12/22/18 Report - A Treasure Hunter's Christmas: Decorating with Finds. Antique Bells and Other Finds.

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

A Small Part of the Population of My Lost and Found Village.

Christmas is a special time of year for me.  I really like it.  One thing I like about it is all of the traditions and memories.  But Christmas is a really good time to bring your finds into the story.

I like to make use of finds.  One thing I always like to find is wire.  It comes in handy.  Many of my Christmas tree decorations are held by hangers made of wire I found.  Finds also become ornaments or decorations.

Above you can see some of the items I've found.  Many of them were shown in posts before.  They often find a place in my Lost and Found Village beside the tree along with some other or vintage and antique Christmas decorations.

The movie Polar Express made bells very popular.  Here is a crotal bell I found in the hills of West Virginia.

And here is another one that has been polished and fitted with a nice new ribbon.  It hangs on my Christmas tree.

Polished Antique Petal Bell on Christmas Tree.

As with anything nice, there are fakes sold.  The easiest sign and first thing to look for is the hole in the lower half of the bell.  Many fakes simply have a slit.  Genuine antique bells will have rounded holes at the end of the slit.

Here is a great web site that tells all about such bells, including how to date them and many other interesting facts.

https://classicbells.com/info/DatingBells.html

An entire strap fitted out with bells would have maybe 15 bells.  That would be nice to hear.  They do have a nice sound.

Oh, by the way, the little rusty truck in the top picture also came from the hills of West Virginia.

Decorating with objects that have a history is much more meaningful than buying a box of factory made ornaments.

Using your own finds adds new stories and traditions to your Christmas.  They can be passed down through the generations.  Many of my favorite decorations were made by my grandma or came from my childhood.

Here is a Christmas tree decoration made using sea shells and a few beads.  The beach provides all kinds of things.

Christmas Ornament Made From Treasure Coast Sea Shells.

Another Type of Sea Shell Ornament.

A little paint and glitter were added to these shells.

Silver Bell Made of Float.

This float and rope were beach finds.  It just took a little paint to turn it into a large silver bell.

I put my tree up but haven't finished my decorating yet.  Those are just some of the ways I use finds at Christmas.

And of course, some of the shiny and nicer finds become presents.

I was in the mood to talk Christmas since that is what I was doing.

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We had a couple days on nearly continuous west wind.  The tides are higher now.

It looks like the after Christmas surf might be bigger than predicted earlier.  Possibly up to seven feet now.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy Hunting and happy decorating,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/16/15 Report - Water Metal Detecting Hints and Tips. 207 Nazi Gold Coins Found by Detectorist. Capitana Making More Finds.

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

Nazi Gold Coins

A detectorist found 217 Nazi-era gold coins in Lüneburg, Germany.Bausch – a certified metal detectorist – was exploring old burial mounds in the town south of Hamburg when he stumbled across the first gold piece.

After a further search under the foliage uncovered nine more coins, Bautsch did a survey of the area and got in touch with local archaeologists.

A two-week long excavation followed, unearthing a further 207 gold coins – with a material worth estimated at around €45,000...

That would be just over $40,000 U. S.

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

http://www.thelocal.de/20150715/amateur-archaeologist-finds-nazi-gold-hoard

Thanks to Christopher P. for alerting me to that story.

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I wanted to talk today about the surf zone.  Many items are lost where the waves break.  People get slapped around by the breaking waves.  Many items come off there.

The last time I was detecting in the water, a strap holding a piece of my equipment broke when hit by a breaking wave.  There is a lot of force there, and people often aren't prepared for it.

People also play there.  They dive into breaking waves.

Items that break or come off in that area then get pushed in towards shore a few feet.

As a result that is a good area to hunt, but it is also rough.  It can test you and your equipment.  And when the waves are big, it can be downright impossible.  It will require some skill.

You can learn to hunt there, but it can be very annoying until you master it.

I remember one day long ago when I got a headache from getting slapped in the head from the breaking waves.  It also would knock earphones or other equipment off.

After you learn how, you can go with it instead of fighting it.  You will learn to feel what is coming without paying attention.  When you start getting sucked out, it is about to hit you, so pick up your feet and go with it.

Instead of fighting against it, which is near impossible, you an learn to float with it.  Learn to pick up your feet and float at the right time.  It will return you to the spot where it picked you up.   You can do that when the water is deep enough but it only takes a couple of feet of water in the trough.  If it is that shallow you will have to lift your legs and sit down so that you can float through the trough, then extend your legs again when the water returns.

Notice the circles in the illustration.  That is how you will move.  

Dig a hole to mark your signal.  Float away and back, then dig again, if necessary.  Repeat until you retrieve the target.

You will often find it easier to work in the slightly deeper water just before the breaking waves. Not only will it not slap you around as much, but the bottom currents are not as strong in the deeper water, making it easier to retrieve targets.

In the shallow water inside the breaking waves there will be strong currents near the bottom that will push your detector, making it difficult to run a tight grid, and it will also refill your holes.  It will also push sand and objects out of your scoop if you use the currents for your benefit.  That takes timing.

The open end of your scoop should be pointed so the currents are moving into the scoop, otherwise sand and objects can be washed out of the scoop as you lift the scoop.

The currents can alternate back and forth, so timing is important.  Wait for the right time to lift your scoop.

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Not metal detecting, but maybe you'll find it interesting.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/07/15/volunteer-watchdog-group-prepares-for-counter-jade-helm-campaign/

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I just received a great new set of find photos from Captain Jonah of the Capitana.  I'll probably have them ready to post tomorrow.

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Expect small surf on the Treasure Coast for days ahead.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net