8/3/15 Report - Layers of Sand Holding Coins. Classification Of Objects On A Beach. Hurricane Vulnerable Cities.

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

Beach Illustration.

The thing that I want to point out using this illustration is the layers shown both under the shallow water and under the berm crest.

You can sometimes clearly observe different layers of sand when you dig a target.   You'll see one color of sand over another.  Sometimes the different layers are the same color but one layer will be more course or fine than the other layer.

There are times when coins and things wash up with sand.  When that happens, the coins will be in that layer of sand.  That layer can then either get covered up by newer layers or eroded away.

Once you find a coin in a layer of sand there will probably be others in the same layer.  You can then  look for the layer containing the coins.  That layer might be covered by other layers or exposed by erosion.

So when you find a coin that has washed up, pay attention to the type of sand it was found in.

A lot of times I've dug coins that were right at the dividing point between two layers of sand.  I've found that a lot.

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How are birds and treasure coins alike?  They flock together.

You might remember me saying this before.  Birds of a feather flock together.  So do treasures.

When you find one of a particular kind, there is a good chance you'll find more around the same area.

That was demonstrated very well this year when the guys on the salvage boat Capitana found hundreds of musket balls.  They went many days without finding any, then all of a sudden found hundreds together.  It wasn't an accident.

The longer things have been in the ocean and the more they have been affected by moving water, the more they are classified or grouped together.  One of the most repeated myths of treasure hunting is that items are classified by weight.  As I've said before, a ton of Styrofoam will still float, and so will an ocean liner made out of steel.  It isn't weight so much as it is density, and also, by shape.  In my opinion both of those are big determinants of how items are classified by moving water.

Things that are recently dropped or are dropped on the high and dry beach won't be sorted.  It takes time and force.  So the longer things are exposed to more force the more classification you will see.

It is a lot easier to learn about classification where a lot of targets are lost.   Where there are few targets you won't see the patterns nearly as easily.  I was fortunate to be able to quickly learn about classification when I first started detecting in South Florida where you have a high population density of beach goers.

Objects don't have to be identical to be grouped or clustered together.  They just have to be similar - in density and size and shape.  The more similar they are the more they will tend to cluster.

People often don't take shape into account, but shape is important too.  I've talked before about how different shaped objects move differently.  I've even reported my own experiments.  Using a splash test, I predicted how different size and shaped sinkers moved different amounts when hit by splash of water.  Round objects moved more on a sand surface than flat coin-like objects of the same density and weight.  When objects are the same density and shape, larger and heavier objects were moved less.

There are also objects that trap air.  Those are mostly more recent objects such as watches, for example.  Watches move easily and tend to stay in higher and looser sand because the trapped air makes them act as if they are less dense.  The bands, if still present, also affects how watches move in the water.

Of course, sometimes items are found together because they were lost together, such as coin spills.  Take a look at items found together to see if you can get any idea about how long ago they were lost.  Corrosion or patinas will sometimes give you some idea.

If you find an item take a look at it to see if it provides any clues.  If it looks like it was lost a good time ago and has been subject to moving water, be sure to look for other similar items in the same area.  That is one of the main things you can do to hunt more effectively and efficiently.  Get as much information out of finds as you can.

When you see one Robin, there is a good chance that there will be a flock.

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If you find a medallion take a look at the edge of the medal.  Often you'll find helpful markings there.

Medallion Showing Marks On Edge.

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Here is a listing of the cities or towns that are most vulnerable to hurricanes.



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The Treausure Coast will have another week or so of one to two foot surf, so no big changes.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/2/15 Report - Treasure Map and Skeletal Hand Found In Box. An Old Pirate Cemetery. A Lot Of Discoveries Including Possible Reliquary At Jamestown.

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

Old Box Containing Hand, Coins, Photo and Map.
Source: http://fox13now.com/2015/04/29/man-discovers-coins-treasure-map-and-skeletal-hand-in-attic/

I just ran across this story.  A Florida man's sister found this old box containing what appears to be a human hand and some Maravedis and a map in an attic that was being cleaned out.

I don't know how all this proved out, but interesting story anyhow.

Here is the link.

http://fox13now.com/2015/04/29/man-discovers-coins-treasure-map-and-skeletal-hand-in-attic/

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Here is another interesting story.  I should have found these on Halloween.

Source: see link below.

Ile Sainte-Marie, an island off Madagascar's remote east coast has what the article describes as the world's  only pirate cemetery.

...In the 17th and 18th centuries up to 1,000 pirates reportedly called the rocky island home, including widely-feared brigands William Kidd and Thomas Tew. Thanks to its safe and secluded bays and location on the trade routes frequented by treasure-laden ships returning home from the East Indies, Sainte-Marie (known locally as Nosy Boraha or St. Mary's Island in English) afforded the perfect spot for shifty sailors looking for booty and a friendly place to live with like-minded looters...

Source: see link below.

Here is the link for the rest of the article and more photos.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kip-patrick/worlds-only-pirate-cemete_b_2754126.html

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...Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists may have been busy identifying the four founders of the Jamestown colony who were unearthed in gravesites under the church for the past 20 months, but that did not stop them from continuing to dig elsewhere....


Since then, the team has discovered the fort and more than a million artifacts in the ground...
In the last month, the cellar has produced several noteworthy artifacts, including gun parts and rare coins...

The coins are what is known as Irish pennies. The English minted them in 1601 and 1602 and tried to introduce them as currency in Ireland, however the Irish rejected the coins and they quickly fell into disuse...


Here is the link for the rest of that story.

http://wydaily.com/2015/07/31/local-news-jamestown-unearthed-archaeologists-find-gun-parts-rare-coins-in-cellar-pit/

Here is a paragraph from another article on the Jamestown project.

...One of the four was Capt. Gabriel Archer, a lawyer and scribe. What intrigues researchers is that his grave contained a small hexagonal box etched with an “M.” The salt-shaker-sized box holds seven fragments of bone and parts of a small lead vial that may have held holy water, blessed oil or the blood of a saint. The bone fragments, about the length of a toothpick, appear to be human, said Kari Bruwelheide, a forensic anthropologist at the Smithsonian...

http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/article/jamestown-excavation-unearths-four-bodies-and-a-possible-catholic-reliquary-5788277718122496

Reliquary?
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There you have three very interesting stories to check out.  I got a late start today and that will be about it for today.

I know that the local guys have been putting in some good work along the Treasure Coast and you'll have to keep watching for the latest and greatest news.  As you saw last week, you never know when something amazing will pop up.

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The tropical disturbance that was out there in the Atlantic has disappeared.  Expect something like a two foot surf on the Treasure Coast most of this week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/1/15 Report - Two Valuable Treasures. Which Is Most Valuable? Detectors In Various Price Ranges And What People Are Spending.

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

Two Pearls From Margarita
Found in 2007

Gold Cross Discovered On Cabin Wreck
Recovered in 2003

Which of these is the most valuable?  You might be surprised.

This Gold and Emerald Cross was found inside of an ornate gold box that was sealed shut due to its centuries under water. Along with this magnificent Cross was a five-foot long chain and two spectacular emerald rings. Discovered on the site known as the "cabin wreck" while exploring the 1715 Fleet, the Cross may well have been meant as a gift to Elizabeth Farnese, Duchess of Palma, from King Philip V of Spain. After his previous wife died in 1714, Philip began to woo Elizabeth. She eventually consented, but would not consummate the marriage until she received her weight in gold and jewels . Already behind schedule, the 1715 Fleet was forced to delay even further so that fine jewelry and other wedding gifts could be delivered to the ships headed back to Europe. Due to turbulent weather, unfortunately, the ships carrying many of the new Queen's jewels sunk well before they reached European soil.   Estimated Price: $100,000 - $125,000

Two Pearls  In June 2007, Blue Water Ventures in conjunction with Motivation, Inc. (the Fisher family's salvage operation) found a lead box within the Margarita's wreck site that contained thousands of pearls. Following the discovery, a gemologist from the GIA was enlisted to analyze and categorize the pearls so that their history and guidelines for future care could be established. Conclusions drawn from the numerous tests performed do confirm that the pearls are historically important, the nacre condition of these pearls is good given their age and the hundreds of years they spent on the ocean floor. It is believed that the lead box they laid in had in fact protected the pearls from significant damage and erosion. These two pearls in particular are the two largest pieces stemming from the 16,000 pearl discovery aboard the wreck of the Santa Margarita, the sister ship of the Atocha. Attributed to Indian pearl divers off the coast of the Isle of Cubagua near the Venezuelan coast, this particular area was specifically prized for its oysters and their pearls beginning in the sixteenth century. Each of the two pearls in this lot have been graded by the GIA as "AA," which means they have a very high luster, and at least 75% of their respective surfaces are free from defects. Considered to be part of the most unique collection in the world, these pearls hail from a rare species of oyster associated with the Nueva Esparta region where they originated. It is perhaps poignant to note that the word "margarita" in both Greek and Spanish translates as "pearl" in English. The Isle of Margarita which is situated close to Cubagua was given its name by Christopher Columbus to honor the Infanta Margarita of Austria, who was engaged to the heir to the Spanish throne.  Estimated Price: $300,000 - $400,000

To be approved to bid on these lots, please complete Guernsey's Bidder Agreement Form (http://guernseys.com/v2/images/Mel_Deo_Fisher/docs/Fisher_BidderAgreement_Form.pdf) and return it to Guernsey's by fax or email before 12 Noon (EDT) August 5.

The above pictures are from the online auction site.


To view the online auction here is the link. 

http://www.invaluable.com/catalog/searchLots.cfm?scp=c&catalogRef=LCOZ5LM9LU

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The most read post of July was the  7/27/15 Report - MILLION DOLLARS Of Treasure Recently Found On A Treasure Coast Shipwreck Site.  The Difference Between Compact And Mushy Sand.

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“If you want to build a boat, don’t drum up the men and give them orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” -Antoine de Saint Exupéry“

I just thought that was a great quote.  Antoine de Saint Exupery wrote The Little Prince. He was a French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator.  He was best remembered for his novella, The Little Prince.  He once wrecked and was stranded in the Sahara and last disappeared over the Mediterranean while on a reconnaissance flight in 1944.

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The most recent poll has concluded and the results are in. There were 111 people that responded - a good sample size.

Seven people, 6% of the respondents, paid $250 or less for their last detector purchase.  That could include detectors like the Garrett Ace 250 or Fisher F2.  Those are decent detectors.   

My last detector cost me closer to $2500, but the one before that was the Ace 250, which cost about 1/10 the one I purchased next.  While both are worth the money in my opinion, the Ace 250 is a good value and would be an excellent first detector, back-up, or special purpose machine.  I'm not doing an advertisement - just my personal observation.  

Some people might call these detectors toys, but they are adequate for beginners and me.  My Ace is a handy detector that I use for specific situations such as making a first pass over an old home site or scanning a junky high and dry beach.  

A note for beginners -  start with something basic and simple.   More expensive does not mean more simple. And more expensive does not always mean better.  Some advanced detectors will totally frustrate a beginner.

33 people, 29% of the respondents, paid between $250 and $750 for their most recent detector purchase.  That would include detectors such as the Garrett Ace 350, Fisher F4, Bounty Hunter Discovery at the lower end, and more advanced detectors like the Garrett AT Pro, Fisher F5 at the higher end.

As I've said before, I won't touch a Tesoro because they advertise a lifetime warranty but won't honor it.  

The largest number of respondents paid between $750 and $1500 for their most recent detector purchase.  That is not surprising to me since many of the Treasure Coast use a detector such as the very popular Excalibur which costs about $1500.  That is up some in recent years.

When you get into waterproof detectectors, the price goes up.  Also specialized hunting in difficult ground often calls for more expensive detectors.

This price range includes detectors such as the Fisher Gold Bug II, Garett GTI 2500, Fisher F75, Teknetics T2, and up right around $1500, the Minelab Excalibur.

Prices will vary depend upon where you buy and what options and accessories are included.

The Excalibur might fall in the $1500 to $3000 category, depending upon where you got it etc.   In retrospect, the one thing I would change about the poll is the $1500 cut-off point.  The Excalibur is so common on the Treasure Coast and comes in at about that price.  It could fall on either side of $1500.  

The Minelab E-Trac is close to that lower cut-off too.  

Other detectors in that range are detectors such as the Minelab SDC and CTX 3030 and  Garrett ATX,

Above $3000 you get into specialized detectors such as the GPX and GPZ gold detectors and a whole variety of detectors.

I know I didn't include all detectors, some of which are very good.  I notice that I didn't mention any Whites detector, for example.   There is nothing wrong with that brand or others that I might not have mentioned. 

  

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There is one tropical disturbance still out in the Atlantic.  It is closer to Africa than us though.  

On the Treasure Coast there is no change in beach detecting conditions.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/31/15 Report - Which Amazing Half Million Dollar Shipwreck Treasure Will You Soon Be Able To Buy? More On The Classification Process. Two Tropical Disturbances.

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

Gold Chalice Found On The Site of The Atocha

On August 5 Guernsey's will team with Invaluable (an online auction marketplace) to auction sunken treasure from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha that sank in 1622 after sailing into a violent hurricane. American treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered the sunken treasure. To mark the thirty-year anniversary of this astonishing discovery, Guernsey's will auction off items from Fisher's Collection. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Michael Abt, Jr. Have a Heart Foundation, which works to provide Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) to schools nationwide. 


This auction starts at 7:00 PM EST on the 5th, and will feature a selection of 126 incredible treasure lots. On July 20, 1985 Fisher’s perseverance paid off: over 40 tons of silver and gold were located at the site of the wreck off the Marquesas Keys. Including more than 100,000 Spanish silver coins known as "pieces of eight," gold coins, the finest Colombian emeralds, silver and gold artifacts, and over 1,000 silver bars.

Crest Found On Chalice

The gold chalice, estimated to bring around $500,00, is one of the lots in that auction.
Since its discovery, the chalice has undergone conservation efforts lead by marine archaeologists, who also removed a layer of white, calcareous concretion. The rim of this gold chalice is etched with scroll work, images of animals, and there is a crest in the center of the cup that remains in pristine condition. Although experts have not linked the crest to any of the ship's passengers, there is a helm above the engraving that could signify its owner as having been a Duke or a Baron. The gold shines radiantly with a deep hue and is of a high karat weight. A portion of a tax stamp is visible on the edge of the base, and another is present on the bottom of the cup. The base is threaded onto the bottom of the chalice and it turns as if it were made yesterday.

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With all of the treasure news breaking lately, including the million dollar Treasure Coast finds and that amazing 8-escudo Royal and the finds of the Capitana, I had this ready to post back some time ago with some other posts on beach dynamics and classification, but I put it if off because of all of that news.

The following chart provides a good illustration of what some call "classification."

You'll hear some of the same myths repeated by every book and half the articles on shallow water metal detecting.  It concerns how objects are supposedly classified or sifted and sorted.  I won't take the time to address those myths right now, but I think these illustrations will help you visualize how classification (the sifting and sorting of objects in a beach system) works.

Basically, with different amounts of force, different things get moved.  That is nothing new.  I've discussed that plenty.  And I've also discussed how different things will stay in motion longer than others.  Those objects will not drop out of transport as quickly as some other items.

To make this more relevant for us detectorists, imagine where coins or gold rings might fit in.  Coins and rings can be very different.  Coins come in different sizes and rings come in a variety of shapes.

Shape does make a difference, along with density.

Even different types of sand gains move at different times and in different ways.  That is what accounts for the different layers you will see on the beach.

With low flow speed, silt, sand, and maybe some gravel will be moved.  It will take a good bit to move a gold ring.  Gold rings will require more flow or force to move than gravel.

The illustration above shows a one-way flow.  On the beach, you often have a two way flow.  The waves wash up and then back, so you have to take that into account too.  When something washes up onto the beach, will it also wash back down?  That depends on a lot of factors.  In the case of a big fat class ring, it will often roll back down, if there was enough force to wash it up to begin with.

I just thought that would help you better visualize the classification process.

When the silt and sand gets moved from a specific area but not class rings, the class rings will settle lower.  If the flow reverses with a similar force, the class ring will then be buried again.

Once buried, the ring will stay buried until the sand on top of it is removed.  After the sand is removed from over it, the class ring can be moved too if there is then enough force.

Of course the sand and the ring can be moved at the same time, but one will likely be moved slower and less far and will be dropped off sooner as the force decreases.

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There are two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic right now.  Neither are expected to affect us much though.

Expect a one to two foot surf this weekend.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/30/15 Report - Amazing 1715 Fleet Artifact Found In 1994. July 2015 1715 Fleet Finds by Trez. Steamship George L. Olson.

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

Remains Of Steamship George L. Olson
Source: see scribol.com link.

The Steamship George L. Olson, launched in 1917, collided with another ship and was thrown off course and onto the rocks in 1944. Nobody was injured and the vessel later pulled into the harbour to salvage whatever possible. Some of the ship’s load – lumber – built the Baptist Church in Charleston. Though grounded in late 1944, the George L. Olson had a tendency to pop up over the decades. Storms moved sand off it and uncovered the ship in the ‘60s but once covered again, it was quickly forgotten. When it surfaced again in February 2008, though, it attracted quite a bit of attention.

http://scribol.com/anthropology-and-history/25-objects-devoured-by-sand

This Olson is a part of a list of 25 items devoured by sand.  There are other shipwrecks.  You might enjoy looking at it.

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Aritfact Picture From July 5 Treasure Coast Newspapers.

Yesterday I showed some recent finds made on the Treasure Coast.   On July 5 the Treasure Coast newspapers did an article on the 1715 Fleet and why the Treasure Coast is named the Treasure Coast.  In that article they showed pictures of a few finds, including the "vessel" shown above.

Above is the description the newspaper gave with the item.

 I think you can see it on display at the Mel Fisher Museum in Sebastian.

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You won't want to miss the treasure I'll post tomorrow.

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I've been doing this blog for about seven years now.  That is hard to believe.  When I started, there weren't many others.  Now there are tons of others.

I started with the intention of letting people know when beach conditions were good for finding old shipwreck coins on the Treasure Coast beaches.

I thought that would be helpful, because I used to live down in South Florida and when I got interested in the Treasure Coast shipwrecks, I had to drive up here and the first times I did that I had absolutely no luck.  I thought people would like to know when they had a decent chance of finding cobs and when the chances were poor.

I haven't been posting my conditions ratings very often lately because the conditions have not changed or months and it gets boring posting the same rating day after day after day.

When I started I didn't imagine that so many people would read the blog, but it became popular right away.  I was really surprised.  I had tried a blog on a completely different topic and never got more than a handful of readers, so the success of this blog, blew me away.

I've never done any promotion.  I have no facebook page, twitter, ads or anything to promote the blog.  It has all been done by the readers of this blog via word of mouth.  (Thanks to all of you.)

After a short while I began to post more than my conditions ratings.  And as you know, the blog contains a lot more than the condition ratings, which lately have faded into the background.

Briefly, my Treasure Coast Beach Metal Conditions Rating Scale, as some of you will know, is a five point scale, with 1 indicating poor detecting conditions for finding old shipwreck coins, and 5 indicating excellent conditions.

Just to make it clear, my rating is for beach detecting, not salvage efforts with blowers that produces the kind of thing I posted in my last post.

I haven't had a five rating that I can remember in the seven years, maybe I did have one or two, but a five rating would be something like what you get after a hurricane, which we haven't had for ten years now.

I used to often repeat that I started the five-point scale with a 1 instead of a 0 because there is always some chance, even if it is very small.

Well, Trez proved proved this month that there is always some chance.  His high level of skill and local knowledge increased the chances though.  That is always the case.

Before I get into that, let me thank Trez for correcting an error that I made in my last post,  He pointed out that Potosi did not mint gold coins during the period that would be included in the group of coins that were recently found and that I posted in a photo.  I did see some Lima mint marks.

Here is what Trez said to me in an email.

So far my count for the month 3-1 reales, 5 pieces of lead sheathing w burlap imprint, 1 pot shard w some glaze, 1 small porcelain frag. (my 1715 celebration hunt will cont until the end of the month.) Hope to see you out there sometime. I have always believed and still do, no storm is needed to find 1715 material. It takes 40 plus days of this weather and you will find it, if you are patient.

Again, there is always some chance no matter how poor conditions are.  The chances though, can be very slim.  If you don't have the knowledge, skill and, as Trez points out, patience, you'll be out there for days and scan miles and miles without success.

He has a couple more days of the month to add to his finds too.

I always say those who hunt the most find the most.  Even when pickings are slim, if you stick at it long enough, you'll find something, and you can't tell what it might be.

Trez knows a lot about how to improve his chances.  That is the definition of skill.

Even though old things can be found anytime, even when overall conditions are poor, if beach conditions were better, you would have a much better chance.  To find anything like that now, local knowledge helps a lot.  There are also some things that have been going on lately that open up unique opportunities.  Sometimes those special opportunities have nothing to do with the general beach conditions.

Congratulations Trez, great finds!  A tip of the hat to your skill and patience.

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Talking about the unexpected, my first escudo find was made in the eighties in Dade County.

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Tomorrow I'll talk about "classification" or the sifting and sorting of targets.

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One day remaining on the blog poll.  Your responses are appreciated.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast will be increasing by about a foot for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/28/2015 Report - New Photos Of The Amazing Royal Found By Schmitt Family On Treasure Coast Wreck Site. Also Other Coins And Bottom Where Found.

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

Royal Found By Schmitt Family On A Treasure Coast Wreck Site.

Yesterday I posted pictures of the million dollar treasure found by the Schmitt family on one of the Treasure Coast shipwreck sites. Those are pictures that appeared in the mainstream media.  Today I have some other pictures of the amazing Royal and other gold coins that you might not have seen elsewhere.

Here are some good close-ups of the Royal.

The Royal is really unbelievable. It shows an amazing strike and is in almost like new condition despite three hundred years on the bottom of the ocean.  Aside from a little surface silt, it just has a few scratches that I can see.

As you can tell, it is a 1715 OMJ, obviously from the Mexico mint and must have been shipped shortly after it was minted.

This Royal is very much like the 1715 Mexico 8 shown as a type 25 in the book Monedas Espanolas Desde Juana y Carlos A Isabel II 1504 A 1868.


It is often said that Royals were presentation pieces produced for the king.  I've seen that disputed by at least one very authoritative source.

Who cares who they were made for, they are beautiful coins in any case.

All of the news outlets have picked up the story and it is everywhere.

Below is another photo that you might not have seen in the media.  It shows the gold coins found by the Schmitt family, including other 8 escudos and various denominations.

The Royal is clearly the star of the bunch, but there are some other super nice gold cobs there.

Notice that there are some pillars and waves style escudos in that group.

A little of the dark clay or silt is adhering to some of them, but they are in great condition.

Notice the Pillar and Waves on many of those escudos.  Not all Mexico mint there.

Gold Coins Recently Found by the Schmitt Family On A Treasure Coast Shipwreck.

The above photos were sent to me by Captain Jonah Martinez.  Thanks much Jonah!  And congratulations to the Schmitt family.  Unbelievable!

Below is a clip from a video posted on the Orlando Sentinel web site (link below) showing the discovery of the Royal and other escudos.  The arrow points to the position of the Royal.

Clip from the video shown on numerous sites including the Orlandosentinel.com site linked below.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-florida-family-finds-rare-gold-coin-20150727-story.html

I added the arrow to point out the position of the Royal before it was uncovered.  You can see other gold coins laying around there.

It is in a dip between rocks.  Notice the big rock sticking up in the left corner of the video clip.  It is a lot larger than what you can see.

The Royal is in a small depression in what appears to be a clay or similar cohesive silt-like material.  It is standing on end.  Other escudos are laying flat around there.

That hole would have been well protected.  If the cobs were found where I think they were, they were a few hundred yards out from shore where the bottom would seldom be affected by rough water.  The assumption of a relatively undisturbed bottom is supported by the presence of clay-like material.  You might remember that I once showed how the sand changes as you go from the beach and out to deeper water.  That coin would have been safe from most currents, and that certainly looks to be the case.  Very little sign of wear or anything, other than the few scratches.   I would not be surprised if those coins were in virtually the same location since they were lost 300 years ago.

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I'll stop there today.  I was going to post some information relative to what many refer to the "classification" (sifting and sorting) of treasure by the waves and currents.  I'll get back to that some other day.

This would be a good time to mention an excellent web site on Pillar coinage.  In my opinion it is one o of the best, if not the absolute best.

Take a look.

http://www.columnarios.com/pillars/design.html

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We'll have a very smooth surf on the Treasure Coast tomorrow (Wed.).  Some day we'll get some rough surf again, but I don't see anything in the next week or so.

Thanks for your responses to the blog poll.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/27/15 Report - MILLION DOLLARS Of Treasure Recently Found On A Treasure Coast Shipwreck Site. The Difference Between Compact And Mushy Sand.

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

2015 Gold 1715 Fleet Discoveries
Photo source : FloridaToday.com link below

For a few weeks, the Schmitt family and 1715 Fleet — Queens Jewels LLC had a million-dollar secret on their hands. Last month, they recovered $1 million worth of sunken Spanish jewels off the Florida Coast.

“The treasure was actually found a month ago,” said Brent Brisben of 1715 Fleet — Queens Jewels LLC. Keeping the news under wraps was “particularly hard for the family that found it. They’ve been beside themselves.”

Recovered:

• 51 gold coins
• 40 feet of ornate gold chain
• A single coin called a Royal made for the king of Spain, Phillip V, a news release states. Only a few are known to exist, and the coin — nicknamed “Tricentennial Royal” — is dated 1715. Brisben said the extremely rare silver-dollar-sized coin is worth “probably around half a million dollars itself...

Here is the link for the rest of the story and a video.

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2015/07/27/family-finds-sunken-spanish-treasure/30744269/


Take a look at that Gold Royal in the middle of the photo.  You can also see part of the chain to the left.

Thanks to Jorge and Doug for sending me this link.

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People that are passionate about certain activities learn a lot about those activities.   They put knowledge together that draws from different fields of study and may even add new knowledge.

I've been talking a lot about how sand and other objects move on a beach and in the water. I feel like I've learned a lot in the last few years and have been drawing from a variety of scientific disciplines but also from people who are very passionate about different recreational activities.  Some of what I've learned lately, I've learned from surfers.  I've shown Scott Little's photography, for example. Obviously, surfers are interested in waves and may know more about waves in some ways than oceanographers.  Today I learned something from another recreational group -  those who do sand sculpture.

You've probably stepped onto a beach and you sank in up to your ankles.  Another time you might have stepped out on the same beach and it felt like pavement.

We talk all the time about mushy sand, which is a very poor sign for beach detectorists.  Mushy sand is often composed of larger grains,  Fine grain sand obviously settles more, but that is not all there is to it.

Here is what the sand sculpture web site says.

In a word the big secret is "friction". More specifically, the sum total of all friction between the grains acting on each other. This is why compaction is so important. When you compact sand you increase the friction between the grains.

Uncompacted sand has relatively large pore spaces between the grains but compacted sand shrinks these spaces increasing points of contact between the individual grains and thereby increasing the friction between them. The more friction there is, the more resistant the grains are to separation.

One other important dynamic is "cross-linking", a term from soils engineering. Forcing randomly shaped grains tightly together causes many of them to naturally cross-link. Cross-linking is a common technique in masonry work where vertical joints between bricks, stones and block joints are intentionally staggered thereby vastly increasing the strength of the structure.

Friction is also why certain sands are better than others. Finer sands will naturally have smaller pore spaces and angular grains are most likely to tightly interlock and cross-link. Rounded grains will always have larger pore spaces between grains no matter how well compacted, and a naturally smooth surface further reduces friction. Beyond being merely rounded as the individual grains become more spherically shaped the grains also become incapable of cross-linking. Try to imagine stacking a pile of bowling balls. The advantages of a sand that compacts well are easy to see and will always make for a more enjoyable day when sculpting. 

Here are three illustrations from the same source.

To compact sand before sculpting they build a formwork (box) and fill the box with six inches of wet sand, then compact the six inch layer with a construction compactor. Then they add an additional six inch layer of wet sand on top of the compacted layer and compact the new layer, repeating until they have enough to begin the sculpture.

Here is the source link.

http://www.sandscapes.com/how_to/images/particle4c.gif

If you generalize from the above, you'll understand some of the differences between mushy and compact beach sand.

There is more to it, I'm sure.  I didn't take into account exactly how the sand was deposited.  Often it will be in layers as wet sand is deposited when the tide is up.

When you have compacted sand, it will take more to get it into suspension and moving.

I pay attention to the feel of the sand beneath my feet when detecting.  If I am walking along and feel the sand under my feet become compact, I would be sure to check that area for any good targets.

There is a lot more that I didn't get into, but that is as far as I want to take this today.  I got a late start.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast will be very smooth the next couple of days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net