8/5/18 Report - Coins As Recordings: A Jupiter Shipwreck Cob Example.

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

Half Reale Once Found on Jupiter Beach.

I've been spending some time studying modern coin finds - especially errors and varieties.  You might be surprised how detailed that can get.   As a result I've learned to look at coins in a different way.  That includes old coins and cobs as well as modern coins.

Above is a half reale I found at Jupiter beach a number of years ago.  Unfortunately I didn't record the date so I don't know exactly when that was even though I remember it very well.  Observing the weather, I thought that Jupiter beach might be eroding, so I got in the car and made the nearly one-hour drive.  When I got there I saw the waves hitting the back dunes and creating a nice cut.  The waves were hitting the cut hard and washing away large chunks of sand with every hit.  

I'm pretty sure the cob shown above was washed out of the dunes.  I caught it in the rapid knee to hip high water that was rushing back down the slope.  The side shown above was covered with a thick sand crust.  The other side was pretty much as it is shown below.  I could see the cross, as I braced myself against the rushing water and took it out of the scoop.

Some people reduce each find to a single number - how much it is worth - but a coin contains volumes of information.  This cob is like a recording that goes back to geological time.

If you were to analyze it scientifically you could narrow down where the metal was formed and where it came from.  The shape and type of the cob is typical of those from the Jupiter wreck.  The shape is the handiwork of a worker who cut the planchet.

You also see the work of those who made the die and those who held the die and swung the hammer.

The design itself is the result of politics and royal decrees having far reaching roots and effects.

You see the work of the person who held the die and the man who swung the hammer.

If you inspect a coin closely, you'll see how worn the die was - whether it was new or worn and perhaps showing small cracks or breaks.

You can see where the die was recut and where the die bounced and created a partial second impression.

You can see the results of it being in salt water and on the beach for hundreds of years.  There are even a few grains or sand remaining.

You can even see the result of the cob being cleaned and my own hands where I slipped and made a scratch of my own, which will last as long as the coin.  A good eye can tell that scratch was made after the cob was recovered.

Those are just some of the things you can see if you study this cob.

Side That Was Not Protected by A Crust of Sand.

The second photo shows the side that I could see as soon as I took the cob out of my scoop.  It is not as clear as the side that was originally protected by a thick layer of crust that made that side invisible.

If you look at this side closely, you can see a nice lion rampant in the upper right quadrant and a castle to the left.  You can also see some of the legend between two partial circles of dots.

Unlike many of the cobs that I've shown in this blog, this cob is not from the Mexico mint.  You can easily tell that from the cross.

I've just begun to study coins more closely and am a novice at numismatics, but find it very interesting.

Returning to the other side of the cob for a minute, here is the Philip monogram up close.

Philip Monogram.

You can see some corrosion remaining.

The monogram is very clear.  Notice the horizontal bar in the middle that appears to stand out higher than any of the other parts of the design.

My guess is, and someone could probably confirm, that the die was well worn and the die was sharpened up.  The bar was carved into the worn die after it was well worn.

Although modern coins are produced by machines and this one was struck by hand, the process is still very similar and you'll see many similar effects.

Imagine the fellow that carve the die and how he cut the negative into the die.  He made some nice rounded dots.

You can see how the metal was compacted and stressed and the how the metal flowed into the areas where the die was hollowed out.

Here is a detail on the other side.

Close-up Detail of Half Reale.

In this photo you see the end of the Kings name, Phillipus, and part of the following numeral.

The "S" looks weird.  It doesn't look like an S at all.  It looks more like an eight - actually multiple eights.  What happened?

It could be a couple things.  A real numismatist could probably tell me, or with a little more study I could probably figure it out, but it could be that the die bounced when it was struck.

It also looks to me like the die could have been recut - and perhaps incorrectly.

You see similar things on modern coins.  As I said recently, by studying modern coin errors and varieties, I've learned to look at cobs in a new way.

I'll get into that more some other day.

I'd be happy to receive corrections or additional observations or thoughts about this cob.

One reason I decided to revisit this cob is because my photography has improved since I last posted it.

I hope that you will look at old cobs as containing volumes of information.  If you study them, they are more than a number.  They record a lot of history.  And by careful observation and study, you can unravel the story for yourself.

I've often said that if you know everything about anything, you know everything about everything.

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If I showed enough hate maybe I could get a job writing for the New York Slimes.

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Beach conditions have not improved and remain poor.  The tides are not big and the wind continues from the south.  The surf is only one to two feet.

There is one disturbance way out in the middle of the Atlantic, but it will probably never affect us.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/1/16 Report (Part II) - More First-Hand Reports Related To The Jupiter Wreck Prior To Its Reported Discovery In 1987.

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

Earlier today I posted about Hurricane Matthew, but recently I've been posting some old finds from Treasure Coast wrecks and camps, especially those found by Darrel S., who hoped that others would also submit their finds so that a more complete record would be obtained to add to our knowledge of the Treasure Coast wrecks.  I know we all like to see finds, but the purpose of posting finds is the larger one of contributing to our knowledge of Treasure Coast history.

Recently I posted a few personal experiences concerning the Jupiter wreck, which is generally accepted to be the San Miguel Archangel.  Subsequently I received some emails related to that subject.  Today I'll post what one archaeologist, Southern Digger, who did a lot of archaeological work around Jupiter, had to say about seeking the Jupiter Wreck in the 1970s.

S. Digger said, After college, I became certified (NASDS) in 1975, and with some research attempted to dive and seek the Jupiter Wreck in 1977. That is when I told the lifeguard about its existence somewhere near the Inlet and he indicated to me that he was planning to search and find it....

S. Digger continued, I was stopped from diving and seeking the wreck in 1977 and was directed to Bessie Dubois who explained it was protected under the Jupiter Inlet Commission and that her husband was on the board. Well she showed me a pile of 4 and 8 Reales and noted when the inlet is dredged and tailings dumped on land,they close the beach and search for cobs.

[I've speculated in this blog about officials closing beaches for private hunting in the past.  TreasureGuide.]

After realizing I would not be allowed to dive and search for the wreck, I was approached by Bessie of the Dubois Historical Society; and the President of Loxahatchee Historical Society; asking if I would help them locate the accurate site of Ft. Jupiter. I was involved in that project for 6 1/2 years, including digs at the battlefield.

Also, between 1979 and 1981 I was considered the archaeologist for their community and was often called off the fort site to assist in investigating other significant archaeological sites in the Jupiter area--some in Dubois Park and near to the lighthouse.

When Hurricane David passed thru Jupiter area in 1979, I inspected the Dragoon camp site which required me to re-clear numerous paths which were initially cut thru the palmettos and scrub oaks with machetes. Then I went to search Jupiter Beach which incidentally, was completely washed out down to hard pan. I found a 10kt gold wedding band, then lost my detector because the saw palmettos at the fort site had sliced into the coaxial wire and at the beach saltwater or rainwater caused the detector to ground out.. Although the instrument box was wrapped and protected, the damaged coil wire caused it to ground out. That was my only reliable beach detector then (Whites Coinmaster VLF Supreme) and I had to send it out for repair. During my brief search at the beach after Hurricane David, I saw no other person with a detector--just surf fishermen.

However, a bit south near the beach restroom, the beach was tunneled and washed out. In the beach was the brown-stained top of a ship-stain from rotted wood and disintegrated iron nails. After further research, I discovered that was the location of the old inlet and a pioneer's schooner was overloaded, grounded and sunk in the inlet sometime during the early 1840's. That is why the Florida Volunteers dug a new inlet at the present location--because the old inlet was no longer passable and it closed up around the foundered schooner. I mentioned this story in my History book on Fort Jupiter.

Thanks for sharing Digger.

I'll add here what Darrel S. said.

As for Jupiter, I go way back and we (surfers) knew of that wreck before the lifeguard story. I know where fill dirt was pulled from dredging in late 1940s to 50s and have found good stuff on properties with permission. Tiger Beach has tons of stuff, but people ignore it...


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You can find a history of the Jupiter Inlet on the Loxahatchee River History web site (link below).  Here are a few important dates long after Juan Ponce de Leon visited the area in 1513.

1913 to 1922 - The Jupiter Inlet slowly moved to its present location; which is approximately 1250 feet North of its original location.  The inlet would naturally open and close periodically due to the effects of hurricanes and strong storm surge activity over time.

1921 - The Jupiter Inlet District was formed to oversee maintenance, dredging operations, and jetty construction in the Jupiter Inlet.

1922 - The "natural" shoreline of the Jupiter Inlet was changed forever as the Jupiter Inlet District dredged a channel and installed two man-made jetties.

Here is the link for a more complete history.

http://www.loxahatcheeriver.net/History-Jupiter-Inlet-Loxahatchee-River.html

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My earlier post of today covered Hurricane Matthew and the big surf that is predicted for us next week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/27/16 Report - Almiranta Campsite Finds. Before the Jupiter Wreck Discovery. New Tropical Depression Forming.

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

9 Maravedis and Reliquary Pendant
Finds and photo by Darrell Strickland

There was a time when you could get up in the dunes to detect.  That has changed. 

I've been talking about survivor and salvage camps a bit lately.  These finds were made in an area thought to be a campsite associated with the Almiranta. 

Thanks for sharing Darrell.

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Everybody knows the much publicized names and place, but there were often others who were there first. Everybody knows, for example, how the Jupiter wreck was discovered by a lifeguard who noticed the cannons on the bottom one morning when making his morning swim, but people were finding cobs on that beach long before that.

One fellow that worked the beach there before the wreck site was discovered, I only knew as Dave. Dave worked the beach south of the inlet frequently. At the time he was like the beach keeper, and he found a lot of cobs there.  I told the story before about  how a jar of cobs was stolen from the trunk of his parked car while he was detecting.  That was years before 1987, though I can't remember how many years before.

I first ran into Dave on the beach one morning after I made the drive up to Jupiter from Broward County.  I didn't visit Jupiter very often because it was at least an hour drive for me.  Dave used a brand of metal detector that I was not familiar with at the time, and he was very curious about mine.  I was using a modified Nautilus, which I liked a lot.  It was modified and mounted in a Ikelite case by Steve Noga of Maryland.  After I got my first detector from Steve and used it a little while, I called him and asked if he'd give me a good deal on a second one to use as a back-up.  It was that good.  So I got a second one.

I tried to contact Steve a few times in recent years, but without any luck.

There were others besides Dave that detected the wreck area for cobs back then.  One fellow I remember, I can only recall his last name, which was Rainey.

One day that I remember very well, the beach produced hundreds of old U. S. coins, including a lot of silver, but oddly no cobs.  Dave showed up a little late that day, and promised he'd beat me there the next time beach conditions were good.

The first time I found a cob there, the cliff was really getting really banged by the waves and I was fighting a strong backwash as the water bounced off of the cliff.  The backwash was up to my knee and washing back down the slope when I detected that cob.

The first time I met Dave there he told me that the cobs sounded like tin cans.  I don't know if he was trying to throw me off or what.  Some were loud, but the small ones weren't that loud.

I'm sure there were others that worked the beach by the Jupiter wreck even before that.  If I correctly recall, Frank Hudson, who is not known for religiously sticking to fact, in at least one book said there were chests and other treasures buried in the dunes there, so I'm sure people were detecting there and perhaps having some luck.  I think some of Hudson's Lost Treasures books were written as early as the seventies.  Maybe I can find one around here somewhere.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

A topical depression might develop Tuesday (red), but as you can see it could well stay to the south of us, but it isn't even to the West Indies yet.

Not much but a two or three foot surf for the rest of this week.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/12/16 Report - Great Resource for Shipwreck Research. Not 1715 Fleet Treasure Coast Shipwrecks.

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

Recovered Artifact Shown in Borgens Thesis
See link below.

If you know anything about the Treasure Coast, you probably know something about the 1715 Fleet. Most of our treasure wrecks came from that fleet, but there are other important wrecks along the Treasure Coast that you should know about.   Some are older than the 1715 Fleet and some are more recent.

Among the more recent is the Spring of Whitby, which probably sank near Wabasso in 1824.  The Spring of Whitby is not as well known as the 1715 Fleet, partly because it has not been as thoroughly researched.  It was identified in 1965 when a bronze bell bearing the date 1801 and the name Spring of Whitby was recovered.  The Spring of Whitby maintains a shroud of mystery.  The evidence and research concerning her does not fit neatly together.

One of the older Treasure Coast wrecks is the Power Plant wreck, which is believed to have sunk in the late 1500s.  Relatively little is known about that wreck.

Another older wreck is the wreck of the San Miguel Archangel, which sank in 1660 near the Jupiter Inlet.  Spanish cobs were routinely found by detectorists along the beach near the wreck site for years before the main pile was found by a lifeguard on his morning swim.  On that fateful morning he noticed a recently exposed cannon.

I often encountered a detectorist named Dave, who filled jars with cobs that seemed to wash out of the dunes near the Jupiter Inlet.  That was back in the eighties before the cannon was found and salvage efforts began on that wreck site.  I don't know what happened to Dave.

There are other wrecks than the 1715 Fleet along the Treasure Coast and some have not been identified.  Some are older and some more recent.  Of course not all of them are treasure ships, but they can still produce some interesting artifacts.

It can be difficult to tell how old an artifact might be and what type of wreck produced it.  There are times when artifacts from different wrecks intermingle, and that can make it more difficult.  There are sometimes subtle signs to help you tell one from the other, but you have to do your homework.

Below is a link to a very useful paper entitled, Analysis of the Pass Cavallo Shipwreck Assemblage, Matagorda Bay, Texas.  It is a master's thesis by Amy Borgens.

You will find a lot of good information and drawings of artifacts, including a lot on armaments. There is also a great bibliography at the end that will give you much more research material.

Here is the link.

http://anthropology.tamu.edu/papers/Borgens-MA2004.pdf

It is 294 pages.  Here are the first two paragraphs from the abstract tp give you the idea.

A survey conducted in February of 1998 located an anomaly originally believed to be the remains of L’Aimable. L’Aimable was one of four ships utilized by ReneRobert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, for his voyage to colonize the Gulf Coast in 1684. The anomaly, a wrecked vessel with a heavy iron signature, was located outside the entrance to the historic pass into Matagorda Bay, Texas. Artifacts were extracted from the wreck site to aid in the identification of the vessel, which was subsequently determined to be more recent in origin. 

A preliminary examination of the artifacts indicates that the shipwreck dates to the first half of the 19th century. The survey recovered over two hundred artifacts. The assemblage of artifacts includes over 80 lead shot, over 40 examples of brass firearm furniture, over 15 firearm fragments, several pieces of copper sheathing, and iron bar stock. Almost two-thirds of the material is associated with small arms. The majority of the identifiable firearms are military arms of three patterns: the British Short Land Pattern, the British India Pattern, and the Model 1757 Spanish musket. 

Good reading.

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Today we'll have a 4 - 6 foot surf on the Treasure Coast and north winds.  After today the surf is supposed to decrease for several days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/26 Report - Jupiter Wreck Salvage Area & 1715 Fleet Artifacts

1715 Fleet Grenade for Sale on eBay.


This grenade is said to have been found on the Anchor Wreck Site in the 1990s and is now for sale on eBay. An unusual item in good shape.

There is another group of munitions from the same site also on sale on eBay. You might want to read the item descriptions.




http://cgi.ebay.com/Munitions-Spanish-1715-Plate-Fleet-/160485584999?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item255dafb067

A man bought a huge 840-pound emerald that was found in Brazil for the bargain price of $60,000. After he paid for the emerald, but before he received it, the emerald was reported stolen. It seems the seller had second thoughts about selling the emerald, which is now appraised at $372 million dollars. A judge will determine ownership.

Here is the link.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-general/20100924/US.Giant.Emerald/


I found a nice web site that includes an account of a project investigating The Kinlochbervie Shipwreck thought to have possibly been from a ship that as part of the Spanish Armada in the 16th Century.

The results are not conclusive, but it is an interesting article (written by Isobel Patience) and includes some great photos of the project and artifacts.

Use this link and scroll down to the second article.

http://www.mackaycountry.com/The%20Challenge%20of%20Archaeology.htm

I meant to start on another topic dealing with a local beach find, but my research is proceeding more slowly than expected. I still hope to be able to present that topic soon.

Jupiter Wreck Salvage Area Map.


Unlike on the beaches of Indian River County, which has a continuous series of salvage and exploration contracts covering most of the area, there is only one contracted salvage area near the Jupiter Inlet.

Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is now from the southeast and the seas are down to around 2.5 feet. The high tides are still pretty high.

Seas will remain under five feet for the next several days.

Lisa is a tropical depression, but doesn't look like she'll come this way.

It looks like you'll have to really work for any old finds.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net