6/9/19 Report - Distribution of Treasure Not Random. Sports Jewelry. WW II Bills. Removing Tape.

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

LeVeon Bell's Bling.

Source: See YouTube link below.

Two women (described as LeVeon's girlfriends) reportedly stole $520,000 of jewelry from LeVeon Bell in Hollywood Florida very recently.

Here is the link for more of that story.

https://sports.yahoo.com/cops-women-vanished-leveon-bells-jewelry-worth-500k-222453862--nfl.html

And here is a video of some of LeVeon Bell's jewelry in case you see it on the beach someday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE_8yD31AL8

You might wonder why I bring this up.  Well, it is actually part of something I was planning on talking about anyhow - the distribution of different kinds of finds.

If you want to find treasure from the 1715 Fleet, you have a very good chance of finding it on the Treasure Coast.  That is where most of it is.

If you want to find jewelry like that shown above, you have a much better chance of finding it down south.  The rich and famous generally gather in South Florida instead of Fort Pierce.

I found a variety of sports jewelry in South Florida, including championship rings and other things.  I know of only one championship ring found on the Treasure Coast - a Yankees World Series ring found on Jensen Beach.  I know there is more, but not nearly as much as in South Florida.

There are reasons for where things are found, and you can improve your success if you know something about and follow the flow of goods.

It is not an accident that you can find Spanish treasure on the Treasure Coast.  It has to do with the currents and trade routes.

And it is not an accident you will find a lot of gold and diamonds in the Miami area.  They have a big airport and sea port and people, many wealthy, have gathered there from around the world for a long time.

If you simply go out to the nearest beach to where you live or where you vacation and find whatever happens to be there, you might not think about how things got there.  If you just hunt where you are and find whatever happens to be there, you aren't hunting strategically.  That is OK, but if you want to improve your success with a specific type of find, you might want to know more about where things will most likely be.

If you think about things and decide what you want to find first, then you can study and make a plan and do the things you need to do to find what you most want to find.

Your finds can tell you a lot.  Very often they tell you something about where they have been.  If you study your finds and get an idea of how they have been moved, you can take advantage of that knowledge.

Yesterday I showed where  a couple things came from.  That was a very very small sample, but illustrates something I will be talking about more in the future.

Take the Pace University class ring, for example.  It seems that it came from New York and then ended up in Dade County Florida.  That is not unusual.  You'll find a lot of things from the northeast in Florida.  On the other hand, you will find relatively little from California in Florida.  I don't think I ever found a class ring from USC or UCLA.

People more often come from the northeast to visit Florida than from California, and that shows in my finds.  It has to do with travel patterns, very much like the Spanish gold on the Treasure Coast had to do with trade routes.

You will find things in Miami from around the world.  You will find rings and gold from China and India in Miami - and New York, as well because those are international centers.

I didn't want to get into that topic too much today.  That is just a little sample.  I'll be talking more about that in the future.

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DJ sent me a database of pocket watch serial numbers, and I found the information on the ILLINOIS watch that I showed yesterday.  The production year was 1888.

If you have a pocket watch to research, here is the link.   The site gives a lot of details on each watch.

https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/guide/company/illinois/serial-number-lookup

Here is the information I found.

Grade: I.W.C.

Manufacturer:	Illinois
Manufacturer Location:	Springfield, Illinois
Movement Serial Number:	812669
Grade:	I.W.C.
Model:	2
Estimated Production Year:	1888
Run Quantity:	14,000
Total Production:	72,400
Size:	18s
Jewels:	7j
Movement Configuration:	Hunting
Movement Finish:	Gilt
Movement Setting:	Lever
Plate:	Full Plate
Barrel:	Going
Train:	Coarse
Railroad Grade:	No
Quality Rating:
Dial Feet Locations:	16.5, 36.5, 53.0
Case Screw Locations:	23.5, 51.5

Thanks DJ.

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It was recently the 75th Anniversary of D-Day.  Here is another old item I once found in an old book.

\

1944 Military Issued Ten Francs.

The Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories issued French Franc banknotes in 8 different denominations, including this 10 French Francs banknote (Allied Military Currency 1944). They are part of the WW2 Allied Military Currency (1944) series. The Allied Military Government for Occupied Territories started issuing these 10 French Franc banknotes in 1944. They were withdrawn from circulation in 1945.

The French note of dix francs features the French tricolor flag. On the banknote a caption reads ‘Émis en France’. The banknote was issued during the Allied liberation of France in WWII.

I think that is from Wikipedia.

This bill or note has some tape on it.  I've seen various methods for removing tape.  You can use an clothes iron on its lowest setting, or a hair dryer to warm the tape, which can then be pealed off.  I've haven't tried that yet, but from the videos, it seems to work.

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/8/19 Report - Old and Valuable Items Found in Buildings and Books. Handy Google Maps Features for Treasure Hunters.

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

Plumber Finding Gold Bar

Source: See TheRichest.com link below.

Here is an article on fifteen shocking finds made during home renovations.  Gold, cash, and even human skeletons are included.

https://www.therichest.com/shocking/15-shocking-discoveries-found-when-renovating-old-homes/

I've made some finds in old buildings, and found a lot of interesting things in old books.  I used to buy old books for a dollar at thrift stores and flea markets.  There was a time when almost any old book could be sold for a profit.  Now it is much more difficult to find a book that is worth much money.

Here is a business card for a New York jewelry company that I found in an old book.

Old Business Card Found in Old Book.

I looked up the address on google maps, and here it is.

If I correctly interpret the address on the back of the card as 210 W. 33rd St.  (below), that is not far from the diamond district.

Back of Same Business Card.

While looking at that map, I also noticed Pace University not far from there, and remembered the Pace University class ring I found in the water off the Marco Polo hotel in North Miami many years ago.  I'm surprised that one it stuck in my mind.

X Marks The Spot of the Pace University Ring Find in North Miami on Google Maps.

I enjoy looking up the location where old finds came from.  For example, one 1800s bottle I found in the Fort Pierce area had a New York address embossed on it that I was able to locate on Google Maps.

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Somebody alerted me to this new Google Maps feature that you might find useful, especially with hurricane season underway.  I lost the email and who it was, but thanks to whoever it was.

Google has launched a new feature called ‘SOS alerts’ which will be available in Search and Maps. With SOS alerts, Google aims to help people by providing real-time and updated information on areas hit with crisis or disasters. In addition to providing information, Google will also notify users if they are close to the affected area to alert them of the situation. This feature is available for both Android and iOS users.

On Google Search, the SOS Alert feature works with the relevant keywords typed like the location’s name or the incident. The results will be a collated set of information which includes top stories, maps, emergency phone numbers, websites, and translations of useful phrases. All the important information on the affected area will be displayed on top. As aforementioned, users in the nearby affected areas will also get notifications as alerts to read the updated information. Google will also allow users who are not in the affected areas to help by including donation opportunities in the SOS Alert.
Here is the link.

https://www.bgr.in/news/googles-sos-alert-feature-shows-relevant-information-of-disasters-on-search-maps/

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If you hide something in a book, it is better than hiding it in a safe.  Few people actually read books anymore, and most burglars are not interested in books.  Seems to me that so much of the current culture is bibliophobic.  

I much rather pick up an old book than an electronic device.

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Another week of one-foot surf expected.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/7/19 Report - Metal Detecting Watches.

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

Small Group of Watch Finds.

I've found a lot of watches in my day - probably in the hundreds.  I had a funeral this week and worked on some other details related to that and didn't get to do any metal detecting.  I didn't feel like doing a post this morning either.

Sometimes for a diversion I just pull out some old finds and see what I can find.  I don't remember many of them.  This group of watches was in a bag. Knowing a little more than I did when I originally found them and having better tools and equipment now, I occasionally find something pretty good in with my old junk finds.

I never understood why so many people lost watches on the beach and in the water.  You can find a good number of dive watches, which makes more sense to me.  I've sold a good number of dive watches and knives.  I've found a good number of dive weights too, and should sell some of them.

Among the more common beach watch finds are the ladies Gucci watches with the thin rigid band and the replaceable plastic things of different colors that surround the face of the watch (See example below.).  I just grabbed the first image I could find.

Ladies Gucci Watch.
From Pinterest.

I guess they come off easy.  Most of those that I've found were missing the colored plastic thing.

Today I came across what appears to be an old pocket watch that I haven't researched yet.  I don't know much about it other than it is heavy (nearly six ounces) and is labeled ILLINOIS.

Pocket Watch Find.

I don't really recall where or when I found that one, but I do need to research it

If you never find watches, it might be because of discrimination.  And an ID meter won't correctly identify them.

Some of my most valuable finds have been watches.  When I wear a watch, which is seldom, it is usually one that I found.  I wore a German made watch for a long time when I was consulting.

You might also find it surprising how often they come out of the water still ticking and with the correct time.

I did a couple videos to show how metal detectors respond to watches.  It also depends upon how the watch is positioned.

Here are the links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYGswg64oWE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqZ9XJiKy7o

I found a good number of watches in dips near the water line with shells.

That's all for now.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/6/19 Report - Salvage In Process. Scoop Assist Handles. Odd Find. Million Dollar Chess Piece.

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

Here are two salvage vessels DJ photographed working off Turtle Trail.  Thanks Dale.

Thanks DJ.

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E. From Weathervane.
Find and photo by John E.

John E. said, Never ceases to amaze me what you can find on a beach...... about 10 inches down, aluminum .

That is for sure. There are a lot of surprises out there.

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Scoop Assist Handles
Submitted by Warren d.

Warren D. said, This type of handle gives you easier control of a full scoop of sand to tilt, sift, lift the sand and move the target back into the bucket.

Thanks Warren.

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$1.3 million Chess Piece
Source: See CNN link below.

When an antiques dealer in Scotland bought an ivory chessman for £5 ($6) in 1964, he probably had no inkling that he had taken possession of one of the most famous chess pieces in the world.

Stored in a drawer for 55 years, the Lewis Warder, as the piece is known, could now fetch up to £1 million ($1.3 million) at auction after the late owner's family took it to Sotheby's auction house in London for assessment...

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/lost-lewis-chessman-scli-intl/index.html

Thanks to DJ again.

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You can see the calm seas in the photo at the top of the post.

75th Anniversary of D-Day.

Happy hunting
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/5/19 Report - North Carolina Pirates Copyrighted Images of Black Beard's Ship. Scientific Dating. Sun-Purpled Bottles.

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

Source: See MSN link below.

Interesting case coming up in the Supreme Court.

The case, to be heard in the court's next term beginning in October, pits North Carolina against a video production company documenting the salvaging of the shipwreck Queen Anne's Revenge, which ran aground in 1718 and was discovered in 1996.


The state, which owns the pirate ship and its artifacts, has posted video and photos shot by Nautilus Productions as part of its tourism efforts. It enacted a statute, known as "Blackbeard's Law," to convert the salvage effort into public record...

"After Nautilus spent nearly two decades creating works by photographing and filming (at considerable risk) underwater excavation of Blackbeard’s famed Queen Anne’s Revenge, the state brazenly pirated them," the company protested.

Here is the link.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/blackbeards-famed-pirate-ship-grounded-three-centuries-ago-sails-toward-supreme-court/ar-AACkqrG?ocid=spartandhp


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New tests were conducted to date the "Kula Footprints," once thought to be 250,000 year-old Neanderthal footprints.

The results showed that the footprints were made 4,700 years ago, meaning it couldn't have been Neanderthals (who went extinct about 40,000 years ago), but rather modern humans, who left them.

"The two independent dating approaches showed internally consistent results and collectively suggest that the volcanic eruption was witnessed by Homo sapiens during the prehistoric Bronze Age, 4,700 years ago and 245,000 years later than originally reported," study co-researcher Martin Danišík, a research fellow in Earth and planetary sciences at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, said in a statement.

https://www.livescience.com/65609-ancient-volcano-rock-art.html

I tend to be skeptical of such dating techniques.

That is a huge difference -  250,000 years compared to 4,700 years.

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Three Sun-Purpled Found Glass Bottles

Here are three sun-purpled glass bottles.  Some clear glass bottles will turn purple with exposure to the sun.   Not too many of mine have turned.

The two in the back are more purple than is apparent from the photos, but the front one is definitely the most purple.

Purpled bottles can be more desirable, and artificial treatment is sometimes used to make them turn.

The Corning Glass Museum web site provides the following information.

Many glassmakers through the centuries have attempted to produce clear, colorless glass. Impurities, especially iron oxide, in the batch ingredients that were melted to make the glass often resulted in glass that was greenish instead of the desired "water clear."

An interesting characteristic of colorless glasses which contain manganese dioxide as a decolorizer is their tendency to turn different shades of purple when exposed to the rays of the sun or to other ultra-violet sources. It is a photochemical phenomenon that is not yet perfectly understood. It is generally accepted that the ultra-violet light initiates an electron exchange between the manganese and iron ions. This changes the manganese compound into a form that causes the glass to turn purple.


Here is that link.

https://www.cmog.org/article/solarized-glass

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Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/3/19 Report - Tips For Scooping in Shallow Water. Jars Give Good Dates. A Storage Solution.

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

Scooping Tips.

If you work in shallow water, there will probably be times when you have trouble getting an item scooped up.  There can be various reasons for that.  One is strong currents.

When you lift a scoop, that will create currents that will cause sand and objects that are not firmly in the scoop to fall out, with or without strong cross currents.

Lifting your scoop more slowly can help.

Gold chains can be very difficult to get in your scoop.  Even when you get some of a chain in the scoop, there can be enough hanging out, to pull the entire chain out as you lift the scoop.

Of course light objects can also get swept away as you lift your scoop.

Too much sand in the scoop will cause more sand and other objects to fall out as you lift. Be careful to not over-fill your scoop.

Here is something I have found helpful.  When you stick your scoop in the sand, tilt the handle farther back so the front of the scoop is angled up more, but don't lift yet.  Before lifting, vibrate your scoop.  Shake it in very short quick strokes.   That will allow some of the sand to sift through and the object will fall deeper into the scoop before you lift.

In three words, it is tilt - sift - lift.

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Among the more common bottles you will find are Bromo Seltzer and Vaseline.  I've found a lot of embossed Vaseline bottles.  I usually don't keep bottles with screw tops, but the Vaseline bottles are so heavily embossed that I did keep some of them.

Embossed Vaseline Bottle.

This bottle is not one of the older Vaseline bottles that I've found.

The first known reference to the name Vaseline was by Robert Chesebrough in 1872 (U.S. patent 127,568).

As you would suspect, the first containers for Vaseline were not screw top bottles.

As always, doing your research can make your finds more meaningful.  I found out, for example, that the bottles for Vaseline were made in a factory where my father worked in his early teen years.  It is possible that he actually packed the bottle above.  I'll have to do some additional research.

Like anything that has success, there are copies.  Moroline was a competitor to Vaseline.

Embossed Moroline Bottle.

Surprisingly, Vaseline bottles have been thoroughly studied and inspection of the bottle can provide a very good estimate of the age of a site.

A Tour Through Time in Vaseline Bottles is a 30 page document with references written by John Lockhart and presented on the Society for Historical Archaeology web site.

Here is the link.

https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/Vaseline2015.pdf

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I've been trying to store my bottles more compactly and safely.  Here is something I'm trying, and it seems like it should work.

Large Plastic Container That Once Held Animal Crackers.

I looks like I'll be able to store three layers of ink or other siunukarkt small bottles in this plastic container.

Cardboard strips separate the layers.

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It looks like we'll have at least another week of one foot surf on the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/2/19 Report - Castle Remains Found Under Water. Aquasound Metal Detectors. Artifacts and Life.

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

Castle Remains Found Underwater

Source: See DailySabah link below.

Archaeologists in Turkey's eastern Van province discovered the ruins of a 3,000-year-old Urartu castle during underwater excavations in lake Van...

"There was a rumor that there might be something under the water but most archaeologists and museum officials told us that we won't find anything," the head of the diving team Tahsin Ceylan said, adding that they proceeded with the research and discovered the ancient castle...

Here is the link.

https://www.dailysabah.com/history/2017/11/12/underwater-ruins-of-3000-year-old-castle-discovered-in-turkey

A lot of times before a nice discovery you'll be told there is nothing there.

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Yesterday I showed a photo of one Aquasound metal detector and said I have two more Aquasound metal detectors that were a little different.  I used them a lot, and they were good.

Two Different Aquasound Metal Detectors.

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As I mentioned the other day, we recently lost a member of the family, and I've we've been attending to things that need to be done.  For me, among other things, that includes preparing a eulogy.  How do you sum up a person's life?

Going through a person's belongings can tell you a lot about that person.  The person I'm talking about liked clocks, weather and music.  He left behind a bunch of clocks.  I noticed one advertising clock on the wall that read something like Frehler's - Fresh Coffee Brewed Daily.  I don't remember the name of the establishment for sure, but it was something like Frehler's even if it might not be exact.

He also had thermometers, barometers and other meteorological equipment everywhere I looked, and also his musical instruments and electronics.  As they say, you can't take it with you.

The clock on the wall is still ticking, and the anemometer in the yard is still spinning, but somehow they seemed to have lost their life.  They are hollow remnants of a life that left them behind.

So what does that have to do with metal detecting?  If you have found things that you like, you might have kept them.  They help you remember events and maybe they tell a story.  The value of the finds you keep might be worth more to you than dollars and cents.  You give them life by learning about them.  They might represent a time in history.  Someone else once used them, and maybe cherished them too.

By studying finds, you can add value to them - both economically and otherwise.  They become more meaningful as they are studied.

You will probably not own your finds forever.  Someone else once owned them, and someone else might own them in the future.

When I sell a find I hope that by doing so I am finding them a good new home.  I hope they are bought by someone who will appreciate them and perhaps also pass them on again someday.

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It looks like the Treasure Coast will have several days of one-foot or less surf.

Thanks much for the sympathies and condolences.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net