4/18/20 - Mystery Find. Diggin Dog. All-Time Engaging Posts From Blog History.

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

Small Heart Pendant Find.

I got around to look at some old finds again.  Some I never figured out.  Here is one of those.  It is a small heart pendant photographed on top of a US quarter.

Both sides have a metal mesh that is puffed out some and the frame appears to be made of two halves that were once shut at the tip.  Below gives a side view (left) and shows a closeup of the tip.  It looks to me like the tip was at one time soldered shut.

You can see how the mesh sides puff out so there would be room for something to be enclosed inside.  The tip looks like it was connected.  There are no hinges, but I sprang it open to see if I could see if anything was in it.  I didn't see anything.

I'm wondering what you think.  Was it made to contain something?  If so, what might it be?

I would like to hear what you think.  Any and all ideas appreciated.

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People are not the only ones making finds.  Susan E. sent a photo of a wheatie recently unearthed in her yard by the dog.  He often unearths shards and things, but this time he got a coin.

Find Made by Diggin Dog.

Photo by Susan E.

I usually check anywhere animals have dug, including mounds created by gopher tortoise.

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South Carolina will announce the opening of public beaches and stores next week.  Social distancing, will still be enforced on the beaches.

Jacksonville's governor seemed to be happy with the results of his beach opening, even though there were those who protested.

Of course, as with anything these days, some people don't like it.

No one would dare repeat Roosevelt's quote, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself," these days.

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Do you know what topic addressed in this blog resulted in the most active and positive response?  I received literally hundreds of emails in response to a post about a State of Florida bill that was thought to threaten beach access.  I received tons of emails about that.  There was almost unanimous consent among the detecting community and people were eager to add their names to a petition to prevent beach access being restricted.

Do you remember when a federal judge ordered Odyssey Marine to turn over $500 million worth of Spanish coins salvaged from a wreck to the Spanish government?

If not see  https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-spain-shipwreck-idUSLNE81J01C20120220

Did you ever read about the battles between the Fishers and the government and between the State of Florida and the Federal government to determine who owns certain wrecks?

See https://people.com/archive/mel-fisher-finds-millions-under-the-sea-and-the-courts-now-say-its-all-his-vol-9-no-19/

Do you remember when St. Lucie decided to prohibit metal detecting in their parks?  That also resulted in a petition and numerous emails.

How about the topic of beach renourishment?  That has been a popular topic in this blog.

The rift between treasure hunters and archaeology has been a common topic.  I believe it has been an important topic that has seen some improvement in recent years.

Or who owns the salvage rights, and how are finds distributed with the State of Florida.?

Or maybe you were detecting or swimming in front of a big resort or beach club and were told you couldn't do that.  I've addressed that topic too.

People wonder when the storms come, why beach accesses are closed without any apparently justifiable reason.

Our tax dollars are continually dumped onto the beaches in the form of sand that won't last.  We've discussed that.

I could go on, but my point is simple and undeniable: you can't separate politics from metal detecting or treasure hunting.   The are intertwined.   Metal detecting and treasure hunting could be banned.  It has already been panned in some places, and there are those, such as some archaeologists, who would like to see it banned.  And it could be if you aren't interested, informed, active and involved.

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I understand DeSantis has give municipalities the right to open additional beaches.  I would expect additional beaches to open soon, but we'll see.

They really did build that wall.  It is a wall of gates, barricades, and yellow tape that walls off hundreds of miles of beaches.

The surf is only around 3 or 4 feet now.

Happy Trails to You.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/30/19 Report - Shipwreck Ring Finds. Cloisonne, Enameling and Reverse Intaglio. Weather Systems to Watch.

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

Copper Alloy Ring Found on Treasure Coast

Find and photo by John C.

John said, Found this ring maybe 15-20 years ago, on a Treasure Coast beach, pretty sure its shipwreck, mainly because a fellow Beach Hunter found one identical around the same time I found this one, found on a beach where we find quite a bit of 1800 material, Roberts wreck, or whippy, but we also find 1715 on that Beach as well.  Here's another small copper artifact with glass? 

Copper Alloy With Glass.

Find and photo by John C.

Thanks John.  Congratulations on the nice finds, and thanks for sharing.

The ring looks very similar to those I posted from Deagan's book yesterday.  Certainly of the same general style.  The item shown in the bottom photo looks like it could possibly be from a similar ring.

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Scott C. told me of a cloisonné piece he found years ago that looked like it could be the back of an ornate pocket watch. He said it had the winding hole where it should be and the design on it was a large fleur de lis. Most of the enameling was gone but traces remained. He said he might be able to send a photo. I'd like to see that.

Thanks Scott.

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An email from Susan E. led me to an interesting article on foiled reverse intaglio crystals.  Crystals are carved and colorful foil applied to make beautiful buttons.  Below is a link to an article describing the process.

http://www.dpaglia.com/crystal3.htm

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Talking about enameling and cloisonné, here is another piece that I found.  It is one inch, top to bottom.  Unfortunately I don't remember where or when I found it.

Enameled Pendant or Charm.

One inch high.

Edge of Same Item.

While it looks fine when viewed normally, a closer view reveals corrosion and wear.

Corrosion on Same Item.

I'm unable to provide any more information on the item at this time.  Maybe you can.

The outlines are nicely raised.

If you don't get anything else out of this, I hope you realize that you should keep finds organized and labeled with where and when you found them, along with any other important information.  After a few years, you might not remember, especially if you've found a lot.

Some things you don't think much of when you find them, but later when you know more, they might be more interesting.

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I haven't received much word about salvage finds lately.  That can either mean that not much is being found or they are on a hot spot and don't want to say anything until they are sure they got it all.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There are now a couple areas to watch on the National Hurricane Center map.

One is in the Caribbean and the other is coming off of Africa.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net



 

7/24/19 Report - System Developing in Gulf. Eagle Pin Identified. Starting Discussion on Factors Involved With Dating Dug Items.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We have a new system in the Gulf that has a 20% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.  It is just below Louisiana now.  The map is getting more active.

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I thought the eagle pin I showed yesterday wouldn't take long to ID.  Mitch King was once again the first to respond saying that it is a navy petty officer third class collar insignia.  Mitch provided the following link.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petty_officer_third_class

DJ confirmed that adding, ...construction port office third class rank in the US NAVY.  DJ provided this link.

Scott B. also got it.

Thanks much guys!  

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I plan to develop a list of factors that can help identify the age of a found object when the age is unknown or uncertain.

There will be a lot of times when a single factor will not be definitive or conclusive.  There will be times when one factor might provide a degree of confidence and additional factors will add to the level of confidence.  At other times it might seem that some factors are suggesting one answer and other factors are suggesting another answer.

I think the exercise of developing the taxonomy will help us become more clear and precise in our understanding of the various factors to be considered and how they contribute to an estimated date range.

For many who hunt the Treasure Coast, there is one type of target that is on their mind - 1715 Fleet treasure.  When they look at a newly dug find, what they wonder if the item might be from a Spanish shipwreck.  I've received many questions over the years that seem very binary - is it an old shipwreck treasure, or not.  That is the primary interest.

There are times when you look at something and it seems the age is obvious enough.  In more complex cases, a single factor might not be definitive or conclusive.  Some factors provide more help than others and are more reliable than others.

You might end up with some pieces of evidence saying one thing and other factors saying something else.  Some factors might deserve more weight than others.  I'll attempt to quantify that to whatever extent I can.

Right now I'll just throw out a few random general factors.  

 Factors for determining age

Shape
Material composition

Amount of wear from usage
Corrosion

Stamps or markings

Context or stratigraphy

Known history of the area
Scientific age testing ie. radiocarbon

I'm just throwing that out now as a place to start.  The list might become longer and it will definitely become more detailed.

I am aware of detailed checklists for certain types of objects.  For example, SHA has a very good one for bottles.

In going through the exercise, I'm sure I will learn a lot and hope that others benefit too.  

I'll kick off this discussion with one simple and super-easy example today.

Small Silver Pendant of Charm.
Approximately 3/4 inch wide.

Here is a dug pendant or charm.  It is approximately 3/4 inch wide.

The shape of the object is very recognizable.  It appears to represent a known historic structure.  It looks like the Acropolis to me.  If that is true, we already have a starting date, but the pendant appears to show the Acropolis in a state of decay.  That could be helpful in some cases, but in this case the object at first glance doesn't seem very old anyhow.

Acropolis In State of Decay.

The recognizable shape provides some quick information, but if we turn the pendant over we are very fortunate again.

Back of Same Pendant.

Look at the bonanza of markings.  There is a country name, maker's mark, and mark of purity.  And it is all very readable without having been cleaned, although magnification does help.

The markings provide a lot of date information too, but I don't have time for all of that today.

Just one more quick comment on the context -  it was found on a volleyball court in front of the Fountainbleau Hotel.  That adds information too.

That was an easy one.  I could post a lot more if I got more into the stamped markings, but I'll have to do that some other time.

We'll eventually look at more difficult examples.



Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/18/18 Report - $36,000,000 Marie Antoinette Pendant. Lucky Pennies and Coins. Great Mint Error Coin Database.

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

Diamond Peral Pendant Worth $36 Million.

What do you think it is worth?

Well Sotheby's, who you'd think would know a bit about such things, thought this pendant would bring between one and two million dollars at auction.  Boy were they wrong!

The item was described as exceptional and highly important natural pearl and diamond pendant, 18th century.  But there is more.  Set with an oval diamond supporting a diamond bow motif and a slightly baroque drop shaped natural pearl measuring approximately 15.90 x 18.35 x 25.85mm, hook and hinged back fitting, the pearl and diamond bow motif were suspended from Marie Antoinette’s three strand pearl necklace; the single stone oval diamond surmount formed the clasp of that same necklace...

That might add some value!  Something did.

Although bidding started off pretty much as expected, it didn't end as expected.  Someone paid over $36,000,000 dollars for it.  That is something like twenty times the auction estimate.

That, I guess, is what it is worth - for now at least.  It might change the next time it goes up for sale.

So why do I talk about things like this.  Are you going to find something that was owned by Marie Antoinette?  Probably not.  But it is possible that you might someday be lucky enough to find something once destined for Isabella Farnese.  Still, that isn't the primary reason I talk about such things.

The primary reason is that people often ask what something is worth.  It helps to know how to value items, and you can always learn a little about that by watching how things are sold and what price they bring.

So what are the determinants of the price in this case.  I suspect that the diamonds, pearls and workmanship had something to do with it, but I think there was a bigger factor - the provenance of once being owned and worn by Marie Antoinette was a huge factor.   But I'm sure there was even more to it than that.  One person thought for some reason it was worth that much and had the ability to pay for it.  At this point, I don't know why the winning bidder thought it was worth more than anybody else that participated in the auction.  That is something that maybe only they know.

Selling well is largely a matter of getting things in front of the people that most appreciate them, and in the case of very expensive items, also have the money to spend.

I've said this before, but one thing I like about selling items, although I haven't done it much, is getting the item to a home where it will be appreciated.

Here is the link for more about the pendant and other items auctioned from the Bourbon/Parma family.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/royal-jewels-bourbon-parma-family-ge1809/lot.12.html

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I've been talking a good bit about holed coins and lucky pennies and such things.  You've probably heard some variation of "Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long, you'll have good luck."  Some people say "If it is heads up, pick it up, but if it is heads down, leave it on the ground". A heads down penny is supposed to be bad luck, I guess.  It has also been said that a found penny should not be kept, but turned heads up and passed on to a friend or stranger.

In Ireland and parts of northern Europe it was said that pennies belonged to fairies or leprechauns, so when you found a lucky penny, you were to spit on it and throw it into the nearby bushes or foliage to return them to the creatures and receive good luck in return.

You've probably heard of the traditions of placing a coin under the cornerstone of a new building or under the mast of a ship.  I once found a 1909 penny when a house built in 1909 was torn down.  It was in mint condition except for a few scratches.  I think it could have been under the cornerstone of that house.

Here are some other superstitions having to do with pennies.

Carrying a penny for good luck.

Throwing a penny overboard  for safety when traveling by ship.

Keeping a jar of pennies in the kitchen for good luck.

Putting money in a wallet or purse given as a gift.  My grandmother always did that one.

Keeping a coin hidden in a baby's crib.

Putting a received penny in your pocket to attract more.

Coins with holes are especially lucky.

Tossing a penny with the idea that your worries will go with it.

Tossing a penny into a wishing well.

Keeping a penny in your shoe.   (Remember the penny loafers?)


I know that a lot of people will not pick up pennies on the street or when detected.  I will.  I always like to take them home and look for any mint errors or other interesting things I might be able to find on them.  I always check my change too.  Newly received change goes in one pocket so I can look at it when I get home.

I've found a few mint errors that way.  Some are significant enough to be registered on Wexler's coin error database.  Check it out.

http://cuds-on-coins.com/lincoln-cent-spike-heads-1990-1999/

Excellent database of mint error coins.

Pennies can be worth thousands of dollars.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast will be two to four feet today, slacking off for a few days.  There might be a nice increase in a week or so.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/29/18 Report - Recent Beach Conditions and Finds. Gold Rose Pendant. Lead Item.

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

Frederick Douglas Beach Sunday Near Low Tide

This is a good picture that shows a lot.  Notice the line of white water where the water is crashing into the front of the sand bar.  That line of crashing white water shows you where the sand bar is.  The sand bar extends out from the front of the beach maybe forty yards or more.  That means that any cobs being washed in from farther out would have to come over that bar or the bar would have to be moved.

Orange Line Is In Front of the White Water Line I Was Talking About.

Here is the same photo, but I added the orange line to illustrate what I was talking about.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Near Low Tide.

John Brooks looked smooth and mushy.

Blind Creek Beach.

Here is an area that produced scattered clad coins.  Not the cuts at the top of the beach and the slope.  This is not one of the shipwreck beaches.  I just stopped there and noticed the cuts and how the beach had been moved back and decided to pick up some of the the easy targets.

Small Gold Diamond Pendant Find.

Along with the clad was this nice little pendant that fits nicely with the thin chain I found the last time I detected.  The diamond chip is really small.

There was another beach to the north that was also cut back and produced scattered clad coins that I thought would have been picked up by detectorists the day before.

Young Fellow In A Big Hole.
Photo submitted by DB

DB sent in the above photo and said this guy was "all in."  I need someone like that on my team to do my digging for me.

Gaylen C. sent these photos of one of his finds.

Here is what he had to say about it.

This was the only interesting find from yesterday [Friday]. Lead I am sure, heavy. I have found several pieces of metal in this small area that exhibit a similar appearance of smooth or flat on one side and a side that looks to me like it landed on a rough surface in a molten state. I'll include photos of a piece of iron that demonstrates what I think I see.
Gaylen C.

Thanks for sharing Gaylen.

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It seems I'm getting ads from people that have emailed me before.  I would guess someone somehow got access to the mailing list.  I'm not sure how I can fix that now, but if you are getting weight loss or other emails from me or some of the others from this blog, it is a hacking issue.  Sorry!

One thing I'll do if I send an email to you, I'll put From TG in the header.  Don't know if I'll remember to do that every time, but I'll try.

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The tide is going to be only two to four feet, but we will be getting some decent tides.

The wind will be form the north Tuesday, but nothing exciting in the near term predictions.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/25/18 Report - Treasure Coin/Pendant (?) Find From The Treasure Coast. Dive Watch Find. Bigger Surf On The Way.

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

Found by DB
Photo submitted by Terry S.

From the photo, it looks to me like this might be a genuine cob with a loop attaches.  I can't see it as well as I'd like in order to be able to offer any opinion.

Here is how Terry S. described it.

Now this is interesting and part of what makes it so interesting is that it was found the same time we were finding the 8 reales. It’s about the size of a dime and this same treasure diver said it’s not a coin but a pendant and in his mind a better find than just a coin. This of course got DB all excited but he is trying to get several opinions from other experts. You see folks we often can never be 100 percent sure but really that is a lot of the fun. If any of you out there know anything or have an opinion we would value your input. 
Terry S.

Terry's request for information and opinions applies not only to this find but also to those that I showed yesterday.   Feel free to email me about any of those.

Tomorrow I will share some information that I already received from a leading researcher relative to DB's ornate key find that I showed yesterday.

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Working Dive Watch Found by Mike S. in Namibia.

As I've said several times in the past, I like to celebrate firsts.  Mike S. said this is the first working watch he found.  Here is the story of the find.

Spent last weekend in the water with my Excal 11 seeing if I could get into any gold.

Wasn`t to be ….started with a pretty much bummer occurrence.  After having kitted up and gotten into the water, gone to the bottom, got myself sorted and decided in which direction to move, I turned the threshold knob on to start the Excal and…….aaaargh….it broke away!

In cool water trying to turn only the remnant post is like …well…. I didn`t manage…but a thought occurred to me…take one of the other knobs of and use that instead. Unfortunately in trying to remove the second knob it also came away, as did the third and fourth! The inside of the knob has a blue insert that is divided into four sections. Looks like they might have a shelf life after which they tend to crumble. Ok so that was it, abandon dive and go home to figure on how to fix my baby.

So like we have Pratley Putty here which is a double component glue that you mix in equal quantities. Made up a batch of this and was able to then repair the breakages, left overnight to cure and gave them a shot the next day and yipppeee…we are back in the game.

So back to the water and after about thirty minutes came up with the first Sport Divers watch I have ever found in about five meters of water, and some 30 cm deep in the sand.  Looked ok and so took it into the local watchmaker who then opened it up and replaced the battery, (which had leaked,) but then professed the piece to be in 100% working condition. Speculation puts the watch to have been in the ocean for quite some goodly time. The casing and strap were coated in conglomerate yuck and I know that takes a while to build up. Unfortunately I don’t have the resources to figure out the build year of the timepiece. Up to now I have only ascertained from the net, that it is an older model that seems to be no longer in the makers range.

Anyway still no gold, but  still chuffed on the find.

Thanks for sharing Mike.  I've received emails from all over the world, but this is the first from Namibia, which coincidentally appeared on an TV episode about the lake possibly containing Nazi gold there.  That was just minutes after receiving this email.

Watches can be found in great numbers on the Florida coast, both in the water and in the dry sand.  It seems a little surprising that watches are lost so easily in dry sand.  One of the best places to find watches is in a dip in shallow water near the water line.  When a dip like that is filled with shells and coarse materials, items like coins and rings will often be buried deeply, but can find watches there.

Thanks for sharing Mike.

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John Brooks Yesterday
Photo submitted by Gaylen C.

Gaylen sent this photo from yesterday and the following report.

Attaching a photo of Douglas  beach I shot today. I worked the shell line for a good ways and came up with some scrap aluminum. Went over some small cuts with no finds. 

I was at Ft Pierce Jetty Park on Friday. The dunes had collapsed. What were 7-8 ft tall vertical dune faces were now 5 ft with no cleanly cut bases at all. 

Thanks for the report Gaylen.

The wind started picking early Thursday.  The predictions are still showing a five to seven foot surf for the Treasure Coast this weekend.

The tides won't be huge, but the wind will be out of the north as this starts, then turn to be more from the east.

I have a lot that I didn't get to today.  As I said, I'll have information to share relative to the ornate key found by DB.  I'll also be adding a new factor to my formula for detecting success.  

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/10/17 Report - Gold Cross Pendant Lost At Jensen Beach. Help! Additional Info Added 10:40 PM.

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

Item Reported Lost at Jensen Beach.

I just received the following email.

To whom it may concern,
If you could please share this with all treasure hunters, metal detector enthusiast and Social Media Treasure Hunting Groups in Jensen Beach, it would be GREATLY appreciated... I do not have much but I am offering an award! 🏻

Everyone please share! This was my grandfather's cross and my mom has worn it everyday since he passed. She bought it for him when she was 18 years old and he wore it every day until he passed. While taking her morning walk on Jensen Beach (North Side), she lost it. It's the most important item to her so please if anyone finds it, contact me or Stephanie D'Ann Siefker immediately. She is devastated so please share this across the treasure coast.

Here is a picture of the cross being worn.

Lost Cross Being Worn.

That is a good photo that shows the size of the cross.  It also helps establish ownership.

I'll go ahead and post this now and maybe add to this post later.

Sincerely,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

The following was added 10.30 PM Monday after I asked the lady for more information. 

I was in the water, it was high tide. I was about even with the white sign in the dunes with a black "Z" on it. I figure it is a long shot, but the ocean has a way of taking and returning things. If there is a blog for metal detector enthusiast, I'm hoping someone finds it and sees my story.

I also heard from Steve from Iowa who plans on searching again tomorrow for the cross.

Here is how Steve described it.

I was out at Jensen Beach this afternoon when Stephanie (the gal who lost
the gold cross) approached me. She actually lost it in the water out in
front of the small sign with a "z" on it at the north end, on the sandbar
while she was net casting. I couldn't find it. The water was fairly rough
from the southeast wind. I will try again tomorrow or the next day. Nice
lady. Wish I could have found it for her as it has a lot of sentimental
value.

Thanks for helping Steve.

I hope someone can find the cross. Thanks to all who are attempting to locate this small cross.

6/4/17 Report - Historical Newspaper Worth Big Money. Hurricane Season Has Started. Watch Finds. Pre-Colombian Gold Pendants.

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

That was the headline on January 6, 1777.  The story read as follows.

CROSSING THE DELAWARE AND THE BATTLE OF TRENTON – Great News from New-York … His Excellency General Washington … in Person at the Head of Three Thousand of our Troops, crossed the Delaware, attacked the Enemy at Trenton … and after a brisk Action of Thirty-five Minutes, entirely routed them. Salem: E[zekiel] Russell, January 6, 1777.

This newspaper telling of Washington's victory is the only one known to survive and is being auctioned by Christies.  The auction estimate is $40,000 to $60,000.

Here is the link to the fine manuscript and book auction.

http://www.christies.com/salelanding/index.aspx?intsaleid=26932&sitecoreguid={e70a5466-f441-4913-ba5f-035cc211c735}&sectionname=auctions_nav&saletitle=

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Hurricane season has begun.  As you know, most cobs and shipwreck artifacts that are found on Treasure Coast beaches are found after storms.  Last year Matthew aimed at us but hit farther north.  Some cobs and shipwreck items were found after Matthew, but nothing like some of the bigger treasure storms such as the famed Thanksgiving Storm of the last century.

Not all hurricanes come during the peak part of the season, which is August to October.  Some tropical storms don't wait for hurricane season to start.  That happened this year and the previous two years.  Arlene, which had no impact on us, formed earlier this year.  Alex formed in January of 2016 and Ana formed in May of 2015.

They are forecasting that this season will be more active than average.

The last hurricane having a category 3 or greater rating to make landfall in the U. S. was Wilma in 2015.

It take a hurricane to make the beaches productive.  It has nothing to do with storm strength.  Some strong hurricanes do not produce a lot of finds, while some storms do.  What I'd like to see more than anything, is a storm that sits off-shore and sending us a steady stream of northeast winds and high seas.

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I've talked about the fact that there aren't as many coins being found on the beaches these days. People aren't using cash as much as in the past.

I've always found a lot of watches. There don't seem to be quite as many any more, but still they are common finds - more than I would expect.

I don't know why people wear watches these days.  You can tell the time from your cell phone.  Those big watches seem to be in style.  People are now also wearing watches that do things other than tell the time, like the Apple watch and Fitbit.

I always found a good number of watches in the water - a lot of them worked, but a lot of them were ruined.  My first Rolex find was drowned.

I was always surprised by how many watches were lost on the beach.  You might not think something so big would get lost in the sand, but they do.

A lot of the lost watches are inexpensive, but some are nice or interesting, and some are valuable. The one that I actually wore the most, as I don't often wear a watch, was a German watch I found.  I wore it until the battery ran down.

Gucci watches were common finds for me - both men's and women's but more women's.  I found a good number of those ladies watches that have the different color plastic fashion pieces that can be changed.  On the ones I found, more than half did not have the color pieces.

Dive watches were fairly common finds in the water.  There was one place where I used to find a lot of dive equipment, including dive watches, knives and weights.  It was where they took people for dive classes.   I started discovering dive equipment at that location and wondered why, and then later I learned about the classes they conducted there.

I don't often target watches, but one good place to find a watch is in a dip in front of the beach, especially if it is filled with course shelly sand.

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These Pre-Columbian gold pendants, 1000-1500 AD, were appraised at $20,000 to $28,000 several years ago.

Here is that link.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/season/17/myrtle-beach-sc/appraisals/pre-columbian-pendants-1000-1500-ad--201202A17/

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Overall I have no changes in beach conditions to report.  Even a passing storm can cause a spot of the beach to erode and open up a treasure window.  You have to be alert and quick to catch those types of fleeting opportunities.

We'll soon be keeping track of tropical storms.  No one knows how that will turn out this year.  It might be a big detecting year or it might not.  Only time will tell.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/10/16 Report - Dug Treasure Coast Objects Cleaned and Uncleaned: Coin, Pendant and Ring.

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

Piece of Dug Silver With No Identifying Features.

This is one item I decided to see if I could tell what it is. It looks like it could be a cob.

My first step was to use Muriatic acid to see if I could get it any cleaner.  That didn't help much.

My next step was to use a baking soda paste to see if I could bring out any features.

Below is what I found.

Same Piece Now Showing Features.

From the features that I could see on this side of the item, I can now identify it as a silver Roosevelt dime.

Above is another silver item I'll be cleaning.  I'll try to get this one close to original condition.

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Old World cobs are rare on 1715 Fleet wrecks.  A few Seville escudos were found during the 2015 salvage season.

There are almost fifty Seville minted escudos in the current Sedwick coins auction.  The 1-escudos have low estimates of around $500.  The larger denomination of Seville minted escudos generally have proportionally higher starting bids.  Of course condition and rarity is always an issue.

Old World minted cobs generally have a lower value than New World cobs.  And cobs that can be documented to a shipwreck bring a premium.

I'm sure the Seville escudos found during the last salvage season will have a higher value than similar cobs not documented to a shipwreck.

I mentioned yesterday gold artifacts shipped back to Spain were melted and made into cobs.  Those found last year could have been made of melted South American gold artifacts and made their way back to the New World before sinking on the way back to Spain.

I've read that it is possible to analyze metals in order to determine their source.  It would be interesting to know where the gold in those Seville escudos originated.

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And here is a old ring, that appeared to be silver or silver plated before it was cleaned.

Old Dug Encrusted Treasure Coast Ring

Below is the same ring after cleaning with Muriatic acid.

Sane Ring Cleaned.

After the ring was cleaned, no marks were found inside.  Most of the gilt or plating was gone.  It is clearly cuprous.

You have to be especially careful when cleaning gilt objects if you don't want the plating to come off.

Also, you might be able to see a crack or two.  There are at least three.  The ring is in danger or breaking.

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The surf is still small, but we have some good high and low tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/24/15 Report - Christogram Pendant Find.

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

Pendant Find by Brian H.
Photo by Brian H.

First off, I'm wishing you all a very merry Christmas.  May it be filled with wonderful memories that last a lifetime.

Yesterday I received this picture of a pendant that was found a couple of years ago by Brian H.  Brian asked how he could get an appraisal.

I don't think the value would be any greater than the melt value of gold, if that is what it is made of.

As I often suggest, many pawn shops or jewelry stores will test metals if you ask them.

I decided that this would be an excellent time to explain the pendant.  You'll see why.

It is called a Christogram.   Here is what Wikipedia says.  A Christogram is a monogram or combination of letters that forms an abbreviation for the name of Jesus Christ, traditionally used as a Christian symbol. The term Christogram comes from the Latin phrase "Christi Monogramma", meaning "monogram of Christ."

The front shows four Greek letters.  Greek, you might know, is the original language of the New Testament.

On the far left and right are alpha and omega.   "Alpha and omega" is an expression used in the Bible several times and refers to Christ.  It is found in the last book of the Bible in Revelation 1:8, 1:17-18, and 22:13.  

The expression is also found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah (written in Hebrew), which is the prophetic book which gives the prophecy of the Messiah to be born of a virgin.

Isaiah 44:6, for example, says "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.'"

In between the alpha and omega are two more Greek letters, Chi and Rho.  In Greek those are the first two letters of the name "Christ."

The big X is the Chi, and the thing in the middle that looks like a big "P" is the rho.

You will often see this Chi Rho combination used as a monogram of Christ.

On the back is a Latin phrase, pax vobiscum, meaning "peace with you" or "peace be with you."

And the word "Roma", suggesting Rome as the place of manufacture.

Back of Same Pendant

There is a lot of information and significance found on that pendant. While this pendant may not be old or monetarily valuable, it says a lot.  It provides a great  example of how much an artifact can say if you know how to read it.

Research suggests that the book of Isaiah goes back to at least the 8th Century BCE.  The pendant itself might not be very old, but the design and message extends back thousands of years.

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I'm not expecting any real change in beach detecting conditions for a few days.

Merry Christmas,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net