1/31/20 Report - Treasure Coast Beaches Generally Deteriorating. Mystery Find and Knives and Swords.

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

Vero South Beach Friday Morning.

I went out to check some beaches this morning.  My primary interest was in Rio Mar, which I hadn't checked for a while, and I wanted to see what the high surf had done there, but when I got there I found the Rio Mar access closed for a renourishment project.  I went down to Vero South Beach, and it looked like tons of new sand had been dumped there (See above photo.).

I don't know why they think people love sand so much.  I thought it was ugly.  It wasn't the best sand either.

When I went by Pepper Park I stopped to check it out too.  I had not been there for quite a while.

Pepper Park Friday Morning.

Pepper Park didn't look good either.

I stopped at Turtle Tail on my way north.  It didn't look much different than the last time I was there when the cuts had disappeared.   I talked to a couple fellows, who weren't getting any signals.

Wabasso Beach Friday Morning.

If you notice the white sand they piled on the banks, it starts up at the park but is also in front of the Disney Resort.  Did the tax payers pay for that sand in front of Disney?  I suspect they did.

Ambersands Friday Morning.

Like the other beaches I saw this morning, Ambersands beach had deteriorated since last week.

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Yesterday I posted a mystery item from Bob C.  Bob sent the item on a grid so we could get the size.

Mystery Item on Grid.

Photo by Craig C.

The item is about 2.5 inches long and one inch wide.  The hole appears to be a touch less than a quarter inch across.  It is said to be brass with engraving.

Bob said, "A couple people I have talked to suggested possibly off of a dagger or sword scabbard. One said there may have been a different metal "medallion" where the hole is."  

I thought it might be interesting to look at the possibility that it has something to do with a dagger or sword.  A scabbard is a sheath, so I don't think that is it.

Below is an illustration from an old Dixie Gun Works catalog showing knife handle assemblies of different kinds.

I couldn't get the left edge of the illustration in the scan, but I think it is good enough to do the job.  Notice that there are both square and round tangs.  The tang goes through the guard and into the handle.   So could the object be a guard.

Below is a picture of a bowie knife guard.  The squares are one inch, so the guard is about five inches long, a little over an inch wide, but, here is something to consider, is almost a half inch thick.

Is the mystery item sturdy enough to be a knife or sword guard.  It does not look like it to me.

Below is a picture of a couple swords.  The guard on the smallest one is still around six inches across.

Of course there are a a lot of different types of knives and swords.   At this point I'm not convinced the mystery object has anything to do with bladed weapons right now, but I'm not quite ready to totally exclude the possibility.   There are a lot of possibilities.  I might consider some others in the near future.  In the mean time, I hope you'll send your thoughts and opinions.

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I need to do some more cleaning and research on some of my finds.

It looks like the surf will be decreasing.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/28/19 Report - TCAS Hunt Coming Soon. Mystery Items Identified. One Beach This Morning. Bill Picking.

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

The Treasure Coast Archaeological Society
 will be holding its 32nd annual Hunt

Saturday, March 9, 2019
at Kiwanis-Hobart Park, Wabasso, Florida

under the shade of the pines in Hobart Park.

The Park is located near Wabasso, Florida 

on 77th Street between US1 and CR613.

Just over one mile south of CR 510 and about 1 mile west of US1. 

YOU GOT QUESTIONS?  WE GOT ANSWERS!

For further information regarding the hunt, contact

Mitch King

Hunt coordinator 

 mking11@earthlink.net

Read about one man's fun time at the 2018 TCAS hunt by using the following link.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2018/03/31118-report-one-mans-winning.html

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Concerning the round lead object found by Dan B. and posted yesterday, I received a number of responses.  Jim M., Russ P., Joe R., Jeff M.  Mitch K., John H., Steve M. and Joe D., said the round lead object is a garment, hem or drapery weight.  If that wasn't enough, Joe S. sent a photo of a drapery weight (bottom right below).  That certainly matches. I think that one is pretty well settled.

Concerning Dan's other object, a couple people agreed with me that it could be a belt or strap clip.  Mitch K. said maybe a suspender strap tip, while Jason T. thought maybe a hair clip.

Thanks for all the responses.  Every one helps.  Considering various alternatives or possibilities helps.

I didn't receive any ideas on the other LM X marks on the other item I posted yesterday.

---

As someone who came of age during the Viet Nam war, the recent TV images of Viet Nam were haunting.  I could not help but remember the fall of Saigon and the U. S. helicopters overflowing with those desperately fleeing as well as the desperation of those left behind. That was 40 some years ago.

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Pepper Park Early This Morning.

I was going by Pepper Park this morning, so stopped for a few minutes and took out my detector.  As is usually the case during snowbird season, it had been heavily hunted, but I picked up a few shiny clad coins.

It was pretty buggy this morning.  It rained last night, and I was glad I put on long pants and sleeves.  Beach conditions were not great.

Pepper Park This Morning.

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I got fifty ones at the bank to look through.  I found two star bills and a 1999 series bill, which was in better shape than the newer bills.  No good serial numbers of anything of much interest or value.

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The tides are pretty small now, and it doesn't look like we'll get any more than a two foot surf for a week or so.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/9/18 Report - Looking More Closely At Common Modern Coin Finds: One Mint Error Example. Beach Cut and Unfilled Holes.

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

Pepper Park North

Photo by Dale J.

Dale J. was at Pepper Park yesterday and saw this old cut.  He said there was a lot of soft sand.

He also pointed out the holes that he filled.

Holes Filled by Dale

Photo by Dale J.

Thanks Dale.

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1984 P Snowing Mint Error.

Can you see a mint error on this dime?

There is one.  See if you can find it.

Here is  closer look at the error.

1984 P Dime Close Up View.

Notice the crown bottle cap like design on the coins rim.  That is not part of the intended design.  It is a minting error referred to as "collar clash."

As you probably know, coins are made using one die to create the obverse impression and another die is used to create the reverse impression.  That is the way it has been done since colonial times.  The big difference now is that the process is mechanized and the coins are not hand struck.

An anvil die is usually used to make the reverse design, and the punch die is used to make the obverse design.  The obverse is the side shown above with Roosevelt on it.

The anvil die is usually on the bottom, and the punch die is struck or forced down on the metal.  In Spanish colonial times, that was done by hand with a hammer.

One of the big differences between Spanish colonial cobs and modern coins is that the minting process now involves a third die.  The third die is the collar.

The collar is a circular piece of hardened steel which acts as the wall of the coining chamber, which provides the impression for the uniform circular outline around the coin. As its name implies, the collar prevents the striking pressure from spreading onto the flange. Apart from preventing imperfect strikes, the impression on the coin's edge (either as a recess or raised inscription) deters forgery or clipping (an illegal paring of metal from the circumference of the coin). The dies impress the various designs and devices on the obverse and reverse for the coin while the collar forms the edge of the coin. The collar, which is five-thousandths of an inch larger in diameter than the dies, is mounted on springs which allow slight vertical movement...

(Source: https://www.fleur-de-coin.com/articles/coin-striking)

A collar clash represents damage to the rim gutter of the die from contact with the collar. It shows up most clearly in reeded issues, where it takes the form of serrations along the top or the edge of the design rim. In an off-center strike, a collar clash will appear in the form of parallel grooves in the “slide zone”.

Collar clash is far more common on the hammer die. It occurs when a temporarily misaligned hammer die collides with the top of the collar and/or scrapes along its working face...

(Source: http://www.error-ref.com/collar-clash/)

The collar clash is shown on the obverse of the dime above.  It would therefore have been created by the hammer die.

Here is a picture of a die with notches on the edge.  That damage to the die was caused by the die clashing with the collar.  Those notches would then be transferred to the coin when it is struck.  That is what happened to the dime shown above.

Die Showing Damage Caused by Clashing With the Collar.

Source: See Error-Ref.com above.

There is a lot more to be seen on a modern coin than the date and mint mark.  Besides the intended design of the coin, you will also often see mint errors.  Some mint errors, such as collar clash, are fairly common and not worth anything.  Other errors are highly collected and can increase the value of a modern coin to millions of dollars.

It can be worth picking up pennies and other small denomination coins if you inspect them carefully and learn to identify valuable errors and varieties.

One of the biggest differences you will see between Spanish colonial cobs and modern coins, is the edge.  Modern coins have the finished round edge, perhaps with reeding or other designs features, because of the collar.

In addition to the possibility of finding a valuable a mint error or variety, you will also learn things from modern coins that can be applied to your understanding and appreciation of Spanish Colonial coins.  There are differences, but there are also many similarities.

It wasn't until rather recently that I began to inspect my coins for mint errors and varieties.  I don't know if I ever spent valuable coins.  It is certainly possible.

I have found a variety of mint errors.  Most have no value or very little value, but one was the first documented example of its kind, and is listed on an online error reference database.  

It is not as easy to find a valuable mint error.  Valuable examples are rare.  And some errors and varieties are difficult to correctly identify.  Like anything else it takes study and practice, but the results can be gratifying.

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The surf predictions do not look as encouraging as they did a little earlier.  Now it looks like we'll only be getting three to five feet.  We are supposed to have a long period of north winds either.  Don't expect much improvement in overall beach conditions.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

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What is your all-time favorite coin find?  

Send me a photo of your favorite and tell why it is your favorite.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/9/18 Report - Treasure Coast Wreck Beaches Accumulating Sand. George V Canadian Nickel Find.

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

Pepper Park This Morning Before Low Tide

Pepper Park This Morning Before Low Tide.

I took the above two photos this morning (Saturday).

Alberto S. sent the following photos of Seagrap and Turtle Trails, and commented on how much sand there was.

Seagrape Trail Recently
Photo by Alberto S.

Notice the newly washed up sand and small shells in front of the renourishment sand.

Seagrape Trail Recently.
Photo by Alberto S.

The photo above shows the shape of the beach very nicely.  Notice the steep front angle and the square off birm.  This beach was shaped almost exactly like the Pepper Park beach, which showed a similar steep front slope to the berm with a flat beach just behind. Those two beaches are several miles apart but have been building the same.  The newly accumulated flat beaches behind the berm also extended back to an old cut.

Turtle Trail
Photo by Alberto S.

Turtle Trail
Photo by Alberto S.

Seagrape and Pepper Park looked very similar, but around the bend from Seagrape, Turtle Trail was shaped differently.

Thanks for the photos Alberto.

I was told this morning that bedrock was showing in the water at Indialantic.

---

I've been wanting to conduct a blog poll but couldn't find the option in blogger anymore.  I just found out that Google decided to eliminate that option, so if I want to do more polls, I'll have to use some other code from another source.  That's a pain.

---

I told you not too long ago about some foreign and other coins I found.  Here is one of them.

George V Canadian Nickel Find.
TreasureGuide

Reverse of George V Canadian Nickel.
TreasureGuide

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One reader of this blog is interested in buying older Coca Cola bottles, especially the straight-side Florida bottles.  If you are interested in selling, send me an email with what you have and I'll forward it to him.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/5/18 Report - Who To Contact Concerning Florida Beach Access Issue. Beaches This Morning.

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

Here is what Turtle Trail looked like just before noon today (Thursday).

And below are two views of Pepper Park.

 Snow birds and beach goers at Pepper Park near noon this morning.

As you can see, there was no erosion to be seen at that time.

The surf is supposed to increase tomorrow up to 3 - 5 feet.

---

The following is an email I received concerning the issue of Florida allowing beachfront landowners to restrict access to their property.  See the special 4/3 post on that topic in this blog to see various media articles on the topic.

As I said, I will not personally comment on the wording or interpretation of the legislation, but I will share comments and opinions from other readers.  Below is one email I received from
Sherry Y with Florida representatives to contact.

Hi TG,

I've shared this on FB and thought you might be interested.  These are the Florida State House Reps who voted for this thing:

​And this is the Senate list:

Here is the note I sent my Rep:

​ Mr Altman,
I noticed that you recently voted to restrict public access to our Florida beaches.  I view this as a first step to making all the beaches in Florida the private property of wealthy landowners and hotels.  Please be advised that I will remember your vote when you are up for re-election.  I have also published a list of the voting records of all Florida legislators on Facebook and other social media so that other voters can voice their opinions on this matter.
Regards,
Sherry Young

Ms Debbie Mayfield doesn't publish her email (I wonder why) so I'll have to call her office.

Feel free to share any of this you think might be useful. The only way we'll get their attention is to threaten to take their jobs away.

Thanks!

Sherry Young



The salvage community should be concerned as well.  If landowners extend control of their land seaward, there will be more suits against salvage companies, especially if they choose to work close in.  There has already been action by beach front owners against salvage efforts in front of their property.

Below is another email from Sherry.




Here is the handy website for people to find their Reps:

https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/myrepresentative.aspx

I wonder how many of them were paid off by the big hotel owners?

Many of the politicians and their friends and backers own beach front residences and properties.

---

The wind increased this morning and changed direction for a while. It looks like the wind will only be from the north for a short time.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/30/17 Report - Increasing Surf Along Treasure Coast and Beach Photos. Shards. # 5 Most Popular Post of 2017.

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

Pepper Park Yesterday Morning.
Photo by Alberto S.

Alberto S. visited Pepper Park and Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach yesterday morning and sent these photos. 

Fort Pierce South Jetty Yesterday Morning.
Photo by Alberto S.

Since the higher surf had begun I wanted to see what was happening at the beach, so I went out yesterday afternoon to take a look.  Below is what I saw.

John Brooks Beach Yesterday Afternoon Before High Tide.

Frederick Douglas Beach Yesterday Afternoon Before High Tide.

You can see that at both John Brooks and Frederick Douglas the water was getting up over all the newly accumulated front beach.  It was getting as high as it has been for quite some time and it was not high tide yet.

Frederick Douglas Yesterday Afternoon.

You can see the sand along the berm of the front beach here.  That irregular spot to the left is an area that has been interesting for months now.

The water is getting high enough that there might be some spots that open up at some other beaches after the next high tide or two.

---

As you probably know I have been listing the top ten most popular posts of 2017.  It has helped me get an overall perspective on the year and what has been most interesting to the blog's readers.

My number five most popular post of the year was another one of the September posts having to do with Hurricane Irma.  As I said before, five of the top ten posts were done in September.  That was a busy time for Treasure Coast detecting this year.

Number 5 was the 9/12/17 post on some of the first Hurricane Irma finds that were reported.  Below is that link.

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2017/09/91217-report-early-irma-treasure-coast.html

A lot of musket balls and lead were found after Irma.

---

Consensus on the ceramic pieces found by Gaylen and shown in yesterday's post seems to be that they are not from old shipwreck pottery.  I am always very hesitant to evaluate pieces like that from just seeing photos, and other readers felt the same way, however, they do not look like either olive jar shards or majolica.  My first impression, though I was hesitant to say anything on that basis alone, is that they look too hard and dense and the edges are too sharp.  I was waiting until I studied it a little more before I said anything specific, but the responses I received via email seemed to be in line with my first impression.  I hope to take the time to study those pieces a little more so I can be more specific and perhaps show some examples of the real thing and how they differ.

You might look at my 11/18/12 and 11/19/12 reports, for example.  I am obviously far from an expert on shipwreck pottery or ceramics, but you have to start somewhere.

Here is the link to the 11/18/12 report.

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2012/11/111812-report-sherds-or-shards-water.html 

Of course there are books and resources that you can consult that are much more authoritative and thorough.

---

The most important topic today is the surf.  As I mentioned yesterday, it is getting bigger and hitting higher up on the beach.  Some spots might open up.

Here are the surf predictions for the next week.

Source; MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.netn

5/19/17 Report - A Two-Detector Hunt. Beaches Around the Treasure Coast.

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

Round Island Park Yesterday
Photo by Darrel S.

Here is Darrel's report from yesterday.

We went to Round Park first. A lot scrap iron. Few coins and jewelry. 8am to 10am.

Pepper Park big disappointment. A lot seaweed and only 2 hits. Both hits were pennies, but older.

Stopped by Turtle Trail. After 12 noon and exhausted. We went home!

Round Island Park Yesterday
Photo by Darrel S.

Turtle Trail Yesterday
Photo by Darrel S.

Turtle Trail North Yesterday
Photo by Darrel S.

Thanks much for the photos and report Darrel.

Those beaches look much like one from South Hutchinson Island that I showed yesterday.

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I went out to the beach this morning.  It was a two detector hunt.  By that I mean I used two detectors.

At the ocean beach I used what I call a power detector.  Just a deep-seeking detector - no discrimination or anything.

I found a few coins and some junk jewelry in the wet sand.  There appeared to be nothing in the dry sand.  Very clean.

Then I moved to another location where I wanted to pick through the junk.  I used a Garrett Ace to pick through the junk and get small spaces.  I found one eight inch iron spike and a few smaller connectors.  The larger spike was so deteriorated it was crumbling.  Also, a couple modern coins that were very corroded.  There was clay or mud that was very acidic.

One spot at that locastion was exposed to levels that I had not seen in many years.  Just around the corner the sand was piled at least three feet higher than it was the last time I was there.

I think have a couple photos from that hunt on my phone.

When I moved out of that small eroded area, I switch back to the power detector, but I did better in the junky area with the Ace.  The eroded area was the only area worth detecting at that location.

Sometimes junk will be your best friend.  A lot of people won't work a junky area, and some that do will miss things.

As I've mentioned in the past, I like to select detectors depending upon the location and type of target.  don't however like to leave a detector in the car, so I don't often take a second unless I know that I will want to have two choices with me.  I knew that I would want both today, and one worked best at one location, while the other worked better for me at the other location.

---

The FBI needs to be investigated.  They seem incapable of detecting and preventing security threats and leaks.

---

The surf is going to decrease again this weekend.  The tides aren't big either.

Happy hunting
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/20/17 Report - Observations From A Little Detecting This Morning. A Good Book On the Wreck of the Rosario.

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

Two Views of Pepper Park This Morning

No surprises this morning.  The beach front was very sandy, as was the shallow water.

Pepper Park is heavily detected and the area in front of the central lifeguard station was very clean.  No nails, bottle caps or anything metallic.  This beach is very heavily detected during the winter months.  I only stopped there on my way to another spot that I wanted to detect.

The beach that I detected is not a wreck beach, and is not detected much at all.  It doesn't have a lot of targets, but when conditions are right, does produce some old things.  That did not happen today.  I hadn't been there in months, and I could see that there had been some good erosion sometime in the past that I missed.  The cliff was eroded back several feet from the last time I detected there, but it had filled in again.  Like I said, I missed it.

Despite all the new piled up sand on the front beach, there was a coin hole in the shallow water.   It only produced modern coins though.  On top of the poor conditions, the noseeums were voracious.  It wasn't the best hunting morning I've ever had.

Earlier in the morning at Pepper Park I used the Garrett Ace a while.  Later I used the ATX some.  One thing I noticed is that it took a little time to get accustomed to the ATX after using the Ace.  The signals I was getting from the ATX made everything sound huge after using the Ace for a while.  I never thought of that before, but it can take a little time (not very long) to get accustomed to sounds of a detector when you switch from one to another.  I'm sure that is more true in some cases, depending upon the particular detectors.

---

My wife took a little walk the other day and found the following items.

Usable Fishing Equipment Finds.

Small Cork Top Medicine Bottle and Couple Of Pieces of Pottery.

I always enjoy recovering usable objects.

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Here is a book you might want to take a look at.  It is  Oceans Odyssey 3. The Deep-Sea Tortugas Shipwreck, Straits of Florida: A Merchant Vessel from Spain's 1622 Tierra Firme Fleet, by Kingsley and Stemm.

Here is a bit of the description.

In 1990 Seahawk Deep Ocean Technology of Tampa, Florida, commenced the world’s first robotic archaeological excavation of a deep-sea shipwreck south of the Tortugas Islands in the Straits of Florida. At a depth of 405 meters, 16,903 artefacts were recovered using a Remotely-Operated Vehicle. The wreck is interpreted as the Buen Jesús y Nuestra Señora del Rosario...

Click here for a free preview of the book.

The book contains 210 page and costs less than $20.  Not bad.

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As I've already suggested above, Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions are not good,  I don't expect that to change any time real soon.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/15/16 Report - An Important Warning. Treasure Coast Fossils. A Spanish Shipwreck. Spanish Horses.

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

Horse Teeth Found On Treasure Coast Beaches.

First I have some bad news and an important warning.  Last weekend two beach-goers were robbed at gun point while leaving the beach at Pepper Park after 10 PM.  It is always necessary to be cautious, but especially when it is dark or when there aren't many people around.  The suspects, who were not caught, were in a white Volkswagen Passat.  A car break-in is one thing, but having a gun pointed at you is something else.

---

Horses were brought to the New World by the conquistadors.  But that wasn't the first time that horses were in America.  Horses were in the Americas long before the Europeans arrived.  Then they died out and were reintroduced by the Spanish.

Here is what the horsetalk web site says.

The end of the Pleistocene epoch – the geological period roughly spanning 12,000 to 2.5 million years ago, coincided with a global cooling event and the extinction of many large mammals. Evidence suggests North America was hardest hit by extinctions.

This extinction event saw the demise of the horse in North America..

Here is the link.

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2012/11/29/why-did-horses-die-out-in-north-america/#ixzz4HRGWr6iR 

Fossilized teeth of the preColumbian horses can be found on the Treasure Coast beaches when conditions are right.

Four horse teeth are shown at the top of the post.  Three are black.  Those three are fossilized horse teeth from thousand or millions of years ago.

The lighter colored horse tooth is a modern horse tooth that was found on a Treasure Coast beach.  It is sitting in a small  piece of the jaw bone.  

Most of you know that you can occasionally find fossil shark teeth on the beach, but there are a lot of other kinds of fossils that will appear on the beach when conditions are right.

If you didn't love that article on horsetalk, try this one.  It is about a Spanish shipwreck and the horses that survived the wreck and whose ancestors roam Americas pasture lands today.

Here is an excerpt.

...there really was a Spanish galleon wrecked on Assateague Island. On September 5, 1750, the 56-gun Spanish warship, La Galga, drove ashore in shallow water at Assateague, diverted by a hurricane from her intended course from Havana, Cuba, to Spain. The ship did not sink and no-one died on board. However, it took three days for everyone to gain the shore by swimming, rafts, and Native American canoes. Several of the Spaniards drowned in the surf with bags of money tied to their belts. Several others were not strong enough to swim the short distance.

Immediately after the Spaniards left, the locals began salvaging and the dismantling the ship. By late October, La Galga had been cut to the water line but she still held the valuable cargo of mahogany planks in her lower hold. In early November, a north-east storm wrenched the gun deck loose, allowing the mahogany to wash ashore. Sand immediately filled in the hull and covered what was left. This event would be remembered by succeeding generations and the sudden appearance of small horses on the island were linked to this shipwreck.

I'm sure you will enjoy reading the rest of this.  Here is the link.

http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/27/mystery-solved-assateague-islands-wild-ponies-spanish-origins/#axzz4HDf4IzSA

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I have a lot more to talk about but got a late start.

There is a new disturbance that has a 50%  chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

It is still closer to Africa than the West Indies.  I wouldn't be surprised if it forms early and spins off into the North Atlantic, but who knows.  We'll have to see what happens.

That is all for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net