2/10/20 Report - 1715 Fleet Beaches: Rings and Reales. Private Beaches. Big Surf Predicted.

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

Among other things, yesterday I posted some comments from Jammin Jack.  The following comments and photo album picture is from Jack.

Below is a page from Gary Daemer's salvaging during the 1990s. Billy Elam was involved and I think put the album together. You will see many rings been found, but no silver! Possibly, more fragile and did not survive the beating of the ocean or silversmiths did not make many because silver harder to work with. 

Jack continued saying, The rings in the above picture are all gold.  Most were low karat, except for one, which was about 14K, according to the text by the photo.

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It is accepted that very few, if any, silver rings have been found on 1715 Fleet wrecks. (Deagan shows at least one.)  And now we have a beach silver ring "certified" as being from the 1715 Fleet.  So the question is why silver rings are so rare on 1715 Fleet wrecks.  The archaeological record of Spanish colonial land sites does document a few, but again, not many.   It appears they were not the rage at the time.  

Some people have suggested that the scarcity of silver finger rings might be made more extreme by fact that they didn't survive well in a rough salt water environment.

Despite the fact that very few silver finger rings have been attributed to 1715 Fleet ships, a lot of old silver finger rings have been found on the wreck beaches.  Being isolated finds having no substantial context, it would be really difficult to attribute such a find to a particular source without definitive markings.

We can not forget that items of roughly the same time period could come from 18th century salvage efforts and other activities drawn to the beaches by the wrecks.  I wonder, for example, if some finds might be trade goods used to pay/reward indigenous divers and other workers after the wreck.

Another question that is possibly related is why are so many half reales found on the 1715 Fleet beaches while cobs salvaged from the submerged wreck sites include such a high proportion of higher denomination cobs relative to half reales.  Below are a few possibilities.

Could it be because the lighter half reales are more likely to get washed onto the beach?

Are the half reales more difficult to find in the water as compared to larger cobs?

Do small denomination reales corrode and disappear more quickly (as some have suggested of silver rings) in submerged salt water environments?

Did contemporary salvage efforts affect the pattern significantly?


I have my opinions, but since they are nothing more than opinions I'll leave those questions to you.

One huge difference appears obvious: half reales were carried on the fleet in great numbers while finger rings were very scarce.  Nonetheless, both natural and human actions could affect the distribution and finds of both half reales and silver rings.

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Private beaches for the wealthy paid for by taxpayers: that is the subject of the following article, which I am sure will stir up some people.  The same subject had people up in arms a few years ago.

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/newswire/2020/02/03/privatization-coming-beach-near-you-opinion/4643308002/

You might want to be informed on that subject.  It is not a new one, but has not been settled.

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The tides are getting bigger, as is the surf.  We are now up to around 3 - 5 feet, but that isn't the best news.  Look out to next weekend.  The predictions are interesting.

The longer term predictions have been good recently - much improved over a couple years ago.

Source: MagicSeeWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

controversial article

11/6/19 Report - Hoard Being Analyzed. Prehistoric Site Found by Drone. More on Carlos Half Reales Including Video. Higher Surf.

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

Part of Staffordshire Hoard

Source: TheGuardian.com  (See link below)

The Staffordshire Hoard is being analyzed by archaeologists.

… The archaeologists have even tentatively identified the Mercian king they believe may have once owned the booty, and can draw a tantalising link to the dynasty of the rival Anglo-Saxon ruler who was buried at Sutton Hoo, Britain’s most famous site of the period.

Dating from the period AD600-AD650, when the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England were battling for prominence, the Staffordshire find is in essence a “war hoard”, says Fern, consisting of spectacular items the experts believe were captured in battle by armies from the kingdom of Mercia, at the expense of neighbouring Northumbria and East Anglia...

Here is the link if you want to learn more about that.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/01/staffordshire-hoard-archaeologists-academic-research-gold-ornaments

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Drone-mounted lasers have revealed details of the architecture of an ancient island settlement off Florida’s Gulf coast, researchers said in a new paper published on Monday...

Laser scanning reveals 'lost' ancient Mexican city 'had as many buildings as Manhattan'

Read more

Although archaeological objects were first spotted on the island in about 1990, and subsequent exploration of the area in 2010 revealed the presence of a settlement dating from 900 to 1200 CE, Lidar scanning revealed previously unknown architectural details...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/nov/04/drone-lasers-ancient-settlement-florida-lidar-archaeology

I found out it is Raleigh Island.

See https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/a-drone-helped-archaeologists-discover-a-lost-florida-island-settlement/

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I received an email from Glen S. pointing out a mistake I made in yesterday's post when I posted an image of the stylized Carlos monogram as it would appear on a Lima half reale.  As a result I went back and made corrections to yesterday's post.

Thanks Glen!

Yesterday I did not intend to get into the differences you will see on Carlos half reales produced by the mints of Lima, Mexico and Potosi. There are features that distinguish cobs, and specifically Carlos half reales, produced by the different mints. Although I was talking mostly about the monograms yesterday, both the obverse and reverse sides show features that distinguish between half reales produced by the three  mints.

While looking for stylized images of the Carlos monograms for each mint that I could use as illustraitons, I found an excellent YouTube video that shows how you can tell which of the mints produced a particular Carlos half reale.

One of the easiest ways to identify a Mexico minted half reale is from the Florenza cross.  On almost all half reales you can see at least one end of the cross, which is enough to tell you if it came from the Mexico mint or not.  It is the Mexico minted Carlos half reales that show what I described yesterday as a fishhook on the end of the C.

The shape of the castles and lions is one way to distinguish between the Lima and Postosi half reales, and the shape of the elipses is another.

Rather than trying to describe all of the distinguishing features in this post, here is a link to the YouTube video posted by CaptainMyCaptain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drywuHMIpmI

Very nice video.  I usually prefer text to videos, but this video is concise.  No time wasted getting to the point.

You have easy access to a lot of really good information these days.  I wish I had that back a few decades ago.

By the way, two of the Carlos half reales I showed yesterday were found on John Brooks beach, where I found mostly cobs from the Mexico mint and many more Philip than Carlos half reales.  Without an exact count, I'd guess that I probably found four or five times as many Philip  than Carlos half reales at John Brooks.

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DJ sent me a copy of a letter from the town clerk of Indian River Shores which included the following items of interest.

• The Tracking Station Park and adjacent beach entrances have been closed and will remain closed for approximately two weeks as the Sector 5 segment of the beach renourishment project commences.


• Jungle Trail has been reopened following the shoreline stabilization project.

Thanks DJ.

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MagicSeaWeed is predicting a high surf for Saturday.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

The tides are still pretty flat.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/14/18 Report - More Treasure Coast Cobs and Monograms for Comparison.

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

Mexico Half Real Treasure Coast Find 

The last few days I've been showing some cobs from a May 2013 hunt.  Here is one more Mexico half reale from that hunt.  This one is about the same size as the one I showed yesterday, and also shows a fairly nice monogram.

Yesterday I also mentioned paying attention to any patina or encrustation.  If you compare this one with the one I showed yesterday, you'll notice that they have very similar pieces of shell adhering to the surface of the cob.

Philip Monogram on Same Mexico Half Reale

Unfortunately this one doesn't show the assayer mark like the one I showed yesterday.

I'll put them side by side.

Two Half Reales From the Same Hunt.

The two cobs have nice monograms and were found during the same hunt at John Brooks beach.  I chose to show cobs from this hunt primarily because of these two nice monograms.  I'm glad I had them labeled so I know where and when they came from.

The assayer mark is missing from the one on the left, but you might be able to see a piece of the M mint mark to the left of the P.  They seem to be similar, yet there are differences.  The one on the left has a big dot under the loop of the P, for example.

So far I've shown the half reales, which I like, but here is another cob from the hunt that is a bit bigger.

Mexico-Minted  One Reale

Shield On One Reale.

Instead of a monogram, the one reale shows part of a shield.  Ths one is still covered with encrustation.

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There is a good high and low tide today.  It would be a good day for some shallow water hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/23/18 Report - Carlos II Cobs From a Treasure Coast Beache and the Monogram. Good Artifact Database.

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

Holed Mexico-Minted Carlos II Beach Cob

The past few days I showed nine different Mexico minted half reales from one 1715 beach.  Most had the Philip V monogram.  The monograms changed from time to time.  You might have noticed some differences  in the photos.

The easiest way to tell the mint is from the cross.  Enough of the Florenza cross is usually visible on Mexico minted half reales to tell you where it was minted.  Sometimes you can see the mint mark too.

One of the cobs I showed from the December 1989 hunt came from the reign of Carlos II.  Below is a stylized monogram like the ones used on Carlos half reales.

Stylized Carlos II Monogram.

And below is a Carlos II half reale that I showed a few days ago.  You can see most of the A and the some of the C coming from the left and cutting through the left leg of the A.

The monogram on this reale is a bit different from the stylized monogram shown in the illustration above.  For one thing, the A is slanted to the right.

One thing you can often see on Carlos II cobs even when not much else is visible is what I call the fish hook.  The end of the C often shows a downward stroke that reminds me of a fish hook.

Carlos II Half Reale Found in 1989.

Below is another Carlos II half reale.  This one is from the same beach but was found decades later.  This is the other side of the same half reale shown at the top of the post.  Notice the little hole.

Carlos II 1715 Fleet Beach Cob
Same one shown at the top of the post.

This monogram is very much like the one on the other Carlos II cob. If that is a assayer mark right below the hole, as I think it is, although it looks like a C, it should be a G, which would be the mark of Geronimo Bercerra, and that would put the date between 1666 and 1677.

As I recall this one was found on the flat sand right behind the berm in a patch of small and broken shells.

Most half reales found on the beach will not be in very good shape, but most of the time you will be able to determine the mint and date range.

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Iguanas invading South Florida and causing electrical outages.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/fl-reg-south-florida-iguana-invasive-damage-20180618-story.html

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Here is a good web site where you can view artifacts donated to the British Museum.  Good browsing.

http://www.colchestertreasurehunting.co.uk/H/hoardandtreasure.htm 

Thanks to Brian B. for that link.

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If you want help with identifying finds, please send good photos taken from various angles and provide basic information such size and what it appears to be made of and anything else that you can make out that might be relevant.  It isn't easy identifying items from photos so provide any and all information that you can.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/22/18 Report - Mexico Minted Half Reales. Atocha on TV. Digging Woodstock.

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

Philip V Mexico Half Reale Beach Find.

Yesterday I was talking about a December 1, 1990 beach hunt at John Brooks, and I showed two cobs from that hunt.  Here are another found during the same hunt.

Mexico Half Reale Beach Find.

The one above looks like it might be a different type of Phillip monogram. 

And below is another.

Mexico Minted Half Reale Beach Find.

This one shows the left side of the P and the mint mark M.

Mexico Minted Half Reale Beach Find.

This one shows a good part of the cross and a castle in the upper left quadrant.

In the past few days I showed finds from two December hunts, one in 1989 and one in 1990, and the results were very similar.  Five half reales were found in one hunt, and four in the other.  Besides all being half reales, all were minted in Mexico.  I think all except one or two comes from the reign of Philip V.

The 1989 hunt I remember in great detail.  The 1990 hunt, I don't remember at all.  It was fortunate  that I labeled the finds and when and where they were found for the second hunt, otherwise I would have had no idea.

None of these cobs were cleaned and they look pretty much as they did when they were found nearly 30 years ago.  You probably noticed that some still had bits of shell attached.  I wish I had labeled the artifacts too.

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Maybe you saw National Geographic drain the ocean over the Atocha on the 18th.  If you missed it, here is the schedule for other airings.
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I noticed a coin I got in change the other day and it still had bits of shell attached to it, like many of the cobs I show.  It was obviously on the beach at one point.  I've often wondered how many millions of coins are returned to circulation by detectorist.  I have no idea, but you see obvious examples of cleaned coins in circulation all the time.  We save a lot of money for the U. S. by returning coins that would otherwise have to be replaced.

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Can you believe Woodstock is now an archaeological site?

Archaeologists scouring the grassy hillside famously trampled during the 1969 Woodstock music festival carefully sifted through the dirt from a time of peace, love, protest and good vibes.

Perhaps they would find an old peace symbol? Or a strand of hippie beads? Or Jimi Hendrix's guitar pick?

The five-day excavation did reveal some non-mind blowing artifacts: parts of old aluminum can pull tabs, bits of broken bottle glass. But the main mission of Binghamton University's Public Archaeology Facility was to help map out more exactly where The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker wowed the crowds 49 years ago...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://phys.org/news/2018-06-archaeologists-scour-woodstock-concert-field.html

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Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/17/17 Report - 1715 Fleet Finds From the Treasure Coast This Week. Half Reales and Other Things.

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

Two Half Reales Found This Week On The Treasure Coast
Finds and photo by Jerry P.

Here are some finds made by Jerry P. this week.  Above are two uncleaned half reales.

Here is another sheet of lead.  Just a few days ago I showed a similar one found by Darrel S.  This one also has the cloth imprint that I discussed in a recent post.

Below are a few more finds made by Jerry at the same location.

Bullet Finds.
Find and photos by Jerry.

John Brooks Yesterday.

This is how John Brooks looked yesterday.  Frederick Douglas looked about the same.  There seemed to be a lot of sand in front of the beach that was keeping the waves from doing much to the beach.

John Brooks Beach Yesterday.

Near low tidea a small dip was developing on the front of the beach and some shells were being exposed.

Erosion Control Bags At Tuttle Trail.
Photo by Darrel S.

I had a few photos of the Turtle Trail area and also Seagrape Trail, but it seems my computer won't open them right now.  This beach started filling and was more filled today, especially in front of the bags.

There were a good number and variety of finds made there.  Jerry's were made I think Wednesday.  I saw pictures of several others, including more cobs, lead, pieces of spikes and a variety of other pieces.  I also heard of a high karat gold ring being found.

Although Turtle Trail seemed to be filling, it wouldn't take too much, if the conditions were right, to freshen it up again.

I had more pictures, hopefully I'll get them working again before long.  I might have to ask some of you to resend photos if I can't get them opened.

The surf will not be as big tomorrow.  On top of that the wind will be shifting.  We had a nice period of north wind, even if it didn't affect too many of the beaches.  Most of the activity seemed to be in the Turtle Trail area.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net