7/30/18 Report - One Find. Database of Ancient Finds. How To Identify Valuable Modern Coins.

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

1899 Barber Dime
Found on the Treasure Coast

Silver 19th century coins are often heavily worn like the one shown above.  It seems they were kept in circulation a long time.  As you might guess from its appearance, although it is a Treasure Coast find, it was not found on the beach.  

In this condition it might be worth around four dollars.  If it was in much better condition, it might be worth over a hundred dollars.  That doesn't seem like much when you consider how long it was lost and the difficulty of finding one in the field.  

---

Here is an interesting British metal detecting club web site including a database of interesting ancient finds.  There are many individual finds along with some hoards.

http://www.colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk/H/hoardandtreasure.htm

I think someone sent me this link back a while ago.  Sorry I forget who now.

---

I found a very good pdf document about how to identify valuable coins.  You can find them in pocket change or in your goodie box.

Here is the introduction just to give you an idea what it is about.

Almost everyone has a box, can, jar, or piggy bank full of spare change. Who knows what treasures might be found in this change? And how do you tell the difference between ordinary change and a collectible coin? Is it possible to find something worth more than face value? Yes, it is! Even better, you might be able to make some money from your pocket change.

Numismatics is the study and collection of various forms of money throughout history. It is an intriguing and rewarding hobby. Numismatists can do well given the opportunity by examining many different coins to notice differences — including comparisons among coins with the same denomination. There are subtle variations — even among coins with the same year and mintmark — and recognizing these distinctions can pay off handsomely.

A numismatist becomes skilled through years of study, but eventually the effort becomes worthwhile and it’s possible to find real treasures in your change. New collectors may become discouraged if they don’t make exciting finds right away, but patience has proven to be a valuable trait toward becoming a successful collector. Many treasure hunters say it’s not about having the treasures, it’s about finding them – the thrill of the hunt.

The guidelines provided here are intended to assist the beginning collector.

Here is the link if you want to read the rest of the 26 page document.
https://www.money.org/uploads/treasures/TreasuresPDF.pdf

___

The mind is amazing thing.  There are rare occasions when you can recall the smallest details from the most distant times.  As crazy as they might seem, dreams seem to play an important roll in taking you places in thought and feeling that you don't normally go in normal waking consciousness.  I often awake and see things differently or feel differently about things after reflecting on my dreams.  Sometimes I'm motivated by dreams, like when I wake up from a dream of finding a lot of treasure of one type or another.

Last night I dreamed I was at grandmas house, where I spent my first five years before my dad and mom built their own house.  It has been a long time since I was there and grandpa and grandma are long gone.  Grandpa and grandma were there, of course.  I hadn't seen them in quite a while.  A couple of their friends that usually visited on holidays were also there and sitting on lawn chairs in the back yard, as they often did.

It wasn't one of those real crazy dreams - just a nice visit with the past and some of the people I miss the most.  It was a little strange - but not very, as dreams are judged.  More than anything, it brought back memories.   It is surprising how much detail is stored away deep down in your brain somewhere.  You normally just can't recall a lot of what is there.

As I entered their house, I went to turn on the light over their driveway.  There were two light switches beside the cellar door.  At first I hit the wrong switch and the cellar light came on.  That is the exact position where those two switches actually were.  I remember that now even though if you asked me before the dream, I would never have been able to remember that.

So what does that have to do with treasure hunting?   No matter what the task is, you have more knowledge than you realize.  Some of it is unconscious.  You can use that.  Some people call that intuition.  It is based upon unconscious or subconscious knowledge.  There is a difference between the two, but that isn't important now.  My point is that your dreams can provide deeply moving experiences and provide greater access to knowledge and provide insight and intuition.  And secondly, you probably know more than you think you do if you can only access it.

---

Nothing new with the beach conditions.  I'll keep watching for storms or changes.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/23/17 Report - You Can't Accomplish What You Can't Imagine. Beach Today.

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

John Brooks Near Low Tide Today (Tuesday)

Notice the old cut and the new mushy sand that has filled in front of the cut.  You can see that it is mush from the foot prints.  

John Brooks Looking South Tuesday

This photo shows more of the same.

There were some shells near the high tide line.  Also there were shells near the low tide mark at another beach.

The surf was small all along the Treasure Coast.  Only one foot or so.  We're supposed to have a one foot surf for several days.

There is a negative tide today though.  

I'll try to have those pictures for you tomorrow.

---

You can't accomplish what you can't imagine.  Some people have a hard time believing how much can be found.  It seems they prefer to believe that there is nothing out there and that it has all been found.  .

 If you don't think there is much to be found, you'll become resigned to making few finds and you won't be motivated to keep working and improving.  The fact is, the more time and effort you spend the more you can find.  You can't make a lot of finds if you don't hunt much or don't work at it.  You have to believe it is possible to begin with or you simply won't make the effort.

I received an email just yesterday from someone who said he posted his finds on the internet, and people commented that it wasn't.  They didn't believe he found all that the way he did.  That was their immediate conclusion.  They missed the opportunity to see if there might possibly be something they could learn that might help them. They failed to see his finds as inspiration and motivation, but instead they let their own ego rob them of a chance to learn and improve.

I'm not saying there is no dishonesty out there.  On sites where people receive money for clicks or views, there is a motive to lie, cheat or mislead. Where books or being sold or persons are being promoted for personal gain, there is a motive.  And some people give in to the temptation.   Stories are sometimes exaggerated, misperceived, inaccurately portrayed or overly dramatized.  I recently discussed how some TV programs may not be totally honest. In short, you can't believe everything you see, but that doesn't mean you should immediately conclude that everybody is being misleading, especially when their might actually be an opportunity for you to learn and improve.

I can relate to what that fellow told me when he said people didn't believe him.  Back maybe thirty years ago I attended a metal detecting club for a few months.  I was finding a lot of gold jewelry down south and every month took my finds to the club meetings. Every month I brought more than ten times the gold finds than anyone else.   People started to say that I was cheating.  They didn't believe I could find that much.   I wasn't cheating -  I was just detecting and finding things.

One month when I brought an 18 pennyweight class ring from Pace University with my finds, one person accused me of bringing the same class ring that I showed before.  I didn't.  In fact, the first one heavy one he was referring to from an earlier month was a 20 pennyweight ring from the University of Miami.   If they would have paid attention at all, they would have known it was not the same ring. I guess they preferred to think I was not finding good new stuff every month.  It must have helped them feel better about themselves in some strange way.  I remember it so well because of the false accusation.

 After a few months of bringing my finds, NO ONE in the club even looked at my finds any more. It was like they were actually trying to avoid seeing what I brought. I guess they didn't believe me, so that was the end of my attending the club.  Before that I almost never showed any of my finds, and I rarely showed any after that.

I've heard similar things from a few other detectorists.  They say that there are people that don't believe them when they show a lot of finds.  People accuse them of lying.  Some people might lie - I'm sure some do - but some of them are not.

Some detectorists I've encountered over the years seemed to want to believe that they are just better than everyone else.  They don't want to acknowledge that they might not be doing things better than everyone else.  I've run into people on the beach that got angry at me when I didn't agree with something they said. I remember one that stomped off grumbling "I've been detecting X number of years."  I value experience and experienced people, but time doesn't mean you are perfect. Treasure hunting involves so many factors that no one can not know everything about it.  It is possible to do something poorly for a long time. I was wrong about some things for many years before I changed my mind.  There is always something you can learn.  I am studying, experimenting and learning all the time.  That is one of the things that keeps me interested and motivated.

I'm not saying to believe everyone all the time.  That would be stupid.  But when you see some nice finds - maybe some that are hard for you to believe - before dismissing it, ask yourself if there might be something you can learn from what you are seeing.  Don't miss an opportunity to learn something new when it stares you in the face.

Don't limit yourself by refusing to believe that there are a lot of good things out there.  Don't refuse to believe that it is possible.  There just might be something more out there for you to learn.  I know there is for me.

There is a lot of negativity in the world today, but negative people and negative attitudes will not get you very far.

---

I appreciate the Google Pluses that I've been receiving lately.  It tells me which posts you really like.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/8/12 Report - Alvaro Mexia, Club News & Resources

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

22K Ring Beach Find.

I've been talking about determining the melt value of finds.  I mentioned that you will find some 22K items, often from India or Oriental countries.   Here is one such example.  It is not marked but tests at 22K and looks Oriental.



Alvaro Mexia is probably the first European to map the Indian River Lagoon.  He did that in 1605 when he was sent on a mission to improve relations with the Native Americans.

You can learn more about that at the following web site.
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvaro_Mexia



The Indian River Journal is one excellent resource that you might not know about.   As an example, here is one issue.  It talks about a variety of historic topics from German WWII prison camps in Florida to Alvaro Mexia and historic old houses etc.

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=alvaro+mexia+map&s_it=tb50-ie-aolmail-ab-en-us



News from the St. Lucie Metal Detecting Club.

Meet Bernie this Saturday at Bathtub Beach 2 hours before low tide if you want to join him for a hunt.

The monthly club hunt will be Saturday August 25th will be at Stuart Beach south to St Lucia Beach.

The next club meeting is scheduled for September 15th @ 6:00 pm at the house of Bernie Cafaro.


Take your beverage. Food will be ordered from Roma Pizza. Don't forget to take your finds for show and tell.

Bernie is also planning a Fall to the Peace River.  Water levels on the Peace River typically fall around October.

Thanks for the update Bernie.


Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is from the South this morning.  The seas are about one foot and not predicted to be much more than that for the rest of the week. 

Conditions remain poor.  I'll remind you though, that there is always some place to hunt and something to be found.  When sand is building in one location, it is leaving another.  Remember that, and go where the sand has moved from.

Also watch around obstructions to the natural flow of sand, such as rocks.   Those areas can erode when nothing else does. 

Ernesto is now over the Yucatan.  The remains of Florence are still well east of the windward isles and not expected to form any more real soon.   There is, however, one area farther to the East that might form into a cyclone in the near future.  It bears watching.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net