4/11/19 Report - 1715 Fleet Gold Nuggets. Anthropology Blog Comments on Treasure TV Show. Nokta/Macro PulseDive.

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

The above gold nugget was found in 2014 on a cut John Brooks beach.  I  found it with two other smaller nuggets in the same general area on a day when no other targets were found.

Gold Nugget From 1715 Fleet Beach.

Quartz matrix is still attached. You can see that in the photo.

I originally posted that photo in 2014.

Here is the link.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2014/03/31714-report-shipwreck-gold-nuggets.html

The May 2019 Sedwick Coins auction offers a lot of seven small nuggets (See below.) that were found at Rio Mar. The lot description says that nuggets from the 1715 Fleet are rare and were probably being carried by passengers.

1715 Fleet Gold Nuggets From Rio Mar.

Source: SedwickCoins Auction Catalog.

Here is the Sedwick lot description.

Lot of seven small gold nuggets, 1.12 grams total, ex-1715 Fleet. Each up to 1/4". Very few natural gold nuggets were found on the 1715 Fleet, so it seems odd that the Fisher marketers did not separate this lot into seven individual artifacts, but fortunately these pieces have retained their original plastic artifact tag and certificate. A few of the nuggets (mostly flat) are tiny, but some are substantial, and most likely they were being carried as "tax free" wealth by a passenger. From the 1715 Fleet ("Rio Mar" site), with original Cobb Coin Co. (Mel Fisher) plastic tag and photo-certificate #CC86-025.

If salvaged 1715 Fleet nuggets are rare, my guess would be that 1715 Fleet beach nuggets are even more rare.

There was fine gold salvaged at Rio Mar too.  A portable gold dredge was used with modest success.

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Sebastian Steve was a beta tester for the newly available Nokta/Macro PulseDive.  It is said to have more sensitivity/depth.  

Steve calls it a game-changer.

You might want to look it up.

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Recently I started trying to show how a more scientific approach can be applied to treasure hunting. I'm tired of talking about the Oak Island TV show, but it provides so many great examples, and it makes it easy for me because I know that many of you have seen the show and the things I am talking about.  That saves me a ton of time trying to describe something when you've seen it for yourself.

If you think I'm hard on the Oak Island TV show, others who come from a scientific background are even more hard on them.  There is no personal animus or anything, but if you have a history as a research scientist, especially in the social sciences, their approach will smack you in the face like a rock.

I stumbled on the following post in an anthropology blog, and I hope you will read it.  Not only does it expand on much of what I have said, but it also adds to what I have said, and I don't have to take the time to do it myself.  The post helps show the mindset I am coming from as a scientist bringing a scientific perspective to metal detecting.

https://www.andywhiteanthropology.com/blog/romans-on-oak-island-no-just-another-steaming-pilum-of-baloney-evidence-by-peter-geuzen

Here are a few excerpts from the blog to get you started.

As the show keeps trying to be about something, it keeps delivering essentially nothing. Scraps of minor finds are inevitable with the amount of digging and metal detecting going on. Give any historic location in Nova Scotia the same level of effort and you wouldn’t find much of anything different. It’s all stuff from the last couple centuries, but on Oak Island there is also stuff from all the past dead end searches...

The first line of the next excerpt sarcastically makes sums up something I've said.  Taking the excerpt out of context, I thought I should point out the sarcasm.

... when swinging a metal detector turns up a pointed piece of iron, it’s best to start with a conclusion and worry about details later. Fist pumping yelps of TEMPLAR are now mandatory. The obligatory cell phone speaker call to bring over the always conveniently close by fellowship members has to happen next. The bros then high five all around and Prometheus immediately cuts to a leap of faith confirmation fantasy historical re-enactment scene, with universally condemned narration from the “Could it be?” guy. In other words they found this iron spike thing and immediately gave it a bromance declaration as a Templar crossbow bolt.

The excerpt then talks about a fake Roman pilum find.  The same type of analysis would apply equally to other finds such as the few I've mentioned in the past.

I hope you take time to read it.  You'll better understand much of what I've been talking about lately,  and where I am coming from when I comment on the show.

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This would seem to be a good morning to do some low-tide hunting.  The surf is small, but will be increasing going into the weekend when the surf will be about three or four feet again.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/20/19 Report - Current Beach Renourishment on Treasure Coast. Encrusted Object for ID. Southeast Winds.

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

McLarty Museum Observation Deck Looking South.

Photo by Dale J.

Thanks Dale!

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I'm ashamed.  I often mention how difficult it is to identify an item from a photo, and then I go and post two sides of an object without any indication of depth or the contour.  That is what I did yesterday, so I hope to correct the situation today with some additional views of the object I showed yesterday.  

Edge

Angled View

The metal has dissolved and the encrustation appears hollow.  The diameter of the round part is about seven inches and the edge or rim is barely over an inch.  One can assume that the object was somewhat smaller than the encrustation.

As you go from the outside of the round area towards the middle, it first become more thin and then bulges out in the middle.

Angled View of Other Side

And below are the same photos that were shown larger yesterday.

Thanks to those of you who already gave me your opinions without really having a fair shot at it.  I hope the new photos help.  I'm still looking for any and all ideas.

I have one idea, but I'd like to hear what others have to say first.

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Last night I ran across a metal detecting TV show that was produced in 2013.  I think I might have watched it before, but I barely remembered any of it.  The name is Dig Wars and it was on the Destinations network.

Three or four pairs of  detectorist formed teams and hunted various historic locations.  At the end of the day, they had finds appraised to see which pair of detectorists had the highest total.  I think I remember seeing it years ago.  They seemed to find old and interesting items going back centuries most of the places they hunted, even though they only hunted each site one day and didn't turn the site upside down with heavy equipment -  just detectors and some small holes that were filled, or course.

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We have a fairly strong southeast wind today.  I wouldn't be surprised if some spot opens up.  There is one in particular that might be expected to improve under these conditions.

The surf should be a little higher tonight and we are having some good high tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/27/18 Report - Some Treasure Coast Beaches Lightly Cut And Higher Surf Coming. Curse of Oak Island TV Show Comments By Viewers.

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

John Brooks Beach Thursday Morning.

I checked some beaches this morning.  John Brooks showed some small cuts, which evidently happened last night.

John Brooks Beach Thursday Morning.

Blind Creek had been nicely eroded some time in the not too distant past.  Unfortunately I missed that.  Today was too late.  

Blind Creek Beach Thursday Morning.

Fort Pierce South Jetty was mostly poor with the exception of a short area to the north that looked better.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Thursday Morning.

I'm not expecting much more improvement in beach conditions despite the larger surf that is predicted.  The wind will be shifting more to the south.

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I stumbled on some fun and interesting comments concerning the Oak Island TV show on reddit.  Here is one that echoes much of what I've said.

Curse of Oak Island has shown us a definite pattern.

Allow 'Metal Detection Expert' Gary Drayton find an interesting item or two. Last year, for example, the items included the brooch and the Tanit cross. This year it is another brooch and the Roman pilum.

The pattern:

-- Have Metal Detection Expert Gary Drayton immediately announce his assumption as to what the item is, what it consists of, and its age.

-- Call Rick.

-- Salivate over it in the War Room.

-- Hire an "expert" to say exactly what they want them to say.

-- Squeeze two or three episodes (or maybe more) out of it.

-- Include a photo of it in the show's intro as if it is some great discovery.

But the biggest thing... is it gets us arguing back and forth about the actual nature of the item and takes our focus off what we should really be looking at... the hunt for treasure!

As Dan Blankenship said in last Season's finale', as the Team sat around the Table of Pathetic, "These are just surface finds! They're leading you no closer to finding out if there's treasure on Oak Island!"

(Of course, this quote was bastardized, taken completely out of context, and used in promos for the finale', as producers clipped it to show Dan exclaiming: "... There's treasure on Oak Island!") (but I digress)

Example: They say it's Roman, they hire an "expert" to say it's Roman, and it forever becomes "Roman". Meanwhile, we do more research than the "Oak Island Team" or any UFO writer has done, and we can just about prove it isn't what the "expert" says it is.

Another classic example of this is a couple of Seasons ago when a rather obvious railroad spike was confidently pronounced by "Dr" Lori, to be a "decking nail from the Spanish Galleon". (Which just coincidentally (wink, wink) matched up with the outlandish theory of a Spanish Galleon being purposely sunk between the "two" Oak Islands, followed by the "two" islands being merged into one.)

Regardless, whether this new item is actually a pilum, a crossbow bolt, a frog gig, a property marker, etc, etc.... IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER!

Even if we assume it is a Roman pilum... BIG DEAL! It was found near the shore at Lot 26. Is that leading them to buried treasure in the Money Pit area (or anywhere else, for that matter)?

Will excavation at Smith's Cove lead them closer to buried treasure?

Will searching through spoils lead them closer to buried treasure?

Don't get caught up in all the bull. Don't get hooked by a fishing hook which "looks like it was used to haul large chests on ships".

Here is the link.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OakIsland/comments/a41qo2/roman_pilum_or_not_dont_get_hooked/

There are some other humorous ones.

Could it be that the possible Crossbow Bolt found at Smiths Cove is a weapon of Ancient Roman origin? Or, perhaps even more intriguing, could it be that it is, in reality, the rusted shank of a 19th Century Hand Drill Bit like those below? Could the Antiquities Expert be a total hack? STAY TUNED! (i.redd.it)

submitted 22 days ago by Bill0Rights

Here is that link.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OakIsland/comments/a39j2h/could_it_be_that_the_possible_crossbow_bolt_found/

I had some readers that crossbow bolt was actually something else.  It sure didn't look like the examples I saw.

Seems like the "experts" don't have a lot of credibility with the viewers and for many the show is becoming a not too entertaining comedy.  There are many posts and comments about the show out there.  It does get viewers, but many are unimpressed by their misspent viewing time.

Here are a couple more to read.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OakIsland/comments/a1cep6/what_exactly_did_jack_and_gary_unearth/

https://www.andywhiteanthropology.com/blog/category/oak-island

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

It looks like the surf will not be quite as high as expected earlier, but worse yet, the winds won't be favorable.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/19/18 Report - More On The Legendary Thanksgiving Storm of 1984. Miscellaneous Comments On A Recent Episode of Oak Island.

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

I've posted information before about what caused some of the best-ever Treasure Coast beach detecting that occurred during the Thanksgiving Storm of 1984.  You've probably heard some of the stories about the treasure found on the beach after that storm.  I've posted some of that in this blog.  People said the information I posted about the storm really helped them, so today I have more of that.  Dale J. sent me a link to The Florida East Coast Thanksgiving Holiday Storm of 1984 by Raymond Biedinger, Clifford Brock,  Federico Gonzales, and Burt Sylvern.  Betweent that report and the one I previously posted, I think you'll understand what it takes to really uncover a lot of old beach treasure.

Here are a couple paragraphs from that report.

The meteorological conditions just described produced one of the most damaging storms to affect the eastern coastal sections of Florida during the past several decades. Much of the damage from Fernandina Beach southward to North Miami Beach, nearly 400 miles, was caused by the easterly winds of gale force with gusts as high as 60 miles an hour blowing for nearly four days. This action of the wind over the ocean produced shoreward moving swells of around 20 feet which pounded the Florida east coast and produced the most severe beach erosion in recent years in many areas. An example of the destruction was the reduction of the newly completed l100 foot pier at St. Augustine to 300 feet. Sand dunes were obliterated leaving barrier islands void of any natural protection against the next onslaught of a coastal storm in the future. 

To add to the destructiveness, the highest monthly astronomical tide period coincided with the highest period of storm tides which occurred on the morning of Thursday and Friday, the 22nd and 23rd. All of this produced tides 4 to 6 feet above mean yea level (MSL} at times of high tide. In some places, this was the highest tide in the last 30 years. Alt Mayport, Florida, just north of Jacksonville, the tide of 5.2 feet above MSL was the third highest tide of record. Much of state road A1A, the famous coastal highway, was closed in Indian River County between Vero Beach and Sebastian Inlet because of high water. In this area several beach front buildings collapsed, and 600 to 1,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes. In Palm Beach County, five blocks of A1A were seriously damaged by the high tides and heavy surf. Bridges were closed because of flooded approaches which caused some barrier islands including the large Hutchinson Island to become isolated for periods of time around the time of high tide. In the storm's aftermath, severe coastal beach erosion stretched from Jacksonville to Palm Beach. Several counties were declared emergency areas by the Governor of Florida. The storm tides and high surf alone combined to produce property damage at first estimate of over 8 million dollars along the coast. Figures 18 and 19 show this damage assessment to both public and private property in the individual counties along the coast. (Later poststorm reports from the Florida Department Natural Resources...

If you want to learn more about that, here is the link.

https:/www.weather.gov/media/mlb/marine/Nov_1984_storm.pdf

Thanks Dale!

I added the underlining to the above.

And if you want to see my previous post on the Thanksgiving Storm along with excerpts from another report, here is that link.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/06/61715-report-can-storm-uncover-as-much.html

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I woke up this morning from a dream in which I was hunting through some good shell piles and finding some old things.  I guess my little walk yesterday and my planned walk today was on my mind.

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Yesterday I saw most of episode six of season six of the Oak Island TV show.  It provides so many positive and negative treasure hunting lessons and illustrations that I have to comment on it.  They have really picked up the pace this season.

My first impression is that the word "theory" has suddenly become very popular on that show.  It is used frequently now.    A simple word count of the transcripts could quickly confirm or deny my impression if somebody wants to do it.  If true, it indicates a new positive direction for them, in my opinion.

The advantage of "targeted" drilling based upon the seismic data was clearly demonstrated.  The hypothesis of a void of the type expected, or hoped for, was not supported in this case, but a clear answer was provided with a relatively high degree of confidence.  You won't get that with random searching.   If you have a clear hypothesis to test, you have a much better chance of coming up with a clear answer so  you can move on with the additional information.  In this case, they did not find a void where one was expected, but they effectively conducted a test and learned something from it.

Well-defined questions lead to effective tests that result in answers.

I'm encouraged that they had some real expert analysis instead of the Dr. Lori kind of thing.  It seems they are really pouring money into the project this year.

I would have liked to have a level of confidence expressed concerning the age and mining location for the lead cross.  90%, 80%, or something like that.  Perhaps I missed it.

As I've said many times before, because something might have been produced at an early date does not mean that it was lost at such an early date.  We often think in terms of today's standards in which we buy something, use it and throw it away in a very short time, but things can be used or kept for hundreds of years before they are lost or deposited.  That is especially true of treasured antiques and artifacts.

I once bought a widow's mite from an antiquities dealer as a Christmas gift for my mother.  If it was lost and somebody later found it, they would be wrong to conclude that the 30AD coin was brought to America and lost in 30AD.   An old item could be lost or deposited almost any time up until the time it was found.

I'm curious why the cross was made of lead instead of gold or some other metal considering the possible context of a large treasure hoard.  Why not something more precious?  Does the lead have a symbolic significance or purpose, or was the cross simply fashioned by someone out of scrap lead - perhaps a type of soldier art.  It seems to me that it might have been once nailed to something through the head.

There was a piece of scrap lead they found in an earlier episode, which looked quite recent to me.   Neither seemed to show much evidence of salt water corrosion.

Another thing you can take from the lead cross is what I always say about discrimination.  Lead and other items that are NOT coins or gold or silver can be very good finds.  Anyone who got that item under their coil would definitely detect it unless they discriminated it out.

Location, location, location!

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Tomorrow the surf will be up to two or three feet, but the tides will start to get a little bigger.

I'm going to try to take a walk to look for more bottles and things if I get the chance.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/11/18 Report - Swindlers and Bamboozlers: Treasure Hunters and Scams.

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

I ran across an interesting article in True West Magazine.  In one article on swindlers and bamboozlers I read the following.

Salting is best loosely defined as increasing the value of a worthless mine with a fraudulent intent to enrich it in a manner contrary to the laws of nature.

There were a number of ways to do this. A shotgun was a handy instrument when it came to salting a worthless mine. One of the qualities of gold is that it’s malleable. The rascal simply removed the shot from the shell and substituted gold dust. Then he blasted the walls, impregnating with gold.

Another clever trick was filling his smoking pipe with gold dust then casually emptying the contents right before the unsuspecting eyes of the prospective buyer.

And if the clever buyer wanted to look beyond the surface walls the seller would oblige but in anticipation of such a request he’d prepared headsticks of his dynamite with gold dust. Light the fuse and the inner rock would be impregnated right before the buyers eyes.

But my favorite was the deceptive method using bichloride of gold. You see, when gold is chemically treated it becomes a liquid. It was commonly used for medicinal purposes in the treatment of alcoholism and kidney ailments and when taken internally it passes through the body exiting liquid fluid with high assay values. The scalawag could salt his mine by peeing on the rocks anywhere the spirit moved him.

See https://truewestmagazine.com/swindlers-bamboozlers/ for more of that article.

Now that is interesting enough - at least I thought so - but human nature hasn't changed and salting and other forms of deception are still practiced today.

Maybe you've heard of salted shipwrecks designed to lure investors, but fraud can be carried out in many ways.

DelawareOnline reported on one complicated scheme involving a fake treasure map and altered emeralds.

( https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2014/10/08/wilmington-attorney-law-firm-sued-fraud/16949099/ )

Here is another scam.

The 44-year-old Palm Beach Gardens man would lend $190,000 and get it back in four months with 10 percent interest. If the borrower defaulted, he’d get collateral worth 150 percent of his investment: $285,000 worth of shipwreck treasure.

The venture was a fraud, he alleges, with each detail more bizarre than the previous — involving a self-anointed doctor of theology, a faked Time magazine cover, a psychic that located the ship, a chest of lesser jewels that experts said couldn’t have come from Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes’ stash, and a business headquarters dubbed “the treasure room” inside the defunct Ambrosia pizza parlor on South Dixie Highway..

And the link for more about that.

https://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/local/lawsuit-treasure-hunters-scammed-out-190-000/NBvw6xIUrJ2Tp92XXN22KN/


Sometimes deception might be no big deal, and sometimes the intent might even be generous.  I remember one instance when I wanted to learn about hunting fossils and paid a fee to go to a good fossil site with an expert and his partner.  I was digging and using a sifter.  After a short while, a good sized shark tooth showed up in my sifter.  I'm sure it was slipped there by the expert, and I think a little earlier I heard him say to his partner who was digging off to the side, "Let them have this one."

I found a lot of fossils that day myself and had no complaints, but I'm sure he slipped that one into the sifter when I wasn't looking.  Maybe he wanted to make sure I had a good time or would go with them again.  It really had no effect, and it might have even been a generous move.

But the thing that started me off on this today is of another sort.  TV provides a bigger tent than Barnum ever had, and the pressure is on to make sure there is something of interest for the viewers.  A string of fruitless hunts will quickly lose viewers, and, for a TV show that is death.

I watched a show last Friday that featured a few Florida "treasure hunters," most of whom I know and respect - but also one I know who is not trustworthy.  I caught him in too many lies.   It was no surprise that his spot on the TV show was the only one that actually produced on-camera finds.

Not too long ago I was asked by a TV station to take them on a hunt.  I told them the truth.  I told them that considering the current beach conditions, the chances of finding anything very exciting was very slim and it wouldn't be a good time to do it.

I've seen TV shows where I'm sure they planted things.  It is especially easy on a beach.  It is even easier in the water.  Just toss out a coin and watch it disappear or drop an item and walk over it.

On the TV show I was watching last Friday, I caught an item being tossed out into the murky water while the host was working with his detector.   It was done quickly and it was hard to see, but if you run it back a few times, you can clearly see the trick.

Other cases simply involve misrepresentation of finds, sometimes where they came from, time period or the value.  It is easy enough to make a mistake like that, but when you see the same person doing the same type of thing over and over, pretty soon you have to wonder about their honesty.

You can't believe everything you see on TV.  You know that, but there is usually a motive and a pattern of behavior that will tip you off. 

TV is a demanding and rewarding medium. There are plenty of people who will take advantage of the opportunities, even when it means being deceptive.  There are total fakes and then there are little things done just to build a reputation or spice up a program.

Treasure hunting too often gets a bad rap.  It isn't made any better by individuals or programs that do not maintain the highest standards of integrity.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/8/18 Report - Another Curse TV Show. Silver War Nickel. Beach Access Issue. Stuart Bottling Works.

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

Group of Paper Thin Pennies and Silver War Nickel

1944 P Nickel After Some Cleaning.

Its amazing!  There is so much to be found if you look around.  I've been spending most of my hunting time within an hours walk from my house.  I haven't been hitting it hard, but keeping myself entertained anyhow. There is one bigger project that I've been focused on, though I haven't spent much field time on it lately.  A lot of my hunting lately has been eye-balling.

Those pennies are really worn down.  Shows what can happen.  Little wonder that so many of the small cobs are so underweight, when you consider that these paper-thin pennies are all only a few decades old.  Hard to believe that the nickel is nearly three quarters of a century old.

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On 4/3 I published a special post with links to articles about legislation that it is said would threaten public access to Florida beaches.  On 4/5 I posted the names of the Florida representatives that could be contacted concerning that issue and how they voted on one bill.  The 4/5 post was very popular, judging by the large number of people that viewed it, so I assume that people are contacting their representatives.  

If you have contacted a representative, I'd like to hear what, if any, response you received.  

Don't forget to encourage and thank those who vote to protect our beach access too.

I'd like to post what any representatives have to say in response to your contacts - good or bad.

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One more curse!  Now it is The Curse of Civil War Gold.  And a curse it is unless you enjoy far-fetched theories, senseless questions and Three Stooges-like bungling.  The humor is the thing that keeps me from turning it off.

My wife asked again if they ever found anything.  She was not referring to the railroad spikes or Templar Crosses that seem to show up on every show, but to the big treasure - in this case Civil War gold.  I reminded her that if they found it, the show would be over.   For the production company the goal is to create a TV series, and that is what they do.  They don't really want it to end as long as they can string viewers along, and they have one formula for doing that, which they will copy until it fails to work.  I had to laugh when the infamous railroad spikes showed up again, but moaned when over belabored Templar Cross from Oak Island made its appearance on this show too.

The highlight of the program for me was when they tried to dig up the railroad tracks and steam engine while the water kept collapsing the hole.  I have to give them an A for effort, C- for strategy, and F for results.

One of the biggest stretches was the theory that the crossing sidewalks represented a Confederate Flag.  Geometric shapes are common and can be found in most things - flags, buildings, alphabets, etc. etc.

One of the biggest and most typical oooopses was that the found nut wouldn't fit the found bolt - at least not until you knock the crud out of it.

The endless blue-sky theories are tediously offered in a mysterious "Could it be that....."   You can fill in the blanks.  My example is, "Could it be that dead monkeys are in the vault?"  The answer is yes, but there are tons of much more likely possibilities

Is it possible they could find the headlined treasure?  Yes, but then they'd have to come up with something else.

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I recently got interested in looking at where bottles and other items found on the Treasure Coast came from.  Many bottles tell where they were bottled.  As you would expect, a lot of the bottles found here were bottled locally, but many came from long distances.  Found bottles will tell what the people on the Treasure Coast were drinking, but also perhaps tell something about where people were coming from and where the goods consumed locally were coming from over the last century or more.

I'll get into that more in the future, but here is one bottle that was locally bottled that I have not been able to get much information about.

STUART BOTTLING WORKS Embossing.

Below is the entire bottle.  I've found several of these, but have never found out what was in them or the dates when the Stuart Bottling Works was in operation.  It looks like it could have been a soda bottle.

Bottle From Stuart Bottling Works.

I'd appreciate any information you can give me about the Stuart Bottling Works.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/15/17 Report - Happy Flag Day. Old Sunken Ship. TV Program on 1715 Fleet. Rumors of New Detector.

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

First U. S.Flag.

Darrel S. reminded me that it is flag day today (June 14).  It seems very few people know about it. I saw a few flags out today, but very few.

Flag Day honors a June 14, 1777, resolution from the Second Continental Congress, which called for an official United States flag.

The resolution called for the flag to "be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation."  (From Wikipedia)

The flag with the circles arranged in a circle is referred to as the Betsy Ross variant.

Thanks to Darrel S.

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SAN FRANCISCO – A U.S. Coast Guard ship that first set out to sea during the Spanish-American War and sank off the coast of Southern California 100 years ago won’t be moved anytime soon, officials said Tuesday.

Strong currents and an abundance of sediment would make moving the delicate vessel too difficult, officials said in detailing the discovery of the San Francisco-based USCGC McCulloch. They also paid tribute to its crews, including two members who died in the line of duty...

Here is the link to read more about that.

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jun/14/historic-shipwreck-discovered-off-southern-califor/

I like to give you the sources for the stories I post so you can check them out for yourself.

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Chistopher P. told me about a program on the Expedition Unknown series about the 1715 Fleet.  Below is the description.

Josh Gates travels the coast of Florida and to the newly opened country of Cuba in search of sunken treasure from a fleet of Spanish ships sunk in 1715. The hunt takes him deep into the Atlantic and into the previously sealed National Archives of Cuba.

Here is a link to learn more about that.  Sounds interesting.

http://www.travelchannel.com/shows/expedition-unknown/episodes/expedition-unknown-3

Thanks Christopher.

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I started seeing reports of a new metal detector that was supposed to show you a picture of the target before you dig it.  After looking into those reports it seems they stem from an ad about a detector that will not only show you a picture of the target, but also give you its value.  Then the ad says the detector will do all the hunting for you.  The problem is, as you probably guessed by now, it is fake news - yet it seems a lot of people didn't catch that it was a joke and passed it on like much of the TV and print media would do.

---

I remember reading maybe twenty years ago about a metal detector that would show you an image of the target in the ground.  They never seemed to work out or catch on.

Things like the DRS system that costs nearly $6000 will give you a rough image, but not anything like what you might want.

---

Its the time of year to start watching nhc.noaa.gov.  Right now there is just one tropical disturbance. It is way out in the south Atlantic too far away to be concerned about at this point.

I heard a lot of thunder today, but it seems it stayed out west.

Not any significant changes to report in beach conditions.

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

4/19/17 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