Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
The above gold nugget was found in 2014 on a cut John Brooks beach. I found it with two other smaller nuggets in the same general area on a day when no other targets were found.
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| Gold Nugget From 1715 Fleet Beach. |
Quartz matrix is still attached. You can see that in the photo.
I originally posted that photo in 2014.
Here is the link.
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2014/03/31714-report-shipwreck-gold-nuggets.html
The May 2019 Sedwick Coins auction offers a lot of seven small nuggets (See below.) that were found at Rio Mar. The lot description says that nuggets from the 1715 Fleet are rare and were probably being carried by passengers.
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1715 Fleet Gold Nuggets From Rio Mar.
Source: SedwickCoins Auction Catalog.
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Lot of seven small gold nuggets, 1.12 grams total, ex-1715 Fleet. Each up to 1/4". Very few natural gold nuggets were found on the 1715 Fleet, so it seems odd that the Fisher marketers did not separate this lot into seven individual artifacts, but fortunately these pieces have retained their original plastic artifact tag and certificate. A few of the nuggets (mostly flat) are tiny, but some are substantial, and most likely they were being carried as "tax free" wealth by a passenger. From the 1715 Fleet ("Rio Mar" site), with original Cobb Coin Co. (Mel Fisher) plastic tag and photo-certificate #CC86-025.
If salvaged 1715 Fleet nuggets are rare, my guess would be that 1715 Fleet beach nuggets are even more rare.
There was fine gold salvaged at Rio Mar too. A portable gold dredge was used with modest success.
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Sebastian Steve was a beta tester for the newly available Nokta/Macro PulseDive. It is said to have more sensitivity/depth.
Steve calls it a game-changer.
You might want to look it up.
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Recently I started trying to show how a more scientific approach can be applied to treasure hunting. I'm tired of talking about the Oak Island TV show, but it provides so many great examples, and it makes it easy for me because I know that many of you have seen the show and the things I am talking about. That saves me a ton of time trying to describe something when you've seen it for yourself.
If you think I'm hard on the Oak Island TV show, others who come from a scientific background are even more hard on them. There is no personal animus or anything, but if you have a history as a research scientist, especially in the social sciences, their approach will smack you in the face like a rock.
I stumbled on the following post in an anthropology blog, and I hope you will read it. Not only does it expand on much of what I have said, but it also adds to what I have said, and I don't have to take the time to do it myself. The post helps show the mindset I am coming from as a scientist bringing a scientific perspective to metal detecting.
https://www.andywhiteanthropology.com/blog/romans-on-oak-island-no-just-another-steaming-pilum-of-baloney-evidence-by-peter-geuzen
Here are a few excerpts from the blog to get you started.
As the show keeps trying to be about something, it keeps delivering essentially nothing. Scraps of minor finds are inevitable with the amount of digging and metal detecting going on. Give any historic location in Nova Scotia the same level of effort and you wouldn’t find much of anything different. It’s all stuff from the last couple centuries, but on Oak Island there is also stuff from all the past dead end searches...
The first line of the next excerpt sarcastically makes sums up something I've said. Taking the excerpt out of context, I thought I should point out the sarcasm.
... when swinging a metal detector turns up a pointed piece of iron, it’s best to start with a conclusion and worry about details later. Fist pumping yelps of TEMPLAR are now mandatory. The obligatory cell phone speaker call to bring over the always conveniently close by fellowship members has to happen next. The bros then high five all around and Prometheus immediately cuts to a leap of faith confirmation fantasy historical re-enactment scene, with universally condemned narration from the “Could it be?” guy. In other words they found this iron spike thing and immediately gave it a bromance declaration as a Templar crossbow bolt.
The excerpt then talks about a fake Roman pilum find. The same type of analysis would apply equally to other finds such as the few I've mentioned in the past.
I hope you take time to read it. You'll better understand much of what I've been talking about lately, and where I am coming from when I comment on the show.
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This would seem to be a good morning to do some low-tide hunting. The surf is small, but will be increasing going into the weekend when the surf will be about three or four feet again.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
