6/1/19 Report - A Good Metal Detector. Florida Shipwreck Discovered Accidentally. Couple Old Finds.

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

Mac 1 - Aquasound.

I have three Aquasound metal detectors.  They are different versions, but all were built by Herb MacDonald (deceased).   They were very productive metal detectors.  I used them when I was metal detecting heavily.

They are beach detectors, with no discrimination, but they did null over iron.  I decided to post them, although I couldn't get the photos of two of them to upload.  Not a lot of people have used them.

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Accidentally Discovered Copper-Sheathed Wreck.

Source: See Newser link below.

… In this case, however, one was found entirely by accident. Ocean researchers testing equipment 160 miles off the coast of Florida came across a wreck of a ship they believe was constructed in the mid-1800s, reports CNN. The lucky break came May 16 as scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were testing a new remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, in the Gulf of Mexico, per a release from NOAA. Much to their surprise, the ROV's sonar detected the remains of the ship in about 1,640 feet of water in the Florida Escarpment, where the sea floor plunges in steep fashion. Not much is yet known about the wooden ship itself, though it's about 124 feet long and the numbers 2-1-0-9 are visible on the edge of the rudder..

Here is the link for more about that..

https://www.newser.com/story/275914/researchers-find-shipwreck-by-accident.html

Thanks to Teklord Doug for that link.

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Did you know if you are carrying gold bars or anything valuable that you don't want to be made public when flying, you can request a private screening by TSA.  

You might find that more discreet and secure.

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I was going to post this when I was discussing spoon finds not long ago.

Old Spoon Find.

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Sanford Ink Bottle Find.

I don't think I got around to posting this ink bottle either.

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Expect some very flat surf for a couple days this week.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/30/19 Report - 137 Year-Old Gun Found. Slave Cabin Excavation (?), Painted Rock Craze.

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

Source: See link below.

A 137-year-old rifle found five years ago leaning against a juniper tree in Great Basin National Park in Nevada is now part of an exhibit dedicated to the “Forgotten Winchester” at the park visitor center near the Utah border.

The weathered Winchester Model 1873 is in a case designed to capture the way it looked when park archaeologist Eva Jensen stumbled across it on a rocky outcrop above Strawberry Creek during an archaeological survey.

Based on its condition, experts believe the weapon might have been abandoned in the forest more than a century ago. But nearly five years after its discovery, park officials still don’t know who it belonged to or why it was left against the tree. No sales or ownership records have been found...

 

https://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/ODN/MiamiHerald/shared/ShowArticle.aspx?doc=TMH%2F2019%2F05%2F27&entity=Ar9E2&sk=03879AA3&mode=text

If you are out and about, you never know what you might find.

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A possible slave cabin and/or station on the underground railroad is being excavated.

Once again a "possible" religious item was found.  This time it is a whetstone in the shape of an axe "possibly" meant to ward off lightning strikes or something like that.

Here is that link.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-cabin-archaeology-20190522-story.html

You see the religious or gaming interpretation often when the identity is difficult to determine.

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A day or two ago I posted a photo of a painted rock I found.

Mitch K sent me a few links to sites about painted rocks.  One site calls it the "creative project sweeping the nation."

The site continues...

Have you been so lucky to find any painted rocks hidden in your town?

Have you wondered what the craze is all about? Or maybe you’ve never heard of this creative trend towards kindness yet.

In short, the painted rocks are a creative project that has taken the nation by force, with the number one goal to make someone smile and brighten their day. When some one finds a rock, they can be sure it’s been painted with love from anyone ranging from little bitty kiddos to skilled artists,and everyone in-between.  Participating is something any one of any age can do, all you have to do is find one! The rocks will usually have a hashtag or Facebook page written on the back. This shows where the rock came from, and often with directions to post a pic to that area’s painted rock Facebook page or hashtag. You can either keep the rock or rehide.

That is from the JustALittleCreativity web site as well two others.

https://www.justalittlecreativity.com/2017/06/painted-rocks-creative-project-thats-taking-world-storm.html

https://www.gorock.com/

https://www.parentmap.com/article/painted-rocks-treasure-hunt-kid-craze

Thanks Mitch.
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Due to a sudden and very unexpected passing of a member of the family (not my elderly mother, but a younger member of the family), my posts may be interrupted or abbreviated for a while.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/29/19 Report - Book on 1715 Wrecks. Kang-Hsi Or Not. Couple Odd Finds.

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

Illustration from Sunken Treasure on Florida Reefs.

I had some of my treasure books out a few days ago and talked about a few of them in recent posts.  The Frank Hudson books give the general location of various sunken and buried treasures.  If you are more interested in the details of 1715 Fleet wreck sites, you might be interested in books such as Robert Weller's Sunken Treasure of Florida Reefs.  In addition to giving the location of the wrecks, he also shows details of the wreck sites and scatter patterns and a good number of photos of the more outstanding finds.

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Kang-hsi porcelain was carried on the 1715 Fleet, and can be very valuable.  I've talked about Kang-hsi porcelain in several posts and posted pictures of shards, and even provided information on how to identify Kang-hsi.  See my 3/29/13 post, for example.

Obviously not all blue on white shards are Kang-hsi.  Blue and white pottery is very common and has been for a long time.

There was other pottery shipped in the Manila galleons that was not as fine as the Kang-hsi porcelain. Lower quality pots were used for storage.

Here is a part of a cup I found.

Broken Cup.

Another View of the Same Cup..

Notice the thickness and quality of the paste.  It does not appear to be of the quality of Kang-hsi.  Beside the thickness and the coarse paste, the color sits on top of the surface.

In the past I've also posted photos of pieces of Kang-hsi porcelain that were found on the Treasure Coast.

See https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2013/12/122913-report-1715-fleet-kang-hsi.html

Here is a link to a Sothebys auction of Kang Hsi porcelain.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2014/kangxi-porcelain-n09110/kangxi-porcelain/2014/02/kangxi-porcelain-a-.html

That will give you a good idea of possible values.

And here is a Kang-hsi teapot that was found on a shipwreck, although the web site doesn't say which wreck.

https://orientalceramics.com/index.php/product/a-yongzheng-porcelain-teapot-from-the-ca-mau-cargo/

They are not always marked, but if you are lucky enough to find a mark, this site might help you.

https://antique-marks.com/kangxi-chinese-porclain.html

Both complete pieces and broken bits have been found on the Treasure Coast.

I always remember the story of one detectorist who saw a stack of plates exposed by erosion and thought nothing much of it.  He just figured they were plain old plates, but after he learned they could be valuable, he went back to find them again, but couldn't.  It could have been a fortune.

That is why I talk so much about various types of treasure.  You can walk right past a fortune and not realize it.

Here is a link to a brief but good overview of the archeology of the Manila galleons

http://www.themua.org/collections/files/original/61b274c68e00272c5e50f0af53f5b140.pdf


Introduced to Europe in the fourteenth century, Chinese porcelains were regarded as objects of great rarity and luxury.

The examples that appeared in Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were often mounted in gilt silver, which emphasized their preciousness and transformed them into entirely different objects.

By the early sixteenth century—after Portugal established trade routes to the Far East and began commercial trade with Asia—Chinese potters began to produce objects specifically for export to the West, and porcelains began to arrive in some quantity. An unusually early example of export porcelain is a ewer decorated with the royal arms of Portugal; the arms are painted upside down, however—a reflection of the unfamiliarity of the Chinese with the symbols and customs of their new trading partner...

That is part of an essay on Chinese export porcelain. Here is the link for the rest of the essay.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ewpor/hd_ewpor.htm

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I found the following corroded copper disc.  It is about the size of a penny, but has no obvious details.

Two Sides of a Penny-Size Copper Disc.

I have pennies that are one third the thickness of this disc that still show enough remaining design to make it identifiable.

The second photo shows a side has something that if you really use your imagination could be construed as a profile of Lincoln.   I couldn't really see that at all until I took this photo.  I'm not certain, but it must be a corroded penny.  That is my best guess anyhow.

I also found this die.  I thought it was wood until I magnified it.  Now I think it is bakelite.

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One person from Miami recently thanked me for the beach conditions reports.  When I don't post any on a given day it is usually because the conditions aren't much good and haven't changed much since the last time I gave a conditions report.

I used to post conditions reports more often, but it became to repetitive.  During the summer months there is usually not much change unless we have a storm or something.

Today the surf is supposed to be only two or three feet and the wind from the south.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/28/19 Report - 27 Iron Age Gold Artifacts Discovered by Detectorist. Good Luck or Bad Luck. Extra-Shiny Quarters. Religion and Gaming.

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

A Few of The 27 Gold Artifacts Discovered by A Detectorist in Denmark.
Source: See Sciencenoridic.com link below.

27 Gold Artifacts Discovered by Detectorist in Denmark.

… The most recent discovery was made by a pair of metal detectorists and amateur archaeologists in a field on the Danish island of Hjarnø, in Horsens Fjord. It was a spectacular discovery and an expensive one, containing more than 34 objects, 27 of which are pure gold.

Forgotten treasure or a gift for the gods?

Amateur archaeologist, Terese Refsgaard, alerted us to the discovery at Vejle Museums, in accordance with Danish law. And one of our first questions was whether the objects were buried together as treasure to be hidden, or whether it was intended as an offering to the gods.

Treasure is buried in a hurry to hide it during times of threat or during a turbulent situation, and is often intended to be collected again once the threat has passed. But an offering is intended to remain buried as a gift to the gods.

Sacrifices often contain a certain combination of objects, probably so that they can be used later on in Valhalla, as described in the Ynglinga Saga...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

http://sciencenordic.com/archaeologists-celebrate-spectacular-discovery-iron-age-treasure

Click on the gallery to see more photos of the finds.

In my post yesterday I pondered the possible significance of a painted stone.  When things can't be otherwise explained, artifacts are often thought to be either religious or having to do with gaming.  I get the feeling that those two interpretations are used too much.  Of course, some items are used for religion or gaming.  I just think those interpretations are used too often.

I've found most of the items shown immediately below.  I didn't know what they were until I discovered a web site that sells them.  That gave me the explanation.

Yemana Tools

Source papajimsbotanica.com.

Here is the explanation from papajimsbotanica.com web site.

Yemaya is the essence of Fertility, Protects all women. It is also known to bring you Good luck, Blessings and also attract love your way. The energy allows you to focus on your hard work to achieve your goals. Find solutions to your love, good luck and fertility problems. When you don’t seem to have the energy look to our Yemaya Tools! Includes 9 pieces.
16 peice set. 

That is a case in which the religious use was not obvious to me, but was the right interpretation.

Here are some Treasure Coast Native American beach finds.

The round item at the upper right is called a discoidal and is thought to have been used in games.  That is what the experts say.  It seems to be widely accepted that they are gaming pieces, yet no matter how much consensus there is about that, I have my doubts even though I have absolutely no expertise on the subject and should probably just accept the common wisdom.

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One day at the dollar store I received some exceptionally shiny quarters in my change.  I thought they were proof.  They were clearly different than the quarters you usually see.

Here is a brand new 2019 quarter I got in change yesterday.  It was taken out of a new roll and shows very few defects other than "bag marks" from the mint.

Nice New 2019 Quarter.

And here is the extra-shiny quarter.  The photo was taken with the same camera and lighting.

Extra-shiny 2019 Quarter.

Here they are side by side in the same photo.

Two 2019 Quarters Side-by-Side.

I found out that the shiny one wasn't proof.  It is actually silver-plated.

You can buy silver plated coins on Amazon and eBay and I think they are offered on TV at times.

Anyway it fooled me, but I learned something.

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Here is an excerpt from the amazing story of Andy O'Donnell of World War II.   Was it good luck or bad luck?  It seemed his ships always sank, but he survived.

… So what is the verdict? Was Andy really bad luck or was it all just a series of coincidences? Consider that every ship the man spent an evening aboard was sunk, even though in three cases he wasn't onboard when it happened. (Some point out that the vessel that fished him out of the water off Guadalcanal in August of 1942, the destroyer Wilson, survived the war unscathed, suggesting that the "curse" was not all encompassing, but the man did not spend the evening on the ship, having been put ashore just a few hours after being picked up. Do curses have time limits, one wonders?) The odds against such a thing happening are astronomically high. On the other hand, some might argue that other than the Bullhead, the "curse" proved to be anything but that for Andy, for he managed to survive two sinkings in three months—a feat no other American sailor accomplished. In the end, we can only wonder about the farm boy from Olathe, Kansas, and how the stars and planets all managed to line up in such a way as to make his story possible....

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.ourcuriousworld.com/AndyStory.htm

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I just got a good lead the other day when my wife was talking to someone she knew.  There is a crumbling chimney and junk spread around in an overgrown area.  I plan to check it out sometime.

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We are into summer conditions now and the beaches won't change often except when we get a storm.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/27/19 Report - Memorial Day 2019. Burial Flags. Facts. Treasuring.

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

The VA Service and Distribution Center (SDC) supplies burial flags to VA facilities and U.S. Post Offices (USPS) throughout the country and around the world.  The flags are then issued directly to funeral directors and families of deceased Veterans.  Burial flags are provided free of charge to the next of kin of honorably discharged Veterans.  Additional information on burial flags and burial benefits is available at the NCA Home Page.

Here is the link to the National Cemetery Administration.  Among other things, it tells you how you can get burial flags, such as the one above, and gravesite markers for veterans.

https://www.cem.va.gov/burial_benefits/burial_flags.asp

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According to a recent poll many people think that Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer. Others think it is the same as veterans day. 

Did you know that the first observances of what we now refer to as 'Memorial Day' were intended to honor those who died in battle during the Civil War. Claiming more lives than any other conflict in U.S. history, the Civil War required the establishment of the nation's first national cemeteries, according to History.com.

Here is a link that will take you to a site that tells many more interesting facts about Memorial Day.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/did-you-know/13-memorial-day-facts-you-didnt-learn-in-school/ss-AAB5KlB?ocid=spartandhp

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I picked up this painted stone a couple days ago when I was taking a walk.  It is obviously nothing special, but it made me think a little.

Painted Stone Recently Found.

I know it was probably painted just a few days or maybe weeks ago - maybe at Easter time, but I wondered what if I didn't pick it up and it was found by someone a hundred years from now?  Would it be valued as a historic artifact if it was found in the year 2119.  I don't think so, but maybe.  How about five hundred years or a thousand years in the future?  Then it might be thought of as something to study,  Would our current age and culture then seem like a lost mystery and something of interest to study?  I really don't know, but I suspect it might.

Even now there are questions.  Was it done by a child?  Was it nothing more than an art project, or was it meant to have another purpose or significance?  

One natural response would be to say, it's a painted stone, and that would be the end of it. But it might have meant a little something more to the person who made it.

It could have had a personal significance, such as these memory stones that I found online.

So, I'll be putting it back.

I once found something similar in the ocean, except it was ornate and made of metal and had an inscription to the deceased.

I'll never know exactly what the painted stone is about, but for some reason I encountered it, in the same way I encounter so many objects along the way.
  
We talk a lot about treasure, but "treasure" can be either a noun or a verb.  As a noun it refers to a concentration of wealth.  As a verb it suggests the act of cherishing.

Different people hunt for different kinds of things.  Some people want to find what ever they can sell for the highest price.  They tend to treasure what is valued highly by others.  Other people like objects that might not be the highest priced, but lead them on a journey or tell a story.

Is there an art to treasuring?  Do some people do it more or better than others?  I suspect so. 

If you study an object, you might learn to appreciate the object more.  You might connect the object to other people or history or yourself in a more meaningful way.  

You can add value to an object by studying it.  The history and provenance can make it more valuable.

An otherwise ordinary object can be turned into a treasure, if you treasure it.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.  I suspect it works the other way too.  Where you heart is, there will your treasure be also.

Treasure those that are with you today, and treasure the memories of those who are not.

Thanks to those who fought and died for us.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/26/19 Report - Memorial Day. Soldier's Remains Recovered. World War II Victory Medal. Pelikan Not Swan. True Whale Story.

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

World War II Victory Medal.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the Victory Medal.

The World War II Victory Medal was first issued as a service ribbon referred to as the “Victory Ribbon.” The World War II Victory Medal was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945. The medal was designed by Mr. Thomas H. Jones and approved by the Secretary of War on 5 February 1946. Consequently, it did not transition from a ribbon to a full medal until after World War II had ended.

The Congressional authorization for the medal specified that it was to be awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of the Government of the Philippine Islands who served on active duty, or as a reservist, between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.

Reverse of Victory Medal.

On the internet these are usually shown hanging on a ribbon, but this one does not have a hole for hanging.

Source: Wikipedia.com

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Source: Military.com (See link below.)

SEOUL, South Korea -- Body armor that belonged to American soldiers along with Chinese gas masks were unearthed with the remains of Korean War dead in the heavily fortified border area that divides the peninsula, the defense ministry said Thursday.

Search teams have found 321 bone fragments and nearly 23,000 items from soldiers who died during fierce battles in what would later become the Demilitarized Zone since April 1, according to a press release...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/05/24/us-body-armor-found-remains-korean-war-dead-dmz.html

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Thanks to Daniel S. for helping me with the "Swan" ink question. What I thought was a swan on the ink bottle cap is actually a pelican. You'd think I'd know what a pelican looks like!

So the ink bottle is actually from the Pelikan company, which is still in operation today as a Swiss subsidiary.

I couldn't find any evidence of Swan ink being connected with Germany, which was embossed on the bottom of the bottle, so that explains sit.

Pelikan Ink Bottle With Label.

In 1832 chemist Carl Hornemann founded his own colour and ink factory in Hanover Germany. Here at Pelikan though we tend to consider the 28th of April 1838 as the founding date, as it was the date on the very first price list. All company anniversaries are therefore based on this date.

Antique Pelikan Ink Ad.

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Man ALMOST swallowed by whale.

Here is the link.

https://spiritdailyblog.com/strange-things/modern-day-jonahs

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Honor those who lost their lives in the service of our country.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/25/19 Report - Breastplate with Carved Desert Glass Scarab. Old Swan Bottle. Hurricane Season Predictions.

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

King Tut's Breatplate.
Source: TheJewelerBlog link below.

Among the items decorated with gold, silver and precious gemstones was a breastplate depicting the god Ra as a winged scarab carrying the sun and moon into the sky. The scarab was carved from a pale greenish-yellow stone that Carter originally identified as chalcedony, a translucent variety of quartz.

A decade later, British geographer Patrick Clayton found samples of a similar glass-like material while exploring the Libyan Desert along the border of modern Egypt and Libya and classified it as Libyan Desert Glass (LDG).

In a recent article published at Forbes.com, geologist David Bressan explains that LDG forms when quartz-rich desert sand is exposed to a heat burst of 3,600°F and then rapidly cools. Modern researchers noted that LDG has a different crystal structure than common quartz and contains traces of rare minerals and unusual elements, suggesting they could have been part of a vaporized meteorite...

Here is the link.

https://thejewelerblog.wordpress.com/2018/11/07/tutankhamuns-breastplate-features-a-scarab-carved-from-rare-libyan-desert-glass/

Also see

https://www.livescience.com/65503-glass-egypt-desert-meteorite-impact.html.

That story goes along with my 5/18/19 and 5/19/19 posts that mentioned Hiroshima sea glass and Trez's Trinitite collection.

Those were caused by atomic blasts while the glass that was carved into Tut's yellow scarab, it seems, were produced by a meteor strike.

If you want to see tektites, Libyan Desert Glass and the like, here is web site where you can do that.

https://www.meteorites-for-sale.com/tektites-for-sale.html

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Found Ink Bottle With Cap On and Dried Ink Inside.

I seldom find a bottle with a cap, but it does happen, but not only does this bottle have its cap, it also has some of the original contents.

I'm not absolutely sure I know the company, but I think I do.  The cap shows a swan, and the bottom reads 78 - GERMANY.

Top and Bottom of the Same Bottle.

I did not find information on Swan Ink, but I did find an ad for Swan fountain pens.  Since it was common for the companies that made or sold fountain pens to also sell ink, I think that the company that made Swan pens also made Swan ink.

Here is the ad.

My conclusion is that the Mabie, Todd, and Bard company sold the Swan ink.  The one problem I have with this conclusion is that the bottle is labeled GERMANY, and so far I have seen no reference to the company being in Germany.

For more on Swan and other fountain pens see http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=1343.

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Fountain pens were popular in the 1920s and 1930s.  Did you know that fountain pens were preferred for legal documents because experts could tell what kind of nib was used.  That information could be helpful if there was some question about a possible counterfeit signature.

Can you also believe that when I went to school the desks had a hole for a 2 oz. ink bottle, and the children used a sharp metal pointed fountain pen for classes in penmanship?

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NOAA is predicting 9 - 15 named storms and 4 - 8 hurricanes this hurricane season, which is about average.

Here is the link.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-season-2019-hurricane-center-reveals-atlantic-forecast-outlook-today-2019-05-23/

Those hurricanes may or may not make landfall.

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The tides are small now, and the surf is running around two or three feet.  There will be no big change in the surf for at least a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net