Maybe that low pressure area will develop and send us some waves before long.


Happy hunting,
TreaureGuide@comcast.net

12/21 Report - Silver Tumbaga Bar & Coin Auction

7 Pound Silver Bar for Sale on Ebay.

The seller doesn't tell where the bar was obtained. It has some nice markings on it. Maybe you can identify the source from the markings.


I received a couple of emails yesterday that included a little information that I'll pass along.

First, Mark E. says that he was picking up flakes of iron in front of the McClarty Museum that the museum personnel thought might be from a cannon.

Second, Jim M. said that south of the Rio Mar beach access, down around the bend, there was some erosion.

Otherwise, Mike and Jim both suggested that the beaches there were pretty clean.

That is a place that really changed after the hurricanes of 2004 and the subsequent beach renourishment. Before that there were eroding banks at the back of the beach that produced US silver coins. That was quite a few years ago now.

And today Mike T. said the gorget-like object that I showed yesterday might be a backing plate from watch FOB. I thought at one time the smaller ones, that were simiar to the posted object, might be boot heal plates or gun butt plates, but I've decided against those ideas now for various reasons. For one thing, I think the distribution of holes would be different. And also the plate is too light weight to be effective on a boot heal.

I've been showing some items that I can't identify lately. There is often not much economic value to items like that, but they can be valuable in another way. If you can figure out what they are for sure, it gives you an idea of what went on at that location and that might give you some clue of other items you might find in the area.

The information-value of finds is often more than the economic value. That is often true of plain junk. That is one reason I don't like to use discrimination. Even junk can tell you something about the area and where you should be looking.

As I've said before, if light materials are accumulating in an area, that is probably not the best area for hunting heavier materials like gold. That is one example of how the type of junk you are finding might tell you if you should move to another area or not. But if you use too much discrimination, you won't get that information.

The Bowers and Marena rare coin auction will be held January 4,2011 at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. Near1y 1,700 lots of rare and desirable United State and Colonial-era coinage will be auctioned.

Here is the link for highlights of the auction and additional information.

http://www.coinnews.net/2010/12/20/malibu-collection-headlines-bowers-and-merenas-january-tampa-bay-rarities-sale/


Forecast and Conditions.

The seas are predicted to remain about the same until Friday when they will increase to about 5.5 feet. Again, that isn't that much and I wouldn't expect much change.

It sure has been cold this year.

The continual north winds that we have been having should help move some of that sand in the shallow water in front of the beach. Otherwise there isn't too much encouragement, especially with all the beach renourishment that is planned.

You really have to work for it these days.

After Christmas I'll probably do a series of posts on cobs.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net