Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
 |
| Older Shallow Water Gold Find |
Here is a photo of a recent ring find. It is 10K, but what I want to show is the break and the condition of the find. It looks like it was lost a while before being recovered. You'll find a good number of broken rings, especially if you are finding items that have been lost for a while.
Many people think of modern jewelry finds as being recent drops, and many are, but not all of them. Some were lost years ago, or even decades ago. I'd rather find the ones that have been lost for a while.
You can do well looking for recent drops if you are in an area where there is a lot of activity, however, if you want to find the best concentrations of jewelry, you'll be looking for areas where jewelry has accumulated over a period of time - possibly decades.
Hunting items that have been lost a while is a bit different from hunting recent drops. Recent drops will generally be found pretty much where they were lost, but items that have been lost a while, will sink or be moved in various ways. The longer an item has been lost, the more forces will act on it and move it. Items in areas that are exposed to a lot of water energy will be sifted and tend to accumulate in catch areas where they will settle.
When you are finding older modern jewelry, like the one shown above, that means you are in an area where there could be an accumulation. If you actually find an area like that, there is a chance you will find a number of items in a very small area. It is not uncommon to find multiple similar items in an area of only a few square yards.
If you do find an older piece of gold like this, be sure to check the area very slowly and thoroughly. It will often be an area where there is a clay, rock or some kind of dense bottom. That is where things have accumulated over time. You were fortunate enough to be there when the sand cover was removed.
I especially look for those catch areas. Finding items one at a time is OK, but it is even better to find a concentration of older items.
I'm more interested in finding hot spots, rather than individual items, and don't mind missing an item or two as long as I don't miss the hot spots. Hot spots, by their nature, cover a little more area than an individual item. You can miss an individual item by a matter of inches easily enough, and you can't help but miss some items because there is simply too much beach and water to cover it all thoroughly. I easily accept the fact that I'll miss some things, but I would hate to miss a hot spot.
Learn to recognize the signs of hot spot. One of the first clues, is older items. When you find a modern items that looks like it has been lost for more than a year or a few years, make sure to check for other signs of a hot spot.
If you find a wheat penny, although that may not be exciting by itself, it can be the first indicator of a hot spot, especially if you are working an area that has been used a lot in the recent past and has been hunted a lot in the recent past. Look for indicators that the penny has just been uncovered rather than just dropped.
If it has just been uncovered rather than just dropped, there is a good chance there will be other older items that have been recently exposed.The main point is one that I've made before. Try to determine what your finds are telling you, and look for any other clues that might indicate what the sand in the area has been doing. As detectorists we don't have blowers, so we have to look for areas where Mother Nature is moving the sand for us.
Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Forecast and Conditions
Ernesto is coming on land down in the south of Mexico, there is nothing much left of Florence, but there is one disturbance in the Mid-Atlantic about half way between Africa and the Windward Islands that has a 70% chance of forming. It is the one that might affect us someday, but not for several days yet it at all. Keep track of that one.
The wind is from the south, and the seas are running one to two feet. That won't change much for the next few days. Only calm seas in the forecast for now.
Watch for bars moving towards land. Check the backside of sand bars in the water. By the backside, I mean the side the bar is moving from. If a sand bar is moving towards land, check the side away from land. If you are in an area where the bar has been used a lot by waders or swimmers, the backside will generally provide the most targets. Of course, check any nice dips holding rocks, but I don't think you'll find many of those in the shallow water at this time.
