Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| One Picture of An Old Key Found on the Internet. I lost the link to this particular one. |
Here is one nice web site that I found where you can see a variety of nice old keys from previous centuries (16th - 19th century, English).
http://www.aschkenes.com/16th-19th%20Century%20%20English%20Keys%201.htm
So far I haven't found anything that would help determine the age of the key that I posted yesterday. It looks fairly typical of keys that you might find from previous centuries, including the 18th century.
Nor have I found anything that would help distinguish keys from different countries.
I have not yet seen a key with a similar odd-shaped tooth, although I've looked through quite a variety. Notice the more typical tooth on the key shown in the picture above.
Here is the other side of Fred's key that I posted yesterday.
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| Additional View of Fred's Key. Photo by Fred B. |
Keys are certainly nice collectibles.
You might find this history of locks interesting. It has some interesting facts and pictures.
http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.locks.ru/germ/informat/schlagehistory.htm
And here is one paragraph from that web site that I thought was particularly interesting.
As a child, Charles Courtney was intrigued with everything mechanical that he could fix or take apart. He was especially fascinated with locks, and so began his lifelong career as a lock expert. However, he had resolved to become a diver and do all the things his great, great uncle, Jules Verne, a novelist, had described in his famous book,Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea. Years later, Charles Courtney realized his dream. Because of his talent for picking locks, he was hired as a diver to open safes on sunken ships. He was the first to do a locksmithing job 400 feet under water, and he recovered many millions of dollars for the salvage companies. Charles Courtney achieved international fame as a Master Locksmith, also known as a collector of antique locks, many of them now a part of the Schlage collection.
In 2013 Blue Water Ventures became a publicly traded company (stock symbol BWVI). It seems the last trade showed that it was trading for $.85 per share.
The next time you are in the keys, you might want to stop at 82990 Overseas Highway in Tavernier FL to see The History of Diving Museum.
The Sons of the American Revolution, between about 11:30 and noon on Memorial Day, at the Port St. Lucie Veterans Memorial Park, will dedicate a monument to those who fought during the American War for Independence.
Stop by and see the dedication and take a look at the monument.
One thing that might improve your success is an understanding of human nature. You don't have to be a psychologist. Just observe.
As I mentioned yesterday, I was recently talking to some elderly folk from up north. I mentioned a specific bridge where us kids always took at least a brief pause on their walk to and from school to look down from the bridge, and the boys always threw a few stones. The person I was talking to from an earlier generation mentioned that they did the same.
Of course they did. What kid wouldn't stop to look down from a bridge whenever they had the opportunity, and what boy wouldn't throw a stone or two? The same thing would have occurred as long as the bridge was there.
There isn't any particular value in knowing that kids stop at bridges and throw stones, but there is more to it than that. People today are often drawn to the same spots as the Native Americans and others of previous centuries. People seek out and like the same things - generation after generation.
A tall hill that provides a unique view is always nice. A cool fresh water spring is always refreshing. That is the same today as it was centuries ago.
If you have just a little understanding of human nature, you can often tell where people collected and participated in different activities simply by looking at the landscape.
Of course the landscape can change over time either as the result of nature or human activity.
Winding creeks in flat valleys tend to become more winding, eventually producing ox bows, for example.
Small static ponds often become filled by weeds over time, and can eventually disappear.
Add that type of knowledge to your knowledge of human nature and you will be more successful in finding old places to detect.
On the Treasure Coast we still have something close to a 2 - 3 foot surf, decreasing just a little by Friday. The good thing is that the low tides are going down a little more now.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
