11/30/15 Report - Saturday and Sunday Metal Detecting Finds. Old Buttons Found. Big Surf Predicted Next Weekend.

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

Tony's Sunday Finds.

Silver Ring Found by Tony

Tony (Penzfan) sent all of the photos shown above.  Thanks Tony and congratulations on the finds.

Here is what Tony said.

Had a bit of luck this morning at Ocean Front Beach. Pictures show a 4-6 foot cut for about 200 yards. The bottom was very mushy in parts. Did manage to pull a nice .925 ring and some coins from the 60's and 70's.

It looks like there is an old back marked button in that group of finds.  It is right below the pull tab.  That could be the most interesting find.   I'd like to see a closer view of the button and the markings.

---

That wasn't the only old button found recently.  Below is one found by Jon M. at a Vero area beach Saturday afternoon.

Button Found by Jon M.

I'd like to see the back of this one after it is cleaned.  There might be some back marks.

---


Today the Treasure Coast surf is supposed to be 4 - 6 feet.  The surf will be decreasing the next few days, down to about 2 or 3 feet by Friday.  After that the surf is now predicted to increase up to something like 6 - 9 feet again.  As you know the predictions do not always turn out to be accurate, so we'll have to wait to see if next weekend turns out to be as expected.  In any case, we finally are getting some improved conditions and could see a lot more through the winter.

I'm sticking with my 2 Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions rating for another day. 

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/29/15 Report - A Treasure Coast Beach Find. Black Sand. Decreasing Surf This Week.

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

Item Shown Yesterday After Being Partially Cleaned.

The crust on this partly cleaned cob was not only thick but also very hard and stubborn.   It was like stone.

You can clearly see the mint mark in the upper left.  The reale is from Potosi.

The denomination is also clearly shown on the coin (top center) - more clearly than the picture shows. It is a 1 reale.

In the middle row is PLV SVL.  Next to that, which you can't see on this coin, would be TRA.

That would indicate Plus Ultra, meaning "more beyond" and referring to the New World.

In the bottom row is a connected VR, the mark of assayer Pedro de Villar, who used that mark from 1684 through 1696.

Next to that you can only see part of the date, which in better lighting, appears to me to be 92, for 1692, although I am not sure of that, especially the second digit.

The other side is not clean enough to read at all yet.  It might reveal the date.

These are suppose to be 3.43 grams.  This one is nearer 2.5 grams.

As I've shown before, beach found silver cobs are typically way under weight.

This cob also shows a planchet crack, which is typical (top) of the reales from this mint and time period.

I don't know how long it will take me to get the crust off of the other side.

---

Some people have trouble detecting over black sand.  You'll find good targets in black sand that were missed by other people.

The amount of trouble you have with black sand will depend to some extent upon the type of detector you are using and your settings.  Generally, you will have less problems with black sand if you slow down your sweep speed.  Also sweep with the sand instead of over narrow strips and edges.

I like to see back sand and take it as a good sign.

--

We had about a 5 - 8 foot surf today.  It will be about 4 - 6 feet tomorrow, and down to around 2 feet by Thursday.

Just as important, the wind, which was a little northeast today, will be shifting around and later this week be coming out of the south.

I'm sticking with my 2 beach detecting conditions rating for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/28/15 Report - Many Detectorists On Treasure Coast Saturday. Recent Finds. Beach Detecting Conditions Rating Still a 2.

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

Here is a new Treasure Coast beach find.  It is shown as found.

See if you can guess what it is.

I'll show it cleaned in a future post.  I have it clean enough now that I know what it is.

John Brooks Beach Friday.

There were a lot of people metal detecting today.  It was a nice day on a holiday weekend so that is what you would expect.

I talked to one fellow from Texas.  I saw detectorists from other states too.

Some beaches filled back in some over night.  John Brooks and Frederick Douglas were very poor today.

The water was high Friday night.  It got almost to the dunes at both John Brooks and Frederck Douglas parks,   John Brooks is shown in the photo below.

Seaweed Washed Back Over The Beach.

Cobs have been found before on the flat beach at John Brooks after periods of high water.  When that happens there are usually also a good number of shells behind the berm.

Vero South Beach Friday.
Thanks to Frank R. for this photo.

Six To Seven Foot Cliff South of Turtle Trail Friday Morning.

There was at least six inches or a foot of new sand on the beach at Turtle Trail Friday morning.  The black sand was gone too.

Rio Mar deteriorated some over night.

There was a lot of chatter about Bon Steel Park the past couple of days.  When the water gets into the dunes there, cobs can wash out.  The water was high last night, which is what you want to see on the beaches there.  I didn't visit Bon Steel myself so can't give a personal evaluation, but it sounds like you should check it out if you are in the neighborhood.

The surf will diminish a little tonight and Sunday.  The wind is supposed to be a little more northerly though. That isn't all bad.

Silver Turquoise Bracelet Found by Robert H.
Photo by Robert H.

That's it for now.

Thanks to Frank R. and Robert H. for their submissions.

I'm sticking with my "2" beach detecting conditions rating for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/27/15 Report - Beach Detecting Conditions Rating Increased To Level 2. Coin Clusters Being Found On T. C. Beaches.

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

Full Moon Last Night.

A couple days ago someone said they found clusters of clad coins, a good number of which were on the surface.  They wondered if anyone else was seeing the same thing.

In answer to the reader's question, I saw the same thing Wednesday and Thursday on two different beaches.  One was what I would call a coin line and the other was a coin hole.  It is evidently not uncommon to find shallow coin clusters on the Treasure Coast right now.  If you've been reading this blog very long, you know what I mean by the terms "coin line" and "coin hole."

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There was a nice full moon last night and a good bit of wind.  I went out this morning just after high tide and found that some beaches were slightly better while others looked worse.

The water was high.  At one beach the water was a good ten yards or more behind the berm.

I didn't find the clad coins at the beach where I found them on the slope yesterday.  Conditions at that beach were a little worse.

Six Foot Cliff At One Treasure Coast Beach Today.

As you might expect, there were a lot of detectorists out today.  Some were locals and some were from up north.

I am upgrading my beach detecting conditions rating to a 2.  That is a borderline rating.  It indicates that the beach has improved but is not consistently productive.  I know some shipwreck cobs were found today.  I only know of one beach that is producing cobs for sure.  Although conditions are way better than they were this summer, you will still have to hit the right beaches and even then the cobs will be few and far between.

In the recent past I have been pretty conservative with my ratings, especially the level two rating.  I decided that I should probably be a little more liberal with that rating in the future.  It is a borderline or transition rating.

According to the surfing web sites, the surf is supposed to peak at around 10 feet on the Treasure Coast this evening.

Even though the surf will be decreasing Saturday and Sunday, it looks to me like the wind will be more favorable later Saturday and into Sunday.

The beaches are wobbling.  By that I mean one day they will be a little better and the next a little worse.  We're not getting the consistent improvement that I'd like to see.

Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving.

I enjoyed a couple of the shows about the Pilgrims at Plymouth.  One movie had an excellent replica of the Mayflower in it.  I saw some artifacts on it that I couldn't identify.

It looks like there should be a couple more days of at least level two conditions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/26/15 Report - Wishing You and Yours a Very Happy Thanksgiving. Some Beach Improvement.

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

Vintage Greeting Card Circa 1909.

I'm not writing much today, but I did get out this morning to take a look at a couple of beaches.  Here is one.

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning Shortly After High Tide.

Do you notice anything about this beach?  I showed this same beach either yesterday or the day before,  and there is one very obvious difference.

Here is the answer.  The seaweed is now gone.

The water was up over the berm last night.  The wind blew pretty hard all night.  Conditions did improve a small amount.

The other beach I saw this morning was not as promising.

I am getting very close to upgrading my beach conditions rating.  I didn't see enough beaches today to do it though.  If the other beaches improved as much as this one, I would probably upgrade my rating to a 2.

We have a couple more days of surf at least this big.  I'd be surprised if I don't increase the rating soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/25/15 Report - Survey Of Some Treasure Coast Treasure Beaches Today. Even Bigger Surf Predicted,

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

John Brooks Beach This Morning Before Low Tide.

Rio Mar Near Low Tide Today.

North of Seagrape Trail This Morning Before Low Tide.

Beach At Ambersandss This Morning.

I'm not going to type much today.  I'm getting into a holiday mood.

I did take a look at a variety of Treasure Coast beaches this morning and early afternoon.  As you can see they all had seaweed.  There were no shells anywhere.  Just sand.

The waves today were pretty much straight from the east.

One thing that you will notice is the sand on the front of the beach.  At low tide the sand extends far out to the east.  That is where the eroded sand went.  It was dragged out and now is in front of the beach.  That keeps a lot of water force away from the beach.

I didn't see anything that would make me increase my beach detecting conditions rating scale yet.

Overall there was no improvement in beach conditions since yesterday.

I did some detecting and found a good number of clad coins at one beach.  There are some spots where you can find coin holes, but from what I've seen cobs are very scarce.  I did not look north of McClarty, so maybe things were different farther north.  I don't know.

Last week when a few artifacts and cobs were found  the erosion was more on the front of the beach.  I have some thoughts on that to pass along, but don't feel like working on that today.  Hopefully I'll get to it in a day or two.

What I wanted to do today was to keep you up on beach developments.

This afternoon, the wind really picked up so maybe some places improved later.

Tomorrow there is supposed to be a six to nine foot surf, which is a little higher than today.  There are supposed to be increases the next two days also.

That is encouraging.

That's it for now.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Have a safe and blessed day.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/24/15 Report - Some Beaches Eroding Today. Squid Shell. Business of Treasure Salvage.

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

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

If you want to know what the beaches are doing, here are some pictures taken this morning shortly after high tide.

Above is John Brooks beach.  It is slightly better than yesterday, but not much.  The front beach is still mushy.

South of Turtle Trail This Morning.

This cut south of Turtle Trail was about four feet high.  Notice the small amount of seaweed in front of the cut.

Looking North From the Turtle Trail Access.

Notice the two steps shown in this view.  Also, the beach in front of the cut is fairly steep.

Looking North From the Wabasso Beach Access.

One thing that doesn't show in this photo looking towards Disney is the seven to ten foot cliff.

Despite all the erosion and big cliffs at the beaches other than John Brooks, beach detecting conditions were not great.  I believe the reason for that is that most of the erosion was actually in renourishment sand.

At the back of the beach, the renourishment sand is still preventing old things from washing out of the dunes.  And the sand that has been eroded is now stretched out in front of the beach and into the shallow water.  That means that the old sand and old objects are still covered even though there has been erosion.

The cut last week that produced Spanish shipwreck items, was deep and near the front of the beach, not back in front of the dunes.  That is why some things were uncovered.

I'm not increasing my beach detecting conditions rating yet.  For those of you who don't know, my rating scale provides an estimate of the likelihood of finding old treasure items on the beach.   More modern items will often appear sooner, and they will appear in clusters more often.  Conditions for finding modern items can improve yet not improve enough to increase the chances of finding older things.

My current rating is based upon a sample of the three beaches I observed.  Actually I saw one more to a limited extent, but I didn't see them all.  There may be places that are producing now, but I didn't see them today.

Tomorrow the surf is supposed to increase.  Today it was supposed to be 3 - 5 feet, and tomorrow it is supposed to be 5 - 8 feet.  The wind tomorrow will be pretty straight in from the east.

We're still supposed to have up to a ten feet later this week.

---

Yesterday I posted a picture of a small shell.  Ron J. sent me this note regarding the identity of the shell along with a picture that matches the shell.  Here is what Ron said.

Looks like the shell is from the inside of a Squid. (please see attached)

On Page 121 of the book " FLORIDA'S LIVING BEACHES  A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber" By Blair and Dawn Witherington , Pineapple Press, Sarasota Florida      ISBN 978-1-56164-386-8

" Ram's horn squid ( Spirula spirula ) are beached as white, chambered coils. The coil lies within the posterior end of the squid opposite its two large and ten tentacles. The coil takes up almost half the squid, minus out stretched tentacles.

I find this book a great help to identify the things found while beachcombing.

Thanks Ron.  I never would have guessed.

---

Market Watch had this article on the business of treasure salvage in Florida.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/meet-the-treasure-seekers-who-hunt-millions-in-undersea-gold-2015-11-20

---

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/23/15 Report - Surf Predicted To Increase Up To Ten Feet This Week. Neat Little Shell, Watch For Improved Detecting Conditions.

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

Found On Beach This Morning.

The beach is covered with all kinds of gems.  This little shell fits on my finger nail.  What a little beauty. There are millions of them out there if you take the time to look.

Just to show the size of that small shell, below is another picture of the same shell, this time on a penny.

If you know the name of this type of shell, I'd like to hear it.  Thanks in advance.

I went out this morning just to see what was going on.  I often go out to monitor conditions. Yesterday I mentioned how the wind changed. Even though the surf wasn't high I was still expecting to see some changes to the beach.

We got some cooler air.  I thought that was pleasant, especially for Thanksgiving.

There wasn't much erosion last night.  There was a little erosiion at a few spots.

The beach at John Brooks was very mushy.  You can see that beach below.  No erosion there.

One beach thas was nicely cut a couple of weeks ago had completed filled in.  That was a remarkable contrast.

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

The water had been up over the berm.  It was generally a bit higher last night.

One Small Cut On Another Treasure Coast Beach.

This cut was pretty high on the beach.  The cut itself was only about a foot high.

One thing to note here is that the cut was just south of a bend in the beach.  From what I've seen, that is where the cuts have mostly been occurring lately.

The north wind that I saw yesterday evening continued through today.

Here is the most interesting thing for me.

Surf Predictions For The Fort Pierce Area From the MagicSeaWeed Web Site.

You'll find the links to the MagicSeaWeed web site on the front page of my blog.

The prediction for a high surf this week is holding up extremely well.  It looks like it might actually happen this time.

Note that the peak surf is now predicted for Saturday.  If the predictions are correct, it will be building a little every day up until then.

If that kind of surf actually happens, we'll most likely see an improvement in beach detecting conditions at some point.  If the water gets high enough, some cobs might appear without any cutting, but I'm hoping for some good cutting too.

Since we have had some beach improvement not too long ago, that makes it slightly more likely that something good will happen this week.

That is it for today.  Keep watching the beaches.  As I said, the surf is supposed to increase up until Saturday.  I will be surprised if we do not get improved beach detecting conditions sometime this week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/22/15 Report - Beach Predictions Look Encouraging. Aztec Goddesses and Christian Madonna Images: A Book.

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

I'm getting hopeful about the predicted detecting conditions for later this week.  The predicted big surf has not disappeared yet, but not only is the prediction holding, got even bigger.  Right now we have a nine or ten foot surf predicted for Thursday through Saturday.  We might actually get some improvement in detecting conditions later this week.  The October erosion helped some and hasn't totally reversed yet.

Late Sunday afternoon the wind increased and began coming directly out of the north.  I checked online and the windyty.com web site that I have on the front page of this blog, and it looks like the wind will be coming the same direction well into tomorrow.  I like the direction and strength even though the surf isn't supposed to be particularly high.

With Thanksgiving coming, you might want to go back and read about the famous Thanksgiving Day storm that produced so much treasure along the Treasure Coast in 1984.  There is a lot of really good information in that post.  That post talks about the 1984 storm and the factors that made it so productive.

Here is that link.

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/search?q=thanksgiving+storm

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Here is a book that you might find interesting.  You can read a sample of it online.  The title is Aztec Godesses and Christian Madonnas: Images of the Divine Feminine in Mexico (2012).

Click on the title above to link to that book.

---

I have a few other topics on my mind but don't want to start them right now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/21/15 Report - Spanish Finds Reported Made Last Week. Other Surface Finds. Difficulty of Historical Interpretation.

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

Beach North of Seasgrape Trail This Morning Near Low Tide.

I got a report that a few Spanish items were found a few days ago.  Wednesday a hole opened up, but it didn't stay open long.  It was limited to a small area, and would have been easy to miss.  I was busy that day and was one of the people that missed it.

Sometimes I say that there could be a few good spots out there.  It happens that way.  Sometimes the beach won't look very promising, and then you walk a ways or go around a bend and find a good spot.  

This morning I didn't see much that looked good.  The hole that opened on Wednesday had filled in again.

Cut Found North of Seagrape Trail This Morning.

Notice the seaweed.  That shows that the beach has been filling in.

Yesterday afternoon I took a little walk to do some eye-balling.  One of the things I found was this Model T Ford brass hub cap cover from around 1913.  It is made for a wood wheel.

Then I found this small child on a chamber pot.

I didn't clean these finds off yet.

Unfortunately this figurine has no markings.  I would have expected to find some type of mark.

I also found an old milk bottle, marble, couple of coca cola bottles and a flask.

Its amazing how much stuff is out there, and you don't even need to have a metal detector to find it.

The hub cap is the oldest of the finds - about a hundred years old.


---

On the radio this morning about the first thing I heard was somebody talking about the "real" first Thanksgiving happening in St. Augustine.  It is something that you'll probably hear sometime this week.

I heard from a student that took history courses from the University of Florida professor that promotes this idea.  It seems that his purpose is to bring attention to Florida's long history.

I wouldn't generally recommend conflagrating holiday traditions with historic fact, but I can understand why it might be done and how it might be distorted by the media.

It is difficult enough to describe events that you directly observe.  We have to remember that historical interpretation is often based upon sketchy, scarce and sometimes ambiguous and possibly contradictory sources and does involve interpretation.  We need to remember that there is always some degree of uncertainty and imagination involved.

The easiest illustration I can think of is the three wise men we see in Christmas plays and manger scenes.

The Bible never says anything about "three" wise men.  That might shock you.  It does talk about wise men, but not three.

It mentions three types of gifts.  You know them.  But there is nothing that says that there were three wise men, or any other number of wise men.  That is how easy it is to jump to conclusions and make mistakes.

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An eight foot surf is predicted for Thanksgiving.  We'll see how that develops.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/20/15 Report - Survey Of Some Treasure Coast Beaches This Morning. Large Cache Found. Thanksgiving Proclamations.

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

One Typical Treasure Coast Beach This Morning.

Looking at the picture above, there isn't much to add.  The beach front was mushy.

Washed Up Layer of Sand Seen This Morning.

In the second photo it was possible to see that the last high tide brought up a few inches of sand.

Another Beach That Didn't Look Promising This Morning.

One Decent Cut This Morning.

This cut was one to two feet high.  There were some shells on this beach.  It was one of the better looking beaches, but still there was not much to be found.

All of these photos were take shortly after low tide this morning.

This weekend the prediction is for the Treasure Coast to have a 2 - 4 foot surf.  Once again, a bigger surf is predicted for a week out - possibly up to 10 feet.  I don't have to repeat how that might not actually happen.

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A farmer found around 4000 1700-year-old coins in his orchard in Switzerland.

http://archaeology.org/news/3895-151119-switzerland-roman-coins

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I thought it would be interesting to post Abraham Lincoln's Thanksgiving proclamation.

October 3, 1863

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.  In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Before Abraham Lincoln, George Washington issued a similar proclamation.  Here it is.

Thanksgiving Proclamation

Issued by President George Washington, at the request of Congress, on October 3, 1789

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and—Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favor, able interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other trangressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go. Washington

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/19/15 Report - Thanksgiving Before The Pilgrims. Gold Coins and Ingots. The Real Treasure.

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

A press release dated Nov. 18, 2015 claims Spanish settlers celebrated the "first" Thanksgiving, in St. Augustine 50 years before the Pilgrims arrived in the New World on the Mayflower. If you follow that same line of thought, the "first" Thanksgiving could have actually been celebrated on the North American continent by Chinese or Norse sailors if you don't count the "Native Americans" who must have eaten numerous meals thankfully tens of thousands of years earlier.  Just another attempt by a supposed "scholar" to make news and appear scholarly by challenging tradition with a pseudointellection proposition.  If you really want to talk "first" Thanksgiving, credit a monkey who was happy a banana fell on his head and gladly consumed it.  The monkey would have been nearly as likely to utter something resembling the word "Thanksgiving" as would Pedro Menendez de Aviles. Hey, we get it.  Cultural traditions are seldom or never totally factual, but there are "real" reasons they have become continuing traditions.  Don't overlook that.

Here is the link to the article about the first real Thanksgiving that we all really celebrate without knowing it.  Really?!

http://news.ufl.edu/articles/2015/11/before-the-pilgrims-floridians-celebrated-the-real-first-thanksgiving.php


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Chinese archaeologists on Tuesday discovered 75 gold coins and hoof-shaped ingots in an aristocrat's tomb that dates back to the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - 24 AD).

The gold objects -- 25 gold hoofs and 50 very large gold coins -- are the largest single batch of gold items ever found in a Han Dynasty tomb. They were unearthed from the tomb of the first "Haihunhou" (Marquis of Haihun) in east China's Jiangxi Province.

The coins weigh about 250 grams each, while the hoofs' weights vary from 40 to 250 grams, said Yang Jun, who leads the excavation team...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-11/17/c_134826435.htm

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As I pushed my elderly mother around an amusement park in a wheel chair the other day, I couldn't help noticing the many parents pushing their small children in strollers.  I thought about how rolls change with the passing of time.  Someday some of those the children will be pushing their parents like I was.

One of the most joyful things in life is to watch a child become strong, capable and more self-sufficient, and to me, one of the saddest things is to watch a parent go the other way.

As I held the hand that once held me up, I felt no strength in it.  It was now a hand that it seemed would crumble if I held it too tightly.

That was the hand of a person who loved me, dressed me and fed me.  It is my privilege to try to return some of that love while I can.  I won't have that privilege long enough.  I rather hold that hand than a thousand gold coins.

Give thanks and celebrate.

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Here we go again.  Thursday of next week MagicSeaWeed is predicting a seven to eleven foot surf for the Treasure Coast.  Will it happen?  I doubt it.  But here is to hoping.

In the mean time we are having something more on the order of a four foot surf.  That is better than nothing and better than what we had all summer.  You might be able to find a few spots of small erosion, but they will be few and small.

Happy hunting and finding,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/18/15 Report - Old Bullet Or Not - That Is The Question. Predicted Big Treasure Coast Surf Disappears.

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

Picture submitted by Ken B.

Yesterday I posted pictures of what I thought might be an old bullet and asked for help with an ID.  I sent some information and pictures to Ken B., who sent me the following message in response.

I have forwarded the info to my friend Vernon, who said he'll give it look and get back to me.
After looking at some reference books I have here at the office , I proposed that it might be a "paper cartridge" conical round from around the Seminole War time frame, but with my limited expertise, that would qualify as a 'WAG" - a wild-assed guess!

  
The base and overall look makes this projectile look like a conical "Minnie Ball" type item, but I have never seen a Minnie ball with the crimping marks your bullet has.  Also, the crimping does not look evenly distributed like in modern ammunition, which led me to think of the old hand loaded paper cartridge transitional firearms between old style muzzleloaders and the full on brass cartridge....  I know some Spenser Rifles used paper cartridges.  I have attached a picture of one below...

Vernon, by the way, is a forensics expert.

Thanks much Ken.  I like your "WAG" terminology.  Your WAG is way more informed than mine, but I noticed the hash marked rim and wondered if that might mean it was from a paper cartridge.

Your comments helped.  I already learned a few things.  I'm eager to see what your friend has to say.  It is always good to network with bright people.  Thanks for your help Ken!

Here are some pictures I found after reading what Ken said. You can see different kinds of bullets in these paper cartridges.

Interesting! That old grungy bullet, whatever it turns out to be, has already led me to some new and interesting information.

It is important to be able to identify various things in the field.  They can be important signals.  If you can identify the approximate age or identity of items you dig up, that can be very helpful.

I remember various times when I didn't recognize the importance of things that I dug up and wish I would have known better.

You can use the following link to look at more pictures of old bullets and related items.

See pictures of more bullets and cartridges.

I'll try to keep you informed as I learn more about the bullet.

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Unfortunately I was right yesterday.  The predicted ten foot Treasure Coast surf has disappeared from the predictions already.  First they dropped it down from 10 to 7 feet, then they dropped it down some more.  Now it is only about six feet, which is not much different than what we already have.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/17/15 Report - Lead Bullet Find I'd Like To Know More About. Good Old Bullet Web Sites. Managing Errors.

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

I've been showing some things that I recently found on a trip up north. To me one of the more interesting finds was this lead bullet that was found along a path not far from some coins.  Old items such as a crotal bell and old horse shoe were previously found in the same area.

This bullet has a very concave base.  It is a touch less than 3/4 inch long.

I don't know much of anything about old bullets, but from what I recently read, it seems to me the ridge with the hash marks near the bottom of the bullet is for connecting a cartridge.  I think that means it is older, but I don't know that.

I'm sure there is someone out there that can give me an idea of the age of this bullet.  I also found a small lead strip that could have been used to make bullets.

I think what intrigues me as much as anything is the unknown.  I don't know much about this bullet.  I suspect that it might be old, but I might be wrong.

I guess it is the story that might be there.  The story hasn't emerge yet and maybe never will.  But in the scratches and scars there is a lot to think about.

I'd really appreciate it if you can give me an age range for this bullet.

Here is a good view of the indentations on the end.  How did that happen?  What do you think?

I ran across a couple excellent web sites on old bullets.  Here are the links.  They provide a lot of excellent pictures and information.

http://sgtriker.com/bullets.htm

http://www.tennesseelead.com/

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Mistakes are inevitable, but they can be intelligently managed.

It pains me to go back over a post after I think it is done and find a lot of mistakes.  It happens all the time.  It seems I never publish a perfect post.

The only way to completely avoid mistakes is to not do anything, and that is the biggest mistake.  If you get too tied up with making things perfect, you won't get much done.

In metal detecting there are different types of mistakes.  One type is the false positive.  That is when you get a good signal, but when you dig up the item you find it isn't any good.

Another type is the false negative.  That is when you get a trash signal or no signal at all when there is actually something good there.

Detectors aren't perfect and neither are the people that operate them.  You will get both false positives (when there is a good signal but no good target) and false negatives (when you do not get a good signal but there is a good target).  Of course it isn't really quite as simple as that in reality.

You can adjust your detector settings so that you get very few false positives, but that will probably increase your false negatives.  Or you can adjust your detector settings to eliminate false negatives, but that will probably increase your false positives.

To put it another way, decreasing sensitivity and increasing discrimination will cause you to miss more good targets, while increasing sensitivity and decreasing discrimination will cause you to get more false signals.

If you are aware of the trade-offs, have specific goals and a good idea of the probability of different types of targets, you can manage your errors effectively.

I'll talk about that more in a future post.

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The most interesting thing to me today is the surf predictions for the Treasure Coast.  This week the surf isn't supposed to get much bigger, but beginning next week the surf is supposed to increase up to 6 - 10 feet by Thursday.  That is interesting.  Too bad the long range predictions on MagicSeaWeed, especially when they predict a big surf, are not very accurate.  90  percent of the time the predicted big surf does not occur.  We'll have to wait and see how it develops this time.

Just added Tue. afternoon:  They already bumped it down to seven feet.  That isn't bad, but more decreases won't be surprising.

I'd still like to get information on a couple of the things I preciously posted as well as the bullet I posted today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/16/15 Report - Morgan Silver Dollar Find. Shipwrecks In Potomac. Lion Ring.

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

1898 Silver Dollar.  No mint mark.

A couple of days ago I showed some finds from a recent hunt including some badly corroded coins along with a remarkably preserved silver dime.  The dime's condition surprised me a lot, but there was more to come.

Here is another find from the same hunt.  It was among the last of the finds.  There were some little artifacts, including lead bolts and lead pieces, but this was the last coin find.

In my experience, silver dollars finds are relatively rare.  I haven't dug many of them over the years, and none on Treasure Coast beaches.  In fact I've dug a lot more cobs than silver dollars.  Most silver dollars have been inland finds.

This one, like the 1957 dime, and very unlike the copper coins, is in very good condition as found. I did wipe it off a little.





This one was certainly a pleasant surprise.  It gave one big signal.

I was hoping to find some old silver coins.  The dime was a pleasant find, but this was even better.

It isn't worth a lot, but I was happy to find it anyway.  As happy as I was to find this coin, I'm still more intrigued by a bullet I found not far away.  I'll probably show it tomorrow or sometime soon. I have a lot of questions about the bullet and hope I can get some help with identification.

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Roberto sent this photo pointing out the similarity between this ring and the one I posted a couple of days ago, which was not made of gold.

In my experience, lion rings must be among the top five most common figural ring designs.

Most often, again judging from my experience, the eyes are colored stone,s and a clear stone is in the mouth.  I don't know if there is any significance to that or if it just looks right.

If you know of any significance to the stones, please send me an email.

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Hidden beneath the waters of the Potomac River are dozens of sunken ships known as a “ghost fleet” that sailed from the Revolutionary War to after World War I, and now, thanks…

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

http://wtop.com/maryland/2015/11/ghost-fleet-offers-treasure-trove-of-wildlife-history-in-the-potomac-photos/slide/1/

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On the Treasure Coast we'll have a 3 - 4 foot surf today and tomorrow.  Unfortunately, the wind will be out of the east.  I'm not expecting any significant improvement in beach conditions for at least a couple of days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGujide@comcast.net

11/15/15 Report - Current Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Conditions and Predictions.

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

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning.

As you know, we've been having a lot of wind and some waves.  I went out to the beach this morning to check it out.  I didn't expect much, and that is what I saw - not much.

Usually it takes up to six or eight foot seas to really improve conditions, but there are other factors involved.  The direction of the waves is very important, and the tides have an effect.

This time we had a brief period of north wind yesterday and then it turned.  The waves this morning were hitting directly from the east.

The first beach I visited this morning is shown above.  Nothing but some shallow scallops.  The water had been up fairly high, but no erosion on this beach.

Another Treasure Coast Beach This Morning.

There was no erosion at the next beach I visited except for one small stretch.  The cut there was less than a foot high and not very long.

Note the sea weed.  That is an indication of accretion, not erosion.

Small Cut.

This small cut evidently occurred during a previous high tide before the wind changed.  The sea weed in front of the cut shows that after the cut was created and the wind changed, it started to fill again.

Small Boat Washed Up Onto Beach

At least we've been getting some rough water lately. October and November have traditionally been pretty good months for detecting.  We often get some of our first storms then.

We need to get back down to the sand levels we had back a few weeks ago and then some.

The next few days we're supposed to have 3 - 5 foot surf.  On Wednesday it is supposed to be a bit higher, maybe up to seven feet.

If the wind direction stays as predicted, it won't be good.  Nothing but east and then southeast winds.  I'm not expecting much improvement in beach conditions from that.

I'm sticking with a 1 rating on my Treasure Coast Treasure Beach Detecting Conditions Rating Scale. I'll hope for something better but am not expecting it.

If you scout around some you probably be able to find some small cuts and slightly better spots.

I have some pictures of my favorite finds from my trip up north ready to show.  I'll probably do that tomorrow.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net