6/22/16 Report - A Find Researched and Transformed. 3-D Printing To Create Scale Models of Shipwreck Sites.

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

Silver Horse-Lover's Ear Ring.

I found this silver ear ring some time ago.  Nothing special, but it looked a little better than your average mass produced ear ring.

You might find a stray ear ring and if you can't find the owner, you might think it isn't worth anything.  Some people would sell it for the silver value, but a little research might be both fun and profitable.

The other day I looked to see if there were any marks.  Below is what I saw when viewed with my Celestron microscope.

The makers mark, between STERLING and the copyright mark, is SC in what appears to be a cloud shape.

After looking around on the internet a little while, it looked like the maker might be Silver Cloud.

And here is some of what I found about the Silver Cloud company.

Silver Cloud Inc. was founded in 1975 by owner Charles Springer. Charles graduated from the University of New Mexico with a civil engineering degree. He was able to pay for college by designing and making jewelry and selling it on campus as well as local art shows.

There were other companies that used Silver Cloud in their name so I wanted to find out if this was the right one.

Below is an example of some of their products that I found on their web site.

Silver Cloud Product.

The similarities are striking.  I'm pretty sure that I have the right maker now.

So what?  Well, a pair of similar silver ear rings made by Silver Cloud sold for $135.   But I only have one.

Some people sell single ear rings, and some people wear a different type of ear ring in each ear.

Instead of trying to sell it as a unmatched ear ring, I decided to do is turn it into a pendant.  It wasn't difficult. The ear ring post was bent into a ring shape and a bale was attached.

I'm pretty sure it will sell pretty quickly.  There are a lot of people who like horses.

My main point today is that some finds might seem useless, with a little research and sometimes a little ingenuity, they can turn into very worthwhile finds.  Finding something is fun, but so is turning it into something that someone will cherish.

Always check items for any marks.  A makers mark can make a big difference in the value and can give you good information.

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I've mentioned 3-D printing a few times lately.  One was in my 5/21/16 post, now in Fox News a month later, is one example of the kind of thing I was suggesting.

Now, archaeologists in the United Kingdom are using 3D printing to bring two historical shipwrecks to life for history enthusiasts and experts alike.

Using data from photogrammetry (measuring the distance between objects from photographs) and sonar imaging, the researchers have produced scale models of a 17th-century shipwreck near Drumbeg, in Scotland, and the remains of the HMHS Anglia, a steamship that was used as a floating hospital during World War I...

"It was a proof of concept for us, trying to establish what could be done using sound and light, but there are so many different applications you could use this for," said maritime archaeologist John McCarthy, a project manager at Wessex Archaeology who carried out dives at the Scottish site and was in charge of producing the 3D models.

Here is the link for the rest of the story.  (Thanks to Dean R. for the link.)

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/06/20/centuries-old-shipwreck-recreated-with-3d-printing.html

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There is no tropical activity to watch.  The surf is decreasing and will be back down to about a foot in a day or so.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/21/16 Report - 3-D Printing and Scanning For Treasure Hunters and Coin Collectors. Virtual Tour of the British Museum.

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

3-D Printed Lion Ring
Source: ShapeWays link below.

There has always been counterfeiting.  It happens now, and it happened back in the day.  You might have noticed the contemporary counterfeit that was sold in the Sedwick auction for a good price.  Some people collect contemporary counterfeits, which are counterfeits made while the coin that was counterfeited was still in common circulation.  I'll talk about that more some other day.  Today I want to talk a little about some new technologies that maybe you didn't connect with treasure hunting or coin collecting.

Want to make a copy of your favorite coin or artifact?  You can use 3-D printing.  You can actually buy an inexpensive 3-D printer at Best Buy or Sams Club that costs less than five hundred dollars.  Those are low-end, of course, but they work remarkably well.

3-D Printer Offered On The Sams Web Site.

Sams offers basic, intermediate and professional 3-D printers.  They also offer 3-D scanners.

There professional level 3-D printers that can create very precise copies of objects in steel, aluminum, silver, gold or other materials.

I'm not talking about making a counterfeit coin to be circulated, but it might be nice to have a copy of a coin or artifact that you can carry around or display while the original remains safely stored.

I would be surprised if museums are not using 3-D printing extensively.  They often display reproductions instead of valuable artifacts.  You might remember that a few years ago a gold bar that was on display was stolen from the Fisher museum in Key West.

You don't have to do it yourself.  There are companies that will create reproductions for you.
Here is a link to one company that will do it.   http://www.shapeways.com/

I think you'll be impressed if you take a look at that web site.  They will make reproductions from originals or design something special for you.

Here is a 3-D printer buyer's guide.

http://3dprinters.3dsystems.com/printer-buyers-guide/?gclid=COjr1auS6MwCFQkfhgodC3kCzQ

A 3-D printer is a 3-D printer.  The printer can be part of the system.  You might also want a 3-D scanner to scan objects that you want to reproduce.  3-D scanners can be bought at a price that compares to a 3-D printer.

In numismatic circles, there is a discussion of 3-D printing being used to make counterfeits of valuable coins.  Some coin collectors feel that 3-D printed coins can be identified, but it might not be easy for someone that is not very expert.

3-D printing can also be used to create copies of the encapsulation holders used by certification companies.  Some people seem to be more concerned about that than the actual reproduction of coins.

Here is a link to one discussion of the problem.

http://www.ancients.info/forums/showthread.php?p=16791

A lot of coin collectors find the potential abuses of 3-D printing scary, but you might find some good uses for a 3-D printer.  Like I said, if you want a copy of a coin or artifact to carry around or display in a cabinet, you don't have to make it yourself.

Of course, there are other ways to create copies.  I'm sure you know that you can create molds etc., but 3-D scanning and printing offers one good alternative.

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While I'm on technology today, there is one more that I'll point out.  You probably know about Google Street View, and if you have been looking for a new house, you probably know that it is possible to create virtual tours.

There are some good virtual tours on the internet that you might want to check out.  Google partnered with the British Museum to create one very complete tour.  Give it a try.  Here is the link.

https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/asset-viewer/AwEp68JO4NECkQ?location=51.5185519%2C-0.127216%2C1.58%2Ck4Hf6-SfnYiDVnQjvcP6bQ

It takes a little practice to learn how to get around, but once you master it, it can be a lot of fun.

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I have a lot of topics to talk about that I didn't get to today.

We're still having flat water and easy water hunting.  The only problem is the heat and afternoon thunderstorms.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net