8/19/19 Report - Metal Detecting for Watches and Detector Responses. A Scouting Tool. Memorable Metal Detecting Moments.

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

Man's Watch on Ground

An expensive watch can sound like a piece of junk.  No ID meter is going to tell you when you are detecting a watch, but if you are digging everything, or if you are discriminating but know how a watch is likely to sound, you will still find a fair share of watches.

In the above photo you see a watch. That shows one way a watch can be positioned.  The face and band are standing on edge. Watches can also be positioned so the face of the watch is facing up or down with the band lying flat on the ground.  (See example below.)

Watches are usually made of a variety of materials.  Even if the casing is gold or silver, part of the watch and band will be made of other materials.  That means that you can get some confusing signals.  Not only that, but if you swing your coil over it in different directions you will get different sounding signals and different conductivity ratings.

If you swing left and right over the above watch,  the Equinox will give conductivity ratings of 13 to 16, but if you swing north to south, you will get higher readings - something like 18 - 22.

Your readings won't be consistent, but will depend to some extent upon exactly where the watch is positioned under the coil.

Watches will often give two or more tones because of all the different parts and materials used in the watch.

Watch Lying Flat.

This watch, which is a different than the one at the top of the post, is lying flat on the ground.  The signal will be primarily determined by the casing and face of the watch, but also the band.  This watch, produced a much more complex signal than the watch above.  This one jumped around all over the place between -1 and 35.

Although there are so many kinds of watches and the signals can be very complex and varied, it is still good have an idea of what they might sound like,  You can learn what to expect by experimenting with a variety of watches.

I previously posted three YouTube videos that illustrate the effect of the position of a watch and the sweep direction of the coil on the detector signal you get from a watch.

Here are those links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqZ9XJiKy7o

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYGswg64oWE


I've found a lot of watches in shell-filled dips right in front of the beach.

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Its amazing what is online.  If you want to scout around a little without actually going anywhere, you might try Google Maps street-view.  It is almost like you are there.

Entrance to White City Park as Seen Using Street View on Google Maps.

As you drive down the road using street view you might want to look around for construction areas, like that being done on Midway Road through White City.   I've posted many stories in this blog about old things being exposed by construction projects.

The views you see on street view will be somewhat out of date, but still you might get some good leads.  The construction in this area has been going on for years, so things might be different now, but they are still turning earth.

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We hear so much these days about the massive amount of data being kept on private individuals by both internet companies and the government, but how about your scholastic "permanent record?"

Decades ago when I was in elementary and high school (we didn't have kindergarten or middle school in our rural area), whenever you did something bad enough to warrant it, your teacher or school principal might threatened that IT (whatever it was) could go on your "permanent record."  My wife remembers it too, so it wasn't just a local thing.  I've heard it joked about on TV sitcoms too, so it must have been near universal.

It sounded really ominous when it was referred to by authority figures that were twice your size and as much as 35 or 40 years old.  I don't know where those "permanent records" were kept, but at the time your permanent records sounded just a little less important than the Book of Life.  It sounded like it could determine the rest of your life somehow.  Now I know it was a fake.

Only a few people in the world now know if I even went to first grade, and nobody knows or cares what graduate degrees I completed. That is one of the things about being retired - what you thought was so important and spent so many years on becomes irrelevant.  After spending years of time and lots of money, the degrees did help me get jobs, but now there are only about two people in the world that actually knows anything about that. Time flies and things change.

Despite the sham of the mythical permanent record, there are records that last.  For example, there is your ancestral record encoded in your DNA.

But each and everyone of us keeps a record of our own.  It might be selective and spotty, but it is there.  Some long lasting memories seem to have been indelibly imprinted on our brains.  There are successes, embarrassments, sports moments, and things that someone said that you seem to never forget.  Some of those are metal detecting experiences.

I remember some finds very clearly even though they occurred many years ago.  I remember the location, what the weather was like, etc., etc.  Many of those memories are of what I call first finds.

I remember, for example, the first Rolex watch I found, even though it was drowned.  I also remember the last Rolex I found, but that wasn't so long ago.

I remember the first shipwreck silver I found on a Treasure Coast beach.  I told about that one in this blog before.  It was at John Brooks beach.   It was almost in front of the beach walkover, but a little to the right.  My wife took it out of my scoop, looked at it and was in the process of giving it a toss, when I stopped her.   It was flat and black, and I didn't know for sure it was silver until I got back home and tested it.  But I remember it all very well.

I remember the first silver ring I found, but strangely not the first gold ring.  That silver ring was found on Hollywood beach down near the water in the evening.  My parents were there and I was showing them my new detector.  They were surprised when I came back with the ring in hand.  Their reaction of surprise probably made it more memorable.

I remember one large solitary multi-carat diamond ring find very well.  I was in the water.  The sky was cloudless and blue and the water was crystal clear that day.  I saw the ring sparkle when the sand slid off of it while it was still in the scoop just a few inches off the bottom.  I saw it sparkle through a two or three feet of water.

Those are just a few examples.  Some of my favorite metal detecting memories weren't finds.  They were just beautiful sights.

One of those occurred came just off Fort Lauderdale Beach in and about thee feet of water.  One day I was metal detecting in the water when it started raining.  The water was flat and the rain surrounded me like a shower curtain of rain surrounding me.  I could only see a few feet in every direction.  It seemed like I was alone in the world.  It was eerily quiet and stunningly beautiful.

That is one of the benefits of metal detecting.  You can accumulate an album full memorable moments that can last for decades.

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I'm going to start harping on including some indication of the size of finds submitted for identification.  It is so important.  Often just a coin for comparison or the object shown in hand will do, but the more information you provide, the better chance you will have of getting an answer.



It looks like another week of one foot surf is predicted for the Treasure Coast.

Nothing that will affect us is on the National Hurricane Center map.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/4/19 Report - 15th Century Anchor Found. Copper Bracelet. Vintage Bottles. Backyard Gold Mine. This Is The Year.

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

Source: Mexico News Daily (See link below.)

A search for Cortés’ ships turned up a 15th-century anchor off Veracruz.  Here is an excerpt from the Mexico News Daily article.

This week, that project, headed by archaeologist Roberto Junco Sánchez and anthropologist Chris Horrell, made its first significant find — an anchor dating back to the 15th century with wood still attached to it, identified as being a type of oak found only in northern Spain...

Preliminary analyses of the wood have been used to date it, narrowing it down to two periods of time, either from 1417 to 1492 or from 1450 to 1530.

The data is still not enough to link the anchor to one of Cortés’ ships, explained Junco, or with the ships of other Spanish explorers...

Here is the link.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/search-for-cortes-ships-turns-up-anchor/

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Concerning Terry's copper bracelet, Troy T. sent the following thoughts.

I read somewhere that Florida natives liked to use copper acquired from Europeans either through trade or from shipwrecks. They would re-work it into ornamentation and jewelry. I wish I had a good source to point towards but I don't remember exactly where I read it. I've made similar things before out of copper and brass wire.  The markings are crudely punched and maybe also etched and could have been done with pretty simple tools so it could have easily been made by a native with stone or shell tools. Of course it just as easily could have been made by a bored sailor.

I added Troy's message to yesterday's post, but it was late and you might have missed it so I posted it again.

I seems to be the consensus that the workmanship on the design is somewhat crude or primitive.

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Once again I was painfully reminded of the need for organizing finds and collectibles.  Just yesterday I went to get out my strap flasks and couldn't find them.  I knew where they were for a long time, but evidently I moved them at some point.  I'm sure I'll find them, but it drives me crazy when I thought I knew where they were but can't find them.

Categorize, label, and store your finds in an organized fashion.  Store them carefully too.  It is disgusting when an antique item that has survived years or centuries gets broken.

Brian B. sent me a link to a video about bottles.  That is what got me started on the hunt for my strap flasks.

I think you'll also enjoy the video.  It talks about the values of some vintage bottles that aren't extremely rare or difficult to find.  They are the kind of thing you might have found at one time or another.

Here is the link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U514TaZCPyA   

I've found a lot of the bottles shown in the video - including the flasks.  Many of the ones shown in the video are vintage soda bottles worth five or six dollars.

...

A homeowner was shocked when he found a gold mine in his backyard after buying a new house. 

Anthony Doolin purchased the Brisbane property three years ago but was not aware of the gold mine until after he explored the 16.5 hectares of land...

Here is the link.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/australia/homebuyer-literally-strikes-gold-after-he-finds-a-mine-in-the-backyard-of-his-new-house-in-brisbane/ar-AAzyU3N?li=AAgfYrC

Now that sounds like a lot of fun.  I'd love to have a gold mine in my back yard, whether it was worked out or not.

But in a way, I guess I almost do.

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How do you remember the important times in your life?  Some events are big and they become markers in your life.  You can quickly say something like, "That is the year I started high school," or, "That was the year I got married," or, "That was the year our first child was born or graduated from college."

There are years like that which are remembered as milestones.  You might find that there are other years that are difficult to link to a specific memorable event.  As I thought about it, it seemed for some reason that many of those years occurred later in life.  If they are remembered at all, they are too often remembered something like, "That was the year dad died."  I don't think a person ever expects that until well after it happens and they look back over the years.  I didn't realize it until I just thought about it.

That might not seem very encouraging, but there is a fix.  No matter if you are young or old, it is up to you to make your own memorable events.  Today is the day, but this is also the year.   Find a way to do something you will remember with a smile for the rest of your life. 

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It looks like nothing but a small surf for the next five to seven days.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

8/26/18 Report - Photos To Keep Your Treasure Memories Alive. A Few Examples of Mine.

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

Mine In Colorado.

I took the above photo when I was out west some years ago.  I often talk of the importance of keeping good records.  The years pass quickly and memories tend to fade.  Good records will help you remember your finds and the experiences, but photos are very helpful.

I take photos of finds, and then if the finds are worth anything, I put them in a safe deposit box in the bank.  I print the dates and locations and any other important information on the photos and file them away at home.

I have an external hard drive on which I stored many photos and other things.  I just took a look to see what I had on that drive.  There were many photos, including the one above, which I took on a trip out west.

I also found the photo below.  It's not the best photo.  In fact it is poor, but it is good enough to remind me of one particularly good hunt.

Big 18K Ring.
Personal Photo of Mine, Improved by John R.

I was at one of my favorite spots down south in shallow water in front of a resort hotel.   The sand was eroded back to a white clay.  In the dip in front of the beach a few pieces of gold were found.  The above ring was the biggest.  I don't recall all the others.  Maybe I can find photos of them too, but I remember one of the others was a very small gold medallion.  All the gold finds that day came from an area probably no bigger than ten square feet.

A lot of my best modern jewelry finds came from in front of that same general area.  I only saw another detectorist there once.

There was a barracuda there that would keep an eye on me.  After a while he would make me kind of nervous.  Of course, my scoop would reflect sunlight occasionally, and I never knew if he might decide to go after me.

On another occasion, I was detecting among a crowd (something which I almost never do) of swimmers in a dip at the same location, and a fish or something about five or six feet long swam right through the crowd.  I don't know what it was, but the funny thing is that nobody else seemed to notice it at all.  It startled me.

Well, that is how photos can set off a string of memories.  Once again, I highly recommend keeping records, including photos of finds.

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I found a person that is going to hook Fred B. up to get an x-ray of his second conglomerate.  That s the conglomerate showing a piece of lead and a spike.

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Wabasso Beach In May of 2009.

I also noticed this and other beach photos on the external drive.  This picture shows Wabasso Beach as it looked nine years ago.  That was obviously before more recent beach renourishment projects.

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There are no storms in the Atlantic.

The surf is just a touch rougher and running around one to two feet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/6/18 Report - Remnants of Times Past. Old Bottles and Other Finds As Reminders.

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

Muhler Blob Top Bottle.
Embossed: Henry Muhler 772 Bedford Ave. Brooklyn NY

Remnants

The other day my nonagenarian mother accidentally activated an old phone message from an acquaintance of about eighty years telling about his health, which unfortunately included a brain tumor.  It was a little spooky because the poor fellow was now a couple of months departed from this earth.  It was undoubtedly the last message she got from him.  The message was a couple months old, but sounded just like a brand new message even though it was just a remnant.

There are many ways to value finds.  Many common finds will be appreciated more if you think of them as remnants of events, times and people.

I find a lot of soda bottles from the sixties along the Treasure Coast, which is somewhat surprising to me because I remember when those bottles could be redeemed for 2 cents a piece, with the larger bottles being worth 5 cents.   I and the other neighborhood kids would search along the roads and creeks to find discarded bottles that we could redeem.  At that time, a Hersey bar cost five cents, so you can see why any kid would be happy to find a bottle that could be redeemed at the grocery store.

Was that the beginning of my treasure hunting?  I don't think so.  I think it was earlier, when I went to find where the chickens laid their eggs or collect wild berries.

Eventually the No Deposit, No Return bottles came out, but I guess there are a lot of places today where you can still redeem bottles for money.  Now it is an ecology thing.

No Deposit Pepsi Bottle Found on Treasure Coast

It makes me think back when I find a soda bottle.  When I recently found an old faded Mellow Yello bottle, it took me back to the first time I had Mellow Yello.  It was at Six Flags Atlanta in 1979.  Coca Cola was test marketing Mellow Yello outside the big pavilion where the Bump and Boogie dances were held.  That was much later than when I was collecting bottles back in the sixties.  I moved to Atlanta when I got a consulting job.  The label on that bottle reads Return for Deposit right at the bottom of the label.

Faded Mellow Yello Bottle
With Return for Deposit Label.

I fondly remember hunting mostly Coca Cola bottles in the fifties and sixties and turning them in for a few cents.  For a short time there was a less expensive competitor to the Hersey bar.  It was called Lunch Bar and was a chocolate bar that cost only three cents.  When those came out, I bought those instead of the more expensive Hersey bars.

Of course, you can find bottles going back into the 1800s (like the shown one at the top of the post) and occasionally even earlier.  The older finds are neat finds, but they don't bring back the personal memories.  It is still worth remembering that those older finds were once a part of someone's life before they came into your life.

You might let your mind wander.   How was the bottle lost or discarded?  Did they throw it off a steamboat going up the Indian River?  Did they arrive at one of the stops on the Flagler railroad?  Were they riding along the river when they finished their drink and tossed the bottle, or working on one of the local pineapple plantations?  You might not know the story behind it, but there is a story behind the object, and it is a remnant of a life and time in history.  Someone made it, sold it, and used it before you found it.  I think we sometimes forget to appreciate that.

This post isn't about bottles.  I just happened to use bottles for my examples.  I could have just as easily used coins or other artifacts.  This post is really about finds being remnants of someone's past that can take you back in time.

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The surf will only be 2 - 3 feet today, with the peak being at night.  Nothing much better in the immediate forecast either.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/23/17 Report - How Common Beach Finds Can Become Treasured Christmas Memories and Other Christmas Treasures.

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

Vintage Brass Crotal Bell Ornament.

I got very much into Christmas activities this year and have been doing a lot of Christmas stuff.  I like to make use of the things I see on the beach and pick up a lot of things that aren't big treasures but which I find interesting or possibly useful.  Some of those things come in handy for Christmas.  I already showed the buoy that I turned into a silver bell and hung with other yard decorations.

Here is a crotal bell almost exactly like one that I once dug that makes a nice Christmas tree ornament.  You can buy them or make them out of your own finds.  I like to use my own finds.

I like hand-made ornaments or ornaments that have a story or that hold personal memories.  While at the beach, you will undoubtedly see shells or other nice items that can be made into ornaments too.

Wreathe Ornament Made From Beach Coral.
My wife makes those kinds of things.

Here is an example of drift wood and a beach shell that was made into an ornament.

Another Ornament Made By MyWife Out of Beach Finds.

Here is one more ornament made out of shells.  It is actually covered with glitter and very sparkly, which doesn't show in the photo.

Ornament Made of Sea Shells.

Nice ornaments can also be made of sea glass and found miniature bottles.  Bottles can be mirrored or decorated to make really attractive ornaments.

It is all about the story and memories for me.  Some of my ornmanets were made by my grandma and every time I decorate the tree, I'm reminded of her and things she did.

One of Many Ornaments Made by Grandma

Grandma's ornaments always have a special place on my Christmas tree.

If you remember the fifties at all, you might remember the little cardboard buildings that went under the tree.  They had cellophane windows that were always punched out by the children.  Here is one of those that survived.

Vintage Cardboard House For Under The Christmas Tree.

My wife made a little copy of the house I was raised in which my dad built.  That was a very thoughtful gift and is under the tree with the vintage cardboard houses and animals.

As I was saying, for me it is all about the story and memories.  Here is a special one for me.  Even though it is a purchased ornament, it is the story that goes with it that is important.  My mother purchased the ornament and typed up the story that goes with it.

The Box and The Typed Story That Goes With The Ornament.

Christmas Ornament With a Very Personal Story.

My mom and dad as 21 year-old country bumpkins starting a family just after World War II, had a truck like this, and as my mother explains, they rode around on the bumpiest roads they could find when I was long overdue hoping the jarring would induce labor.  My dad is now gone and my mother is 91.

I hope I got you to think of other kinds of treasures today and what can be done with some of the more common things you see on the beach and how they can become treasured parts of your Christmas and life.

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That is where I'll stop today.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/2/16 Report - Three Ways To View Finds and The Significance of Objects. Ghost Towns and Vanishing Florida. Northeast Swell Coming.

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

Finds are more than objects.  They are also information and become a part of our life experience.

When you find a coin, you learn something.  The coin tells a bit of a story.  It tells you that a person was there or nearby at one time and that they carried the coin and was engaged in some activity that caused them to lose it.  The coin will be either U. S. or some type of foreign money.  It will be either relatively old or new, maybe centuries old or very recent.  It will show signs of being in the surf a while or not, etc.

Beside obtaining the object and whatever information you glean from it, you will also have had a new experience - either trivial or not.

Think about your metal detecting experiences.  Those that you think about often and relate to other people are probably those that seem the most significant to you.

Objects are often valued in a special way by the elderly.  My mother, who is over ninety, holds onto special objects in order to hold onto a part of her past.  Younger people hold onto objects in a similar way, but it is different for the elderly.

Much of the past has disappeared for the elderly.  They may have lost many if not all of the important people from their past.  There is no one left that shared their past.  Many of the objects of the past have also been lost in one way or another.

My mother still has a coffee table that she got when they finally finished building our house.  She remembers picking it out and where they got it.  It was a big deal for her.  While the coffee table is special by itself, what makes it more special to me is the drawings that my sister and I drew on the bottom of it when we were very small.  They are still there.

Where I grew up, there were landmarks and buildings that were a big part of our lives.  Across the road at the bottom of our long driveway was a huge oak tree and an old barn.  They were a big part of our lives.  Al almost as important to us as our own house.  The oak tree and barn were there when mother was very young and still when my dad built our house.  And I do mean built - with his own hands, along with my mother's help.

That tree, it seemed, was there forever, but it is no longer there.  Neither is the barn.

When my mother was young, she and a cousin collected chicken eggs they found in the barn.  My mother still mentions that.

Barn owls had a nest in the oak tree.  I hit rocks from the driveway with a broomstick.  Across the road and over the fence that stood in front of the oak tree was a homerun.

Those things were a big part of our lives, but like most things, are no longer there.

Objects tell a story.  People talk about reading beaches, but finds should be read too.

If memory was perfect, we wouldn't need photos, but things disappear and memory fails.  Objects can help keep memories alive.  If you've been detecting a long time and kept some of your finds, you probably know that.

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Here is an interesting philosophical article on ghost towns and vanishing Florida from the Journal of Florida Studies.

http://www.journaloffloridastudies.org/0102ghosttowns.html

Thanks to Dan B. for the link.

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Yesterday I said that I find gold dubloons boring.  That was a shocking statement to me too.  I thought I should explain it a little.  And there is certainly nothing boring about finding gold dubloons. That is exciting enough.

I just don't find the designs on either the obverse or reverse very interesting.  And the nearly constant color and lack of corrosion is not very interesting to me.  I enjoy the process of cleaning cobs and seeing details emerge.

There are many things that are interesting about gold dubloons though.  The more you study them the more interesting they become.  I guess I've just got more involved with studying the monograms.

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Although the recent weeks of wind and surf have not improved beach detecting conditions on the Treasure Coast, they have been moving sand.  Although we haven't seen much erosion, that continual flow could be setting things up for some good conditions if we get the right changes.  Remember that sand is always moving from one place to another.  When it is piling up one place, there will be some place else where it just left.

For the next two or three days we're supposed to have about a three or four foot surf.  It will increase some on Saturday.  Along with that increase in surf will be a change in the direction of the swell, which has been lacking for the past week or two.  I'll be watching to see what happens with that this weekend.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/25/16 Report - Treasured Memories. North Carolina Beach Cams. Ornate Button Find.

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

Here is a really cool land find by Dan Beckingham.

The button back is very ornate.

Thanks for sharing Dan.

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Some of the beaches up north should have turned good.

Gosports1 sent me this link that provides some good beach cams for the North Carolina beaches.

http://www.surfchex.com/web-cams.php

Thanks for sharing.

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Some things stick out in memory.  It isn't always something big or important.  In fact, too often it is some small annoying or trivial thing.  It might only be a slice of a moment, yet the impression can last for many years.

One of my earlier memories like that was made when I was about five years old.  I went out to collect eggs from the chicken nest that was on the ledge of a garage window.  What I remember most is the sticky mess of the broken egg in the pocket of my jeans.  I guess I tried to put the egg in my pocket.  It made a big impression even though it was something that nobody else would even know about unless it was my mom when she cleaned my jeans.  I doubt if she remembers it now though.  It happened over sixty years ago.

I have several metal detecting memories like that from several years ago.  I remember one day when I was up to my waist in the ocean on a very beautiful day.  The water was smooth and extremely clear, The sky was blue.  I slowly lifted my scoop, and as the scoop was just a little above the sand when some of the sand slid off and I was greeted by a flash of light.

That moment sticks in my mind like it was yesterday even though it has been probably nearly thirty years ago.  It is like the moment was recorded on my mind very much like how light is recorded on film when an image is focused and the shutter is opened.

I could walk to that same spot today if it wasn't now covered by tons of renourishment sand.

I didn't think that much of the ring at the time.  In fact I didn't think it was anything special for a very long time.  I thought it was a zircon.  The ring was marked 14 KP.  I thought that meant plated.  That memory was indelibly recorded before I knew that I had anything valuable at all.  I later found out that "KP" means karat plum, not plated.  And plum means "exact."  It was a very good ring with a big quality solitaire diamond.  It was the sensory experience that was recorded in my memory, not the find.

Several of my most vivid memories occurred when I was in the water, and some don't involve finds at all.  Two in particular occurred almost exactly at the same spot, although at different times.

One day I was in water up to my neck.  The sun was low in the east and the water and sky were blue. It was a quiet beautiful day again.  I noticed a beautifully formed wave to the east of me that rose up about three feet above the level of my head, and through the wave with the rising sun shining through, I could see the shadows of hundreds of fish.  I really wish I had a photo of that.  That image was entirely visual.  I just remember the awesome sight.

Another day, almost in the same spot, the sea was calm as could be.  I was in the water again, and it was foggy.  There was no wind.  It was silent.  I could see only a few yards.  That was a very unusual scene.  I cant explain it.  It was like I was in my own private world surrounded by a curtain of fog.   I'd love to have a picture of that so I could share it.

There are other types of extremely vivid memories too.  Some are humorous.

I definitely remember the first piece of Spanish silver I found on the Treasure Coast.  I drove up from Fort Lauderdale.   I had made the trip several times before when conditions were poor and I had no luck.

My wife picked the piece out of my scoop and was about to throw that flat black razor away.  I hollered,"Wait,wait, wait."  I took a look, and stuck in my pocket.  When I got home I tested it and found that it was indeed silver.  It had no detail.

Today I could walk to within a couple of feet where I made that find even though it has been nearly thirty years since then.

Memories can be special.  Some of my favorite memories have nothing to do with metal detecting, although metal detecting has provided quite a few good ones.  I guess I wish more of them had been shared.

Many of my favorite memories are childhood memories with family members who are now gone. I'm glad I have those memories.  I hope they last as long as I do.

Make memories to share.

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This morning the surf is small but will be increasing later today.  Tomorrow the surf will be up to around 3 - 5 feet.  Unfortunately the wind will not be very favorable.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/9/14 Report - Two Of The Most Common Types of Ring Finds, Difficult Age Determinations & Memorable Detecting Moments

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

If you keep detecting, you'll find a lot of duplicates.  There are a few types of rings that are very common.  I mentioned and showed one very common type of girls ring the other day.  That type is shown here. 

Type 1.

I think these have a name, but I can't think of what they call them.  


I found one of those after a girl in the water told me she had just lost one.  I remember that one more than the others of the same type that I found. I guess the personal part of it made it more memorable. I don't really know how many of these that I've found, but several.

I've found more of the first type - plain yellow gold. 

 Another very common type of ring that you'll find is the Claddagh ring.  You'll probably find more than one of those if you detect very much.  I think the most common of those to find are plain silver or gold, although there are also fancier versions with gems etc.

Claddagh Ring.

Wikipedia says,
The Claddagh ring is a traditional Irish ring given which represents love, loyalty, and friendship (the hands represent friendship, the heart represents love, and the crown represents loyalty).

The design and customs associated with it originated in the Irish fishing village of Claddagh, located just outside the old city walls of Galway...  The ring, as currently known, was first produced in the 17th century.

Being made as early as the 1600s means that it can be difficult to tell the age of one of those.  

A lot of ring designs have not changed for centuries.  And religious images, such as those used on medallions, haven't changed much either.

Some marks will give you a clue.  For example, the "sterling" stamp was first used in the early 1800s.

You can sometimes tell by the style of the item.  The way they cut diamonds has changed.  So have settings.  And, of course, you can sometimes identify the styles such as Victorian or Art Deco. 


In metal detecting as in life, there are those Kodak moments.   By Kodak moments, I mean those highly detailed indelible memories that tend to pop into memory more frequently than most.  They appear as vividly as if they happened just yesterday no matter how long it has actually been. 

I don't know if those images are the most important events of a person's life.   I doubt it, but even if they are not the most important in determining the direction or turn of a person's life, but put together they do seem to provide a synopsis, something like a scrap book or photo album.  Maybe the meaning of the memory emerges or develops over time.

If you've been detecting very long and think about your metal detecting experiences, I'm sure that  some of your metal detecting Kodak moments will readily come to mind.  I've described a few of mine in this blog. 

One that comes immediately to my mind is a diamond ring that sparkled in my scoop as I lifted a full scoop.  The scoop was still under a foot or two of water when I saw the flash. 

What made that moment so memorable might have been the beautiful colors and the amazing beauty of the day.  I didn't know that the ring was valuable yet, so that couldn't be what made it so memorable. 

The water was so clear, the sky so blue, and in my mind's eye I can still see the sparkle of that nearly three-karat solitaire diamond in the sand in my scoop as it flashed in the already sparkling water.

Besides the overall visual beauty of the scene, I think what imprinted that particular moment in my memory is how the flash excited my imagination.  Maybe if I knew what was in the scoop, even if it was valuable, it might not have excited my imagination so much.  Certainty might have replaced the excitement of the unknown.

There are other kinds of Kodak memories in my life.  Some are more videos than stills, and some more audio than visual.  Some are more complex events or stories.  The one thing they all have in common, though, is that they reoccur in memory more frequently than most and do not fade with the passing of years. 

Maybe it is the repetition that keeps them fresh and clear, or maybe they distort over time more than we realize.  I hope not.


What are your metal detecting Kodak moments?


The BART & Somebody ring that I mentioned that was found and shown on Kelly and Michael the other day turned out to be BART and RACHAEL.   It was claimed by a couple that said they were vacationing in Florida some years ago when it was lost.


I've been meaning to talk about how the sand in the shallow water moves, just haven't gotten around to it yet.  I should have taken better photos the other day to illustrate how the sand is moving in and filling what is left of the dip.

 
On the Treasure Coast we now have a small surf and ever so slightly increasing tides.

The bright sun and weather reminds me of the day I talked about above.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/22/12 Report - Digging Up Memories

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

As We Were.

I had a dream last night in which I visited the town where I grew up.  In the dream I saw places where there were once old buildings that are now gone.  The dream reminded me of when I visited the home site where I was raised and my elementary school.   I was fortunate to be able to detect at my childhood home and school a number of years ago.

When I visited those places I could remember what went on at various specific spots in the past.  When I visited the school, I knew exactly where there was once a Little League baseball ballfield even though there was no longer any sign of it.  It was pretty amazing how precisely I could identify where things once were.  I knew exactly where the backstop was even though it was no longer there, where the team benches were even though there was no longer any sign of them, and where the cooler was where they sold softdrinks (what we called pop).  And where my parents stood when they were young enough to be my grandchildren.  I guess I spent enough time on that field to see all of those things like they were still there.

And then I detected the area.  Sure enough, there were some coins from the fifties where people stood along the sidelines to watch the games.  And where the cooler was, I dug a lot of pop bottle caps.  I was digging up my personal past. 

We didn't have anything worth anything, and I wasn't' going to find anything valuable there, but it was worth a lot to me to revive those memories and touch a part of my past again.

The pennies and dimes and bottle caps proved that my memories were accurate and it made them come to life once again.

I guess that is about as personal as it gets.

So what does that have to do with treasure?  I really don't have to spell it out.  I'm sure you will get it.

When we dig up something, we are digging up a part of someone's life.  Sometimes from very long ago and sometimes not so old.  Sometimes the people are not around anymore and sometimes they are.  In either case, it is part of someone's past.

I did a post before about some of my childhood toys that I dug up at my old home.  So I won't show those again.  This post is about putting finds into perspective.  

Even the pop bottle tops brought back memories - brought back an earlier part of life.  It was the closest thing to time travel that I can imagine.

Don't take it too lightly when you dig up a part of someone's life.   Remember that.   What you dig up was once a part of someone's life.   Try to fully appreciate that.  Not only will that help you appreciate what you found, but it will also help you to find more things.  The more completely you can put things into a real life context, the better you will understand the circumstances of how it got there and what was going on, and that will give you a better idea of where to look next.

In a coming post, I plan to pick up from here and talk about visualizing the past and how that can help you find more.


Well, it is chilly this morning.  The wind is coming in from the northwest and the seas will continue to increase today - I'm expecting 4 - 6 foot surf later today.  

I'll try to get out later to get a first hand beach report for you.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net