10/31/17 Sedwick Educational Seminars and Live Auction Beginning Soon. 1434 Gram Gold Disk From Luz Shipwreck. Centavos Or Not.

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

You can view the lots in person on Wednesday and attend the educational talks.  If you are not in Orlando, you can view the educational talks that will be streamed live on the Sedwick facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/sedwickauctions/

Here is the schedule of events.

Schedule of Events:

| Wed., Nov. 1 -12:00 PM EDT  Lot Viewing starts at the DoubleTree Hotel

| Wed., Nov. 1 -1:30 PM EDT  - Jorge Proctor, Numismatist and Researcher: "The Forgotten Mint of Colonial Panama"
| Wed., Nov. 1 -2:45 PM EDT - Manuel Chacón, Curator, The Central Bank of Costa Rica: "Costa Rica  Numismatics"
| Wed., Nov. 1 -3:45 PM EDT - Carlos Jara, Numismatist and Researcher: "Central American Provisional And Provincial Mints"
| Wed., Nov. 1 -5:00 PM EDT -  Capt. John Brandon, Shipwreck Salvor: “Overview Of Historical Shipwrecks”

| Wed., Nov. 1 -6:30 PM EDT - Dinner sponsored by Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC

| Thurs., Nov. 2 -10:00 AM EDT - Floor and Internet Auction starts and lot viewing continues throughout the day

| Fri., Nov. 3 -9:30 AM EDT  - Floor and Internet Auction starts and lot  pick-up available after 1:30 PM.

| Mon., Nov. 6 -11:00 AM EST - Internet only Session Auction starts (Note: Daylight savings ends)

Below is shown lot 213, which has an auction estimate of $80.000 to $120,000.

Lot 213 in Sedwick Treasure Auction no. 22.
Source: Online Sedwick Auction catalog

And here is the lot description.

Large gold disk, 1434 grams, fineness 0.926, marked "XXXXV" and monogram of V over upside-down V, from the Luz (1752), ex-Sotheby's, ex-Ponterio (cover photo). 3-7/8" in diameter and up to 1/2" thick. A very bright and attractive ingot with boldly inscribed markings, the natural pits and crevices generally filled with encrustation that includes small barnacles and what appear to be hatched eggs. While at first the monogram on this piece appears to be XX for 20K (a logical fineness for such ingots, although testing shows this ingot is .926, over 22K), the lack of serifs in the middle points to that marking being a monogram instead, mostly like an owner's mark, especially since the same marking appears on many other ingots from this wreck. In fact, the other marking on this bar, XXXXV, is almost certainly a serial number 45, in series with other ingots showing the same owner's mark. In his book El Naufragio del Navio Nuestra Senora de la Luz (1968, reprinted in 1992), researcher Juan Alejandro Apolant gives the entire history behind the Portuguese galleon on its Spanish-leased journey all the way through the sinking and subsequent salvage and even auctions of recoveries starting in 1753, and he transcribes the ship's manifest to show that ingots like this one were packed in leather-wrapped cartons marked with the same ciphers on the outside as on the individual ingots, which were referred to as "doblones con la marca de enfrente" (interestingly, the ingots were itemized based on their values in milled 8 escudos rather than actual weights). Because so many of the ingots recovered and offered in our time bear this marking, we surmise that they were part of a large consignment that the manifest shows was made by the governor general of the River Plate Provinces, destined for the King of Spain himself. Curiously, some of the other ingots recovered bear other markings that can be linked to various Jesuit missions, following the 1750 Treaty of Madrid that set a line of demarcation between Spanish and Portuguese colonial territories in South America (which eventually resulted in the Guarani War of 1756, also called the War of the Seven Reductions, which took place between the Guarani tribes of seven Jesuit Reductions [native populations governed by European missions] and joint Spanish-Portuguese forces). The boundary drawn up between the two nations was the Uruguay River, with Portugal possessing the land east of the river (now Brazil). The seven Jesuit missions east of the Uruguay River, known as the Misiones Orientales, were to be dismantled and relocated on the Spanish western side of the river. Therefore it is believed some of the ingots on the Luz were possessions of these relocating missions and were being shipped back to Spain for safeguarding in preparation for the move and conflict. In any case, whether this ingot was the property of the Jesuits or the King, it is undeniably attractive and intrinsically valuable and full of history. From the Luz (1752), pedigreed to the original Sotheby's auction of March 1993 (lot 765) and to the Ponterio auction of April 1997 (lot 2147), in which it was pictured on the back cover of the catalog, with Sedwick photo-certificate.

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Steve from Sebastian is still not sure about one side of his Cuban coin.  He made the following rubbing.

Rubbing of Obscure Side of  Steve's Find.
Submitted by Steve

Below is one of the original photos.

Photo of Same Coin.
Submitted by Steve

My reader's mostly seem to think it is a centavos, the denomination of which can be determined by the diameter.

I think the questioned side looks very much like a circle in a star, such as the one on the coin shown below.

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On the Treasure Coast the weather is about as nice as it could be.  We only have a one foot surf, but it is a beautiful time to be out on the beach.

Happy hunting,

TreaureGuide@comcast.net

10/30/17 Report - Beach Conditions. Unexpected and Old Shipwreck Find As Told By One Blog Reader. Converting Junk Beach Finds.

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

Happy Halloween.

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I took a look at a few beaches yesterday.  Here are some photos.

John Brooks Beach Looking North Yesterday Just After Low Tide.

A lot of sand yesterday at John Brooks.  The beach had very little form and was fairy mushy.  A good bit of sand was moved around in recent days or weeks.  That is a lot of area to search.

John Brooks Beach Looking South Yesterday Just After Low Tide

The same thing to the south.

Surf  Breaking On Bar at Walton Rocks Yesterday Just After Low Tide

The surf was a little rougher than I expected.  It was really pounding the sand bar here.

For the next few days expect a one to two foot surf.

Frederick Douglas Beach A Little After Low Tide Yesterday

Frederick Douglas Beach had a little more form to it than John Brooks.  You can see a dip near the top of the photo.  Rocks and heavier things were washed up there.

There has been a dip around that area been and off for months now even though the sand has been moved a lot.

I don't know what the Vero/Sebastian beaches are like.  I suspect they are similar, but it is possible that a spot or two has opened up somewhere on the Treasure Coast.

There is a north wind and a north swell, but the surf is supposed to be only a foot or so today.  We haven't had too many north winds or swells for quite some time.   Too bad it comes with such a small surf and moderate tides.

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I receive a lot of email from guys that have done a lot.  Some have made important archaeological discoveries, made big finds and done a lot of treasure hunting and shipwreck salvage, but they are probably not the names that most people know.  They usually aren't the best self-promoters, but if you knew what they accomplished, you would be impressed.  They deserve a lot more credit than they get.  A few have written books, but they still aren't the big names that everybody knows.

Steve from Sebastian, who found the mystery coin that has the Cuban seal on it, has done a lot of treasure hunting and shipwreck salvage - much of it in the Great Lakes but also the Treasure Coast and other areas.  He has been at it for 40 years or so.  Here is one interesting experience he related to me.

... They have an expert at NGC that is a specialist on just foreign coins.  I had a cuff link in my effects when I visited with my wife.  The cuff link had a Roman image “coin like” object in it.  (The shipwreck it came from foundered in 1865.  The loss of President Lincoln was still fresh on everyone’s lips).  

He spotted this cuff link in my brief case as he introduced himself, and grabbed it and without a word, ran off to “the inner sanctum” (where -nobody- from the public goes) as I thrilled the president of NGC, with stories of the wreck, and five divers being lost over the years.  (Multiple salvage attempts) 1715 Fleet ???  (;

15 minutes went by before the foreign specialist returned.  He handed it to the president, and with an amazed smile like a young child declared...”the coin is real!”  A -200 BC- Roman Silver Denarius!  So I then had the honor of recovering the -oldest coin ever recovered...bar none...from a shipwreck on The Great Lakes!!!  (:

Thanks for sharing Steve.

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On a much less serious matter...

At the top of the page you see not a Jack-O-Lantern but a Coco-Lantern.   It is made entirely of things found at the beach, including one coconut, copper wire, small candle that I think is called a tea-candle, and aluminum can.

The hollow coconut was carved, top cut off, holes drilled for handle, aluminum can cut to line inside of coconut to reflect light and candle inserted.  So it is all made of beach finds, except I used two eyelets to attache the wires.  I could have done without them.

I like picking up things at the beach that can be transformed and used.  I don't like buying things.  I like finding them.

One day I found about 30 unused tea candles on the beach and collected them all.  They'll also come in handy at Christmas.

Here is a picture in light.  I could have taken time to carve it more artistically, but I thought it was fun.

Happy Halloween,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/29/17 Report - Tropical Storm Philippe Affects Florida. Numismatic and Archaeological Journal Began Just After Civil War.

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

Tropical Storm Phillipe
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Tropical Storm Philippe dumped rain on the Treasure Coast Saturday and will be pulling away from us on Sunday.  There is a north wind and we were supposed to get some north swells, but the surf was to remain small.  I don't think the north swells will do much because of the small surf.  Maybe I'll get a chance to check it out.

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Yesterday I posed a link to issues of  the Numismatist published in 1910.  Today I have some more good numismatic reading for you: a free google ebook consisting of volumes 1 and 2 of the American Journal of Numismatics and Bulletin of the American Journal of the American Numismatic and Archaeological Society from 1866 and 1867.

I suspect that coin collecting has been a hobby almost as long as there have been coins.  CoinSpot.com says that Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome is frequently cited as one of the first coin collectors. Augustus ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD and is known to have accumulated coins and given them as gifts.  There is just something about coins and their variety that makes them natural collectibles.

It is interesting to think that just after the U. S. Civil War a publication for numismatics and archaeology was started.

In the first issue the combined journal and bulletin explained the need as follows.

If you browse the free ebook I think you'll find much of interest.  One section was devoted to new coin finds, mostly being hoards made in various parts of the world.  Here is one of the several described.

Several were discovered in earthen vessels and a couple more in leather bags.

On page 106 will be a found an article on coins and metals made of historic materials.  The emphasis is on the source of the metal used to make such coins or medals.  Here is one reference to coins made of metal obtained from the Plate Fleet and New World Spanish silver.

The editor's of the new journal encouraged the first readers to be more than reader's and contribute their individual knowledge and experiences as follows.

That was long before the internet made it so easy for those of similar interests to share, yet the need and benefit was much the same as it is today.  As they say, The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Click here to browse that publication for yourself.

You might like to see what was going on in numismatics and archaeology in our country about 150 years ago and just after the end of the Civil War.  

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I started to do some videos for YouTube.  I'll get back to that again before long.  I also have another work planned that I have been putting off for quite some time.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/28/17 Report - Tropical Storm Coming. Schooner Dollars. Coin Collecting in 1910. 8 Reale From Bonsteel.

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

Tropical Storm 18
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Tropical Storm 18 is headed towards Florida.  It doesn't look like it will do us much good though.  We'll eventually get some north winds and swells but the surf will be small.  A lot of the wind will be coming from the west.

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The following was published in 1910.

That interesting little account came from a free google ebook composed of volumes 23 and 24 of The Numismatist, beginning in January of 1910.

The price of $1500 was in 1910 dollars, so it would be more like $36,000 in today's money.

You'll find many interesting articles, ads and illustrations.  Just click on the link above to browse that free ebook.

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The following cob was originally found and sold by Darrel S.  He found the pictures online.

Photo Clips Submitted by Darrel S.

Here is what Darrel said.


I sold this coin many years, ago. It was found with 2 others underneath Chucks Steakhouse, north of Bon Steel lot.

I see my stuff pop up time to time..

Obviously, there was no flipper, info, or certificate. Just my word. Interesting.


As you probably know, Bonsteel is known for the many half reales, not so much for larger denominations.

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There is a TV program on the Science channel you might like.  I think it is called What On Earth.  They do a little too much hookum, but if you can tolerate that, they show some interesting stuff.

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I lost my first attempt at a post today.  I had a lot of it done and then lost it.  I think there was something else I talked about, but that is all I'm going to do now.

I think you'll like browsing the Numismatist.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/27/17 Report - Irma Uproots More Than Trees. Beach Changes Overnight. More Thoughts On Mystery Object. Cyclone Developing Now.

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

Photos by Joe D.

Yesterday I received the following message along with the attached photos from Joe D. 

Just read today's [ yesterday.s ] post.  I was out before sunrise to continue hunting the same area as yesterday, which was about 21 hours ago.  And the beach had drastically changed in that span of time.  The sandbar that I mentioned yesterday had made landfall with a vengeance and made anymore hunting here pointless for now.  (See pics for a same spot comparison).  But the sunrise was fantastic!             Also, here's a large piece of debris that had to have come through one of the inlets, or from the Keys via the gulf stream.  It's a large chunk of mangroves and soil, and probably weighs several thousand pounds.      Joe D.

Thanks for the report and pictures Joe.

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Hurricane Irma Uncovered Native American Artifacts.

Archaeologists are sifting through the root balls of twenty trees on Marco Island that were uprooted by Hurricane Irma to see what Calusa artifacts might have been uncovered.

Here is the link to that story.

http://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/environment/2017/10/25/hurricane-irma-might-have-unearthed-calusa-artifacts-marco-island-preserve/795862001/

Just before I read about that, I read an email from Darrel S. about checking where trees have been uprooted.

I talked about various sources of erosion yesterday and should have mentioned that I do always check where trees have been uprooted.  A lot of the time I have found nothing there, but a few times I have made nice finds that way.  A few were 1715 Fleet finds.

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I think the mystery coin that Steve found does show a Cuban seal on one side.  Thanks to Brian M. for pointing us in the right direction.  Both Steve, who found the coin, and some readers question if the other side matches that of a ten centavos coin.  Joe D. sent this picture of a two centavos coin with the following message.

Picture of Two Centavos Submitted by Joe D.

 Joe said,   I was just comparing Brians coin picture with the one posted today and I noticed something in the star that didn't mesh. I looked on coinect.com and found what I think is a better match for the star. It's a 2 centavos based on the pattern I see in his pic ( here's a pic). The 1 and 5 centavos don't match either, so I believe it's the 2!

The trouble with that is that Steve believes the coin to be silver.  The two centavos is not.

The earliest Cuba coins with that kind of seal was the 1915 coins.  A similar seal, but one that looks to me less like that on the mystery coin, was used as early as 1897, but those coins had a female head facing right  on the other side.

Here is a good link for Cuba coins.

https://en.numista.com/catalogue/cuba-2.html 

I like the process of how these mysteries get closer to a solution over time.  We make progress with each step as different people contribute and we have to take new facts and opinions into account.

Christopher P., on the other hand, thought mystery coin might be a badly worn medallion such as the "First Communion" medallion shown below.  He sent the following example.

First Communion Medallion
Submitted by Christopher P.

I guess there is some possibly it could be a medallion rather than a coin.  Lets see what Steve, the one person that has the advantage of looking at the coin in person, thinks.  I don't know if we have an exact match yet, but I think we are getting closer, thanks to those who have contributed their research and ideas.

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It isn't too late to have a hurricane.  In fact right now there is a system developing down near Mexico that has a 50 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

On the Treasure Coast we'll have a couple days of small surf.

The cool air is more comfortable than all those 90 degree days we had this summer.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/26/17 Report - Erosion in Jupiter/Juno Area. Cuban Silver Ten Centavos. Erosion Is Erosion.

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

Joe D. sent the above pictures from the Jupiter/Juno area.  He says that the got more erosion this week.  You can see that in the pictures.  Notice also the nice shell line.

Thanks much Joe.

I haven't been able to get out since the last pictures I posted, so I have seen what the beaches are doing for myself.  Thanks for any reports.

UPDATE:  Joe D. tells me these beaches have changed in the past 21 or so hours.  More on that later.

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It looks like Brian M.could have identified the mystery coin I showed yesterday.  The mystery coin looks very much like the Cuban 10 centavos shown here.

The coin is silver and was made in this design from 1915 to 1949.

Here is the link Brian sent.

https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/uploaded/XavierOfGreen/20110825_1915cuba10centavos.jpg

Thanks much Brian.  Looks like a good match me.

I very much appreciate the help.

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The Dare is returning to Key West from the hunt for the Lost Merchant and will be gearing up to work on the Atocha or Margarita site.

Storms move sand in the ocean as well as on the beach. The Fisher organization flew over the Atocha and Margarita sites and was able to see the Margarita main pile from the air after it was uncovered by the storm.

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Treasure hunting, especially beach and shallow water hunting is very much about moving sand. Erosion is key, no matter how it happens or where it happens.

Erosion can be caused by wind, rain or waves and currents. We don't often mention wind or rain erosion, but whenever it happens to any significant extent, I always check it out. 

Erosion caused by wind is usually not a big factor, but it can be helpful.  There have been times when I walked a beach looking for anything that might have been uncovered after the beach was scoured by strong wind. Wind erosion can uncover non-metallic as well as metallic targets.  You might find shards or fossils or other things.  It also gives you a chance to take a look at whatever is normally hidden by the top layer of sand.  Important clues can be uncovered.

Rain can also be an important source of erosion. There are places on the Treasure Coast where million-year-old fossils are uncovered any time it rains.

Back from the beach or inland, little gullies produced by rain can be worth checking. I remember finding some nice historic artifacts in a little gully back from the beach near a historic site.  There are places like that which you can't detect, but a little erosion gives you a chance to see what lies under the surface.  I've also found some older silver coins in gullies cause by rain.

On the Treasure Coast we are always waiting for some good erosion to the beach or dunes, but I very much enjoy checking out erosion at inland sites too. Creeks and rivers are always moving earth. One of my friends usually hunts river banks up north and has found a lot of Native American artifacts by that way.  Camp sites were often near creeks or rivers.  Bottle dumps are often found in small dips or valley running downhill towards a larger creek.

Always check out erosion no matter how it was created. It doesn't have to be huge to be helpful. You might discover a find or at least see something that provides a good clue.  

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Enjoy the nice cool weather.  

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/25/17 Report - Mystery Coin(?) Find for ID. Very Early Astrolabe Found. Bernard Romans Resources.

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

Find by Steven B.

Other Side of Same Find by Steven B.

Steven B. found this mystery object. Can you help identify it for him?  Let me know if you have any thoughts on its identity.

Here is what Steven said about the find.

I found this last Sunday at one of the 1715 sites. I cannot seem to match the patterns barely visible. The obverse shows a star or fort type image, the rear a shield with possibly two rows of stars along each side the shield. 

Same size as a quarter, just a 1/16 less. Reads 72 on my White's Coinmaster GT. Bright spot was a small speck of shell attached. Bright shiny silver color underneath when shell chipped off. Weighs 1.3 grams. Any ideas???

Notice how the color looks very different in the two photos.  That is one thing that makes it more difficult to identify items from photos.

Please send me any thoughts on what it might be.
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One of the Earliest Known and Recently Discovered Astrolabe.
Source: BBC.com  (See link below)

...It is believed to date from between 1495 and 1500.

The item was recovered from a Portuguese explorer which sank during a storm in the Indian Ocean in 1503.

The boat was called the Esmeralda and was part of a fleet led by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the first person to sail directly from Europe to India....

Astrolabes generally date between 1500 and 1700.  This one appears to be one of the earliest.

Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41724022

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Darrel S. sent me the following message and photo.

Was in Cedar Key recently and visited the Whitman Museum. I have not been in that museum since childhood, although I have been to Cedar Key several times this year.

There was a facsimile copy of the original book that was written when he charged La Florida during British occupation.

There is knowledge of his map, but rarely do you see or hear about his diary or book. One of the best sources of the 1715 wrecks, sites, and bearings is briefly mentioned. He only wrote a brief description on the map, but was enough for Lip to make his discovery of the 1715 Fleet.

The image of the map I have sent to you before. The multiple sections. The original was close to 6 x 8 feet and was published by Paul Revere.

Thanks Darrel.

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On the Treasure Coast we have a small surf.  A nice cool front moved in and the wind was from the west this morning.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/24/17 Report - More Post-Irma Finds. The Meaning and Derivation of Names Such as Nuestra Senora de las Nieves. Preserving Iron Artifacts.

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

Lead Shot and Half Reale
Finds and photo by DB

I've shown a number of Irma finds, including a lot of musket balls and a piece of gold.  Here is another post-Irma find.

With the photo I received the following email from DB.

Hello,

I started reading your blog not too long ago. I've learned a lot from them and always like to see cool finds from the area. I found my first Spanish coin and wanted to share with you. A half reale and little musket ball from a beach in IR County...

Thanks and keep up the good work!

Congratulations on your first Spanish cob DB!  Thanks for sharing.

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The shipwreck off of John Brooks is commonly thought to be the Nuestra Senora de las Nieves

Nieves is a Spanish surname and a female given name from the title of the Virgin Mary Nuestra Señora de las Nieves meaning "Our Lady of the Snows."

Many of the names of Spanish ships refer in Mother Mary in one say or another.  Here is an article about various names and references to Mary.

It begins, Mary has many names, or shall we call them titles? The Litany of Loreto refers to many different titles of Mary, but not all of them. Some of her titles refer to a city name corresponding to an apparition location, for example, Our Lady of Lourdes or Our Lady of Fatima. There are also devotional titles of Our Lady such as Our Lady, Undoer (or Untier) of Knots. And then there are many variations of titles which all have a unique history. One such devotion is to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Good Help...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

http://catholicexchange.com/our-lady-of-good-what

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In my previous post I showed an an old anchor find.  Here is another smaller one.  It isn't as old.

Anchor Find Before Conservation and Coating.

I showed this anchor before, but what I wanted to say about it today is how I finally coated it.  I used clear Rustoleum after getting it stabilized.  Since coating it with Rustoleum, which I did five or more years ago now, it has shown absolutely no signs of deterioration.  It is very important to get it stabilized first before putting on any coating.

I like the clear glossy finish for some items, but you can chose any finish you like.

Here is what it looks like after it was cleaned and coated.

Anchor Coated With Clear Glossy Rustoleum.

It can take a good while to stabilize iron, especially if it has been in salt water.  I've talked about that before, but will refer you to the TAMU web site for tips on how to conserve iron items.

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The Treasure Coast surf is calmer now.  It is only a couple of feet, which will give you a chance to get a little farther out at low tide.

We're supposed to get some nice cool air, which I like a lot better than the 90 degree summer stuff.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/22/17 Report - Remarkable Find of a Missing Piece. Anchor Find. Blowing Up.

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

Source: See link below.

Did you ever make a find that was not all there?  Maybe it was a piece that was broken and part of it was missing, like maybe a piece of a gold chain.  Whenever that happens you should carefully look for the rest of it.  Maybe it will show up.  One time I found a piece of chain and kept looking and found two more pieces of the same gold chain.

It is always a good idea when you find something to come back the following day and check in the same area again.

It isn't the same thing, but I once found a gold ring in a puddle in a parking lot.  I looked until I found the stone.

Brian M. had the following to say about Ken A's Irma gold find that I recently posted.  Brian said, I thought Ken’s find looked like a loop off the top of a pendant or a cross.  I’m sure he is looking for the rest of it.

If you find the missing pieces of a broken item they will usually be found close by in the same area, but here is a story about how a missing piece may have been found miles away.

A small silver fitting has been found during excavations of the Viking fortress “Borgring” in Køge, east Denmark. It resembles one of the three missing parts of a distinctive Gotlandic box brooch previously discovered at the Fyrkat fortress in Hobro, north of Borgring.

The Fyrkat grave was one of Denmark’s richest female graves from the Viking Age, and belonged to a shaman or sorceress who the Vikings would have held in extremely high regard.

If the silver fitting found at Borgring really did originate from the same box brooch it would suggest that the woman had travelled between the castles, which were presumably built by Harold Bluetooth--king of Denmark between 958 and 987 CE...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://sciencenordic.com/tiny-ornament-may-have-belonged-harold-bluetooth%E2%80%99s-shaman

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Here is a Treasure Coast find from years ago.  I don't think I ever posted it.

1800s Anchor Found on the Treasure Coast Years Ago.

This anchor is similar to the shape of those they used to have along the Vero Beach walkway.  It is an 1800s anchor.

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Ophelia didn't affect us but I recently mentioned how Ophelia uncovered ancient remains on a beach in Ireland.  Ophelia also caused something else unusual in Ireland: a waterfall blowing uphill.  Here is the link to the viral video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn-SGR_ySMk

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The surf is decreasing on the Treasure Coast.  By Wednesday it will be down to a 1 or 2 foot surf with a southerly swell.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/21/17 Report - Could Irma Find Be Oro Corriente? Salvaged Silver Bars: Markings and Manifest.

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

Gold Found on Treasure Coast Beach by Ken A. After Irma.

You might remember the Irma 1715 Fleet beach gold find made by Ken A..  I showed it just a few days ago.  Here it is again.

I noticed a piece of oro corriente in the Sedwick auction and thought it looked very similar to Ken's find.  

Lot 20 in Current Sedwick Auction.

Here is the description of the auctioned piece.

Gold "oro corriente" cut piece with choice full "f" stamp for Ferdinand V of Spain, 80.10 grams, from an unidentified early 1500s wreck in the Caribbean. 1-5/8" x 1/2" x 1/2". Rectangular edge-cut of a thick gold disk of undetermined fineness (probably around 20K), with three sides (all but the outer edge) crystalline in texture (broken, not sliced), granular bottom but smooth top marked with partial circular tax stamp and full "f" in box, believed to be one of the earliest markings known on "oro corriente" pieces (used in place of coins in areas where coins were not yet made or available), with small spots of black but otherwise fairly clean. From an unidentified early 1500s wreck in the Caribbean.

It looks like Ken's piece could be a piece cut off a larger piece.  It would not be easy to see if there are any marks inside the rolled piece, but Ken should take a good look for any sign of a mark.  I'm sure he did.

Ken's piece could have been intentionally bent for easy concealment or other uses or bent by the forces of nature over the years.  

Anyhow, it looks to me like that could possibly be what Ken's find is.  Or maybe just a cut piece.

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Atocha Silver Bar in the Current Sedwick Treasure Auction.

A few days ago I briefly talked about this Atocha silver bar that is being auctioned in the current Sedwick treasure auction.  The stick-figure TA monogram. or what the auction catalog calls a cartouche, is the kind of thing that really interests me.  It indicates a specific person, the owner/shipper.  In this case the owner/shipper was a man named Tirajo.  I decided to look into the subject of such owner/shipper marks a little more.  It turns out that they have been well studied and there is a lot of documentation on them.

There were 1,038 ingots on the Atocha.  A number of ingots were from Potosi, but the above ingot was from Oruro.

A register of the Atocha cargo was maintained by the silver master, Jacove de Vreder.

Corey Malcom did an article entitled Simon de Torres' Shipment of Five Silver Ingots Aboard the 1622 Galleon Nuestra Senora de Atocha, which was published in The Navigator: The Newsletter of the Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society, Vol. 23, No. 1, January/February 2007.

The five ingots that were the subject of Malcom's study were owned by another private shipper, Simon de Torres.  Here is what Malcom's study has to say about those ingots.

All of those ingots bear Torres’ distinctive “TR” sigla, along with mintmarks, tax stamps, fineness values, registry numbers, and assayer’s bites. Each bar in this shipment also bears marks whose purposes are not recorded or understood. Chief among these, a large “V” is believed to be the mark of the Atocha’s silvermaster Jacove de Vreder, who would have stamped this after registering the ingot. (An alternate theory suggests that it might be a Roman numeral five, symbolic of the quinto, a tax of one-fifth the value of the bar.) Most of the Atocha silver ingots bear this particular mark. Also, a cross, which is found on these particular bars in association with the “V” stamp, suggesting it had some sort of official function. Two other stamped marks are a small, well-defined Omega near the assayer’s bite on bar number 346, and an unusual “X” near the bite of bar number 342. It is assumed these two also served an official function because of their purposeful placement so near the assayer’s sample.

Here is an illustration explaining the various marks on the silver bars.

Source: Malcom Study
See link below.

It is not often you can find so much information about a treasure find.  It is fortunate that the treasure is so well marked and the ship's manifest is available to document these pieces.  In my opinion, that makes the treasure much more valuable.  Not only do we have the existing bars, which have been salvaged, but we can also track them to a particular person, source and destination.

Although we know much about the five salvaged silver bars that Simon de Torres was shipping, we don't know what happened to him.  Maybe he was lost at sea like his five silver bars that were salvaged in 1985.

Here is the link to the Malcom study.

http://www.melfisher.org/pdf/Torres_Five_Silver_Ingots_Atocha.pdf

The study is not long but very informative.  You might want to read it.

The registered silver bars on the Atocha were generally well marked like those of Simon de Torres.  Not all silver bars being sent to Spain from the New World were so well marked.  Below are two more examples from the Sedwick auction.

Lot 217 Current Sedwick Auction.

Lot 218 Current Sedwick Auction.

Sometimes there are multiple marks, indicating multiple shipper/owners.  Sometimes one mark would be over top of another, perhaps indicating transfer of ownership.

The information found on these bars is unusual and provides an excellent starting place for additional research on the individuals and history of the New World.

You'll find, though, that not all silver bars are so well marked.  Some silver ingots and bars are not marked at all, perhaps being smuggled and therefore not listed on the ship's manifest.

Here is another Atocha silver bar.

Source: Christies web site.
See link below.

Here is the link describing that bar.

http://www.christies.com/features/Jill-Waddel-examines-a-silver-ingot-from-a-shipwreck-8022-1.aspx

You'll find a variety of Atocha bars on the internet, many with the kinds of cartouches you see above.

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On the Treasure Coast today we have a four to six foot surf.  The temperature is a little lower.  That is nice.  The swell will be from the east.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net