4/30/15 Report - Gold Coin Find - Fake or Real? Suggestions and Reminders On Detecting Etiquette.

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

Coin Found and Photographed by Robert H.

 Robert H. found this coin on 4/28.

 Here is what he said.  Not sure if it's real or fake. It's so very underweight and seeing your posts about items being in the ocean like reales being very under weight because of the washing machine type conditions. Closet comparison I was able to find was the 1853 $1 gold coin. Could a item that consist of 90 percent gold and 10 percent copper really be worn down a gram after being in the ocean many years?

While I'm not going to offer an opinion based upon just the photos and an email, I'd say that it is unlikely that a gold coin would lose that much weight without it being very observable.


A one dollar gold coin of that era should weigh in  just over 1.67 grams.  A loss of one gram would be over half of the coin's weight, but the photos do not show that kind of loss.

I can't really make out the third digit in the date.

I commented upon a few other things that I noticed about the coin via email.

If you' like to see the data on a similar gold coin, you can use this link to the NGC coin site.

http://www.ngccoin.com/coin-explorer/gold-dollars-pscid-54/1853-g1-ms-coinid-17521


If you have any observations or comments on this find, please send me an email.   Thanks.

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As I write the Sedwick Coins auction is going on.  The bidding is good.  I noticed that the two stamped "oro corriente" pieces sold way above estimates.

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I was hoping to come up with some guidelines for beach detecting etiquette. I didn't get exactly what I was looking for but got something even better.

One thing I was reminded of by those who responded is that detecting courtesy isn't just between detectorists.  There will be other people on the beach, and it is just as important to be courteous to them.  The reputation of the hobby is at stake.

Ron J.said,  Beach detecting courtesy should be no different than than at other places...


That is what it comes down to.  Courtesy is courtesy.  Some people don't show it on the road or check-out counter and some people don't show it on the beach. It is about being aware of the other person, and their situation and treating them as you would like to be treated.  Detecting on the beach does present some unique situations though.
I didn't think of trash when I first posed the question, but it does affect other detectorists as well as other people on the beach.  Picking up trash is one more way to extend courtesy to others, even those that aren't around at the time.  Trash will remain on the beach forever if we don't pick it up.  I know of a few places that run a machine on the beach to pick up the trash, but that is a rarity.  It is up to us, and we should get credit for doing it. 

It was Champ F that said you should act like you are on video and the video will be on the evening news.  Good idea!

Concerning trash, Champ said, You dig it and its yours. Period. Land or sea. Only exception is too big to carry to the trash can... and no leaving the crushed can in the bottom of the hole just because you didn't pull it out, and before anyone whines that their bag is too small for all that trash, you should have brought a larger trash bag or just stop being so lazy and walk the 50 yards to the garbage can.

I mentioned just the other day that some of our beaches are now very clean - cleaner than they have een in decades.  That is a good thing anyway you look at it.  On the other hand, there are some beaches that are getting tons of trash dumped on them along with renourishment sand.
Here is a topic I didn't think of at first, but it is a good topic.  If you detect on crowded beaches you will come into contact with other people.  Although I used to hunt busy beaches, I now seldom visit a busy beach.  I normally go early, late, when its rainy, or to a more quiet beach.   It is an important topic though.

Champ also said, If the cut is a long one, I'd tend to go far ahead and work from the opposite end towards the middle.  By long, I'm thinking one that would take a single detectorist an hour+ to work. 
 

He said if you've established rapport with another detectorist before hitting the beach, you mutually decide who gets which end to start on. If you cant decide, flip a coin...  I personally wouldn't intrude on someone's found hole, but i would use the knowledge to search for a nearby similar spot.

Champ said, Dumping kids that crowd you so bad you can't swing and mob the scoop when it comes up is my pet beach peeve.  I love a short talk with a well mannered kid, but the others I'd like to feed to the sharks along with their clueless parent(s).  My usual method of getting rid of them is to dig a couple of scoops at a spot in the wet sand and declare "well, its a gold ring or pulltab but its just a bit too deep for my scoop".  That never fails to occupy them long enough for a getaway.

I love the possible gold ring in an endless hole ruse.  There are rude adults and undisciplined children.  Handling them with grace is important for our hobby.
  
Thanks Champ!

I enjoy talking to the good kids and even teaching them a thing or two.  The undisciplined monkies are another matter.   

Ron J. sent in some good ideas too.  Here is what he said.

1.Fill holes, remove all junk.

2.Like fishing, don't crowd in on someones spot.

3. Being aware that some detectors cause interference when used too close to another, I always turn off my detector before approaching to talk someone who is detecting.

4. Being aware of whats going on around you can help a lot to avoid conflict.

5. When working the towel line with sunbathers on the towels, don't detect real close to the people, go wide around them and come back when they have left.

That is a good reminder.  Be courteous to beach goers that are not there to detect.  Give them some space too.

6. When the family with kids stops and ask about what I am finding, I really try to take the time to show the kids what I have found (mostly junk).  The kids look at you like , Wow this is really fascinatingly cool!...









Thanks Ron!

SuperRick is from Vegas where he normally detects for meteorites and gold.  He was here on the Treasure Coast  recently and was detecting the beaches.  Here is what Rick said.

I just found this Blog a few days ago and this is the third time that I have to say thanks for all the good information on the Blog. I run a forum in Las Vegas for playing craps that is set up to help others out. I appreciate all of the hard work that who ever is running the Blog puts into it, He does a great job of it.

Thanks Rick!

 

To start with every hole we dig gets filled in and that is one of the first things I tell anybody that I help that is starting out and we can be 60 miles from anybody out in the desert. Face the fact that any hole you dig is a hazard not only to other humans but also any animal that might trip in it.

 

So even if I dig at the water line here on the beach my holes are filled in right away. I want it as I found it. There are so many laws that are made because people didn't do the right thing. Think about that the next time you do something that only would have taken a minute to do!

 

Now if someone is out in the desert with any of us and they find a meteorite or gold we give them all the space the need, if they want to call us over and tell us to check out the area where they found it, then we will hunt after getting permission to do so.

 

Its a common practice out there to give that permission to hunt the area, one guy will hunt out front and the other will hunt to the rear. We want to find the direction that the meteorite came in from. Now as far as gold goes that can be a very different story.  Some guard any gold by not saying a thing about it. The funny thing about that is the meteorites are worth more then the gold if its the right type...

 

The one thing that I would do is make a mental note about the area if they had all kinds of dig hole that I could see and they were cleaning up on finds. That would be so I could recognize the same type of area down the beach. It may have taken the guy that is hunting that area years of hunting to find areas where things collect. Why would I want to take advantage of what he has found without an invitation to hunt that area?   [Underlining added by TG]  That is a very commendable attitude.

 

Now as far as trash goes, every bit of trash that I find is taken to the trash can, it only make common sense to do so, not only are you helping everybody else that hunts that area, you are also helping yourself, the next time you hunt that beach.

Thanks Rick!

 

Just the other day I mentioned how there are differences between inland hunters and beach hunters.  Here are a couple more different detecting cultures - meteorite and gold hunters.  

To summarize it all up in general terms, be considerate of other detectorists and beach goers in general.  It might be difficult to come up with a list of specific rules because there are some many unique situations, but courtesy will guide you well in any situation.  I'll go back to the golden rule.  Treat others as you would like them to treat you.  That will keep you on the right track.

Thanks to all of those who submitted their thoughts.  I'm sure everybody will benefit from reading the various suggestions and reminders.  I did.

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We'll have one more day of one to two foot surf on the Treasure Coast.  The surf is predicted to begin increasing this weekend and reach something like four to six feet next week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net