12/12/18 Report - Another Favorite Coin Find: Ferdinand VII. Ancient Hounds and Jackals Game. Looking at Metal Detecting Views.

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

1809 Escudo Found by Jonah Martinez

Photo by Jonah.

As you can see, this is obviously not a coin from the 1715 Fleet.  It is from a very complicated time in history.

It is listed in many numismatic books as belonging to the reign of Ferdinand VII, however Ferdinand, whose reign began in 1808, was jailed in May of 1808 after Napolean took over and Jose Napolean ruled.  Ferdinand later got out of jail and returned to power.

Other Side of the Same Coin.

Photo by Jonah Martinez.

Yesterday I showed a bunch of Royals that are naturally among Jonah's favorite finds, but this one is another of his favorites.

Jonah said, 1809 8 escudo is also up there. The most expensive rare coins I’ve found are up there but 1670 or 1809 are my favorites - not worth the most but the oddest of finds where you lease expected to find them. Love the history of their journey, where they started from to the end resting place. Love the odd ones.

Thanks for sharing Jonah.   


The coins I showed yesterday and today aren't the kind of thing you can expect to find everyday, or even every year for that matter, but returning to my recent theme, there is always some place to hunt and something to find - even while you are still looking for the pot at the end of the rainbow.

You can make finds on a daily basis.  Some will be better than others.  You will want to make the best of your time.   But that depends upon what you want to do.  Some people just metal detect for the recreation.  Anything they find is a bonus.

You can be more consistently productive you are interested in a lot of different kinds of things and become more knowledgeable about each of them.  There will be times when it is easier to find one type of treasure rather than another.

One of the things I've been trying to show lately is that some of the things you might overlook can be both interesting and valuable.  That is the case with things like modern error coins or paper money.  It can also be true of fossils or sea glass.  Some people are surprised to learn that sea glass can sell for good money.   That is if you find some nice pieces.

Of course it isn't all about money all the time.  Sometimes it is just about what you like or what you are interested in.

I know that some of my favorite finds are worth beans.  I'm not set on maximizing the economic value of my finds all the time.  For me, that takes some of the fun out of it.

Back in the day, I had some time to detect a lot, and I tried to prove to myself that I could make a living at it if I wanted to.  I found out that I could, but for me, I didn't want to do that.

It is about what you like and what you want to do.  I like figuring things out and learning about things.  That is what makes it interesting.

There have been several things in my life that I worked at until I pretty much figured it out, and then I moved on to something else.  That is just how I am.  Once I learn what I can do and what it takes, I might or might not decide to continue with it.

It is all about you, and what you want to do.  If you really want to accomplish something difficult, you know it will take a lot of effort, so then you have to decide if it is going to be worth it to you.

For most of us, I would guess that metal detecting is not what we want to do with our lives.  It is just something that is interesting and fun.

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A pattern of small holes cut into the floor of an ancient rock shelter in Azerbaijan shows that one of the world's most ancient board games was played there by nomadic herders around 4,000 years ago, according to an archaeologist who has investigated the find.

Walter Crist, a research associate with the American Museum of Natural History in New York, visited the rock shelter in a national park in Azerbaijan last year, searching for traces of the ancient game now known as "58 Holes."

The game is also sometimes called "Hounds and Jackals." British archaeologist Howard Carter found a game set with playing pieces fashioned like those animals in the tomb of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Amenemhat IV, who lived in the 18th century B.C....

Here is the link.

https://www.livescience.com/64267-ancient-board-game-nomads-discovered.html

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There was a cold northeast wind yesterday, but I won't get a chance to visit the beaches today.  Maybe someone else will give some reports.  I'd expect some small cuts.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/18/16 Report - BIG SURF Coming. Ferdinand VII Reale Find. Silver Sea Salvaged Forks. Pewter Fork Handle.

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

Predicted Surf From The MagicSeaWeed Site
Link cqn be found on blog.

The first thing I want to talk about today is the predicted surf chart from the MagicSeaWeed web site.

5 - 7 feet is still predicted for Monday.  That is good enough by itself, but then we also have around five feet predicted for the rest of the week leading up to as much as 12 feet for next Sunday.

There is a good chance that the 12 foot surf will not happen, yet it could.  All in all, that is the most promising thing I've seen all year.

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Coin Find and Photos By GoldNugget

Here is a nice old "holed" coin found by GoldNuggeet on a North Carolina beach.

It is very worn, but I think it is Ferdinand VII, which would make it 1808 - 1833.

The date would be at the bottom of the portrait, but I can't make it out.

Notice the counterstamp "RSH".  Anyone know more about that?  If so, let me know.

The legend on this side should be something like DEI . GRATIA . year . FERDIN . VII

Below is shown the other side of the same coin.

The mint mark and assayer should be to the upper left of the left column.

The denomination should be left of the left column at about the 9 o'clock position.

I can not make those out.  Maybe it is F dot M above the column - not sure.

The legend on this side should be HISPAN . ET. IND . REX . NG . followed by the denomination and mint mark and assayer initial.
.
If you can correct any of this or add some information, please send me an email.

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One of the things that caught my interest at the Queens Jewels conservation lab in Sebastian is the number of silver forks.

Silver Forks At The Conservation Lab

That is a nice collection. They seem to all be very similar.

Unfortunately the State of Florida, according to what I hear, hasn't settled the 2014 salvage contract yet, so those finds won't be available for viewing or study through the state for some time.  You'd think they'd be interested in obtaining items that they determine have the most interest for the citizens of the state.  As it is, you probably have a better chance of seeing them here.  As I've shown before, most people who have viewed Florida's sea-salvaged history have done so at a private museum or display rather than through the Florida collection.

On the subject of forks, here is what has been identified as an 18th Century fork handle. This is an entirely different type, as you can see.

Ornately Decorated Pewter Fork Handle

This pewter fork handle, if that is indeed what it is, was found on a 1715 Fleet beach years ago.  I've heard that handles like this were filled with a type of plaster or wood.  I haven't seen any examples in artifact databases or anywhere.

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I'll be looking for the predicted increase in surf later today and hopefully we'll actually see the increase that is predicted for Monday.  Time will tell - real soon.

If you can correct or add to what I said about either the reale or fork handle, please do.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net