7/12/18 Report - Treasures of the Spanish Main and Old West - Big and Small.

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

Some beach cobs are very small.  It is not uncommon for a beach cob to be as much as one third underweight.  Some cobs are so much underweight that I call them fractional cobs.  That might not be the best word to use, but some beach cobs are less than half their proper minted weight.  They corrode, flake and break.  The above cob is one such cob.  Given its small size, it is amazing that it shows much of the cross and even part of the tressure surrounding the cross.  Some more complete cobs do not show as much.

As the picture shows, this cross is only about .75 centimeters across.  The other side is close to 1.5 centimeters.  It is thin too.

Other Side of Same Cob.

As you can see, none of the monogram is showing on this side.  It looks like it has flaked off.

That is one very small cob.  It is one of four cobs found during a November hunt in 2013 and by far the smallest and most corroded.

The reason I show it is so you will be prepared for small finds.  Cobs this small can easily be missed for a variety of reasons.

To give you a comparison, here is the same small cob resting on a Morgan dollar.

18th Century Cob Resting on 19th Century Coin, Both Found in 21st Century.

Not only is the surface area of the cob much smaller, it is also a lot thinner than the dollar.

That presents a good range of targets, going from under a gram to around thirty times as much.  And of course, even larger good targets can be found, such as ingots or bars.  That can present a bit of a challenge.  Larger targets will scream out while the tiny ones might only give a whisper.

You might not think that is any challenge for you, but I remember a time when I was so focused on gold rings that I probably passed over some very good larger targets.  If you don't dig it all, you are making decisions, and it seems to me that everyone must occasionally make a mistake.  As a detectorists, you never know what you miss.  That can make you feel like you never miss anything.

I find Morgan dollars among the most attractive coins.  Cobs have their own unique appeal.  What I like about them is solving the puzzle.  They are usually incomplete and there is a lot of information to unravel.  I'll show you a couple nicer ones found the same day as the tiny one shown above and get more into that another day.

One thing I really like about the Morgan's is the attractive lettering.

Part of a Morgan Dollar Showing Lettering and Angry Looking Eagle.

Take a look at the "I" in "In God We Trust."  Very artistic.

Reverse of Same Dollar Coin.

Notice the O mint mark.  I've found more Mexico mint cobs over the years than I have coins from the New Orleans mint.

The reale elicits images of Spanish galleons and hurricanes while the Morgan dollar reminds of the Comstock Load and the Old West - treasures of different times and places.  That is part of the appeal of metal detecting.  You never know what you will find or where it will take you.

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see, Chris has moved northeast and the remnants of Beryl are now well out to see.  They won't do anything for us now and there is nothing new of immediate interest in the Atlantic.

The tides are pretty big today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net