5/12/17 Report - Custom-Made and Hand-Struck Fine Cob Replicas. Great Information On Gordon Cooper and the Cooper's Treasure TV Show.

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

Yesterday I mentioned that you can get cobs made according to your specifications.  The die and cobs are made using the same methods used in colonial days.  The result is a very nice hand-struck replica.

The name of the business making these replicas is the St. Augustine Mint.  I'm not sure where it is located though.

Here is the link where you can learn about either buying replica cobs or having your own made.

http://saintaugustinemint.bigcartel.com/products

There is also a YouTube video that shows how these replicas are made from an ingot or planchet.

Here is that link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifFQY9FxXc8

I wondered about this, but towards the end of the YouTube video it is said that a small "COPY" mark is added.

I've seen fake coins (not from this business) on which the COPY mark was so small or well disguised that it was very difficult find.  COPY marks can also be reduced or removed.  I've seen that before too.

These replicas are beautiful, and if one ended up on the beach or in your scoop, you might not recognize it as a fake at first glance, especially if it was out there long enough to corrode a little. Otherwise it would look too good, perhaps still showing lustre.

I recommend that you check out the YouTube video.

I can't fault anyone who wants to make a replica for any of a variety of good honest reasons.  As a metal detectorist it is possible to dig up the real thing, but you might also pick up a very good replica or very poor copies or even what you might call fantasy pieces or play money.

It is sometimes fairly easy to identify a cast copy, but a well made and aged hand-struck replica might be more difficult.  It would not present some of the tell-tale signs common to a cast copy, such as a seam.

Replicas, such as those sold by the Mel Fisher museum, have been found on the beach.

If you found one of these fine mint replicas on a beach, the first indication you might notice is that it looks to good too be real.  It could be too shiny, and the ones I've seen in the pictures are more complete than what you will likely find on a beach.  They mentioned that the die for one replica required referring to several different real examples because any single real cob, unless it is a "royal" will be missing some of the design.  Real cobs typically do no show the complete design because of low spots in the surface, or because of the irregular shape of the cob or poor striking.  And corrosion can reduce a real beach cob by 30 percent or more.

The weight of these replicas is not what a genuine newly minted cob should be either.  They tell you that in the video.

By the way, as I've said before, although beach found cobs are often not the correct weight, weighing a found cob can still help you determine if it might be real or fake.  It should fall within certain limits if it is real and made of either gold or silver.

I think I am fairly good at identifying a newly dug cob in the field at first glance.  The last one I found showed absolutely no detail.  It was totally encrusted, yet it just looked like a cob to me.

If not totally encrusted, silver beach cobs will typically have a very characteristic grey or black color. They will clearly show the effect of weathering and salt water.

It might be worth looking at the web site and video, especially if you do not know how cobs were originally made.

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It never ceases to amaze me.  I hear from real experts all the time, and they provide really great information.

As you know, I've been mentioned the Cooper's Treasure TV show a few times lately and conducted a poll to see how people felt about that TV show and a few other shows.

I just heard from James Oberg, a retired rocket scientist and author, who was a colleague of Gene Kranz, who I mentioned yesterday.

James wrote two articles about Gordon Cooper and the TV show.  Both articles were published in The Space Review.  Below are the links.

“The magic MacGuffin of Mercury 9”

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3228/1

I think you'll enjoy reading both of those.  They are packed with good information.

The first article debunks the "secret sensor" and the "five thousand photos" claims.

The second bears the title, Loss of Faith -- Gordon Cooper's post-NASA stories.  

I really enjoyed both.

James Oberg also pointed out that "Cooper's flight-annotated ‘flight plan’ was sold at auction last year,

there is no mention of any latitude/longitude observations of any surface anomalies in the catalog description."

The following was posted by James on various comment threads.  So far he has recieved no substantial reply.

I need some help figuring out how Cooper did the map. This is the best I can do reconstructing the scenario but I must have missed or misunderstood something important. As I see it, Cooper’s only opportunity for a near-overhead daytime view of the Turks & Caicos area was on the 4th orbit, when he was talking to the Cape Canaveral Capcom [Wally Schirra] between 04:40:04 [HH:MM:SS] as he passed over Houston, to 04:45:52, for 5m 48 s [traveling about 1740 miles] or slightly more…. The ‘as-the-crow-flies’ distance of Houston to ‘Turks and Caicos’ is 1530 miles, so by the time the comm link was lost he was hundreds of miles past the islands. As the voice transcripts show, he was busy talking about spacecraft systems and experiments [such as a flashing beacon sub-satellite just jettisoned for visual tracking tests] the entire pass. He turns the in-cabin television camera on. They discuss emergency landing opportunities, how much he had eaten, and medical samples. Towards the end of the pass Cooper describes the view of Florida, indicating his small window is pointed north rather than straight down as would be needed to be eyeballing the islands passing beneath him. The suggestion he ALSO has secretly turned the window down and is surreptitiously scribbling hidden notes about what he observes near the islands doesn't seem to fit in. A day later he follows the same track but is deep into preparations to fire retrorockets to return to Earth, so no sightseeing either. When did he spot the anomalies and log them?

Thanks much James.  I appreciate the information.  I also think I'll become a reader of The Space Review.

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I've noticed that the Cooper's Treasure posts in this blog are still popular and get a lot of readers.

We're still having a small surf on the Treasure Coast.

It won't be long until the salvage season heats up.  I hope things go better in the water than they have on the beach so far this year.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/4/17 Report - Cut Beach. Another Mystery Find. Columbus' Anchor? T.H. Puzzle.

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

Sweet Three Foot Plus Cut.
Photo by Dustin P.

That is one nice looking cut.  Notice the dense line of shells.  The bigger shells are higher up and then small pieces below.  That is definitely something that should be checked out.  The slope below the shells is interesting too.

It is north of the Treasure Coast.

Here is what Dustin said about the cut.  I took a walk on the beach over my lunch break today and was pleasantly surprised by how deep the cuts were. They are about 3 1/2 feet at the tallest and you can really see how much sand has been moved. There is hard packed sand the whole rest of the way down to the water line... This is actually deeper than the cuts that were made by the hurricane last Nov. For whatever reason I guess since its right on the point of the Canaveral beach furthest east the beach will cut every time the wind shifts. Usually not this much though...

Thanks Dustin!

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Here is another mystery find.  It is one of a few items found by Julie B. in the Vero area recently
Let me know what you think it might be.

Corroded Iron Mystery Object.
Photo by Julie B.

Another View of the Same Object.

Another View. Of Julie's Object.

Let me know what you think.

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Darrell Miklos of the Cooper's Treasure TV show claims to have found the anchor of Christopher Columbus.  

...Analysis of the anchor, which was found off the Turks and Caicos islands, reveals that it dates to between 1492 and 1550. The overall size of the anchor and its estimated weight of between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds indicates that it was a “bower” anchor from a 300-ton vessel, the typical size of a Columbus-era ship.  (Now that is a more reasonable statement. TG)

The discovery will be revealed in the next episode of the Discovery Channel docuseries "Cooper's Treasure," which airs at 10 p.m. ET Tuesday. “That anchor is from Christopher Columbus,” says historical shipwreck discovery specialist Darrell Miklos, who led the Caribbean expedition, in a clip from Tuesday’s show. “I am telling you, stick around, this is just the beginning of an amazing story.”

Here is the link.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/05/02/experts-discover-christopher-columbus-anchor-at-caribbean-shipwreck-site.html

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Here is a little puzzle.  There is no right answer - at least not one that I know is right for sure without testing it out.

Lets say you found an old house on blocks.  It is up off the ground by just enough for you to craw under without getting stuck, but maybe you can't get to all of the area because some places are too tight to get into.  You don't know what type of treasure might be under the house.  What type of equipment would you want to use and what tips would you give for how to conduct the search.

Send me your answers.  I'll assemble, summarize and discuss the ideas that I get on this.

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I'm working on loosening up the Bausch and Lomb canister that I found, hoping to open it up without damaging it.  That is for me an unusual find.  I am wondering what the story is.  Who in the area had an old brass microscope, and how did it end up where it was found?

Objects have stories.  Sometimes the story remains lost and sometimes it is discovered.  I've said this before, but for me, much of the value is the story.

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I hope you'll help with the identity of the mystery item and the search puzzle.  Also I posted a new poll.  I hope you'll respond to the poll.  I'll have a follow-up to that one when it is done.  We'll see how trustworthiness relates to enjoyment.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/27/17 Report - More On Cooper's Treasure Show. Salvage Lease Process In The Bahamas. Blog Provided Touch of Home to Deployed Detectorist.

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

Sometimes I wonder why I do this blog. But then I get an answer.  That happened just yesterday.

I got an email from Dustin P. who mentioned reading this blog.  He said, I started following your blog while I was deployed in the middle east last year May 2015 - June 2016... It was something that I looked forward to reading every day while I was deployed and made me feel a sense of comfort from home. 

Thanks Dustin!  I never imagined that my blog would provide that type of connection for someone deployed overseas.  Thanks for your service and your kind words.

Dustin started detecting a few years ago around Belle Chase, which had a military base since 1742.  He did his research and made some nice finds.  Now he is stationed at the Canaveral Naval Air Station and is using a Fisher F2 on the beaches around there.  Besides some of his older finds, he occasionally finds rocket parts, which he turns over to the base historian.

I received some emails concerning the Cooper's Treasure TV show.  Maybe you read my previous comments on the show.  I caught part of the second episode last night.

The readers of this blog are very informed people and I often get some great information.  I got an email from James F. who had some contact with the producers of the show back when it was being formed.  Here is what Steve told me.

A year or two ago, I got a bunch of e-mails from the producer of this series, asking about gamma ray spectrometers, knowing I had done some classified stuff for Lockheed Space Operations Corporation (LSOC); I had done some spacecraft electronics work. He asked me how far a spectrometer could sense a change in gamma radiation from Gordo's spacecraft and the answer was somewhere within 6 to 30 feet or so...anyway...not very far, given the technology of the day. He didn't seem to like that answer very much and asked me a few more questions, to which he didn't like the answers very much either. The classified communication transcripts and NASA data are no longer SECRET or even CONFIDENTIAL anymore. There is nothing remotely mentioned in any of these documents (I looked) or even the thinnest theory to support the pretext of this "show" Your feelings are correct...the whole thing is BS.

Thanks James.  All of the emails I've received concerning the show are from people who have serious reservations about it.

After viewing the short segment of the show that I saw Wednesday night, I did a little google search on Roger Miklos (who had the map that Darrell Miklos wanted), who appeared on the Merv Griffin show in the 70s along with Gordon Cooper.

You can find that Merv Griffin show online easy enough.

One thing I found was the following link to an article talking about Roger attempting to get a salvage lease for a project in the Bahamas a few years ago and complaining that a multi-million dollar contribution was be required.  That article was more interesting to me than the TV show.  Here is the first three paragraphs.

The Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation (AMMC) chairman yesterday denied that underwater salvage/exploration licence approvals were being tied to multi-million dollar donations to preserve historic Bahamian sites.

Courtney Strachan’s denial came despite Tribune Business possessing a January 22, 2013, letter to one salvage licence applicant, in which he promised to “personally pursue” Prime Minister Perry Christie for an approval if the latter was able to secure a $22 million donation to the Historic Bahamas Foundation.

In the letter, shown here on Page 1B, Mr Strachan tells Key West-based applicant, Roger Miklos: “Further to our meeting and discussion (January 22, 2013), you are prepared to show good faith by securing a commitment for a donation of $22million to the Historic Bahamas Foundation.”

Here is the link if you want to read the rest of the article.

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2014/jun/19/22m-donation-tie-to-salvage-licence-denied/

The article seems like it might provide some insight into how things are done in the Bahamas.

On the TV show last night, Darrell visited the Houston Space Center, which reminded me of the time many years ago I sent my parents to Space Academy at Huntsville.  It was really a big hit with my dad, who is now deceased.  Probably the best thing I ever did for him.  My mom still talks about meeting John Glenn there.  Unfortunately they didn't come back with a treasure map or file on UFOs.

Back to the Cooper's Treasure show.  At the end of episode 2 when Darrell, who appears to live in the Melbourne, Florida area, jumped off his boat  and right onto a completely visible steel wreck and swam around holding a Vibra-tector in his hand like an over-grown lolly pop and claimed that the wreck validated the chart.  Anyone could draw an arrow on a chart and go out and jump on a wreck.

I probably spent too much time talking about this show.  It does have a lot of Florida connections and touches on things that interest all of us.  I don't know what the general population thinks of the show, but I received several emails about the show.  So far, Darrell Miklos is coming off very much like what he called his father - "a flim-flam man."

We are all interested in treasure hunting, but the last thing we want to see is a hoax that reflects poorly on the hobby and the industry of treasure hunting.

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The surf is small but we are getting some good negative low tides on the Treasure Coast.  That could open up a few good opportunities.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/22/17 Report - Cooper's Treasure TV Program. Pirate Mucknell and His Ship.

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

There is a lot of publicity for the new TV series Cooper's Treasure.  I didn't watch the entire first episode.  It seemed hoaky somehow to me.  Maybe it was just me.

It starts right off the bat with the title, which in my opinion was poorly chosen.  As soon as I see the words "Cooper" and "treasure" linked, I think of D. B. Cooper, not Gordon Cooper.  Then the first half of the first episode (which is the part I watched) seemed like a real stretch.

Anyhow, it is something worth checking out.  Maybe it will actually turn out to be good.  So far I don't have a good feeling about it.

Here is the link for more information about the show.

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/04/17/nasa-astronauts-space-treasure-map-sparks-hunt-for-caribbean-wrecks.html

Thanks to Chrisopher P. for that link.

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While conducting research on another topic, I found an interesting book.  It is about the pirate John Mucknell and the search for his ship.

Wikipedia says Mucknell was a commander in the East India Company.  He became the leader of a band of pirates that commanded seven ships from around 1644 to 1651.  The flagship was his 44-gun East India Company ship, the John.

A shipwreck hunter, Todd Stevens, believes he found the wreck of the John and wrote a book about the adventure.  The title is Pirate John Mucknell and the Hunt for the Wreck of the John.

You can read a free preview online by using the following link.

https://books.google.com/books?isbn=1467001597

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The Big Questions of Life.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

That is eventually replaced by, "What do you do."

After that, on those very rare occasions when someone cares enough to ask, the question is, "What did you do."

Then they ask, "Did you take your pills."  And you ask, "What day is it."

It doesn't take long.

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The surf is supposed to pick up a little tomorrow.  The wind hasn't been coming from the right direction and the surf has been only two or three feet most of the time lately.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/19/17 Report - Piedmont Bar Most Likely Identified. Porcelain Doll's Leg. Cooper's Treasure TV Show. Research Tip.

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

Found Antique Porcelain Doll Leg

I've found porcelain doll legs and arms before.  At least one was exactly like this one.  I sold it quickly and for a good price.  Below is a listing for very similar but slightly different porcelain legs that are listed on Ruby Lane.

The one shown above was found just a couple of days ago.   I'm wondering if it wasn't from the same doll as the one I found before.  The new leg isn't in perfect condition like the one I previously sold.

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The first episode of a new treasure hunting program aired last night.  It started out referring to astronaut Gordon Cooper having detecting equipment on a space mission and keeping track of "hits" as he circled the globe.  The first episode then introduced a huge file of maps and notes on sunken shipwrecks and a few of the first exploratory dives.

You might find it interesting.

This web site will tell you more about the series.

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/coopers-treasure/about-coopers-treasure/

Thanks to Dean for the link.

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We have a good idea of what the mystery bar shown yesterday might be.  Bill P. and Dennis S. provided some great information.   The mystery bar appears to be a solder bar.  I found several examples in the literature.  Below is one example.

Source: http://www.oatey.com/doc/Bar_Solder.pdf

While I did not find a picture of a solder bar marked Piedmont, Piedmont is a common name associated with tin and soldering materials.

As you can see form the above illustration, solder bars were used in many applications ranging from automotive to roofing to  plumbing.

Thanks to my readers for the quick and excellent responses.

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Always be alert to construction or anything that changes the landscape, whether an old deck or driveway is being removed, or a house is being torn down or trees are being removed.  Those things can open up new detecting territory.

Back some years ago they were removing the Australian Pines from some of the public parks.  When that happened there were a few finds made where the trees were removed.  That is just one example.

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I always learn something interesting and useful while researching things like the mystery bar.  While doing that research I ran across several old mining and other professional journals, many of which provided some good reading and helpful detecting tips.

You can find journals and magazines that go back a hundred years or more online.  They can give you a lot of history.  While doing my research I saw where there were various kinds of mines, mills and other businesses that could be good hunting grounds.

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Thanks to all who send me questions, comments and answers.  It helps me a lot.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net