6/14/19 Report - Two-Piece Lead and Pewter Bottle Caps from 1600s. Metal Detectable Bottles. Medical Infusion Bottle. American Eagle Gold Coins.

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

Neck Ring Portion of Old Two-Piece  Lead Bottle Cap (?) Find.

The Odyssey Virtual Museum has the following to say about two-piece lead and pewter bottle caps from the 16 and 1700s.

A total of 127 fragments of glass were excavated from the “Tortugas” shipwreck, including square-sectioned case bottles. The bases of these bottles are all medium olive green in color and contain air bubbles. Glass rims and neck sherds were recovered still attached to 14 lead screw collars and caps that originally sealed some of the “Tortugas” ship’s bottle mouths...

The two-piece permanent lead collars and caps that originally closed the bottles’ mouths feature everted sides and a horizontal shoulder surmounted by a short vertical mouth. Each collar, 1.4-1.9cm high, is subdivided into two seamless elements: at top a narrow screw thread (W. 1.5-1.9cm, Th. 0.2cm) consisting of three convex external edges between two inner recessed threads for receipt of a lead cap, and below the main section (max W. 2.1-3.3cm, bottom W. 1.9-2.9cm, Th. 0.2-0.4cm) that originally covered and protected the glass bottle neck and rim. The two zones are separated by a horizontal ledge, furrowed on the lower edge. The bottom edge of the inner diameter, reflecting the bottle’s neck diameter, ranges from 1.2-1.7cm. The collar was a permanent component cast over the bottle.

Especially significant for the case of the “Tortugas” shipwreck are the identical glass bottle bases and lead bottle caps associated with two of other vessels of the 1622 Tierra Firme fleet. As in the case of the “Tortugas” wreck, square-sectioned bottles are the most common glasswares aboard the Atocha. The Margarita wreck site also yielded a number of bottle closures comparable to the “Tortugas” examples, evidence that the same products were aboard this ship as well.

Similar glasswares have been excavated from other Spanish shipwrecks. An intact square-sectioned green bottle was stocked on the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de la Concepción, sunk off Hispaniola in 1641. Pewter caps from square-sectioned bottles were recovered from the San Martin, the Almiranta of the Honduras fleet en route from Havana to Spain in 1618, and were still in use a century later on the 1715 fleet wrecked off Florida. On the basis of this evidence, is it reasonable to propose that one line of lead-capped square bottles conceivably may have been manufactured in Spain, mirroring in glass the overwhelming dominance of Seville wares amongst the "Tortugas"ceramics.

See: http://www.odysseysvirtualmuseum.com/products/Lead-Screw-Collars-and-Caps.html

That is what I think this find is, but am not yet positive.  While the Odyssey Virtual Museum shows several examples of such lead collars, I have not been able to find amywhere a photo of a bottle with the entire two-piece lead or pewter cap intact.  If you know where I can find such a picture, please let me know.

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Sometimes people who metal detect aren't much interested in old bottles or jars, but bottles can have good value, as can their contents.  My best cache finds were contained in old canning jars.  Glass containers can also help you put a date range on a site.

Some bottles can be detected by a metal detector even without anything in them.  They can have metal parts, usually stoppers, caps or lids, but also handles and other things.

Here is a nice example.

Hutchinson Soda Bottle With Stopper.

"Hutch" bottles can be valuable, especially if they have embossing for a soda, mineral water or something like that.

The stopper in this one is metal and rubber.

Bottles and canning jars can have a variety of wire attachments for the closure.  Here are a couple example of that.

Bottle and Jar with Closures.

There are also many bottles and jars with the more modern screw tops that can be interesting.  Here is a medical bottle that looks like it was used for the infusion of dextrose.  That was before they used the bags they use today.

Infusion Bottle

This infusion bottle has a rubber seal with a glass tube that extends nearly to the bottom of the bottle.  I didn't capture that very good in the photo, but you can maybe see the glass rod which is pretty much hidden by the corner of the bottle.

The measurements are upside down as the bottle sits because it would be hung upside down.

Cap on Infusion Bottle.

The bottom reads "Cutter Laboratories" and "Berkeley California."

I saw a number of these for sale on eBay, but none with the cap and glass rod or tube intact.

So from as early as the 1600s metal parts were used on bottles.  That obviously means you will be able to detect them with a metal detector.

Again, please let me know if you know where I can see a photo of a 16 or 1700s two-piece lead or pewter bottle cap on the bottle or neck.

Here is a great link to a fantastic web site on bottle closures, which shows examples and date ranges for most bottles through the last few centuries.  Very detailed and helpful.

https://sha.org/bottle/closures.htm#Inside Thread Stopper

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WASHINGTON – The United States Mint (Mint) will open sales for the 2019 American Eagle One Ounce Gold Uncirculated Coin (product code 19EH) on June 13 at noon EDT.

This coin is a collector version of the Mint’s American Eagle Gold Bullion Coin. Struck at the United States Mint at West Point, the obverse (heads) features a version of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ full-length figure of Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left. The reverse (tails) features a male eagle carrying an olive branch flying above a nest containing a female eagle and eaglets...

Here is the link.

https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-american-eagle-2019-one-ounce-gold-uncirculated-coin-goes-on-sale-on-june-13

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/13/19 Report - 2019 Salvage Season Off To Great Start: Gold Reliquary Found. Mel Fisher Days Coming.

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

Bones Uncovered In Dunes

Source: See VeroNews link below.

A skeleton was uncovered in the dunes by a construction company and gold was found under water nearby

The bones are thought to be old, but there were no buttons or any associated artifacts.  The skeleton will be studied before the age is determined.

You might recall we had some discussion in this blog about the relative absence of known 1715 Fleet burials.  This one might or might not be.  Perhaps that will be determined.

Source: Same VeroNews link below.

The 2019 Treasure Coast salvage season is off to a great start.  Back a week or so ago I posted pictures of salvage boats working near Turtle Trail, and some great finds were made.

Most interesting is an encrusted gold object, thought to be a reliquary, found at the Corrigan's site by Maritime Research Recovery's vessel, Capitana, on  June 4th, 2019.

Here is the link for those two stories.

http://veronews.com/2019/06/13/a-week-of-discoveries-sunken-treasures-and-human-remains/

MRR is working under contract with Queen's Jewels LLC.  The Capitana is one of three vessels operated by Maritime Research Recovery, LLC.

Other reliquaries have been found on Treasure Coast wreck sites, including one found some years ago near Douglass Beach.  Here are links for more information on that one, including research by author and researcher, Laura Strolia.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2014/08/83114-report-more-on-1715-fleet.html

 https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2014/08/81414-report-treasure-coast-gold.html

The Sea Reaper and Seatrepid, also operated by MRR, are also making good finds, including a nice piece of Kang Hsi porcelain and musket balls.

Here is the link to the MRR web site that shows the finds.

https://www.mrronline.com/single-post/GoldReligiousArtifact

Thanks to DJ for pointing that out to me.

The MRRonline web site mentions that the reliquary bears the symbol "IHS."  You will find the same letters on many religious pendants that you will find.

Here is an explanation from the Catholic Herald.

Early scribes would abbreviate the sacred names of Jesus by using the first two letters of the name, or the first and last letters, with a line over the letters. For example, the Greek letters Chi-Rho (which looks like our English X and P) was an abbreviation for the name "Christ." Likewise, I (iota) and H (eta) are the first two Greek letters for "Jesus." Sometime in the second century, the third letter, S (sigma), was added, thereby rendering IHS. These Christograms, such as XP or IHS, served as secret codes, whereby inscribed on a tomb, they indicated a deceased Christian, or on a doorpost, a Christian home. 

If you ever saw Christmas written as Xmas, you might have wondered about that. Some people object to that abbreviation saying that "Xmas" takes Christ out of Christmas, however the X represents the Greek letter Chi, also being the first letter of the name of Christ and having that significance.

Similarly, you might know of the Christian fish symbol that you'll see on the back of some cars.

Ichthus, or in koine Greek, ἰχθύς which means "fish," is an acrostic from “ Ίησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υἱός, Σωτήρ “, (Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr), which translates into English as “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour”.

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Mel Fisher Days will be July 11 - 13 this year in Key West.

Events will include tours of the Fisher private conservation laboratory.

For more information see

http://melfisherdays.melfisher.com/

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The weather has been good for salvage work but not so good for beach hunting.  I have plans to metal detect an inland site when I get a chance.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/25/19 Report - 1600-Year-Old Gold Coin Found by Teenagers. Mystery Items for ID. Sanded Beach.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreportblogspot.com.

Photo by Israel Antiquities Authority
Published by TimesOfIsrael.com

An extremely rare 1,600-year-old gold coin of the Byzantine emperor who made Jews second-class citizens in the Land of Israel has been discovered — ironically, near a new trail built in commemoration of the Sanhedrin he abolished. It is the first time this coin has been found in Israel, according to an Israel Antiquities Authority press release published on Tuesday.

In February, four trekking teens stumbled upon the coin while orienteering in the fields alongside the Zippori stream in the Galilee...

The obverse of the solidus — a solid gold coin with a weight of approximately 4.5 grams that was minted in the later Roman Empire/early Byzantine era — depicts Emperor Theodosius II; its reverse is illustrated by the goddess Victory holding the Staff of the Cross...

And here is the other side.

Photo by Israel Antiquities Authority
Published by TimesOfIsrael.com

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/1600-year-old-gold-coin-of-emperor-who-abolished-sanhedrin-discovered-by-pupils/

It is not surprising that a sight find would be made along a stream or new trail.

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Kurt R. found this interesting ten-foot long piece of wood and was wondering if anyone might offer any ideas about what it might be.

Here is what Kurt said.

I love all the information that your blogs provides and it can be a great wealth of knowledge when search for things.  I was recently looking for information on large shipwreck timbers and i came across your post about coal... I found a piece a couple years ago and had no idea what it was, but low and behold the picture you posted about it was an exact replica.  Thank you for inadvertently solving that mystery for me.  Do you by chance have any insight into getting more i formation on this piece?  The size is 11"x13"x10'

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Len M. sent me the following email and photos.

I received a very loud hit from this rock while detecting on the treasure coast.

I brought it into my garage and split part of its side off. The object had
a petroleum smell at first and it's magnetic. It's a very hard metal and
somewhat cylindrical. It measured approximately 1 1/2" in diameter and 2
3/4" length. The top side has a slight saddle depression in it as well.

I have spoken to some people and they think it may have be a part from a
boat, others think it maybe a small meteor.

Does any one have an idea what this may be?

Object Partially Removed From the Crust.

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Mike A. who sent a picture of the cut Turtle Reef beach a couple days ago sent the following photo showing the same beach now sanded in.

Turtle Reef Beach.

Thanks Mike.

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According to MagicSeaWeed.com, the Treasure Coast surf will be three or four feet today, decreasing a bit tomorrow.  The tides are more moderate now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/10/18 Report - Always Some Where To Hunt and Something To Find. Don't Overlook Valuable Modern Coin Finds. Amazing Buried Things.

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

One thing I've repeated often is, "There is always some place to hunt and something to find."  That has been as true this year as ever.

It has been a slow year for finding old shipwreck items on the Treasure Coast beaches.  We haven't had any big beach-ripping nor'easters.  We've had a little erosion, but not much.  It was usually a day or two of small cuts that quickly refilled again.

Like I said, "There is always some place to hunt and something to find." My favorite finds this year were from inland hunts, which resulted in a 1914 ten-dollar gold eagle coin, which was my favorite coin find of the year, and a couple dozen Morgan and Peace dollars, which were my second favorite coin finds of the year.

As you know, hunting shipwreck treasure depends on conditions a lot.  Sometimes conditions don't cooperate and you have to be creative, or at least flexible.

There are always the modern finds.  Better beach conditions will definitely help you find more of those, but you can always follow the crowds and pick up whatever was just lost.

Not only were Treasure Coast conditions not good for finding shipwreck treasure, conditions weren't good for finding beach fossils or sea glass either.  Beach fossils are most easily found during the same kinds of conditions that produce shipwreck finds.  Sea glass is most easily found in big shell piles, and there have been few good shell piles this year.

My local bottle hunting spots have not been good lately this year either.  I miss that, because when conditions are right I can take a little walk and often pick up a nice bottle or two.

One of my better glass finds this year was what I now believe to be an antique fly trap (below).

I posted that find before and there were other opinions about what it is, but I recently saw one somewhere almost like it.  I forget where I saw it now, but that one was suspended by a string from the top.

The year isn't over yet, and usually some of the best Treasure Coast beach hunting comes during the winter months, so there is still the possibility of some good 1715 Fleet finds this year.

One thing that I learned more about this year is modern error and variety coins.  That has kept me busy.  I wish I had learned more about that years ago.  I could have inspected many thousands of my earlier coin finds, but the information wasn't so easily available back then.  Now you can find so much more good information on the internet.  You can also get answers to your questions.   I like coincommunity.com, for example.  It is a very active site where many questions are posted daily, and questions are answered quickly.

A modern error penny can be worth thousands of dollars, yet people discriminate pennies.  I'm sure I must have let some valuable ones pass through my hands when I didn't know what to look for.

Just to give a few examples of one type of error -

1. there is a doubled die 2014 penny that can be worth $150,
2. a 1997 penny showing Lincoln with a doubled ear lobe can bring up to $200,
3. a 1995 D doubled die in good condition can be worth $800, and
4. a 1983 doubled die that can be worth over $2000.

I just picked out a few of the more recent ones.  There are hundreds.

There are many other types of mint errors besides doubled die errors.  Here is one that I found on a 1974 penny.  See if you can see it.  It is small.

Here is a closer look.

Notice the depression between the rim and the word "STATES."  That is what is called a strike-through.  A sliver of the rim, called a rim burr, was between the planchet and the die when the coin was struck, leaving the depression.

That is just to give you an idea of a few of the many thousands of valuable error pennies that can be found.  A coin doesn't have to be old to be valuable, but you do have to know what to look for.

Error and variety hunting is much more difficult than I ever expected, but it can be fun and worthwhile.  There is a lot to learn.  It is not easy to correctly identify some of the errors.  It can also be difficult to tell the difference between post-mint damage and a mint error, but you can find the information and get answers to your questions online.

I also got into paper money a bit this year, and have been inspecting the serial numbers.  That is fun and easy.

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Amazing what is buried under out there!

Here is the link for the article.

https://inhabitat.com/man-buries-42-school-buses-to-build-north-americas-largest-nuclear-fallout-shelter/

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According to MagicSeaWeed, the Treasure Coast will see a little bump in the surf on Wednesday.  Here are the predictions.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like we'll have a northwest wind during the first part of Wednesday before it turns south again.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/7/18 Report - Local Beaches. Old Gold Coin Found. Hundreds of Cannon Balls Found. Bigger Surf Coming.

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

John Brooks Beach Thursday Afternoon.

I took a look at a couple beaches yesterday just to see what was going on.  Above you see John Brooks beach.  It looks very much like a summer day.  There were fishermen and snow birds enjoying the nice weather.

There were very few cuts.  The tides have been high lately and you could see that the water had been high on the beach.  The slope was gradual and the berm was pretty far back.

John Brooks Beach Thursday Afternoon

Looking South.

There were only a few very small cuts - less than a foot high.

The slopes were soft.

Frederick Douglass beach didn't look any better.

Frederick Douglass Beach Thursday Afternoon.

As predicted the surf was small, and the water hitting the beach straight on.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Park was no better.

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Archaeologists, doing a protective excavation in Bela Krajina without any major expectations, were most surprised when they hit an extremely rare find - a bronze belt bearing a golden coin from the 3rd century BC...

The find is even more valuable because coins usually turn up in searches with metal detectors or in searches in riverbeds, while this one provides archaeologists with much more data.

It was found in "a closed grave, it's position on the belt is clear, and even more, some organic material has been preserved on the belt", potentially making it possible to carbon date the find...

Here is the link.

https://english.sta.si/2582339/archaeologists-hit-mother-lode-in-bela-krajina

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Archaeologists digging in Stockholm's Slussen area have stumbled on a unique find that has left them scratching their heads: hundreds of cannonballs from the 17th century. But who left them there and why?

A proposal to redevelop Stockholm's Slussen junction was approved in 2013, and since then archaeologists have been excavating the area as the construction work continues. It is the largest such excavation in Sweden and tells the story of a time when the area was the hub of Stockholm's iron trade...

Here is that link.

https://www.thelocal.se/20181204/hundreds-of-17th-century-cannonballs-unearthed-in-stockholm

What is your theory for the large group of cannon balls?

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It looks like we'll get a bigger surf by next Thursday.  Another front will be coming through, with north winds maybe Tuesday and Wednesday.,

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Sure would like to see a sustained nor'easter.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/10/18 Report - Holed Mercury Dime. Holed 1851 Dollar Gold Piece. Silver Penny. Fronts Bringing Bigger Surf.

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

"Holed" Mercury Dime

Find and photo by SuperRick.

Yesterday I was talking about "holed" coins.  SuperRick found the one shown above.  Here is the story that goes with that one, as told by Rick.

Coins with holes we all have found a few of them but last year one of the beaches that is right by our condo has some homeless staying on the beach at night. One guy told me that if I found a mercury dime with a hole in it that it was the one that he lost!

I'm coming off the beach one night and one of the guys said that he lost the keys to his car! So I said that I would try to find them for him and while doing that I get a hit on a dime and it turns out to be the mercury dime.

The guy that told me many months ago was sitting there on the beach and I told him that I had something for him! Here is the photos of the dime and me giving it back to him. The dime was given to him by his father who had passed away the look on his face was priceless, he couldn't thank me enough for giving it back to him!

Owner Showing Returned Dime.

Photo by SuperRick.

I find these guy quite interesting and when there are on the beach I always stop and talk to them. They have some very interesting stories to tell about how they became homeless. Basically, if you are living week to week anybody can become homeless! I learned years ago that you can learn from anybody and being homeless is a problem that can be overcome with some help.

Thanks SuperRick!

When hunting something for somebody else, it seemed like I always found something else good.

I was saying yesterday how "holed" coins have a story.  This one not only had a story but also a real emotional significance for the owner.

Notice the hole and how it is crudely made.   That adds a bit to the story.

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Silver Penny and "Holed" Gold Piece
Photo by Sebastian Steve

Sebastian Steve sent the photo of the silver dime and "holed" 1851 one-dollar gold piece.

He said the penny shows no trace of copper - not even on the rim.

I don't recall if I ever mentioned it, but one day I got some very shiny quarters in change at a Dollar Tree store.  They really stood out as something special.   Turns out they were silver plated.

The United States Mint sells both colorized and silver and gold plated coins.

See https://www.usmint.gov/news/consumer-alerts/consumer/colorized-and-plated-coins

You can also buy plating kits and do it yourself.   Some jewelers do it.

Rio Grande Jewelry Supply sells all the necessary supplies and equipment that you might need.

See https://www.riogrande.com/category/tools-and-equipment/plating?c=0af4596e-db4a-497f-82c4-a7b80157fbc8&pageNum=1

Other Side Same Coins.

Photo by Sevastian Steve.

Here is what else Steve had to say about the gold coin.

A small addition to your story on “holed” coins. This 1851 $1 gold piece (type 1) was the -only- coin I ever found that was holed, in my thirty plus years of salvaging shipwrecks. This includes over one hundred wrecks in four of the five Great Lakes, and all the other regions of the world. You seem to have a lucky touch!

This very small coin... again picture being down at 160 feet deep in total darkness other than your hand held light, the swirling mud is all around you, as you gradually work away at a two foot vertical edge of rotting organic material. One of these $1 gold pieces flys by and behind you in an instant, and you just catch an instant of a “glint” of gold and it’s GONE. And you just sit there and go...”Oh Shoot!” Yeah right. Because now you have deposited this minute object into the “tailings” pile behind you! Good Luck!

Know this...just as any detectorist (worth his salt) knows... a site is never, ever totally barren of targets. Just the same principal applies on shipwrecks! And -that- is good news!

It’s ironic and funny in a way, that when I went to the web to locate a quick outline of these $1 gold pieces, up first came a “for sale” listing. And looks what it says! (Cleaned and x-jewelry). See what I mean?

These coins were designed by James B. Longacre and were only minted from 1849-1854. This Type 1 Liberty Head Gold $1 coin has been cleaned or may be ex-jewelry.

Interestingly... this holed coin that I found was on a small woman’s bracelet. Total junk, fell apart up in the boat already. But of course I saved the coin for “ show and tell” in my wallet. Along with an 8...in my wallet...makes good bar talk...


Thanks Steve.

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It's about that time of year when we often get some good fronts moving through and historically have had some pretty good metal detecting days.

I could feel a west wind this morning and there is more to come.

Here are the surf predictions: three to five feet this weekend and then up to eight feet later.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net