1/16/15 Report - Royals: Why Were They Made. Gold Figurines Found. Fisher Boats Waiting For Improved Weather.

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

One of a Few Gold Figurines Found In Burial Mound.

See source link below.

Maybe you haven't found one but you know what it is.  I'm talking about Royals - the most exceptionally well made cobs.  They are near perfect in design and manufacture - round, complete detail, and well struck.

But really what are they?  Why were they made?  It seems no one can answer that question in great detail.

You will often read or hear it said that Royals were made as special presentation pieces for the king.  And that could be true, but it seems we don't know that for sure,   Daniel Frank Sedwick says they became known as Royals when one fellow who had one for sale said they were made for kings, not the public.  In other words the origin of the term could have been the result of sales hype (See source link below.).

Sedwick suggests that it is unlikely they were made for royalty because first, there were too many made, and second, and more convincing (too me), most of them never left the New World.  Still the name stuck, and as Sedwick admits, there could be some royal connection.

There are a variety of possibilities.  Perhaps they were made for high ranking or influential individuals.

Maybe they were proofs.

Maybe they were made as examples to instruct apprentices or demonstrate skill or mastery.

A great majority are holed and some have gilded surfaces.  Were they a type of jewelry?

Maybe there was some type of church connection, such as was the case with the "Heart" cobs.

When wealthy individuals were required to convert ingots to coins, did those wealthy individuals want something finer than the average cob for their commission/

One thing we know is that Royals are beautiful examples and still highly desired.  And there might be one out there waiting for you.

Here is the link to Daniel Frank Sedwick's more complete discussion of the subject of Royals.

http://www.sedwickcoins.com/articles/royals.pdf

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 Here is the link to the article about the gold figurines, including the one shown above.

http://en.tengrinews.kz/science/Ancient-golden-artefacts-found-in-Almaty-258428/


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The Fisher organization didn't get the weather they were expecting and the boats are in port watching for the weather to improve.

As soon as they get a chance, one salvage vessel will be working on the Margarita "Main Pile."  The Main Pile hasn't been thoroughly detected.

The Dare, on the other hand, will be checking a few large magnetometer hits.

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On the Treasure Coast we have only about a three foot surf.    The wind is from he North.  Tomorrow the surf will be a touch higher.

There is at least one Treasure Coast beach that has a lot of shells now.

I'm confident we'll get improved beach detecting conditions sometime before long.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/15/15 Report - Todays Beach Conditions. Getting To Know A New Detector. A Few Notes On Buying A Detector.

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

Two Treasure Coast Beach Views This Morning Near Low Tide.

 

 

As you can see from the top picture the North winds caused some fresh cutting.  Not much though.

 

I went out to test out a new detector.  It took me a little while to get the settings how I wanted them, but not too long.

 

I only spent a little over two hours with this detector, so am far from mastering it.  I was pleased with the performance even though I need to spend a lot more time and learn a lot more about it.

 

One thing that was difficult for me this morning was interpreting the signals.  With detectors that I have used a lot, I know what they are telling me.   Not nearly as much with this detector.  That will take a little time.

 

It is known as a "heavy" detector, and when you pick it up you can feel that it is indeed heavy, but it didn't swing heavy.  In actual use it didn't feel any heavier than what I have been using.

 

It always takes me a while to feel comfortable with a detector that I haven't used a lot.  Testing with test objects helps. 

 

I took coins and gold for test purposes.  The response to both seemed good.

 

There are a lot of good detectors to choose from.  I know there are people who will swear that one particular detector is the best.   I think there is always more than one good choice.

 

A lot of people want advice on what detector they should buy.  I can't answer that question.  I believe that the choice of detector is a highly personal one.   It depends upon so many factors.  It depends upon where you hunt and what you want to find.  Most people know that.  But it also depends upon how you hunt, your personality, and even your arsenal.  

 

By arsenal I mean what other detectors you have or use.  Different detectors will serve well for different hunts and even different stages of a hunt.  I've talked about all of that before.

 

I might start out detecting a site using one detector and then follow up with one or two other detectors.  

 

If you are just trying out detecting, I'd suggest that you select an inexpensive and easy to use detector.  Some inexpensive detectors perform very well for the price.  I've gone over that before using one particular example. 

 

If you stick with the hobby and decide you want to invest in a more expensive detector, the first detector will still be a nice backup, plus you'll probably find that it does certain things very well, and is worth keeping around.

 

For beginners I highly recommend visiting a shop where you can get a demonstration of any detector that you might consider.  Not only will that help you understand what to expect from that detector but it will also help shorten the learning curve.

 

Even if you are an advanced detectorist, it is still good to personally see a detector in operation before you lay down the money.  Take test targets with you.  I don't care how deep a detector will detect clad coins unless that is what I want to find.  Take small gold test targets or small cobs if that is what you want to find. 

 

You can read all the literature you can find and watch all the Youtube videos, but once you start actually using a new detector, it is likely that new questions will come up.  Of course, you can settle most of those by actual experimentation, but you want to learn all you can before you make your choice and commit to a particular detector.

 

That isn't what I started out to talk about today.  I'll get back to that some other day.

 

 

Copper and Encrusted Coin Found This Morning.



The first coin I found with the detector I was testing was a deep and heavily encrusted coin (See above.)  Just a penny though.  I think it was the most encrusted coin I ever found.  The crust was almost round and almost the size of a golf ball.   Most of it was removed before I could see any of the coin and before the photo was taken.

 

Another find from this morning was in a clump of rock. It seems to be a point, but not like a point from a blade.  It is triangular in shape.  You can see that in the second photo.

 

That was in a big clump about the size of two large fists.

We still have a North wind and will have the same tomorrow.  Too bad there isn't a bigger surf.

Beach detecting conditions will remain poor overall.

Happy hunting,
TreaureGuide@Comcast.net



1/14/14 Report - 2014 Gold Finds. 2015 Buckle Find. 18th Century U.S. Penny Sells For $2.35 Million. North Wind For Few Days.

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



Gold 2014 Finds By Michael E.
Photo by Michael E.

Michael E. sure made some nice finds in 2014.  Congratulations Michael!

I showed some of Michael's nice old coin finds not long ago.


Below is a 2015 find by Dan B., who is getting the year off to a nice start.

Buckle Find by Dan B.
Photo by Dan B.

Dan is in the process of cleaning this up and looking for any possible identifying marks.

If you can help him with an ID, let me know.

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After decreasing in price for about three years, it seems gold and silver prices are taking a break.  The last three or four days showed nice increases.

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1793 Penny Sold For $2.35 Million.

This 1793 penny sold for $2.35 million dollars at a Heritage auction in Florida on January 7.

                 

 What makes the one-cent piece so valuable is the endless chain design of linked rings symbolizing the unity of the original 13 colonies. The original 13-link chain was changed to 15 links before the penny was minted. A few months later, the chain was replaced with a wreath.

Below is the source link for the story and picture.

http://www.kovels.com/news-news-news/1793-penny-sells-for-2-35-million-at-florida-auction.html?utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=1793+Penny+Sells+for+%242.35+Million+at+Florida+Auction+&utm_campaign=Kovels+Komments%3a+Penny+Sells+for+Millions+at+Florida+Auction

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Looking out the window today, it looks like it might be a good beach day on the Treasure Coast, but don't get excited.  We do have a north wind now and will have one for a few days.  That part is good, however the surf isn't supposed to be more than about four feet. 

Seems like things just won't come together.   They will some day.  It could change quickly.

If you need something to get you motivated, take a look at the pictures above.

I'll be doing some testing on a new high-end detector in a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

1/13/15 Report - Treasure Coast Beach Conditions Remain Poor. Reale Values. Coat From Civil War Shipwreck Restored.

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

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning Near Low Tide.

The beaches that I saw this morning were poor.  Notice the sea weed in the above picture

Sand was washing up onto the beach too.  I put a dime in the wet sand.  Every wave that came over it moved it a foot or two towards the dry sand.  Good targets were not in the accreting wet sand areas that I checked this morning.

Lately the swimming beaches have been kept pretty clean.  You might have a better chance at a few coins by moving away from the main areas where the sun bathers accumulate.  That is where most is lost but it is also where most detectorists spend their time.

As I said yesterday, we do have some waves, but the wind direction has not been favorable.



Detectorist Using White's Detector This Mornring.

This chart can be found on the Mel Fisher web site by using the link below.

Notice that they have 2 and 4 reales valued higher than 8 reales for grades 1 - 4.   Grade 5 reales and fragments are valued the same for those three denominations.

Of course things like rarity can increase values.   And, as is stated, dated coins are more valued.

Here is the link.

http://www.melfisher.com/Library/COA_Appraisal.asp


A wool coat recovered from the wreck of the Monitor has been pretty much restored.

Here is that link.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-uss-monitor-20150111-story.html

They had no trouble finding spare buttons in the wreckage.  You might want to read about that.


On the Treasure Coast the surf is supposed to be around 3 - 5 feet today and will be decreasing a bit over the next few days.  Beach detecting conditions are poor.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

1/12/15 Report - Wire Wrapped Jewelry. Quartz Crystal Find. Difficulty Of Identifying Age.

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

Wire Wrapped Quartz Pendant Treasure Coast  Beach Find.

Dating found items can be very difficult at times.  On mistake I've made multiple times in the past is to conclude that something is new when it is actually old simply because it looks like something that I know is made today.  Many designs and techniques have been used for a very long time.

One very old technique for making jewelry is wire wrapping.  People do it today.  You might have seen wire wrapped sharks teeth used as pendants for example.  Many items are wrapped and used as various types of jewelry. 

Wikipedia says that wire wrapping is one of the oldest jewelry making techniques and dates back to thousands of years BC.  (See Wikipedia link below.)

Above is a wire wrapped pendant find.  This one is small.  Only about an inch long.

The piece of quartz is interesting to me.  It is not a very nice specimen.  I suspect that it might have been found by the person that made the pendant, rather than being a piece selected by a jeweler, but of course I don't know that. 

Better View of Quartz.

I've read that many people think there might have been a jeweler on the Nieves..  Jewelry in various states of construction, particularly silver, have been found, as have tools and jewelry making supplies, such as silver wire and thin rolled silver strips.

I have no idea how old this quartz pendant is.  It might be either new or old.  About the only thing I can tell with any degree of certainty is that it is old enough to have picked up a thick black patina.  So all that tells me is that it isn't a recent drop.

There was a time when I thought items from an old galleon would be the kind of thing shown in the movies or promotional pictures - expensive ornate silver and gold.  Of course that isn't always true.  A lot of items were for daily use and made for or by the lower classes and often crudely hand made.  I've also made the opposite mistake, thinking something too fine or well-crafted or in too good condition to be old.  It can go both ways. 

I long ago found an enameled ring that was so pretty and bright that I immediately thought it was new.  I didn't know at the time that enameling is a very old technique too.

It is easy to jump to quick conclusions and make mistakes.  Fortunately we learn more and more over time.  Unfortunately the learning often comes too slow.  Some old things can look new, and some new things can look old.   It can be very hard to tell.

As I often say, it is good to hang onto items until you learn more about them.

Here is the link about wire wrapping.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrapped_jewelry

While looking at this pendant, it might also be worth pointing out that quartz has long been thought to have special properties and provide some type of help or protection for the person who wears it.  Some still believe that.

Here is a quartz pendant and text seen on the following linked FSU web site.

Here is that link.

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/micro/gallery/archaeology/arch2.html

Deagan's book on Spanish Colonial artifacts also states that large numbers of talismans were shipped to the new world.

Here is a link to a gallery showing the opening of a 200 year-old time capsule.  You probably heard about this story on the TV news a few days ago.  The contents included both coins and documents.

http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/2015/01/07/bridge-to-the-past-massachusetts-opens?articleId=USKBN0KF11320150107


One person who went to the recent FUN convention in Orlando said the State Museum exhibit of shipwreck artifacts was less than spectacular.


On the Treasure Coast the surf is supposed to be something like 4 to 6 feet.  Unfortunately the wind is not from a favorable direction. 

Later the wind will be from the North, but then the surf won't be as high.  Things just aren't coming together well.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net.

1/11/15 Report - Mystery Pot For Age Determination. Variety Of Great Old Coin Finds. Diamond Ring Recovered From Inside Dog.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exlusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.




I got this message a couple of days ago from Jonah M.

Jonah said, I went out last night to a beach that I've found really good treasure on with no ties to our 1715 beaches. And this is what I found . We find a lot of China and all sorts of pottery on our wrecks but this piece looks older I could be wrong ,but after a light cleaning this is as good as I could get it. It's about 4 inches tall with no marks on the bottom.  Please feel free thoughts on age.






Let me know what you think about the age of the pot.

Context is often one of the better indicators of the age or source of an object.

Remember, when beach conditions aren't right for one type of material, it might be a good time for other types of material.  I've said that in the past, but not recently.







Michael E. has been putting in a lot of field work.  That is one of the biggest determinants of finds.  If you want to find a lot, you have to put in the time.

Michael said

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... still land hunting for me to begin the new year. Last 2 hunts have resulted in many items, and some nice coins. 1943 half dollar, 1891 v nickel, 1870 centimos, 1918 buffalo, all first for me, which most things still are. Still have a gift for you in my truck, hope to catch up one day. This is my gold from 2014, less 3 pieces found after this photo. I dedicated to swing hard, Long and often in 2014, really to see what could happen. My goal overal was 100 rings and 10k pennies. Only made 5.6k pennies but dug over 10k individual pieces of clad. With minimal time at local parks. Didn't think I would reach the ring goal, but amid a few other hunters at my usual beach on December 31, I recovered #100, 18k band...


Below are some of Michael's recent old coin finds.

Coins Found by Michael E.
Photos by Michael E.
 

Very nice.  Thanks for sharing guys!


Did you hear about the dog that swallowed an expensive diamond ring and wedding band?

Here is the link to a video on that.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/dog-with-expensive-taste-swallows-wedding-rings/381520963608/Comcast/StrangeVideos?cid=hero_sf_weird
 

Maybe you should run your detector over the animals you come across.


I got word of some reale finds from a couple of days ago. 


Looks like the Treasure Coast will get something like a three or four foot surf for a few days.   The wind won't be out of the North until Tuesday.

I'll put my beach detecting conditions rating back down to a 1.


That is all for today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

1/9/15 Report - Another Important Shipwreck Anniversary This Year. Great Treasure Coast Button Finds. Beach Conditions Failed To Improve Today

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

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning Around High Tide

Here is my main message or today.  Instead of continuing to improve over the night and into this morning, beach detecting conditions deteriorated.  This particular beach, which I showed yesterday too, shows a lot of deterioration.  The front beach is filling and the cuts aren't as high today.

I'll stick with my "2"  Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions rating for now but expect a decrease soon.  The waves were really pounding the front of the beach and washing sand and shells up.  You can see the sea weed and shells in the above picture. 

Yesterday I forgot to mention that there were a lot of little Portuguese Man-O-War on the beach.  They were small.

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I've mentioned the 300th Anniversary of the 1715 Fleet disaster this year.  There is another big shipwreck related anniversary this year.   Do you know what it is?   It also is an anniversary that begins with a 3 and ends with a 0.

2015 is the 30th Anniversary of the discovery of the Atocha mother lode.  Yep, it was found in 1985.

Speaking of the Mel Fisher organization, the Dare and Magruder will both be working on the site of the Margarita for a while this winter.  The site of the Margarita is more protected and in more shallow water than the Atocha.


According to the research of Eugene Lyons, there is still missing from the Santa Margarita 80,000 silver coins, 27 silver bars, 4 bronze guns and 22 copper ingots, totaling around $166 million in value.

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A very interesting old piece of pottery was found on a Treasure Coast beach last night.  I'll have more on that in the future.

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Button Finds and photos by William M.

And here are a couple very nice Seminole War era buttons found by William M., who was expecting an unexciting hunt in a backyard but found these great buttons.

That was his first time on the property and of course he is planning on going back

Nice Finds William!

Thanks for sharing.








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I have other finds of various types to show, but that will be all for today.



Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net