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