11/30/16 Report - Turning A Whatzit Into a Thatzit. Help Solve The DB Cooper Mystery. Reports From the T. C.

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

Dug Lead Whatzit.

What do you think it is?  I'll get back to that below.

---

Darrel S. sent the following message.

Golden Sand still closed. Not much found other some junk jewelry and tabs! Beach was in 2 parts. 1st part wall 6 feet high and flat to 2nd part. 2nd wall dropped off with very low pockets or scoops. Flat out into low tide surf. The rope that we saw at Turtle Trail was past the steel wall towards Orchid Resort. 3 employees were cutting it with machetes and removing it from the beach. That is long way to travel from where we saw it on Sunday. I found 3 nice Cowrie shells. Been a long time that any good ones have been seen in this area.

Darrel and friends detected Round Island Park today and found a good bit of scrap iron and some coins.  He said it wasn't as worked as he expected.

Thanks for the reports Darrel.

---

The public is being asked to help solve the DB Cooper case.

True Ink founder Geoffrey Gray says he received the case files—including evidence assessments and interviews with jet passengers—while researching a 2011 post on the hijacker, later branded DB Cooper, but couldn't review them all, per the Washington Post.

"We have access to all these original DB Cooper case files and we want help from the public, citizen sleuths to help solve this case," he says. Authorities have had almost no leads in the decades since Cooper boarded the flight from Portland, Ore., to Seattle on Nov. 24, 1971. The only physical evidence is a cache of about $6,000 from the heist found along the banks of the Columbia River in 1980, and theories abound. One retired FBI agent suspects he landed in a lake and died. Others believe Cooper was really Richard McCoy, who copied Cooper's crime in 1972 and was later killed in an FBI shootout, notes Fox 13 (Or perhaps Cooper was a grocery manager from Michigan.)...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

http://www.newser.com/story/234717/db-cooper-case-could-still-be-solved-with-your-help.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=foxnews&utm_campaign=rss_science_syn

Thanks to Dean for that link.

---

Did you figure out what the item shown at the top of the post is?

I dug the item not too long ago and thought I knew what it might be but I really wasn't confident about it at all.  It stayed in my TBR (To Be Researched) pile for a while. Today I did a little research and now am pretty sure that I know what it is.

Source: Odyssey Virtual Museum
See link below.

I thought it was a lead bottle collar.  If you look at the inside of the ring it has a ridge which spirals away from one edge.  A lead cap would screw onto it.

Here is what the Odyssey Virtual Museum says.

A total of 127 fragments of glass were excavated from the “Tortugas” shipwreck, including square-sectioned case bottles. The bases of these bottles are all medium olive green in color and contain air bubbles. Glass rims and neck sherds were recovered still attached to 14 lead screw collars and caps that originally sealed some of the “Tortugas” ship’s bottle mouths. Data suggests a minimum presence of 16 square-sectioned bottles on the ship...

The two-piece permanent lead collars and caps that originally closed the bottles’ mouths feature everted sides and a horizontal shoulder surmounted by a short vertical mouth. Each collar, 1.4-1.9cm high, is subdivided into two seamless elements: at top a narrow screw thread (W. 1.5-1.9cm, Th. 0.2cm) consisting of three convex external edges between two inner recessed threads for receipt of a lead cap, and below the main section (max W. 2.1-3.3cm, bottom W. 1.9-2.9cm, Th. 0.2-0.4cm) that originally covered and protected the glass bottle neck and rim. The two zones are separated by a horizontal ledge, furrowed on the lower edge. The bottom edge of the inner diameter, reflecting the bottle’s neck diameter, ranges from 1.2-1.7cm. The collar was a permanent component cast over the bottle...

Here is the link if you want to learn more about lead bottle collars and caps from shipwrecks.

http://odysseysvirtualmuseum.com/products/Lead-Screw-Collars-and-Caps.html

---

We're having great weather lately.  I'm not expecting any improvement in conditions in the next couple of days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/29/16 Report - Detecting Surf and Turf. Button Finds. Digging Egyptian Movie Artifacts in California.

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

Tis the season to be jolly.  Anytime you can be jolly is the season to be jolly, but for beach hunters, the winter months are generally better than the summer months, unless there is a summer storm that shakes things up. From my personal experience, October to April is the best time to find cobs on the beach, with Nov. to February usually being the best of those.  It is the opposite of the salvage season around here, which relies on the smoother summer surf.  More likely than not we'll have some good opportunities to find cobs on the beach in the next couple of months.

Dan B. was hunting in South Carolina.  Here is what he had to say about that.

I spent a solid week of research before heading to SC this year. I was surprised at how difficult things can be if they are not in one's own back yard. Going to unfamiliar territory is strangely challenging. Surprised that anything could stand in my way, I found that everything did. Satellite photos of streams were bulging rivers. The ground and roots in some places combined with many inches of leaf litter reminded me of how nice it is to dig in sugar sand.  Trees were down everywhere and shotgun shells seem to be more of an issue than pop tops. Overall, I had a nice time in the woods and learned to appreciate my neck of the woods more. I was able to pull a nice variety of different buttons.

It is nice to be able to hunt various types of locations and do different types of detecting.  It is difficult though - especially if you are accustomed to one type of location and one type of hunting.

Most of us beach hunters know the beaches that we hunt.  We figured out what type of detector we need and are prepared for the sand and surf.  In other locations our equipment might not be so well suited to the environment.

Sifting sand through a scoop is one thing, but digging in rocks or clay is another.  You might choose both a different detector and a different type of recovery tool.  It can be difficult to see a coin covered with clay, or dig through rocks and pebbles without destroying the coin, or find a target in a pile of leaves.  Those are all things I have to do when I detect my favorite site in West Virginia.

A different search strategy might be required too.  You don't have the surf to sift and sort things when you are not on the beach.  You might have some sifting and sorting though, as I described in a recent post.  You have water runoff, and you have erosion in some spots, so there are some similarities.

Buttons Found by Dan B. During A  Land Hunt In S. C.

Here is what Dan said about the button finds.

Large flatty with no front design and broken shank. Looking closely you can see "plated" on the second.  The last two don't appear as old.

Thanks Dan.

---

Los Angeles, CA)—Artifacts from the epic movie "The Ten Commandments" are starting to surface from underneath the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes in California...

A giant sphinx was found in the dunes earlier this year and it's currently on display at the nonprofit Dunes Center in Guadalupe. More remains are expected to be found from a "lost city" that boasted a huge temple, four more sphinxes, massive statues, a 750-foot-long wall, and amenities.

Hamilton said roughly 2,500 people lived in the camp for several months during the film's production...

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

http://www.breakingchristiannews.com/articles/display_art.html?ID=17132

---

That is all for today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/28/16 Report - Some Cuts Around The Treasure Coast. Story of 1715 Fleet Gold Plate.

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

John Brooks Beach This Morning Near Low Tide.

Above is a picture of John Brooks beach this morning before low tide.  You can see that some sand has moved.

Detectorist Working John Brooks This Morning.

We had a good stiff north wind yesterday, which removed some sand.  Too bad the wind shifted.  Now the waves are hitting from the East.  It is best when there is a sustained north/northeast wind.

When the wind shifts, one spot can cut out and then fill up again, and it doesn't take long.

The cuts are not back near the dunes.  The water didn't get high enough.

Darrel S. sent the following report Sunday.


Went north of Chucks, but not much. Wind had picked up and a ton of seaweed. A lot of sand on the beaches north of inlet. We went to Turtle Trail and I went north to Seagrape. Huge wall from Turtle Trail to Seagrape. You guys call it cuts, but it is renourishment. Saw several detectorists working the aka cuts. The midline had a huge hump up and down then sloped into flat area in front of shoreline. Black sand on some of the digs. Found some bolts, few pennies, and Canadian coins very clean. There was a massive pile of rope off one of the barges. Very valuable if someone could get it off the beach. In front of where some of the gold was found last year. 

Thanks  much Darrel.

Paul G. sent this photo of the Turtle Trail north.

North of Turtle Trail This Morning.
Photo submitted by Paul G.

This photo shows the area between Turtle Trail and Seagrape Trail this morning.  There were three feet cuts in some spots, as you can see from the photo.

Paul G. said there were still some of those dimes and Canadian coins popping up in this area.

North of Turtle Trail This Morning
Photo submitted by Paul G.

In the photo above you can see the seaweed in from of the cut, indicating that the cut started to fill already.

It looks like much of the Treasure Coast got some small amount of erosion.

As far as beach detecting conditions, this is sort of in between.  It is slightly improved, but not enough for many cobs to be found.

I wouldn't be surprised if a few scattered cobs were found.  I haven't seen some of the beaches and don't know what they are doing, but my guess is that they are pretty similar to those you see above.

I'm thinking of changing my rating scale just a little.  I need something to indicate conditions like these.  They are transitional with the possibility of a few scattered finds, but conditions are not good enough for what I would rate as  a "2."

---

Here is an article about the gold plate that was found by a local diver back about forty years ago.  Good read.

http://archive.tcpalm.com/entertainment/tcpalmsocial/1715-fleet/treasure-found-almost-40-years-ago-discovered-by-local-diver-ep-1206881526-3324

---

The surf will be decreasing the next few days, so I don't expect any additional improvement.  It might be a good chance to check out the low tide area.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/27/16 Report - A Couple Sight Finds From the 1715 Fleet. Increasing Wind and Surf.

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

Below is an email I received from John.

I saw your post about finding non metallic items today and thought I'd share one I found the day after the 7th Annual Treasure Hunters Cookout ( about a year ago. I found this at the top of Turtle Trail when I went into the bushes to take a leak…At first I thought Adventura or Jadeite, however...

It has been identified as Serpentine by Laura Strolia with some interesting history behind it. I got this information from elle:

New Jade (Serpentine) makes an exceptional meditation stone. It helps you to find inner peace. Serpentine was carried in ancient Assyria to request the gods and goddesses to provide double blessings. Nursing women used it to regulate their milk supply. Serpentine can be placed directly on the skin. It is an aid to kidney and stomach complaints, relaxes cramps and menstrual pain and helps women who are unable to reach orgasm due to tension.

The picture below shows a perfect match. I would venture a guess that it came off the Corrigan's wreck (Capitana?)

Thanks John!  You made today's post really easy for me.

A good number of finds have been the result of leaks.  You'd be surprised how often I hear about that.

---

Concerning `1715 Fleet "sight finds, " I've posted a few in the past, including emeralds.

My personal favorite is the wax seal shown below.  I talked about it in more detail in my 2/13/16 post.  Unfortunately it does not photograph well.

Found Wax Seal.

The image on the seal is a bird postured very much like the one shown below - wings spread, head turned, breast and thighs prominent.  The wings on the wax seal are wider as is the breast of the bird.

Image Similar To That On The Wax Seal.

The wax seal was found at water's edge on a day of calm surf.  It was found just north of the Turtle Trail access.

It is hard to imagine that the wax lasted all those years.  

---

Sunday was a little windy.  East northeast mostly.  The surf is increasing.  Monday it is supposed to be somewhere around 4 - 6 feet.   The wind will be more easterly though.

It could open up a spot somewhere.  I suspect good spots will be scarce, but there might be a few.

I haven't been out much.  My latest problem was a broken finger.  Its better now though.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/26/16 Report - An Excellent Aid For Dating Sites From The Late 19th Century.

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

Vintage Coca Cola Bottle Found On Recent Walk

One thing I recommend to most treasure hunters is to watch for non-metallic items.  They are often good clues as well as treasures.  Non-metallic items can sometimes be worth just as much as gold or silver.

Coca Cola bottles are common, but some of them can be worth a pretty penny.  Even more common ones can be worth a few dollars.  I sold one that I found for over one hundred dollars.  It was in poor condition.  It had big chips and cracks, but it was rare.  If it was in excellent condition, I could have sold it for about four hundred dollars.

Above is a Coke bottle that I found on a little walk just the other day.  It isn't worth much of anything, but will serve as an example.

I found an excellent 2010 article from the Society for Historical Archaeology entitled The Dating Game: Tracking the Hobble-Skirt Coca-Cola Bottle by Bill Lockhart and Bill Porter.  It is the best article on dating Coke bottles that I have seen.  You can find tons of excellent but less detailed web sites.

Using information from the article such as the table shown immediately below, I was able to date the bottle shown above to 1956.

Two Older Found Fort Pierce Coca Cola Bottles

The bottle on the left is marked PAT'D  NOV 16, 1915.  If you look at the table above you'll see that those bottles date from 1917 - 1930.

The bottle on the right is an older style straight side Coke bottle.  Those two bottles would sell for more than the bottle at the top of this post even though they are not in very good condition.

 The following illustration shows the difference between bottles marked as patented in 1915 and those patented in 1923.  I've found that I can easily sell both of those types of bottles.

The bottle shown at the top of the post is marked STARKE FLA on the bottom.  Some people try to collect bottles from all of the cities that bottled Coke, so if you find a collector that needs that particular city, you might get a couple of dollars for the bottle.

Below is the link to the article that I've been talking about.  It has tons of good information on dating Coke bottles.

https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/coca-cola.pdf

The earliest Coca Cola bottles were "Hutch" bottles.  I've shown some of them before.

---

Broken Glass and Pottery At The Waters Edge

Junky areas like the one above can be worth looking through.  You can find broken pieces of glass and pottery and other things that will help you date a site.  You can find pottery marks and other marks on broken pieces and occassionally some nice little treasure to keep.  I love looking through junky areas like this for clues.

---


The surf will be modest for a few days, increasing a bit next week.  Not much too exciting there.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/25/16 Report - Unfound Silver and Gold. Hand-held Tactical Scope. No Detecting Behind McLarty. Sewall's Point.

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

HOW MUCH GOLD AND SILVER IS LOST AND UNACCOUNTED FOR???

 $$$ TRILLIONS, COULD BE AS HIGH AS 4.14 TRILLION DOLLARS $$$

Of this large quantity, 61% (24,738,000,000 troy oz) can be accounted for in silver inventories, industrial use and jewelry, etc. Much of the remaining 39% (15,793,000,000 troy oz) is considered to be unaccounted for

Much of the remaining 11.1% (479,000,000 troy oz) is considered unaccounted for and a great majority of this gold may well have been lost in the world's oceans in the form of treasure, i.e. coins, ingots, jewelry, etc.

Thus, gold, in its varied forms of treasure, still sitting unfound in many of the world's oceans (along many historical trade routes), could possibly have values ranging from a low of $2.207 trillion (5 times bullion) to a high of $4.414 trillion (10 times bullion). 11.1% (479,000,000 oz of gold) is considered unaccounted

The above comes from a notice posted  in 2004 by Undersea Recovery Corporation on the InvestorsHub web site.  The company may no longer exist and the statement was written to entice investors, so don't take it too seriously.

Here is the link.

http://investorshub.advfn.com/UnderSea-Recovery-Corporation-UNDR-3235/

----

Darrel S. says that Seagrape was still closed a day or two ago.  He also said they aren't allowing detecting behind McLarty Museum.  He talked to both park rangers (Florida State) as well as county officials about that.  Here is what he said.

Also, no detecting 1000 feet in both directions behind McLarty Museum.I have talked with state park and county employees and seems to be some confusion. The state park line ends just south of the museum. The cabin lies in county, NOT state park. The best advice is ask before detecting near the museum.

I'd like to hear from you if you have some trouble with them up that way.

There are a few people that don't think I should ever talk politics, but you can't separate detecting from politics.  When they decide to stop detecting in parks or on the beach or where ever, politics is involved.  Some would use government to prevent all metal detecting if they could swing it.  If you'll recall, a year or two ago there was proposed legislation that threatened shipwreck salvage and the detecting community came out to support the salvage community in opposition to the proposed legislation.  

---

I once read about pirate treasure being discovered at Sewall's Point.  Some old maps show an area called the Bleeche Yards down around there.

Here is a little history on Sewall's point.

http://sewallspoint.org/history/

---

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Actual 1910 Thanksgiving Card.

I might add to this later.

Happy Thanksgiving,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/22/16 Report - Chest With Secret Drawer Filled With Treasure. Gold Found By Jensen Beach After 1949 Hurricane.

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

Secret Drawer Filled With Treasure.

A couple guys who bought a chest at an estate sale discovered a secret drawer filled with treasure (See above.)  

They returned the treasure.  

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/texas-man-finds-treasure-hidden-chest-estate-sale/story?id=30963891

---

My post is late today because I wanted to write about gold found just north of what is now Jensen Beach after a hurricane in 1949.  I couldn't find my documents and couldn't remember the details well at all.

Anyhow, I've seen an old map showing a Spanish shipwreck from the 1700s in the area.  It might have been the 1760 wreck, but I don't recall that for sure.  Hopefully I'll find my information on that.

The newly exposed gold was found by a clerk and maintenance man who worked in a motel that was in the area at the time.

Maybe I'll be able to find that again and be able to write more about that.

In 2014, after much searching and seeing a lot of modern junk off of Jensen Beach, the salvage guys found the handle of a sword off the beach in the same general area, but in deeper water.

A novelist from the area who wrote a fiction book called "Treasure Coast Gold" showed me some information he had on the 1949 find..  He had an old map, newspaper articles and some photos.

I hope I can find that stuff.

---

Today I took a little walk today to scout around a little. I found a dollar bill floating in the water. I hoped there were more, but that was the only one I found.  It was in very shallow water.  When I saw it I didn't know if it was a one dollar bill or some higher denomination.  

I used to find bills floating frequently when I was down south and hunting the busy South Florida beaches.  There was one dip in particular off of a large hotel where old soaked bills would accumulate. Can't remember the name of that hotel now, and I think it changed anyhow.  It was south of Bahia Mar.

Bills would also occasionally be found in the seaweed line at busy beaches.  I think the highest denomination I found was a twenty.

---

I'll give up now.  I'm frustrated that I couldn't find my materials.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/21/16 Report - Condition of Beaches Around The Treasure Coast. Beach Seeding.

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

Turtle Trail Looking North.

North Treasure Shores

Treasure Shores South

McClarty Museum Beach

Turtle Trail Looking South.

Darrel S. visited a number of beaches and sent in the above photos.  Thanks a bunch Darrel!

Here is what Darrel said about those and other Treasure Coast beaches.

Decided to check more known spots.

Checked Wabasso mid tide.

Checked Treasure Shore mid tide.

Checked Cabin and McLarty Museum past mid tide. Visited museum.

Checked Seagrape - CLOSED?!

Checked Turtle Trail right at high tide 1pm. 

ALL beaches 45 degrees, mushy, no scallops, and too much dirt!!!

Thanks again Darrel.  Great report!

---

I received some emails about the dimes scattered over some Treasure Coast beaches.  Here are a couple.

    My thoughts on the dimes strewn around those beaches is to distract or discourage other detectorists from finding something else by masking it, or by sheer numbers! Why dimes and not pennies or some other junk stuff? Are the dimes in the detecting range of cobs or something else? Unlike you and many of your readers, I've only had the time to go up your way a few time's to detect, and haven't found much!  At least it was coins and not poptops or bottlecaps, so I think someone Did Not want to litter the beach! (another detectorist??) If they know the beaches are hunted a lot, than a flow test of where the dimes would travel over a period of time would not produce a good test sampling! There are many reasons though that one could come up with!

Joe D.

Hello

Seeding  metal  fragments on known archaeological sites or sensitive sites to deter metal detectorists  has been known here  in the UK .Many believe it has been officially sanctioned by archaeological groups or individual archaeologists in a bid to preserve and protect the sites from looting .

 I strongly suspect that the dimes have been spread  by someone either with a wicked sense of humor or someone trying to prevent historic  finds from being made. If the dimes have been spread on areas of known treasure finds then I suspect either  a fellow detectorist is trying to deter other  detectorists or there is a something more sinister being sanctioned by archaeological groups .!!!  Very negative and sad state of affairs either way.

Always a great read, look forward to your posts

Kind regards Peter H 

Thanks for your thoughts.  Those emails seem to represent what most people think about the dimes.

Back a few years ago pennies were scattered at John Brooks.  Over time I found them useful.  When they started to appear, conditions were improving.

I believe seeding can backfire.  The coins might be what some detectorists need to keep going.  When it appears that there is absolutely nothing on a beach, some detectorists will quickly give up and leave.

Darrel mentioned that Seagrape was closed still.  There was an area there cluttered with a a lot of scrap metal.  Wonder if there might not be some more interesting things there?  It might not be a coincidence that the same beach that is being seeded is closed.  Or it might be.  I don't know.

---

I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/20/16 Report - Hoard of 17th Century Coins Found. Shipwreck Graveyard. Lots of Ground Waiting To Be Detected.

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

Source: BBC link below.

The hoard of 17th Century coins was found by metal detector user Steven Ingram near the village of Ewerby.

Council finds officer Adam Daubney said the discovery was "monumental".

Farmer Chris Sardeson, who owns the land, said: "I've worked this field for more than 50 years, so no-one is more surprised than me."

Here is the link for more of the story.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-38003071

Thanks to Dean for that link.

-----

A shipwreck graveyard of more than 40 vessels which lay perfectly preserved for centuries has been discovered by scientists at the bottom of the Black Sea.

Researchers came across the ghostly wrecks by chance while mapping the sea floor at depths of between 1,000 feet and almost 6,000 feet.

At those depths there is so little oxygen that the timbers hardly decay – meaning wooden structures and even intricate carvings that are many hundreds of years old are still intact...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/10/27/shipwreck-graveyard-mysterious-fleet-40-ancient-ships-found-in-dead-zone-under-black-sea.html

Thanks to Norbert for the tip on that story.
------

Readers seemed surprised by the report of rolls of dimes being found along some treasure beaches as told by one reader in yesterday's post.  It appeared that the dimes were evidently new and had not been on the beach long  Others who searched the same beaches a little earlier did not find the dimes.
It seems curious that someone would use dimes as a decoy or distraction.  I thought it might be interesting to speculate on why they were there. and how they got there.  My first thought was that someone wanted to see what would happen to them.  For example, would they disappear or be washed up some where.  My second thought is that someone might have put them there for a kid to find, but if that was the case, I'd think they would be on one beach rather than spread over two or three beaches.  I just don't know.  What do you think?

---

A lot of people didn't know that reales were found in numbers at Ponce de Leon Park in the past. That is the type of tip that you don't get very often and which you could easily go years and years and never find out about.

---

Not too long ago I was detecting in West Virginia, as I do once in a while.  When I fly over I can see all of that land spread out below me.  I can't help but think of all the land that has never been detected.  It might seem at times that every place has been detected and all of the finds have been made, but that is very far from the truth.

I'd say that at least  99.99% of the land has never been detected, and some places that have been detected over and over still hold tons of good targets.  Of course, not all of the land will yield good targets, but if you look around, you'll find lots of places that might not look like they'd be worthwhile yet they produce surprising finds.



I posted this picture not long ago.  Doesn't look real promising does it?   The first time I was there I found a 1940's gold class ring just on the other side of the gully.  I also found a horseshoe, a brass harness bell and some other old wagon parts, old bullets and shells and other artifacts on the other side of the gully.   Just down the hill about ten yards from where I am in the picture, I found a silver ring.  Just up the hill a little, I found an old ax head.  There were also older coins, including some from the 1800s.  That was all from the area in and around this picture.  I've also found nice old bottles in the gully.

We won't have anything but a small or moderate surf for several days.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

11/19/16 Report - Site Where Many Reales Found In Past. Seagrape Trail Crossover. Earthen Fort Discovered. Rolls of Dimes.

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

Ponce De Leon Park
Photos by Darrel S.

Darrel S. recently visited Ponce de Leon Park

Darrel S. recently was up at Ponce de Leon Park and sent these pictures and the following email message yesterday.  Notice the nice dip in the shallow water at the front of the beach.

...first time for my friend. Low was near 5pm. Worked south 1:30pm to 4:30pm. A lot of curious gorges. Everyone kept asking if we were looking for a wreck. Boats have magged in this area. Many reales found here, but none today.

Thanks Darrel!

-- 

I received this email from Shannon F. a couple of days ago.

I detected 3 1715 beaches on Monday and found something I thought I would share. Someone thought it would be cute to evenly distribute about 2 rolls of dimes total along the 3 beaches I detected. The first 10 or so I didn't think much about but the next 60-70 threw up a few red flags. I dug them to save the next guy with a PI the headache. They all hit the same on my CTX and had only been there a day or so. Where I come from we call this sort of thing Bad Karma.

---

SuperRick sent this photo of the crossover at Seagrape Trail a couple of days ago.  It might explain the beach closing.

Seagrape Trail Crossover
Photo by SuperRick.

Thanks Rick.

---

A mysterious earthen fort was recently discovered on a South Carolina island.

Routine GIS mapping of ancient Native American shell rings in the region between Beaufort, SC and Savannah, GA revealed the walls and moat of a fort that appears to date from the late 1500s.  It is adjacent to a man-made port on an island that is already a designated a Native American archaeological zone. 

The builders of this fort chose a location that was impossible to see from either the Atlantic Ocean or Port Royal Sound.  This suggests that they might have been hiding from the powerful Spanish fleet...

Satellite Image of the Fort.
Submitted by Dan B.

Here is the link for more about the discovery of the fort.

https://peopleofonefire.com/mysterious-earthen-fort-identified-on-south-carolina-island.html/comment-page-1

Thanks to Dan B. for sending me this link and image!

---

I was doing a little traveling and didn't get a post done yesterday.  I don't miss many days, but that was one of them.  

It looks like we're going to have nothing bigger than a four 2 -4 foot surf on the Treasure Coast for the next couple of weeks.  

Thanksgiving always brings to mind the legendary Thanksgiving storm that produced so many treasure coins.

Thanks much to all of those who contributed to today's post.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comast.net

11/17/16 Report - On The Beach Or In The Hills Some Things Remain The Same. Sanitation Workers Find Wedding Ring.

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

Showing Recovered Wedding Ring.
Source: See link below.

Sanitation workers dug through tons of trash to find this lady's lost ring.

Here is the link for that story.

http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/ny-sanitation-crew-finds-womans-lost-wedding-rings/story?id=43574824

---

Not long ago I was hunting in the hills of West Virginia.  While I was doing that I noticed several similarities to beach hunting.

It was very hilly.  You can see that in the photo I showed in my 11/14 post.

There was a flat spot about a quarter of the size of a football field.  It was down the hill from an old settlement, and I know that it was heavily used.  There were certainly many thing lost there, yet I found almost nothing there but aluminum.  Why?  Because tons of leaves piled up and rotted there year after year for hundreds of years.  The leaves were piled about a half a foot deep, then under that was partly rotted leaves, and under that very loose new soil.  Anything of any age was deep, except for the stuff like aluminum foil, which remained on top of it all.

That flat area was very much like an area on a beach where the sand is very loose.  The loose sand moves in and covers any stationary objects, just like the leaves covered more stationary objects on the flat spot.

That wasn't the only area that was similar to a beach area.  They had heavy rain there last summer. The rain ran down some of the steeper areas and washed leaves and loose soil off the slope.  The result is that some surface objects were removed with the top lighter soil.  Some things were left behind though.  That area was also very much like a beach in some ways.

You'll might remember my lengthy discussions on "trigger points" and "drop points."   When the force of water is great enough some objects will be moved and others not moved.  The same thing applies to hilly land.  (For more on trigger and drop points, see my 8/30/15 post.)

The top soil and some objects got washed down over the slopes where the slope was great enough and the water flow forceful enough.  It as on such a slope that I found the oldest coin (about 100 years old).

The same slope  was very hard packed.  That was because the looser soil was washed off with some objects.  Whatever washed off the slope ended up at the bottom of the slope, whether that was a flat area or a gully.

I'm sure that if I could move a foot or more of soil, the flat area would produce a lot of older coins and things.  As it was, the older materials were found on the slopes.

One way that that land was different from a beach is that there were roots and a lot of rocks.  The roots and rocks held some of the items that would have been moved by the water.

Old bottles also washed out of the hillside along the gullies.

No matter whether you are on a beach or in the hills, I'm always happy to see erosion.  Erosion can always uncover some older items.  It also moves sand or soil that can cover up items.

---

A six-thousand-year-old underwater site was mapped and artifacts recovered.

Here is the link to that interesting article.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/underwater-stone-age-settlement-haven-fishing-yields-mysterious-elk-antler-pick-axe-1591682

---

We're going to have a small surf for a few days, but big tides, at least tomorrow.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/16/16 Report - Earthenware Pot of Lamps and Coins. 6000 Year-Old Amulet Found. Seagrape Trail Closed Again.

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

6000 Year-Old Amulet Created Through Lost Wax Process
Source: See link below.

... the amulet was made via a process called lost-wax casting — one of the most important innovations in the history of metallurgy. The age-old process, which is still used to make delicate metal instruments today, involves crafting a model out of wax, covering it in clay, and baking the whole thing until the wax melts out and the clay forms a hard mold. Then molten metal is then poured into this cavity and cooled until it hardens. When the mold is broken open, a perfect metal model of the original wax structure remains...

The Washington Post article claims this amulet was made by a process "still used by NASA."  What a load!  I've done lost wax casting.  It is no big complicated scientific technology.  In fact, as the article shows, it has been used for thousands of years.

A detectorist should know what lost wax casting is.  Real reales were not cast in a mold.  

You can melt broken silver or gold junk finds and make new objects using the process. You can take classes on how to do it.

Here is a youtube tutorial on the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFbmtJyBthg

And here is a link to the original article on the discovery of the 6000 year-old amulet.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/11/15/this-6000-year-old-amulet-is-the-oldest-example-of-a-technology-still-used-by-nasa/

The main definition of "amulet" is something like a small object worn to ward off evil, harm, or illness or to bring good fortune; protecting charm.

I don't  know how they determined the purpose of the object was anything more than aesthetic.  At times it seems that archaeology is accompanied by tons of wild imagination.  

---

Darrel S. reports that Seagrape Trail was closed again.  He reported a variety of pieces of metal at Turtle Trail and similar miscellaneous metal finds in recent days at Seagrape Trail.

Here is an example of what Darrel dug yesterday at Turtle Trail where the blue bags are covered once again.

EO Dug by Darrel S.
Photo by Darrel S.

I can't explain the closing of Seagrape Trail.  There is no apparent reason that satisfies me.

---

Archaeologists are puzzled over the discovery of a Roman-era earthenware pot filled with oil lamps and bronze coins in the commune of Windisch, in the northern Swiss canton of Aargau...

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

http://www.thelocal.ch/20161115/mysterious-roman-remains-uncovered-in-swiss-town

---

This was one heck of a year.  I can't believe that we are coming towards the end of 2016 already.  Seems like just a few weeks ago I was doing the January 1 post.

The tide is going to be unusually high today.  Watch the tide charts.  The water level in the lagoon has not been low for months.  If it has been, I missed it.

Happy hunting,
treasureguide@comcast.net

11/15/16 Report - Valuable 1715 Fleet Lima Eight-Escudo. Early Series Mexico Half Reale.

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

Lot 30 In The Recently Concluded Sedwick Coins Auction # 20

Here is the description of lot 30, which was the gold cob bringing the highest bid.

Lima, Peru, cob 8 escudos, 1713M, encapsulated NGC MS 63, finest known in NGC census, from the 1715 Fleet (stated inside slab). S-L28; KM-38.2; CT-25. 26.8 grams. Choice full cross-lions-castles and pillars-and-waves, two full and bold dates, lustrous, broad flan, a superb specimen all around, befitting the top honors. NGC certification #4431906-001. From the 1715 Fleet, and pedigreed to the Charles Eidel collection.

The winning bid for this eight escudo was $28,000.  With buyers premium and everything, the cost was $32,900.  The pre-auction estimate was only 10 - 15 thousand, so it about doubled the estimate.

The NGC encapsulated cobs seemed to do very well.  This one was MS 63.  Maybe it is worth having such coins slabbed.

It is a pretty coin.

A 1715J Mexican slabbed eight-escudo said to be from the 1715 Fleet did nearly as well with a winning bid of $24,000.  It was MS 63 also.

Not many coins dated 1715 made it onto the 1715 Fleet.

---

There weren't a large number of shipwreck artifacts in this auction, but the one that brought in the highest bid was an Atocha silver plate.  The winning bid was $14,000.

A couple of gold chains sold for around $7,000.

---

When is a half reale worth more than an eight-escudo?  Most of the time when it is a rare early series half like this one.

Lot 574 In The Recently Concluded Sedwick Auction.

Here is the description in the Sedwick auction catalog.  Notice that it is what I have called a "celebrity coin."  It appeared in a book.

Mexico City, Mexico, 1/2 real, Charles-Joanna, "Early Series," assayer F to right (oMo-oFo), extremely rare, ex-Huntington, Nesmith Plate Coin. Nesmith-13; S-M3; CT-172. 1.60 grams. Deeply toned AVF with full legends and inner details, particularly rare (two known) and interesting as showing a new die with clean F (not F/P), desirable pedigree. Pedigreed to the A.M. Huntington collection and Plate Coin #13 in Nesmith's book.

The winning bid was $6000.

---

We're going to have a relatively small surf for a few days.  The tides will be high though.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/14/16 Report - One More Use For Test Targets. Call of Nature Leads To Important Discovery. Small Surf This Week.

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

Detectmg The Land Where My Ancestors Roamed The Frontier

I did some land hunting not long ago and posted a couple pictures from the hunt. I haven't done much land hunting lately - maybe only a few days a year.  I used a different detector than I usually use on the beach and found that I needed some refreshing.  I wasn't sure of some of the signals,

One of the things I highly recommend for most anybody, and especially beginners is using test targets of various types and under various conditions to really learn what your detector is trying to tell you.

In the past I talked a lot about using test targets.  I use test targets occasionally even with a detector that I've used a lot - not only to explore signals to various types of targets under different conditions, but also to test my settings during a hunt to see if they are the best I can get for the situation.

In this case there were ID readouts that were a little inconsistent.   There were some ID readings that jumped a bit depending upon where I passed the coil over some objects.  In order to identify exactly what that indicated, I used some test targets and placed them at different angles and then scanned them at various distances.

The depth of an object will affect the accuracy of the ID on some detectors, especially when the target gets close to maximum detectable depth.  The angle of an object can also affect the signal or readout.

The most simple way to use a test target is to lay the coin or object flat on the ground.  That is usually what is done.  Sometimes the object is buried, but almost always laying flat.

If you lay a test target on the ground you can see exactly where the coil is in relation to the target and how a change in relative position affects the signal.

Coins and other objects can be wedged against a rock or root and be on end or at an angle instead of flat.  That can affect your signal.  I think I've shown in the past how a coin standing on end can sound more like a nail or other long narrow target.

Partly due to the fact that I hadn't used that particular detector a lot recently and partly due to the fact that I wanted to investigate the cause of some mixed signals, I used test targets once again on that recent hunt.  I don't think there is any better way to get to know your detector than by using test targets, and I don't think most people do it enough.

---

“Nature called, and Cliff walked up this creek bed into this gorge and found this amazing spring surrounded by rock art,” archaeologist Giles Hamm told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “A man getting out of the car to go to the toilet led to the discovery of one of the most important sites in Australian prehistory.”

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/MiamiHerald/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TMH%2F2016%2F11%2F13&entity=Ar25E4&sk=A211F79C

Thanks to Alberto S. for that link.

I know of a few times when Treasure Coast detectorists found reales when they went to relieve themselves.

---

Darrel S. reports that Seagrape Trail is now open again.  Thanks Darrel.

We'll have a small surf most of this week, not increasing until Friday.  We'll still have some good high tides and a northeast wind.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net