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

11/26/19 Re;port - Two Detectorists Pay Big Price for Not Declaring Finds. Billion Dollars Treasure Stolen. 1715 Fleet Silver Dog Collar.

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

Part of Huge Viking Hoard Discovered by Two Detectorists.
Source: metro.co.uk link shown below.

I'm having all kinds of trouble getting my post posted today.  Seems like ghosts of turkeys past are getting in the works.

Anyhow, the two detectorists who didn't report the huge Viking hoard they found are going to jail along with two accomplices.

Here is what the judge had to say the them.

The Judge added: ‘The irony in this case is if you, George Powell, and you, Layton Davies, had obtained the permissions and agreements which responsible metal detectorists are advised to obtain, if you had gone on to act within the law after you found this treasure, you could have expected to have either a half share, or at very worst a third share of over £3 million to share between the two of you.

 ‘You could not have done worse than £500,000 each.

 ‘But you wanted more.’

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

https://metro.co.uk/2019/11/23/12000000-viking-hoard-metal-detector-thieves-jailed-11205021/

Tis the season of greed.


In today's International Business Times was another treasure story gone bad.


Treasure Heist: Burglars In Germany May Have Stolen Jewels And Other Items Worth About $1 Billion.

Police in Germany are searching for a group of thieves who stole priceless treasures from one of Europe's largest collections of jewelry and ornaments. Bild newspaper noted that the jewels and other treasures could be worth up to 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion)...

Dresden's State Art Collection Marion Ackermann said the value of the collection is “incalculable” because the work was considered “unsellable.” Because of this, it will be difficult to determine the exact value of what was stolen.

The vault was first established by Augustus the Strong, ruler of Saxony, in the early 18th century to house the valued items. It was part of Augustus’ efforts to turn Dresden in a center for the arts in Central Europe that also involved commissioning works across the city to sell the city’s place as a cultural center..

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

https://www.ibtimes.com/treasure-heist-burglars-germany-may-have-stolen-jewels-other-items-worth-about-1-2873176


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Yesterday I mentioned horse tack.  I think we find more artifacts like that than we know.  I suspect many pieces or parts remain unidentified.

Noel Wells' book Small Arms of the Spanish Treasure Fleets has a section on horses and dogs because of their use in warfare and conquering the New World.

There was a picture of a engraved silver collar found on a 1715 Fleet wreck that was thought to be a dog collar.

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The weather, as you know, is beautiful.  The high tides are still nice and high, but the surf calm.

It looks as if in a few days we'll be getting some rougher surf.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Pshewww.  I finally got it done.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/19/18 Report - Treasure Digging Dog. Ancient Gold Coins Found. Slightly Higher Surf for T. C.

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

Ancient Gold Coins Found in Theatre Basement

Source: See FoxNews link below.

Hundreds of Roman gold coins have been unearthed in the basement of an Italian theater.

The coins were found in a stone container during excavations at the site of a former theater in Como, northern Italy, according to the country's Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (MiBAC)…

Here is the link for more about that.

https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/roman-gold-coins-italy-cressoni-theater-trnd/index.htm


Thanks to Norbert B. for that link.

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3000-year-old Treasure Discovered by Dog.

It was a typical March day under the Orlické Mountains and Mr. Frankota was walking his dog, Monty, along one of the fields. Suddenly Monty began frantically digging and when Mr. Frankota came to have a look at what all the fuss was about, he noticed that bronze, sickle like objects were appearing.

Eventually, 13 of the sickles, as well as two spear points, three axes and a number of bracelets were discovered. All are dated to be over 3000 years old... 

Here is the link about the treasure digging dog.

https://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/dog-discovers-bronze-age-treasure-in-kostelec

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Steve M. sent the following comments on Muntz metal.

I read your article( I love your articles!) about Muntz metal sheathing.  Muntz metal is brass which as we know does not last underwater in saltwater at all.  It is an alloy of copper and zinc.  Zinc is very quick to corrode in saltwater, especially near other more noble metals such as copper.  That is why Muntz metal did not stay on the market long, it would dissolve, fairly quickly, where pure copper would last forever.  Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin.  Tin is super stainless and rust/corrosion resistant but fairly soft.  Mixed with copper to make bronze, it is perfect.  Better than stainless steel in corrosion resistance.  Steve M. in Sarasota, FL. ---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The Atlantic is pretty quiet again. The surf on the Treasure Coast will be a bit higher though.

Source: magicseaweed.com.

Happy hunting, TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/7/18 Report - Gun Part Possibly 500 Years Old Found In Colorado. Not Wreck of Clotilda. Decent Surf.

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

A pistol part found in a Mesa County excavation area could be as many as 500 years old and may bring to light some new information on Spanish colonial history in Colorado.

The part was found in the Kannah Creek area about 25 miles south of Grand Junction as part of an archaeological excavation conducted by the Museums of Western Colorado's Western Investigations Team.

The dig has been ongoing for about seven years and the part was found a few years ago, but it has been undergoing metallurgic testing, according to Museums of Western Colorado Curator of History David Bailey.

Referred to as a "dog," the part is a spring-load arm that was used as part of a Spanish wheellock pistol, which dates to 1500 to 1600. The wheellock predates flintlock pistols and muskets, which were first introduced in the 17th century.

The discovery is unusual for this region as most artifacts such as this one are typically found in Texas and New Mexico. It is believed that the Spanish didn't come to this region until the 1700s.

Here is the link for more.

https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/year-old-pistol-part-found-at-kannah-creek-archaeological-dig/article_64bafa48-2043-11e8-9cc2-10604b9f7e7c.html

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The hunt for the wreck of the Clotilda, the last American slave ship, goes on.

A previously unexplored 19th century shipwreck discovered in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, which archaeologists said might be the Clotilda, has been ruled out as the ill-fated ship after further examination this week. In the end, this wreck was simply too big, with a significant portion hidden beneath mud and deep water.

AL.com reporter Ben Raines found the wreck when it was exposed along the shoreline of the Mobile River during extreme low tides in the first week of January. The wreck was found alongside an island where Captain William Foster wrote that he burned and sank the Clotilda in 1860...

And here is that link.

http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2018/03/wreck_found_in_delta_not_the_c.html

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Looks like I might have posted the wrong kind of music holder as the example for the recent mystery item.  The one I posted was on a stand.  Mitch K. says it is a trumpet lyre, and Gaylen gave a similar description.

Galen said, My musical training is pretty limited ( Jr high band), but based on the size of it, if it is a music holder it looks like the kind that attached directly to the instrument as in a marching band. Would hold a small booklet of music vs regular sheet music. Just a guess.

Thanks all!

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Facebook is tracking even those who don't use it.

Here is the link for more about that.

http://blog.spiritdaily.com/news/is-facebook-tracking-even-those-who-dont-use-it

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

The surf is still big enough to do something if other things were right.  Unfortunately the wind will be from the south today.  A south wind can work, but mostly where there are obstructions such as jetties or rocks.

All of the recent renourishment sand is gone from Bathtub Beach again. 

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/11/15 Report - Mystery Pot For Age Determination. Variety Of Great Old Coin Finds. Diamond Ring Recovered From Inside Dog.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exlusive use of treasurebeachesreport.BlogSpot.com.




I got this message a couple of days ago from Jonah M.

Jonah said, I went out last night to a beach that I've found really good treasure on with no ties to our 1715 beaches. And this is what I found . We find a lot of China and all sorts of pottery on our wrecks but this piece looks older I could be wrong ,but after a light cleaning this is as good as I could get it. It's about 4 inches tall with no marks on the bottom.  Please feel free thoughts on age.






Let me know what you think about the age of the pot.

Context is often one of the better indicators of the age or source of an object.

Remember, when beach conditions aren't right for one type of material, it might be a good time for other types of material.  I've said that in the past, but not recently.







Michael E. has been putting in a lot of field work.  That is one of the biggest determinants of finds.  If you want to find a lot, you have to put in the time.

Michael said

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... still land hunting for me to begin the new year. Last 2 hunts have resulted in many items, and some nice coins. 1943 half dollar, 1891 v nickel, 1870 centimos, 1918 buffalo, all first for me, which most things still are. Still have a gift for you in my truck, hope to catch up one day. This is my gold from 2014, less 3 pieces found after this photo. I dedicated to swing hard, Long and often in 2014, really to see what could happen. My goal overal was 100 rings and 10k pennies. Only made 5.6k pennies but dug over 10k individual pieces of clad. With minimal time at local parks. Didn't think I would reach the ring goal, but amid a few other hunters at my usual beach on December 31, I recovered #100, 18k band...


Below are some of Michael's recent old coin finds.

Coins Found by Michael E.
Photos by Michael E.
 

Very nice.  Thanks for sharing guys!


Did you hear about the dog that swallowed an expensive diamond ring and wedding band?

Here is the link to a video on that.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/dog-with-expensive-taste-swallows-wedding-rings/381520963608/Comcast/StrangeVideos?cid=hero_sf_weird
 

Maybe you should run your detector over the animals you come across.


I got word of some reale finds from a couple of days ago. 


Looks like the Treasure Coast will get something like a three or four foot surf for a few days.   The wind won't be out of the North until Tuesday.

I'll put my beach detecting conditions rating back down to a 1.


That is all for today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net