7/4/20 Report - Independence Day Greetings. Things That Can Not Be Burned.

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

July 4th Postcard

Circa 1906.

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Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have built a drone capable of seeking out gemstone deposits and fossils at night using a laser. The drone uses a scanning laser to react with fluorescents in the various objects that can later be detected in processing.

The researchers, Thomas G. Kaye and Michael Pittman, found during experiments that laser-stimulated fluorescence (LSF) would react and begin to glow under laser light. The drone detects the glowing objects in the ground by recording a video. 

To ensure it can detect even small fossils, minerals, organisms, and archaeological artifacts, the drone is flown 4 meters (13 feet) from the ground, enabling it to detect objects of interest as small as a thumbnail...

For more of that article about how to use drones to find fossils and gemstones, here is the link.

https://dronedj.com/2020/07/01/laser-equipped-drone-can-find-gemstones-and-fossils/

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Troops at Bailey's Crossroads on Nov. 20, 1861
Source: See WashingtonPost.com link below.

Yesterday I couldn't help but be reminded of my friend Larry Persina, who passed away a few months ago.  His birthday was July 3, and his favorite holiday was always the fourth of July, but I also got word of the passing of another relative who was always part of our 4th of July family picnics as far back as the 1950s.  Those picknics were very much what you would expect for that time in history.  

Yesterday, receiving sad news and yet being filled with fond memories, ended for me around mid-night listening to the Battle Hymn of the Republic as it was being sung in front of Mount Rushmore.  I was filled with awe and grateful for the everlasting assurance of those who had departed.

The last verse of the Battle Hymn was originally written as follows:

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on.

The words are too challenging for some, and the second phrase of the third line is sometimes changed to read "let us live to make men free," or "let us fight to make men free."  But there are those who have died to make men free.

One interpretation of the hymn is that it is about the judgment of evil at the end of time. It is based on the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Revelation. The enemy is spiritual as well as physical.  The melding of Biblical imagery and the Civil War is truly amazing if you take the time to study each.

See https://literarydevices.net/the-battle-hymn-of-the-republic/

Written in Nov. of 1861 by Julia Ward Howe in the predawn hours after reviewing the troops at Bailey's crossroads the day before, the lyrics were written to the tune of John Brown's Body.

Howe's words show the keen intellect and penetrating sensibilities of an accomplished author and poet who was fluent in several languages, and who fought for causes including the abolition of slavery and women's rights.  Analysis of both the lyrics and the author's accomplished, complex and troubled life would be fruitful endeavor for any honest student.

On June 8, 1968, as the 21-car funeral train bearing the body of assassinated U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy from New York to Washington crept through Baltimore, a lone mourner in the crowd began slowly singing, Mine eyes have seen the glory . . .

Others in the throng of stricken bystanders picked up the lyrics and the melody singing

Glory, glory, hallelujah..

For more information about Julia Howe see https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/how-julia-ward-howe-wrote-battle-hymn-of-the-republic--despite-her-husband/2011/11/15/gIQAnQRaYN_story.html or any of a variety of excellent references.

Many old hymns have amazing inspiring stories behind them.

For me a day that started with sad news ended with many memories and a deep sense of contentment.

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Here is a really good web site that provides access to a broad range of resources for historical research.  For example, for the Civil War you will find the contemporary Harper's Weekly issues describing the progress of the war, but other periods of history are included.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/

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Tropical storm number 5 is heading out to sea and away from us.


Wishing you a deep and happy fourth of July.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/16/20 Report - Our Ships on the Bottom of the Ocean. Gold Cross Find. Metal Detector Signals.

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

Gold Cross Laying on Sand

Find and photo by Alberto S.

The small gold cross (14KT written on the clasp) was laying on top of the (dry) sand and before picking it up I moved the coil of my CTX 3030 over it to listen to the FeCo tones and the values reported since this is my first gold cross I wanted to get an idea but, the tones and numbers kept jumping around not sure why, maybe the way it was laying on the sand, the shape of a cross and size or something else. The ctx 3030 is working fine as I double checked with a couple of coins I had found and later with an air test of the cross which gave me a solid sound and reading when moving in a horizontal position or flat over the coil, in a vertical position; silence. Beach conditions were not good at all but I needed the exercise so I am glad I went metal detecting today. Oh, and my metal detecting mistake #345 I started to walk away from the spot where the cross had been found before I went like wait, where is the chain? I retraced my steps and tried for a while but no luck. :(

Have a great evening,

Alberto S 

One good thing about all the rain we've been getting lately is the items that are uncovered by the rain.  Wind will uncover things too. 

Good idea to look for the chain.

A metal detector signal will be different for odd shaped objects and round objects.  On round objects the signal will be pretty much the same when you swing at one direction and then again at 90 degrees.  Very irregular shaped objects like the odd silver earring I showed the other day will give what I might describe as a jittery signal.  I meant to mention that at the time, but forgot.  You can usually tell the difference between a round object, a nail-shaped object and a fish hook, for example, from the audio signal alone.  Objects that aren't round, in addition to having a different audio signal when swept from different directions, will also tend to give inconsistent numbers as you hit them from different directions.

You can test that at home with various types and shapes of objects.  With practice you can learn to tell much about the shape of the object from the audio signal.

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I found an interesting paper on early Portuguese shipwrecks.  The title, Our Ships at the Bottom Ocean, immediately made me suspicious.  The title seems to suggest a group of people, including the author as chief among them, that owns the ships at the bottom of the ocean.  I thought I remembered some of the author's previous wacko statements, and the paper confirmed my suspicions.  The author seems to rank anyone and everyone that has touched a shipwreck or anything that has came off one other than he and his group, as a part of an international network of thieves.  Nonetheless, the paper does present some good information that you might enjoy reading.  It is mostly about early Portuguese shipwrecks.

Here is one paragraph to give you the idea.

There is much more like that.

Here is the link.

https://www.academia.edu/13927040/Our_Ships_at_the_Bottom_of_the_Ocean?email_work_card=title

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I felt like saying thank you to all the good police and found this Egard Watch commercial that does it for me.  Click here to view it.

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I had a lot of trouble with yesterday's post.  First I wrote a long original essay and lost it, then the post wasn't displaying correctly, so I finally took it down.

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Source: National Hurricane Center.

There is a weather system just north of Jacksonville that has a 10% of becoming a tropical storm in the next couple of days.

Our wind changed yesterday.  We only have about a two foot surf and small tides with a primary swell from the east but a secondary wind swell from the ENE.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/15/20 Report - Metal Detecting on South Florida's Crowded Beaches. Thoughts on Mystery Find.

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

Source: See local10.com link below.

UPDATE: As of Saturday evening South Beach and the Miami beaches were closed.  Spring breakers from around the world were ordered off the beaches.  The following was written before I got that news.

From South Beach to Hallandale, Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano, the South Florida beaches are absolutely crowded with spring break beach-goers ignoring the Coronavirus threat.

I did most of my metal detecting on the South Florida beaches.  It was not until after several years that I tried my luck on the Treasure Coast wreck beaches.

The South Florida beaches get a lot more crowded than the Treasure Coast beaches, and you can find a lot more.  You can often find items that were lost just minutes or hours earlier.  That makes it much easier.  You don't have to depend so much upon beach conditions, especially when there are rowdy crowds playing in the surf.

It was down south that I learned a lot about metal detecting.  Despite the fact that yo don't have depend so much upon beach conditions, it still helps to know how to find those holes where the gold accumulates.

Except for a few months, I always had a job when I lived down south and was only able to detect occasionally.  Still I was able to pick up 20 - 30 pieces of gold per month - mostly rings.

I specifically remember hunting the beach shown in the photo above and some of the finds I picked up there.  There was a near-mint silver Isle of Man coin, for example.  Also class rings and gold bands.

One day a couple young girls told me they lost their sister's class high school class ring in about three feet of water.  They weren't supposed to have it.  Luckily I found it for them in just a few minutes.

Hollywood beach was a good beach to hunt, but never had the very expensive jewelry you could find at South Beach.  I spent a lot of time at Hollywood beach when I just began metal detecting because it was close to my home.  I find it amazing how many finds I can remember very accurately, and could point out the exact spot where they were found.   My first ring find ever was made at Hollywood beach.  I remember that one like it was yesterday too.

Back in the day the Fort Lauderdale beaches were often so crowded with college spring-breakers that there was virtually no space to walk between the blankets.

I've talked many times before about metal detecting experiences in South Florida.

Well, as you can see, that photo brought back a lot of metal detecting memories.

Here is the link for more about the South Florida beach-going crowds.

https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/03/14/south-florida-beaches-packed-despite-coronavirus-fears-as-spring-break-arrives/


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Not long ago I posted this photo of items that came spilling out of the dunes when TM was digging a target at the base of the dunes.  One person thought it might be shattered safety glass, and I originally thought t could be from a beach wedding.

Over the years I've found a lot of decorative items from beach weddings including small glass balls that are used in vases.  Tony S. evidently studied these items better than I and came up with something interesting.  Below is what Tony said.

The shape of the stones posted are called octahedron. Based on quick look as shown, they are most commonly in a gem/crystal called flourite, which comes in many colors including those in the picture. But, diamonds and quartz crystals can also take on those shapes and colors, but did not come up on searches as often and required deliberate search of “diamond” tied to the shape in search.

Tony also provided the following reference links and photos.

https://crystal-information.com/encyclopedia/fluorite-octahedron-properties-and-meaning/

https://www.gemselect.com/other-info/about-fluorite.php

https://geology.com/minerals/fluorite.shtml

https://www.qualitydiam.com/products/0-92-carat-exceptional-white-high-quality-octahedron-shape-natural-diamonds

https://www.amazon.com/100g-Blue-Fluorite-Octahedron-Crystals/dp/B01MT34JRM\

Tony continued with the following.

Fluorite is found worldwide in China, South Africa, Mongoliam, France, Russia and the central North America. Here, noteworthy deposits occur in Mexico, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Colorado

Blue flourite is fairly rare and much sought after by collectors. The brilliant yellow is also quite rare. The rarest fluorite colors are pink, black and colorless. Black fluorite is formed from exposure to radiation during the growth of the crystals.

Fluorite is an important industrial mineral composed of calcium and fluorine (CaF₂). It is used in a wide variety of chemical, metallurgical, and ceramic processes. Specimens with exceptional diaphaneity and color are cut into gems or used to make ornamental objects.

Fluorite is the second-most popular mineral in the world among mineral collectors next to quartz. Famed for its enormous range of colors, it is often referred to as "the most colorful mineral in the world." But fluorite is not just another pretty stone; it has a number of fascinating properties and some very useful industrial applications.

Flourite is interesting to mineral collectors because it has several different crystal habits that result in well-formed clean crystals. The cube is by far the most recognized habit of fluorite, followed by the octahedron, which is believed to form at higher temperatures than the cube. Fluorite has perfect octahedral cleavage.

Flourite Crystal.

Thanks for all of that information Tony.

That is a very interesting possibility that I never would have thought of. It is also a possibility that raises a lot of questions such as how they got there.

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Metal detecting is a Coronavirus-safe hobby.   If you don't maintain a safe distance, your detector will chatter.

No change in beach conditions again.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/13/19 Report - How Well Do You Know Your Metal Detector? Steel Cents and One Previuosly Unidentified Coin. Sorcerer's Treasure Trove.

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

1943 Steel Penny Finds.

If you've been with me very long, you know that my preference is to detect everything and dig everything.  I know there are good reasons and times to use discrimination, but generally speaking, I'm more interesting in finding things than skipping things, and using discrimination will increase the chances of missing something good.  Good things are made of different materials and come in all different forms and combinations.  In short, discrimination is not perfect, even though it can be helpful when used properly.  There are times when you will need it.

I've started to explore the Minelab Equinox metal detector.  I'm not far along in that process.  I believe in really getting to know a detector, and that means a lot of testing and experimenting.  You'll never know everything about a detector, and you might not want to.

Anyhow, I want to know how my detectors respond to various objects under various circumstances.  I want to know what they will miss as well as what they will find.

Different metal detectors have different strengths and weaknesses.  As a result, one detector will be the best choice of one job, and another the best choice for another job.  But you have to know enough about them to choose the right one, and to know what you are gaining and giving up.

I found the object shown below.  I've had it for a while and thought it might be either a corroded steel penny or a German coin.  I decided to test the conductivity of it with the Equinox along with some other steel pennies (shown above).

Unidentified Coin.

I don't really know the Equinox very well yet.  I've spent less than an hour with it so far.  So I took the steel pennies out in the yard along with the unidentified coin or whatever.

I was originally thinking of doing some more extensive testing, but decided to quickly test the steel pennies first thing this morning before I did anything else.

What I found out is that in the main detector modes, none of the steel pennies produced ANY signal.  That might make you happy if you want to miss small steel objects, but you aren't going to find steel pennies unless you know how to make some adjustments that I don't yet know about.,

I did switch to pin-point mode, and the Equinox did what some of the detectors I used heavily years ago did - it nulled over the steel penny.   By nulling, I mean that when the coil was moved over the steel penny there was a signal on each side but when the coil was directly over the penny, the signal went silent.

Those other detectors were always in an all-metals mode and nulled over iron.  I didn't have to pay attention to iron, but knew it was there because of the nulling.

I wanted to find out if the unidentified coin might be a corroded steel penny so I wanted to see if the conductivity was the same as my other steel pennies.  Well, I didn't get a conductivity reading for either my known steel pennies or the unidentified object.

Now here is the funny part.  After taking the magnified photo of the object for this post, I noticed the letters just left of the six o'clock position near the rim of the object.   I assume that is part of IN GOD WE TRUST.  If  I'd seen that before, I probably wouldn't have done the test this morning, but in doing the test I learned that the default modes on the Equinox are not going to detect steel pennies or other similar objects.  Maybe there are some settings other than pinpoint mode that will do it, but I haven't found that out yet.

I've always said that if you haven't found certain types of objects and wondered why, it MIGHT have something to do with your detector and how you detect.  That is why you should thoroughly get to know your detector.  And, as I've said before, the best way to do that is with systematic extensive testing and experimentation.

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Archaeologists found a box full of what they called a "sorcerer's treasure trove."

The trove was found in what remained of a wooden box. The wood itself had decomposed and only the bronze hinges remained, preserved by the volcanic material which hardened over it.

In it were crystals, ceramic, amethysts and amber. Scarabs (beetle-shaped amulets) from the Middle East were identified, along with various gems, including a carnelian with a craftsman figure and a glass bead engraved with the head of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility and ritual madness... 

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49325627?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story

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After I mentioned yesterday that I've been doing this blog for over ten years, one person commented on how fast that time went. Very true! Time flies. And in that time a lot has happened. We've lost some fine folks, but a lot of you are still with us. I've lost some family members.

The blog has evolved too. I'm better informed.  All of the submissions have been a big part of that.

And I think we've raised the level of the hobby.  I think we have inserted a lot of information into the discussion and raised the general level of understanding.  You don't always have to be right to do that.  

I've noticed that more people are now doing what I might call binge reading. When people newly discover the blog, they have tons of posts to go through, and people are going through a bunch of old posts at one sitting.  When we are getting storms, erosion and changing beach conditions, people don't want to miss a single day, but the beach conditions haven't been changing much lately.

I just got an email from one person (Paul M.) who evidently just discovered the blog and said, best treasure site on the internet. i am so so glad i found it Blessings paul

Thanks Paul! Glad you found it useful.  I get a lot of help and information from others.

I'll give you all another day to provide your thoughts on the two unidentified items I posted on 8/11.  I'd like to give everybody a chance to give me their ideas on those objects.  All thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

There is no significant change in weather conditions.  Expect more calm surf for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/10/19 Report - Earrings: Materials and Some Clues for Determing Age. Diamonds and Other clear Genstones.

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

Nice Crystal On Drop Earring.

I recently posted a photo of what I believe to be a vintage button featuring a clear stone.  Here is   very nice large clear crystal (if that is what I can call it) from a vintage earring that I once found.

Clear stones are a bit of a problem for me.  You always want to know what kind of stone you have, but it can be difficult to tell if you have a diamond, zircon, or any of a variety of other types of clear stones, unless you have a gem tester or take the item to a jewelry store or pawn shop to be tested.

This earring seems to me to be vintage.  Other than its overall look, notice the screw type closure.  Those were invented in the early 1900s and used a lot until the clip-ons were invented around 1930.

Closure For Same Earring.

This one is signed, but I haven't yet been able to make out the signature.

In the Renaissance era earrings were not popular because women's hairstyles obscured the ears, however they became more popular in the 17th century.  According to Deagan's book, Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 - 1800, earrings have been found at Spanish Colonial New World archaeological sites, especially 17th century sites. The long dangling type are more frequent from 18th century sites.  Many of those were made of copper alloy or gold and featured faceted glass, or paste, while others featured pearls, turquoise or emeralds.  Several gold drop-earrings have been found on 1715 Fleet wreck sites.

The closure can provide a clue to the age of an earring.  In the early 20th century ear piercing was not in fashion, so screw and clipon earrings were heavily used until piercing once again became popular in the 1970s.

17th and 18th century earrings were usually attached by a simple curved wire.  Similar wire hooks are still used today so that alone doesn't help much.

Here is an example I found on a Treasure Coast shipwreck beach, but there is no evidence that it is very old.  It could be quite modern.  There are no definitive marks, and the design is very basic and common.

I have found one almost exactly like one shown in the Deagan book on page 164 (figure 6.12).

When it comes to clear stones, there are a variety of methods or tests you can do yourself to see if you might have a diamond.

Of course the easiest thing is to take it to a jewelry store or pawn shop and have them test it.

Here is a link to a web site that lists 25 different clear gemstones that are used in jewelry.  Of course, it includes diamonds, zircons, white sapphire, spinel and much more.

Simulated gemstones are not new.  Paste, made from glass, goes back to Ancient Egypt.

The Rhine River was filled with quartz pebbles that were used in jewelry. That is why they are called Rhinestones. Eventually the natural glass pebbles were depleted.

In 1891 Swarovski invented a machine that could mechanically cut and facet glass. He began making rhinestones with a 32% high lead content with great refraction.   He also came up with a new kind of plating that for plating silver and gold onto the backs of the crystals.

I plan to add to this content some other day.

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Still nothing of interest on the National Hurricane Center web site.ast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/23/15 Report - Surf Predicted To Increase Up To Ten Feet This Week. Neat Little Shell, Watch For Improved Detecting Conditions.

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

Found On Beach This Morning.

The beach is covered with all kinds of gems.  This little shell fits on my finger nail.  What a little beauty. There are millions of them out there if you take the time to look.

Just to show the size of that small shell, below is another picture of the same shell, this time on a penny.

If you know the name of this type of shell, I'd like to hear it.  Thanks in advance.

I went out this morning just to see what was going on.  I often go out to monitor conditions. Yesterday I mentioned how the wind changed. Even though the surf wasn't high I was still expecting to see some changes to the beach.

We got some cooler air.  I thought that was pleasant, especially for Thanksgiving.

There wasn't much erosion last night.  There was a little erosiion at a few spots.

The beach at John Brooks was very mushy.  You can see that beach below.  No erosion there.

One beach thas was nicely cut a couple of weeks ago had completed filled in.  That was a remarkable contrast.

John Brooks Beach This Morning.

The water had been up over the berm.  It was generally a bit higher last night.

One Small Cut On Another Treasure Coast Beach.

This cut was pretty high on the beach.  The cut itself was only about a foot high.

One thing to note here is that the cut was just south of a bend in the beach.  From what I've seen, that is where the cuts have mostly been occurring lately.

The north wind that I saw yesterday evening continued through today.

Here is the most interesting thing for me.

Surf Predictions For The Fort Pierce Area From the MagicSeaWeed Web Site.

You'll find the links to the MagicSeaWeed web site on the front page of my blog.

The prediction for a high surf this week is holding up extremely well.  It looks like it might actually happen this time.

Note that the peak surf is now predicted for Saturday.  If the predictions are correct, it will be building a little every day up until then.

If that kind of surf actually happens, we'll most likely see an improvement in beach detecting conditions at some point.  If the water gets high enough, some cobs might appear without any cutting, but I'm hoping for some good cutting too.

Since we have had some beach improvement not too long ago, that makes it slightly more likely that something good will happen this week.

That is it for today.  Keep watching the beaches.  As I said, the surf is supposed to increase up until Saturday.  I will be surprised if we do not get improved beach detecting conditions sometime this week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net