8/25/19 Report - Tropical Storm Dorian. Finds, Artifacts and Tools. Crime In Space. Great Lakes Water Levels.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We now have a tropical storm that is predicted to become a hurricane - at least for a while.

The system that was over Florida is now moving away, but Dorian is headed in our direction.

Source: nhc,noaa.gov

I think Dorian will fizzle out before getting to us, but that remains to be seen.  Keep watching.

In the mean time it looks like we'll have a two to three foot surf.

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Finds As An Extension Of A Person And A Reflection Of A Time.

I learn a lot from dreams.  Last night was an excellent example.  I awoke from a dream in which I was in the basement of the home where I grew up.  In the dream the house was mostly empty, but a few things remained.  I was inspecting my fathers tools in the basement where he had his workbench and always kept his tools.  They were the same tools he used to build that house.

The tools were large and heavy - more than needed to just do a job.  Unlike today's tools, they were made to last, and they are just as strong and usable today as they were seventy years ago.

Cast Iron Tools.

So what is the relevance?  Finds - artifacts - are an extension of a person.  My father's tools were an extension of his hands and forearms, and even his personality.  They fit the picture.  More than that, they complete the picture.

There was an anvil and an iron sledge hammer that I could barely lift, let alone use.

Heavy (feels like near 50 pounds) Hammer With Iron Handle.

Everything my father built was overbuilt.  He used what he had.  The car port behind our house was constructed of telephone poles and cross arms.  He worked for the electric utility company.  The car port was way heavier and stronger than necessary.

If you look at the tools in my garage today, you'll see an expression of me.  My tools are wimpy in comparison. They didn't build my house.  They are for repairing, touching up or tinkering - not the same kind of work.  Most people today don't build their own house with their own hands from the ground up.

My tools are an expression of the times, and sadly, perhaps also a reflection of me as shaped by the times.  Things just aren't made like they once were. And they aren't used the same.

This isn't about my father and I.  It is just the example that was no my mind and shows how objects can tell something about the person that owned them and the times when they were used.

Objects were made for a purpose, and how they were made and used tell us about the people and times.  When an object is revealed to you from the sands of time imagine the hands that formed it, held it or used it.  Maybe meditate on it a little, and see if you can get an image of the person who was connected to it.

- - -

Here is a great web site for identifying Craftsman and related tools.

http://alloy-artifacts.org/craftsman-early-tools-p4.html

The pipe wrench shown above is a fourteen inch Dunlap.  The Dunlap brand is listed on the above web site and was used from 1938 into the 50s.

The wrench in the same photo was made by Fairmount Tool Manufacturing that began in Cleveland in 1917 and made a lot of tools for autos.

I think the sledge hammer was military.  It has the number 7157.

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Detecting tools like the pipe wrench will normally produce conductivity readings form minuses through the teens - very similar to an old anchor except for the amount of area.

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First criminal act alleged to have been committed in outer space?

Here is that link.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/nasa-astronaut-identity-theft-bank-account-divorce-wife

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Summer on the Swollen Great Lakes

The lakes rose this year to levels not seen in decades. A 1,234-mile drive around one of them revealed what all that water has left behind — vanishing beaches, closed roads, new islands...

And here is that link.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/24/us/great-lakes-water-levels.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/22/18 Report - New Iron Shipwreck Finds. The Secret Treasure. Precautions. Bigger Surf Coming.

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

Finds From Unidentified Shipwreck North of Treasure Coast.

Yesterday I posted pictures of some 1715 Fleet treasures found not too long ago.  Today I'm posting the above picture of items from an unidentified shipwreck found under the beach north of the Treasure Coast.

Here is the email I received with that photo.

...Thought I would share with you and for your blog as Sunday after a 1 mile walk to my hidden wreck site,it produced a few more pieces of iron. As you recall,this find started after  Hurricane Matthew in 2016 as I retrieved 29 total pieces.I went back searching after Hurricane Irma in 2017 and fetched more bringing my total to 49. After our latest N'easter on Jan 3 2018 I was able finally to make the long mile hike again hoping to add to the mystery.As soon as I hit my area,first iron hit,then another,another.Due to the erosion these were only down around 10 inches or so and still have wood and roots intact as they are now in dirt rather than beach sand...I broke the 50 piece mark as I feel these are all from the same ship.Maybe one day I'll have something more interesting to show like in Today's [ yesterday's] blog....until then it's a waiting game for the next shift of sand.Thanks for all your hard work.

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Things have changed over the decades.  You can learn a lot from TV and the internet today that would take you forever to discover on your own.

I'm now bored by Gold Rush and Curse of Oak Island, but I've seen some very interesting episodes of Expedition Unknown.  I think it was Friday that I saw episode 4 of season 4, which was about The Secret a book by Byron Preiss that presents a treasure puzzle leading to several actual treasures buried around the country.

Here is how The Secret is described.

...The Secret, a puzzle book published in 1982 by Byron Preiss.  To set up the puzzle, Preiss traveled to 12 locations in North America to secretly bury a dozen ceramic vases, or, as he called them, "casques." Each casque contained a small key that could be redeemed for one of 12 jewels Preiss kept in a safe deposit box in New York. The key to finding the casques was to match one of 12 paintings to one of 12 poetic verses, solve the resulting riddle, and start digging. Since 1982, only two of the 12 casques have been recovered. The first was located in Grant Park, Chicago, in 1983 by a group of students. The second was unearthed in 2004 in Cleveland by two members of the Quest4Treasure forum. Preiss was killed in an auto accident in the summer of 2005, but the hunt for his casques continues. 

The last part of the TV episode on The Secret ended with a search in St Augustine, where they failed to find the treasure.  It could still be there.

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Things change.  People change too.  I was thinking over my metal detecting years and remembered how I changed.  In the very beginning I was not secretive at all about my finds.  I guess there wasn't much to be secretive about.  I was just picking up mostly modern coins on tourist beaches. 

When I got into finding gold jewelry, that changed.  I was hunting harder and finding a lot.  On top of that, I found out that people would try to claim finds that didn't belong to them.  This was in South Florida where there are a lot of criminals and theft.  That was another reason to be more discreet.  

This is something that I don't like to post about, but it might help somebody.  There is also crime on the Treasure Coast.  Every once in a while a car is broken into at one of the beach parking lots.  I know that happened several times at both John Brooks and Walton Rocks, and I'm sure at other places as well.  I remember reporting a couple years ago about a theft at gun point at Pepper Park.  Be alert, take precautions and don't leave valuables in the car.

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If you missed yesterday's post showing the 1715 Fleet finds, you'll want to go back and take a look at that.

Surf Prediction for Fort Pierce Area.
Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

The prediction doesn't show the surf being quite as big next weekend now, but the it is showing that the surf will remain high for a longer period of time.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/6/14 Report - Water Got High On The Beach But LIttle To No Erosion. Fossils and Sea Glass On Beach Today. Beach Crime. Valuable Old Books.

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



First Beach I Looked At This Morning
Notice how the water had been up over the berm.

I got out to look at the beach this morning.  The higher surf yesterday didn't do much. I did see some small cuts, but only at a location where sand had been dumped.  Renourishment sand will usually disappear quickly.  It is out of place and the ocean will quickly reclaim it. 




I call cuts in renourishment sand superficial.  They seldom produce anything good.  Things that were brought in with the sand can wash out when the sand washes away.  Most often it is filled with trash.

Second Beach I Visited This Morning.
It was just as sandy as the first.

This morning I could tell that the water had been up pretty high on both of the beaches.  In the first photo, you can see where the water washed up over the berm.

At the second beach that I looked at, the water had been nearly back to the dunes. 

At the second beach, there were a good number of shells near the water.  There was a dip right in front of the beach.  There was also iron, sea glass, and pieces of fossils in with the shells.

I found some nice large pieces of sea glass, but mostly broken pieces of fossil.

There were some pieces of copper and unidentifiable old pieces of iron of various sizes and shapes on the front beach.  A few pieces of titanium too. 

I saw four police cars at the beach.  It seems there was a lot of activity.  One cop told me that a window was broken and a purse stolen from the front seat of a parked car at one beach access, and a charging iPhone was stolen from another.

Bunch of Shells and Dip In Front of Beach.

Don't leave valuables in your car.  Be careful where you park and be aware of who is around.










I like to find non-metallic items too.  Here are a couple of examples of the types of things that were  found in with the shell today.

Couple Fossilized Turtle Scutes.

Here are a couple fossil turtle scutes.  I think both are nucal (from the center line).  And both are from the edge of the shell, either front or back.

And below is a piece of sea glass.  It is unusually shaped and thick.  Doesn't look like it came from a bottle, but I don't have any idea what it did come from.  The odd shape doesn't show from the photo.

Those are just a few examples.  When there are fossils there very well could be a shark tooth or something else interesting.

And if there is sea glass, there could also be an older piece of pottery or porcelain.



Sotheby's had an auction of old exploration and discovery books.  Old books like that can be good resources for research, but they can also be worth big bucks.  Some of these contain early maps.

http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/2014/exploration-discovery-library-franklin-brooke-hitching-l14412.html?cmp=email_l14412_0914_3_AURexample1_event_button1

Thick Piece of Sea Glass Found in Shells Today.

Check shell piles.  You never know when you might see a piece of black glass, Kang Hsi porcelain or whatever.  They do appear from time to time.


It looks like the Treasure Coast will have a two to three foot surf for a while now.

The tides are not as flat as they have been, but we still are not having negative low tides.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide @Comcast.net

5/23/14 Report - PSL Parks Halts Metal Detecting - Will You Let Our Hobby Be Banned

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

14K Ring Find
Mentioned
Yesterday.

Yesterday I talked about tracking down gold.  Here is the ring that I mentioned being found after following a path of older worn and crusted clad coins.


If we are not careful, metal detecting will not exist as a hobby in the future.  It seems it is always under attack somewhere.  Without a concerted effort by all involved, it will go extinct.

I understand that Brad Keen, Assistant Director of the City of Port St. Lucie Parks and Recreation, recently sent out an email to city park personnel indicating that metal detecting is no longer permitted in any area of the city parks.

One detectorists has been detecting the PSL city parks regularly for some time and is well known to many park personnel but Thursday was suddenly told that he could no longer metal detect in the city parks.  He was allowed to stay but was not allowed to detect.  It seems that there is either a new ordnance or they just decided to start enforcing an old ordnance.

I can not imagine why the city parks would not allow the recreational activity of metal detecting.  It can't be a safety issue because the parks not only allow but provide expensive facilities specifically for much more active and dangerous recreational activities.  Detecting is a favorite recreational activity of many law-abiding mature members of the community who provide many, perhaps unrecognized, benefits by their presence in the parks.

I hope that the city will learn more about metal detecting and the hobbyist who practice it and reevaluate their recent decision. 

Let them know what you think and how important this is to you.  Our governments need to be educated about the extent of the hobby and its many benefits to the "Treasure Coast" area and the state of Florida.   Always be kind, considerate and present and excellent image, if not for yourself, for the hobby.

If the treasure hunting/metal detecting groups can't come together, we'll be watching as our hobby disappears.

While looking into this a little, I ran across crime statistics for the PSL City Parks.  It isn't real up to date, but just a few of the parks were responsible for the majority of incidents.  (See chart.)  Always be aware of your surroundings while detecting.

You might remember the murder that occurred at Sportsman's Park back in 2012.

The last time I was at the beach I noticed broken auto glass on the ground.  Could have been a break in.  I haven't talked about that problem for a while, but as always, be careful.
























Here is an article about a pre Inca site in Peru.

http://www.peruviantimes.com/20/authorities-find-pre-inca-site-in-northern-piura-region/22181/

On the Treasure Coast we're going to have a few days one foot surf.  That will make water hunting easy.   Beach conditions will remain poor during that time.  Still, with the holiday and nice weather there will be some new losses on the beaches.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/11/13 Report - RIP Chantal, Old Coins and Buttons, & Metal Detectorists Help Solve Crime

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

Beach Coin Finds by Richard O.
Photo submitted by Richard O.

First off, Chantal died yesterday (Wed.) at about 5 PM.   This is supposed to be a busy storm season, so new storms will pop up before long.  That is for sure.

Yesterday I told about some of the beach storm finds made by Richard O.  That is the type of thing I often talk about and why we follow the progress of storms.  As Richard says, when it is hot it is hot.  Of course the opposite holds too.  When it is not, it is not.

Anyhow, above is another photo Richard sent showing some of his coin finds from the times it was hot in 2013.  See yesterday's post for more information about these coin finds.  A lot of these are early 1800s.

They aren't cleaned yet, but if you look close, you can make out some of the details.

And below are some old buttons found at the same time.

Old Buttons Found on Beach After Storm
Finds and photo by Richard O.

Again, if you look close you can see some details.

And thanks again for the photos Richard.  Great finds!



The metal detecting community provides a lot of services to the public, sometimes hunting and returning lost valuables, but that is not all.

James F. sent me the following.

... I was involved in this evidence search down in Kissimmee last Saturday with my club, The Central Florida Metal Detecting Club, and some of your guys from your area, The Treasure Coast Archeological Society. The hunt was successful in that the groups found a piece of evidence that will probably solve the killing of a 17-year old teenager while he was simply walking to work, as well as another murder 14-miles away from the scene we were searching. At any rate, the hobby (and the skill) of metal detecting finally got some good press because of this, and, even though it was running around 95-degrees in very high humidity, everyone, I think, did a fine job and both groups should be commended in getting these murdering animals off the street. The police were quite pleased and we may all be called on to do this again if there is a need. Here's the link to that story in the Orlando Sentinel:

Thanks to James and the others in the detecting community that volunteered their time to help solve this crime.  And thanks to James for sending the report and link.

Here is the story from the Orlando Sentinel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-osceola-shootings-update-20130709,0,3414832.story

Way to go guys!


I need to talk about something that in a way I'd rather not talk about.  Spending a lot of time on the beach in the hot Florida sun can be dangerous.  I've heard that 1 in 3 Floridians get some type of skin cancer.  It usually can be successfully treated if detected early, but some forms can be deadly if not caught in time.   I know too many detectorists that have had a problem with this.  Over time it does its damage.  Wear a heavy sun screen, protective clothing and visit a dermatologist if you see any suspicious or changing spots on our skin.  My wife used to nag me about that a lot, and I didn't appreciate it, but it could have saved me some problems if I'd listened.   Now I've said it.  I hope she doesn't read this.  I know that sun screen and taking all of the precautions can be a real pain, but it is not the real pain that you can get from developing skin problems.  I've had mine taken care of, but now I am more careful about my sun exposure and make periodic visits to the dermatologist.    Now the public service announcement is over.  I just felt like I needed to do that.


Today is the last chance to respond to the current blog poll.  I hope you'll do that.


The surf is 1 - 2 feet.  And now that Chantal has died, this weekend we'll have really small surf - only 1 foot.  It won't pick up again until Tudesday, according to the surfing web sites.

Conditions will remain poor for finding old treasure coins on the beaches, but water hunting should be good.  With the heat out there, it will also be one way to keep cool.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net