7/18/19 Report - Trade Dollars and Chop Marks. Scouting With Drone. Silver Hands Bracelet.

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

Half Reale With Chop Mark.

Submitted by Scott C.

Yesterday I posted a brief history of the swastika as an example of how some symbols are used for thousands of years and by many cultures.  In response, I received the above photo from Scott C. along with the following message.

Saw your post on the Swastika, take a look at this circulated trade 1/2 real. Upper Left and Bottom Right you will see the Swastika chop marks. I really like this little half.

So many symbols were used during the trade years, The Manila Galleon trade route is most likely how this 1/2 real was chopped. Do you have the book on Chop Marks by F.M. Rose?... 

Thanks again for all you posts and great information.

Thanks for sharing Scott.  That is one interesting coin and a fascinating subject!

Wikipedia says,  Chop marks on coins are Chinese characters stamped onto coins by merchants in order to validate the weight, authenticity and silver content of the coin.

Starting with the 18th century, a number of European, and American and Japanese silver coins (generically know as the trade dollar) began circulating in the Far East.  Each merchant's firm had its own mark and, after heavy circulation, the design of the coin became completely obliterated by the chap marks.

Here is a good link on trade dollars and chop marks.

https://www.littletoncoin.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Display%7C10001%7C29555%7C-1%7C%7CLearnNav%7CChop-Marked-Trade-Dollars.html

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I received several great emails and also had a lot of ideas buzzing around in my own mind this morning.  I could go a lot of different directions today and originally planned to continue with the factors involved with dating dug items, but I decided to post some of the things I just received today.  That will give me more time to better develop and organize the ideas that I've been thinking about and there is always the danger if I don't post something soon after I receive it, I'll eventually forget to do it.


Here is an email from Alberto S.

 ... About 3 years ago, I came across this facility in Homestead Florida while doing research for possible metal detecting sites other than the beach, it happened to be less than 45 minutes from our house in South West Miami so I decided to visit the area and see if I could fly my drone to get some footage, I could have walked from where I parked to the actual location but it meant leaving my wife alone in a secluded area and that was not an option as she was not going to walk 5 miles in the heat and the mosquitoes of the everglades. So with the help of my drone I got some real interesting footage although limited due to distance and power (battery only lasts about 18 minutes total) and I had to have enough for the return flight. I used a screen shot from one of the video clips I took to set the background for the attached image and tried to summarize the story on the one shot, the other images came from google earth and online search. To think that until 2013 the building where the silo is located was still standing and the silo was there for anyone to see and take pictures (see attached)  well anyone willing to go a little out of the hiking trail and maybe miss the no trespassing sign made me wish I had found this information a few years before, maybe. The actual silo is about 3 miles south of the main facility. There are some photos online of the rocket in the silo even with all concrete that has been placed on top, some people just have to get that shot...

Alberto S 

By Alberto S.

Great research and image Alberto. Thanks much. Below I enlarged the text boxes so you can read it more easily on your devices.

There are abandoned places out there. Often they are off limits, but Alberto's work shows how you can effectively use a drone to scout sites.

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Mitch King found a picture of a new bracelet for sale online that is almost exactly like the heavily corroded one I posted a few days ago.

New Silver Bracelet for Sale Online.

Submitted by Mitch K.

Gaylen C. sent the following. On page 264 of  1715 Treasure: History, Manifests, Analysis, Photos by Robert Burgess there is a photo of a ring with clasped hands. Your photo shows a much higher degree of accuracy of anatomical detail than the clasped hands examples. Maybe that kind of skill could be a clue to the origin. 

Good detailed observation Gaylen! Thanks.

I'll plan to have a more detailed discussion of this subject in the future.

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Expect more hot weather and small surf.  There is no tropical storm activity expected real soon.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/15/19 Report - 1715 Fleet (?) Silver Bracelet From Treasure Coast Wreck Beach. Old Flat Buttons and Markings.

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

Two Views of Hand on End of Silver Bracelet.

This hand is on the end of what seems to me to be an interesting and unusual silver find that came from a Treasure Coast shipwreck beach where other 1715 Fleet items were found.

Each hand is only about 3/8 inches long from beginning of the cuff to the end of the knuckles.

Here is the entire bracelet, if that is what it really is.

Silver Bracelet (?)

The hands on both ends are very similar, the one of the left is just at an angle that doesn't show it well.

It is about the right size for a bracelet.  It would fit around most wrists if it was not stretched open as it is.  Of course it could be something else altogether.

I noticed the ruffled cuffs, which remind me a little of cuffs such as the one shown below.

Ruffled Cuffs.

Hands are not unusual on pieces of 18th century jewelry, which include Claddagh rings and Higas like the one shown below, which was also found on a Treasure Coast shipwreck beach.

A nearly identical Higa is in the Mel Fisher Artifact database and documented as coming from the Atocha.

So, is this bracelet a 1715 Fleet artifact?  I don't know, but it appears to me that there is a good chance that it is.

Let me know what you think.

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I've found a variety of old buttons over the years and didn't keep good records on them, so I don't know now where I got them, although some probably came from Treasure Coast sites.  Here are seven that don't have much of anything on the front of the button, but they do have markings on the back.  I know I have other old flat buttons somewhere.

Seven Dug Old Flat Buttons.

The largest is almost exactly one inch across, and the smallest one half inch across.

I'll refer to the buttons as being in four rows and two columns.  The largest button at top left is 1A.  There are no marks on the back of it.

The one beside it (1B) reads as follows on the back: STANDARD COLOUR TREBLE GILT.  (See below.)

Button 1A

On the back button 2A (below) reads: PLATED between stars.

2A

2B also reads PLATED but with no other ornamentation.

Button 2B.

3A (below) reads: FINE TREBLE GILT.  It seems to have something like a big "C" in the open area.

Button 3A.

The back of 3B (below)  twice reads: STANDARD GILT.  There is also a ring of what appears to be shields.

Button 3B.

And the last and smallest button, the only one in row 4, reads: STANDARD RICH COLOUR.  There are some other things that I can not make out, but it looks like maybe S 2.

Button 4A.

As I've mentioned, I didn't keep good records on the buttons and don't know where they all came from.  If you have reason to believe that anything I've said about these buttons are wrong, please correct me, or if you can add any information about the identify of the buttons from what you see, please do so.  I'm sure some of these markings suggest date ranges, but haven't done the research myself.

Thanks for any help.

I'm just glad I got this organized and have these buttons together now.  When I find or locate others, I'll get them organized and documented.

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Barry is weakening and heading north.  There are no other significant systems on the National Hurricane Atlantic map right now.

You can expect another week of small surf on the Treasure Coast.

It is the time of year when we could get a system that creates some erosion and improved hunting.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/21/17 Report - A Third De Luna Ship Discovered. Florida Beach Digger Beaten With Own Shovel. Miscellaneous Ramblings.

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

The third of six sunken Spanish ships that were lost in a hurricane in 1559 has been discovered off the coast of Pensacola, Florida...

Of the seven ships that were destroyed by the 1559 hurricane, six went down in the bay and one was grounded on shore, Cook said. That means that three more wrecks from the de Luna expedition remain to be found. The artifacts onboard tell archaeologists more about the day-to-day life on these expeditions than leaders like de Luna would ever think to include in their letters, Cook said. For example, on the Emanuel Point II, the team discovered an ivory manicure set deep in a ballast pile, complete with toothpick and ear scoop, he said. The set, which looked a bit like a Swiss army knife, even had a whistle on it that still worked after 450 years, Cook said. It probably belonged to one of the major officers in the fleet, perhaps even to de Luna himself...

Here is that link.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/wreck-16th-century-spanish-ship-141500520.html

Take a good look at the photo of the shipwreck wood that is shown in the article.

Thanks to Dean R. for sending me that link.

The article referred to the archaeologists "mowing the law," a term used to describe the pattern used when towing a magnetometer over an area to locate a shipwreck site. That is one example of many techniques that archaeologists learned from treasure hunters. I doubt they would ever give credit to those who developed the technique.

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When workers began digging out the Roman cities torched by Mount Vesuvius, the exquisite wall paintings, sumptuous villas and golden jewelry they found quickly grabbed the spotlight...

Over the last few years, a team of researchers has taken a systematic look at street trash, buckets and even storage containers from Pompeii and other ruins to understand the relationship between ordinary Romans and their stuff. The extraordinary preservation of objects by volcanic debris allows for extraordinary insights into humdrum possessions, the researchers say...

Here is that link.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/20/truth-garbage-new-research-examines-ancient-roman-trash/96815766/

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A Buddha statue was  revealed when water was lowered at a lake in China.  Always watch for recently moved earth or lowered water.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-01/15/c_135984231.htm

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A Tampa man used a shovel to beat a teenage tourist for digging on a Florida beach.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/beach-fight-over-hole-leads-to-shovel-attack-on-treasure-island/284706584


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Yesterday the inauguration was all over the TV.  To me it was fascinating.  It wasn't all about politics for me.  To me it was about the human experience.

Sometimes that which is common is only really appreciated when it is compared to that which is extraordinary, and yesterday there was much that was extraordinary.

Few men ever become President of the United States.  We only see an inauguration once every four years, and I don't believe we've ever seen one in so much detail.

This election seemed extraordinary in many ways.  It seemed like it took years.  It also seemed like the most emotional one ever - for both sides.  I don't know if it was really as extraordinary as it seemed or if there was just some combination of factors that made it seem that way.  The media kept trying to convince us that it was extraordinary, but that is how they get our attention.

In any case, the televised events that I saw yesterday illustrated much about the human experience. One thing that was ery evident was the drive and work that went into the campaigns, for both the winners and the losers and those around them.  The victory or loss, depending upon which side you were on, was a momentary climax of a long series of battles, victories, losses and what must have been humiliating embarrassments.

Both the winner and loser had a level of drive that I never had.  They wanted to do something that I never imagined, let alone wanted to do, yet I could share in the victories, defeats, highs and lows. to some extent.  I can imagine being in someone else's shoes, but only to some limited extent.

Each and every man has a place in life, and each and every man's path, whether it is the result of his choices and actions or the result of forces outside of his control, is unique.  No one has the same starting place as someone else.  That is something you can't choose.  Each man's place and path is unique.  If you start out with a good working mind and body, you are one of the lucky ones.

One thing that really stuck out to me yesterday was when Mike Pence put up his hand to take the oath, his hand looked odd to me.  There were no calluses.  His hand was white and soft.  His hand was very different from the hands that I knew so well.

My father's hands were darkly tanned, thick, scared, usually cut or scraped, and heavily callused. They provided, and took tender care of me.

Each man is dealt a separate hand.  I think what he does with it is the important thing.

They say you can tell a lot about a man from his hands.  I think that is true, but you can't see his heart.

My dad had a rough life, but he was a king.  He had his principles.  He bowed to no one, even when it would have gained him something.  He was honest, perhaps too honest for his own good.  He was proud and independent.

I think much of his life he was embarrassed by his situation, but I think he eventually overcame much of that.  I hope so.  He did well.


What was on display to me yesterday was the human condition.  Rich or poor, famous or not, all men strive and struggle to some extent.  No matter what your station or place in life and how different that might be, we all have our personal hopes, fears, frustrations, victories, losses, questions and doubts. Those things we all share, and no matter how different another man's life might look.  That has been the same for centuries and will continue to be as long as man strives under the sun.

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The surf will be in the range of two to three feet for a few days, and then is supposed to decrease even more.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net