12/1/17 Report - Devil Dogs: Mystery Solved. New Mystery Find. Skeletons on Ghost Ships.

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

Recent Find.
Find and photo by Gaylen C.

Other End of Same Item.
Find and photo by Gaylen C.

Point of Same Object
Find and photo by Gaylen C.

I received the following message from Gaylen C. who found the above object.

Found this item at the foot of eroded dunes on Sunday....  Have had no luck identifying it. Certainly looks to be very old. Sent photos off to U of F for help. Thought perhaps you might have come across something similar. Of course with sand being artificially moved around so much there's no telling where else it could have been. I found it buried in 6-8 inches of sand that looks like it had fallen from a vertical dune 6 or 7 feet above the beach. My guess, as well as some others, is that it is a needle or punch of some kind. It appears to be hand hammered, with a long taper. No idea if the curve in the opposite end is intentional or accidental. Could be an eye under the accumulation. Since this is only my 3rd beach detecting experience I don't know the advisability of chipping away at an artifact. . Probably would not be if I had found real valuable treasure first. 

Any help you may render in the identity and preservation of this thing would be greatly appreciated.

Gaylen told me the item is 13.5 inches long and no wider than .25 inches.   I sent Gaylen information concerning perservation.  

 What do you think it is?  Notice particularly the curved top, and what appears to be the bulbous shape on that end.

I want to comment on one of Gaylen's sentences.  Nor do I have knowledge about how to best conserve it. Didn't think finding little "treasures" would be so involved and such fun.

I often talk about how the find is often just the beginning.  Then comes the questioning, cleaning, and researching.  That is when you learn a lot.  You get into the history of the item, and it changes you to some extent.

That is not always so true of items that are obviously valuable, like a gold coin that a person might not think much more than its value.  They'd read the marks, and then look it up and find that it is worth X amount, and that is about it, other than the bragging.  

Those who do not detect for old items don't understand what it is all about.  They always ask, "What is the most valuable thing you found."  They often don't realize that a rusty artifact has any value at all.  That is the big difference between someone who hunts and cherishes rusty things and those who don't.

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Going from a mystery to an answer, I recently posted a USMC ring found by John C.  We couldn't tell what the image on the face of the ring was.  Thanks to Sherry Y., we now know.

The image is known as the Devil Dog.  Wikipedia says, According to United States Marine Corps legend, the moniker was used by German soldiers to describe U.S. Marines who fought in the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918. The Marines fought with such ferocity that they were likened to "Dogs from Hell." The "Devil Dogs" nickname for Marines first appeared in newspapers in the United States in April 1918...

Super job Sherry!  Thanks much.

That also helps with dating the ring.  The image means the date of the ring is later than 1918.

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Ghost ships washed up on the shores of Japan with skeletons aboard.

Here is the link.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/28/asia/north-korea-japan-ship/index.html

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This might be the last of Darrel's beach photos for a while.  I'll miss that.  It was a big help to me.  I don't get around to all the beaches that much and like to keep you up to date on beach conditions.  He says he is off to other adventures for a while.  Thanks and good luck Darrel.

Turtle Trail Looking North Yesterday.
Photo by Darrel S.

Darrel said, Beaches are really leveling, but are dips near low tide. Low 10:40am.  

The photo was taken yesterday.

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The Treasure Coast surf is down to around two or three feet today, but the tides are increasing.

I have a lot more to talk about, but that is all for today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/13/17 Report - Couple Sinks In Beach Sand. Found Religious Medals. Ghost Ship. Higher Surf Saturday.

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

Imagine walking down the beach when you suddenly sink in the sand up to your knees.  Then you are in up to your waist and chest.  You panic.

That is exactly what happened to this couple.

An evening stroll along Torquay Beach for Sam and John Gould quickly turned into a fight for survival.

Sam and her husband John were walking along the beach near the water on Monday about 6.45pm when suddenly they began to rapidly sink into the sand.

Within a few seconds the sand was up to Sam's waist and the more she moved the further down she sank until it was up to her neck.

It was a traumatic experience for John, who fought with all his strength in the darkness while waist deep in sand, to stop his wife from sinking further into the depths.

"On a fear factor of one to 10 - it was 100," a shaken John told the Chronicle...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/news/within-seconds-we-were-submerged-in-the-sand/3165793/

Reminds me of the hymn that says "all other ground is sinking sand."

If you remember my posts on sand liquefaction ( 3/15/17 ), you'll understand how that could happen.

It is not surprising that this happened in front of a revetment wall.

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Dug Religious Medallion Finds
Photo by Michael F.

Here is the email message that accompanied the above photo received from Michael F.

In reference to your article yesterday. Indeed religious artifacts are common finds, not only on beaches but also in parks and schools. Below is a photo of a display I made of some of the religious and good luck medallions I have found over the years. Not unusual, I’m sure , but I think they make an attractive display.

An avid reader of your daily reports,

Mike in New Jersey.

Thanks much Mike.  Nice collection.

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A kayaker found a 110-year-old ghost ship on a small tributary of the Ohio River.

Here is the link for that story.

http://www.viralforest.com/110-year-old-ghost-ship-in-the-ohio-river/

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I picked up a nice fossil on a Treasure Coast beach this week.  So there are some old things surfacing, but fossils are different than coins.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

The surf is supposed to peak Saturday at 4 - 7 feet.  That is a three foot range, so there is a good bit of uncertainty.  If it is seven feet, we could be looking at some beach improvement, depending upon other factors.

The primary swell will be more east than northeast though, so don't expect much.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/12/17 Report - Rare Four-Reale Expected To Sell For Nearly Five Thousand Dollars. Recent Cuts on the Treasure Coast. Ghost Ship.

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

Source: See link below.

Here is one of the higher priced reales in the current Sedwick auction.  Said to be a rare variety, the auction estimate is $3500 - $5000.

Here is the lot description.

Lima, Peru, 4 reales, Philip II, assayer R (Rincon) to left, second denomination o-iiii to right, motto PL-VSVL-T, legends HISPA / NIARVM, extremely rare. S-L1; KM-10.1; CT-311. 12.45 grams. Broad flan with nearly full legends, bold full pillars and shield (the latter slightly doubled, slightly porous XF+ with nicely toned fields, full secondary denomination o-iiii to right of shield, a near-unique variety of which we have only ever seen one other (the Sellschopp and Heiss Plate Coin we offered in Auction #18, curiously made from a different pillars-side die).


http://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Treasure-World-U-S-Coin-and-Paper-Money-Auction-21_as47083?p=1&ps=50&ca=860005&so=1&q=&hi=0&vm=1


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John Brooks Beach Yesterday Afternoon.

Above is what I saw at John Brooks Beach yesterday afternoon.  Below is what I saw at Walton Rocks just a little later.

Walton Rocks Beach Yesterday Afternoon.

 There is a lot you can see on this beach.  Towards the top just in front of the dunes is a little cliff that was created back some weeks ago.

Down the slope a little farther was a recent cut.  You can see it just above the heavy line of seaweed.

Then of course is the sea weed, and just below that you can see where new sand piled up.

Below the recent cut would be a good place to look wherever the new sand hadn't accumulated much.  It would have been better to be there before the seaweed and sand came up.

You can often see where new sand fills in after a beach cuts.  This is a good example.

Yesterday I mentioned how John Brooks has been cutting every other week or so,  It has been cutting and filling over and over, but not into anything old.

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A 110-year-old ghost ship was found on a tributary to the Ohio.

Interesting read.  Lots of pictures.

http://www.viralforest.com/110-year-old-ghost-ship-in-the-ohio-river/

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Looks like the Easter coin hunt isn't going to be as good as expected.  The predictions now are for four to seven foot seas instead of five to eight as earlier predicted.  

Looks like the prediction models are up to their old tricks.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/6/17 Report - 1715 Fleet Cannons As Found. Ghost Ship. Three Great References.

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

Lobster Hiding Under Cannon
Source:  See YouTube link below.

Jason T. sent me an email with the following message.

... While diving for lobster found 3 cannons side by side. Then later on a night dive found one more in the same area. A known 1715 fleet location. If you did not know what you were looking at , could be overlooked very easily. Now camouflaged with the reef and vegetation (seaweed) growing on it. Blends in perfectly!

Reminds me of the cannon that had coins inside!

Never know what you could find with a place (Treasure coast ) with so much history!
...

Here is the link.

https://youtu.be/0NzFn4VUVo0

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Here is an interesting book that you can preview online.  It includes a chapter on metal detectors and one on conserving iron objects.

The book is The Spike Tomahawk: A popular tool and weapon in Colonial North America
by Jack Vargo.

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A ghost ship was found off Hatteras 96 years ago.  The mystery hasn't been solved.

Here is the link to that story.

http://pilotonline.com/news/local/history/ghost-ship-found-off-hatteras-years-ago-today-remains-an/article_7921af1b-1d96-5bb9-b3ec-bbab9f2fc670.html

Thanks to Dean R.

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Here is an excellent web site where you can see browse tons of good Civil War era artifacts.

http://www.americancivilwarrelics.com/index.html

And here is a web site describing an archaeological dig in Fredericksburg.

http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/fredericksburg/riverfront-park-dig-uncovers-burnside-carbine-cartridges/article_94a6a290-6e85-5f12-b068-ba9ff8271b26.html

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We had a little bump in the surf on Super Bowl Sunday, but it won't get much higher than about three feet.  Next week it will slacken off a little.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/23/12 Report - Ghost Ships, UN Proposal to Rule Seas, Cob Quiz

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

 See if you can identify this cob.   It is a little tricky.

I'll tell you what it is in a future post.



Here we go again!  By June the Senate is scheduled to vote on a proposal that will affect you and most of the earth.

Robert K. sent me an email telling about LOST, the Law of the Sea Treaty.

Here is part of what one article says about the treaty.  (Use link below to access the article.)

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ... is perhaps one of the most significant but less recognized 20th century accomplishments in the arena of international law.... Its scope is vast: it covers all ocean space, with all its uses, including navigation and overflight; all uses of all its resources, living and non-living, on the high seas, on the ocean floor and beneath, on the continental shelf and in the territorial seas; the protection of the marine environment; and basic law and order.... The Convention is widely recognised by the international community as the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and the seas must be carried out.

Since most of the earth is covered by water, this treaty would govern most of the earth.

The article goes on to say, If you read the quote carefully, you'll see that the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea which administers LOST would have authority over everything, everything, over, on, and under the oceans and seas of the world. Ratification of LOST would be a very large step toward world government. And, remember under the UN division that administers LOST, our nation wouldn't have veto power like we do in the UN Security Council. We'd have just one vote among 150 or more votes. Just as the League of Nations ultimately fell apart without the United States, let's stay out of the UN's LOST regime, thus denying its legitimacy.

Here is the link to the article.

http://www.jbs.org/legislation/senate-poised-to-give-the-un-control-of-everything-about-the-oceans-by-ratifying-the-law-of-the-sea-treaty-lost



I could go on about the dangers and implications, but I trust that you'll see that for yourself.

If you don't want the UN having jurisdiction over everything that goes on in, over and under the water along the Treasure Coast and everywhere else, you should call or write your senator and express your views.

It seems like there is a daily assult on our hobby and our freedoms, and it requires our continual vigilance and action just to keep from losing it all.


Here is a nice little article about ghost ships, both new and old.  Ghost ships are ships that are still afloat but abandoned.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/shortcuts/2012/mar/26/ghost-ships-oceans-japanese-boat

Odyssey Marine held a conference call the other day.  Their three main projects right now are the wrecks of the Victory, Gairsoppa, and Mantula.

Gold has been in a very bearish trend lately.

My post the other day on rough water hunting techniques, assumed waist to chin high water.  I'll have to expand on that discussion someday.

Treasure Coast Beach Detecting Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is from the south and the seas are calm, running at only about one or two feet.  That makes for easy water hunting.

Overall conditions remain poor.  Seas will increase slightly the next few days, but not enough to improve beach detecting conditions.

Low tide today is around 4:00.


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net