1/10/19 Report - Methods of Viewing and Photographing Coins. The Elephant in the Room. Sedwick Events

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

Notice the Orlando FUN convention beginning today.

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You saw her on Curse of Oak Island and the Jon Stewart show.  One of Oak Island's most revered "experts," now she'll visit your home - for a price of course.

If you want to arrange for a home visit from Dr. Lori, here is her web site.

https://www.drloriv.com/Find-Values/In-Home-Visit

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Yesterday I mentioned using magnification for inspecting coins.  There are a lot of good choices,  You might be able to use something you already have.

Of course there are the obvious choices such as a magnifying glass or jewelers loop, which are always handy to have around the house.  That is what I used years ago.  Now I usually use something else.

Here is a good suggestion from SuperRick.

When it comes to looking at coins there is no reason to spend a lot of money if you have a smartphone. Go to Google Play and get the App Magnifying Glass Flashlight Pro! I have been using it for a while now to look at coins and meteorites, Try it out you will love it!

If you want to go through lots of coins quickly, I've found that a stand can be a big help.  You can slide them under the viewer, quickly inspect them and then slide the next one under.  A stand also provides stability. 

Some of the guys that cherry-pick rolls, will buy rolls and go through hundreds of coins at a sitting.  You might also have a pile of old coin finds to go through.

This kind of thing might be useful.

See http://forlights.com/Lighting/magnifier-lights/Electrix-7450.html

Even before I got into error coins, I always had an inexpensive Celestron digital microscope.  It attaches to a computer or monitor through a USB port.  I can go through a lot of coins quickly with that.  I use an old laptop computer that isn't good for much of anything else to view coins and save coin photos.  Since I don't use it for anything else, it makes a nice dedicated coin station.

The Celestron microscope has some short-comings.  Lighting is very important for good coin photos.  The eight LEDs on the microscope are not ideal for all situations, but they can be dimmed or turned off. Sometimes you'll want to change the angle of the lighting.  You can use another light source for that.

Some people use a good camera with a good close-up lens for coin photos.   Again lighting is critical.

Also, some scanners will make excellent coin pictures, but scanners tend to be pretty slow.  You might try out your scanner and see how well it does with coins at high resolution.

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A cool front moved in and we're going to have a little increase in surf.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/10/18 Report - 2,200-Year-Old Gold Coin Found. Largest Sarcophagus. FUN Convention. Chris and Beryl.

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

2,200 Year Old Gold Coin (Not a video.)
Source: See FoxNews link below.

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed a 2,200-year-old gold coin depicting the ancient King Ptolemy III, an ancestor of the famed Cleopatra.

The coin, which bears the image of the King on one of its faces, was discovered during the excavation of a large Greco-Roman building at the San El-Hagar archaeological site in Northern Egypt...

Here is a link to the article and video.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/05/31/2200-year-old-gold-coin-discovered-in-egypt.html
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A mysterious ancient black granite sarcophagus has been discovered in Egypt.

The tomb, which dates back to the Ptolemaic period between 305 B.C. and 30 B.C., was uncovered in the city of Alexandria.

In a Facebook post, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, general secretary of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, announced that the 6-foot high sarcophagus, which is 8.7-feet long and 5.4-feet wide, is the largest ever found in Alexandria...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/07/09/mysterious-giant-sarcophagus-discovered-in-egypt.html

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Florida United Numismatists, Inc., is hosting the 12th Annual Summer FUN Convention in Orlando Florida, July 12- 14 2018. The convention will be held at the Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Drive in Hall WE1. This location is across I-Drive from the new facility. The convention opens to the public at 10:00 A.M., July 12th and will run through 5:30 P.M. July 14th...

Here is the link for more information about that.
http://www.funtopics.com/summer-fun.html

Sedwick Coins will be there and will be looking for consignments for their November 2018 auction.

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Chris and Remnants of Beryl
Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

 Wind This Morning.

Chris is near hurricane strength is supposed to turn into a hurricane and head north.  It will also move east before long.

In the mean time, the best chance for good beach erosion is the cape off North Carolina.

On the Treasure Coast, we are supposed to have a three to four foot surf, decreasing tomorrow.

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I have a lot of future posts already planned.  I'll be showing a variety of cobs from one hunt.  Before August is over I expect to post some good metal detector tests and reviews that I'll conduct myself.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

7/6/16 Report - How To Conduct More Meaningful Ground And Air Tests With Your Metal Detector. Summer FUN Convention.

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

Florida United Numismatists, Inc., is hosting the 10th Annual Summer FUN Convention in Orlando Florida, July 7 - 9 2016. The convention will be held at the Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Drive.

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I was looking for something the other day - don't remember what - and ran into a video showing some fellows testing and comparing metal detectors on a small piece of buried gold.  They did what most people do.  They buried their target and tried the different detectors to see which did the best. Only one detector gave a good strong signal on the target.  Although I saw a few problems with their method of testing, I wanted to focus on one problem that is not usually seen as a problem.  Almost everybody makes the same mistake.

As you know, there are several things that will affect a detector's signal.  The nature of the target is one thing.  Its composition, size, shape and how it is laying will all affect the detector's signal.

Of course the ground will affect the detector's signal.

And the environment, including such things as electrical interference, will affect the signal.

So will the detector's settings.

But one thing that is not often taken into account is the behavior of the detectorists.  If you watch either an air test or a ground test, you'll always see the same behavior.  The target, relative to the coil, is moved rapidly, in very short sweeps, and right over the sweet spot of the coil.  That is not how the coil is moved in actual field use.  As bad as that is, there is yet another problem.  The exact position of the target is known, which is not the case when you are hunting.  That is a more serious problem than you might think.

When scanning ground during a hunt, the coil would usually be move more slowly, and the target would usually not be directly under the sweet spot of the coil.

When conducting either an air test or ground test, if you want to get results that are similar to actual field performance, the exact position of the target should not be visible to the operator.  I've conducted psychology experiments and know something about how the sensory systems work.

There is always some level of noise, and a signal can be interpreted as noise, and noise can be interpreted as a good signal.  When the location of the target is known, any noise that occurs when the coil is over the target will be interpreted as noise, and the threshold for detecting a good signal in noise will be much lower when the operator knows when there should be a signal.

I've done this myself when I was testing a new detector in a noisy environment with a lot of static. Noise when the coil is over the target will often be interpreted as a good signal when it is actually noise.

People do not realize how much the tendency is to interpret noise or a marginal signal as a good signal when you know that the coil is centered over the target and a signal is expected..  You know when there should be a signal and therefore interpret almost anything as a good signal when you are expecting a signal.  Noise created by hitting the ground or grass or any random noise will be interpreted as a good signal when you know that the coil is over the target. That tendency is multiplied by a coil that is being moved in short bursts over the spot.

The stereotypical very short and rapid movement that is inevitably seen during air tests and ground tests when the location of the target is known and centered under the coil, is unlike anything that would normally happen in the field, except after a target has been located and is being pinpointed.

To get more significant and realistic air and ground test results, move the coil relative to the target like it would be moved during a hunt.  Remember, most of the time in the field the target will not be under the sweet spot of the coil.

In addition to moving the coil more realistically, during ground tests the operator should not be able to visually identify the location of the target.  He can close his eyes and start a few steps away, proceeding the same way he would in the field.  You might be surprised by how often the target is missed altogether when that is done.

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Gold and silver prices have been going up for the last few days.

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It looks like we'll be having another week or two of smooth surf on the Treasure Coast.  There is no tropical weather to watch.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/5/15 Report - Colonial Numismatic Presentations With Sedwick Auction. Sacred Heart Reales. Tropical Depression Seven.

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

Sedwick Coins Treasure Auction 18 Coming In October

The Potosi mint produced some oddly shaped cobs.  Some appear to represent the Sacred Heart.  The exact purpose or use is unknown, but some think they were used by church officials.

Many were "holed," and I've read they were sometimes sewn into clothing.

Here is a link to a Sedwick report on the heart shaped cobs

http://www.sedwickcoins.com/articles/hearts.htm

There are other events associated with the auction that you might want to attend.  Here is a schedule of events.

LOT VIEWING: OCT 28 10:00-6:30 = Evergreen Room.

Ricardo De León Tallavas (Evolution of Mexican Numismatics)

12:45-1:30 PM EST - Buena Vista Ballroom

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Jorge Proctor (Mexican Assayers under Philip V)

2:00-3:00 PM EST - Buena Vista Ballroom

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Glenn Stephen Murray Fantom (Colonial Mintage Statistics for Lima and Potosí:

Historical Context and Analysis) 

3:30-4:30 PM EST - Buena Vista Ballroom

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Herman Blanton (Mysteries of Colombian Cobs)

4:45-5:30 PM EST - Buena Vista Ballroom

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Luis Roberto Ponte (Venezuelan Numismatics) 

6:00-7:00 PM EST - Buena Vista Ballroom       

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Pre-Auction Dinner 7:30 PM EST 

- October 29, Floor & Internet Auction 10AM->

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- October 30, Numismatic Forum and Breakfast. Moderator: Jorge Ortiz Murias.


These events will be at the Doubletree by Hilton at Lake Buena Vista in Orlando.

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Very Soft Sand Treasure Coast Beach This Morning.

You can see where the last high tide stopped.

I visited four beaches this morning before finally finding one I thought was worth detecting.  At that last beach I found a good number of coins in a small area and slightly more sinkers.  I think it was something like 60 per cent sinkers to 40 percent coins.  All fairly new coins.  I've found old stuff at that location before, but the conditions were so poor I was lucky to find as many coins as I did.  I'll be happy when we get cooler weather.  I was soaked with sweat from digging all those deep coins - and sinkers.

Even at low tide, the sand seems to extend out another twenty or so yards into the water before dropping off.  That is a lot of sand that needs to be moved.  Hopefully some day it will get moved.

Fred is still out there but not coming this way.  Tropical depression seven might come this way though.  It is still way over by Africa at this point.

We're going to have a flat surf through Labor Day.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/6/15 Report - Two-Million-Dollar Gold Coin. FUN Convention in Orlando. Florida State Museum Treasure Exhibit.

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

Two-Million Dollar Gold Coin.

Bidding starts Wednesday night at the Orlando Convention Center for this 1907 twenty-dollar gold coin expected to sell for near 2 million dollars.  Bids of well over one million have already been offered.

This high relief gold piece is said to be the most beautiful coin ever.












Below is a link to a video about that.

http://www.myfoxorlando.com/story/27765764/rare-gold-coin-up-for-auction-in-orange-county


Don't forget the FUN convention in Orlando January 8 through January 11.   Among the many highlights will be the Florida State Museum Treasure Exhibit.  According to the FUN web sites, many of treasure items from the museum have not been "... on pubic display for decades, and may never be again!"  That sounds like a great opportunity to see items that have been found on our public lands and kept at public expense, yet are hidden away for the benefit of a few.  Many of the items are from the 1715 Fleet on display in celebration of the 300th Anniversary.

This is a huge convention and it is only a couple hours away.

Here is a link for more information.

http://www.funtopics.com/fun-convention.html

Russ P. reminded me that the convention is this weekend.  Thanks Russ.

I previously mentioned a big hoard find that I couldn't previously tell you about.  I'll be able to post the details on that soon.


Concerning the mystery item I've been discussing, one more person thought it might be a "paint pot."  Two people thought it might be an aerator for a bait bucket.

While the size and shape seem right for an aerator, I don't know why an aerator wouldn't be made of plastic or some material that could be easily manufactured for less than a penny and would be much less fragile unless it was older and hand made.


Yesterday morning, I think just before noon, the wind picked up and was coming out of the North.

The Treasure Coast surf is predicted to be about three feet on Tuesday, a little less on Wednesday and then a bump up to near five feet on Thursday.   The wind is supposed to stay mostly out of the North during that period.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/16/14 Report - Educational Presentations On Treasure & Treasure Coins. Working the Washing Machine - Rough Shallow Water Detecting.

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

Treasure Coast Beach This Morning Near Low Tide.

The beach has been building. There were almost no targets in the wet sand this morning at this beach.  The dry beach didn't have much either.

I mostly worked in the washing machine.  By that I mean the area right in front of where the waves were crashing.  It isn't easy to work that area when you have decent waves.  The currents are strong there, and it is impossible to sweep a coil normally.  It can also difficult to recover targets there.  

To make things even more difficult, the bottom was very irregular today.  There were big dips and pot holes.  Many pot holes were more than a foot deep, and it was impossible to see the bottom, so occasionally I would get a jolt as I stepped into a hole.

There are several tricks for working in the washing machine.  While I normally don't bother to slip my arm into the band on the arm rest, in these conditions it helps a lot.  If your arm is strapped in tightly, it helps you to control the detector in the currents.

It also helps if you swing the coil so you are going with the current as much as possible.  Try to time your swing so the coil goes with the current one direction and then back the other direction when the current reverses.  It was so tough today that much of the time I was moving my coil more in a tight circle.  It took a good bit of effort.  If I didn't maintain good control both the detector and my scoop would get washed behind me.

Recovery was the hardest thing today.  In those conditions, try to time lifting the scoop so the current is rushing into your scoop rather than from behind your scoop as you lift a scoop from the bottom.   If you lift the scoop while the water is coming from behind, it will wash a lot of the sand, and quite possibly the item, out of the scoop as you lift it.

Before you lift the scoop, jiggle it to sift as much through the scoop as you can before lifting it.  That is if you think the item is in the scoop, of course. 

Don't over-fill the scoop or a lot of the sand, and quite possibly the item, will wash out of the scoop as you lift.



Detected Ear Ring.

Often foot-fanning will help you remove a lot of sand quickly, but fanning was not working well today because the currents were so strong, and the sand filled the hole as quickly as it could be fanned.  I had to give up on a few targets, which I always hate to do.

I was finding coins and objects mostly in the pot holes, and sometimes in the edge or side of a pot hole. 

Working the washing machine is not for beginners.

You also have to have sturdy equipment.  An extra brace can be used to help keep the coil in position.




The day before floor bidding begins for the current Sedwick Coins Treasure Auction, which will be  at the Doubletree Hotel at Lake Buena Vista, Orlando, there will be a number of educational presentations.  So if you are going to be in the Orlando area, you might want to make arrangements to see those.

Here is the schedule.

Wednesday, Nov. 5	Lot viewing and educational presentations
10 AM-6:30 PM EST	Lot viewing in Evergreen Room
2:00-2:45 PM EST	Ben Costello (director of the 1715 Fleet Society), guest Ernie Richards (PLUS ULTRA Newsletter)	"The 1715 Fleet 300th Anniversary"	Buena Vista Ballroom (English)
3:00-3:30 PM EST	Jose Manuel Henriquez (president of Dominican Republic Numismatic Association)	"La Numismatica Dominicana"	Buena Vista Ballroom (Spanish)
3:45-4:30 PM EST	Roberto Mastalir (researcher-writer)	"Potosi Cobs: Transitional period"	Buena Vista Ballroom (English)
4:45-5:30 PM EST	Jorge Emilio Restrepo (researcher-writer)	"Coins Issued during Colombian Independence"	Buena Vista Ballroom (English)
5:45-6:30 PM EST	Cori Sedwick Downing and Jorge Proctor (researchers-writers), guest speaker Angel Valtierra  (Nat. Mexican Numismatic Museum)	"Mexican Charles and Joanna Coinage"	Buena Vista Ballroom (English-Spanish

Gonazalo is still out there but the other disturbance has disappeared, so it looks like we won't be getting any real storm action.

Friday and Saturday the Treasure Coast will get a little higher surf but only around four or five feet.

The low tide is not getting very low at all these days.

We had got a bit of a cool front and some very nice weather.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

6/1/14 Report - Mel Fisher Days, Hidden Cash Craze Spreads, Best Target Recovery Techniques & Valuable Secret

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

Each year a celebration is held to commemorate Mel Fisher’s famous 16 year search for the Spanish galleon Atocha which led to a $450 million dollar treasure discovery in the waters just off Key West. Events are scheduled from July 10-13 in Key West.

You can find more information and register for all events at www.MelFisherDays.com


The hidden cash craze has spread to cities across the United States.  It seemed to begin in San Francisco where one real estate millionaire hid cash filled envelopes and then provided clues by way of tweets from @HiddenCash.  Other cities are now involved, and it now seems that others have taken to hiding cash too. 

It might have been started by one person who wanted nothing more than to share some wealth, but I'm sure that it will become a method of advertising or promotion.  Below are links to some of the stories on this new craze.

http://article.wn.com/view/2014/05/30/Hidden_Cash_craze_on_Twitter_hits_Tampa/

It was rumored that one place to find hidden cash yesterday (Saturday) was Orlando.  Another Florida city was Tampa.

Check out @HiddenCash, as well as @Moolah Mystery.

Here are more links.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Hidden-Cash-Phenomenon-Twitter-Clues-Lead-to-Envelopes-Stuffed-with-Money-444641.shtml

http://globalnews.ca/news/1365351/vancouver-the-latest-city-to-catch-on-to-the-twitter-cashscavenger-hunt/

http://austin.culturemap.com/news/city-life/05-30-14-company-hides-envelopes-of-cash-in-random-downtown-locales/

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-get-thee-to-hermosa-beach-hiddencash-seekers-20140531-story.html



In the US, credit cards carry a magnetic strip that is easy for criminals to duplicate.   Other countries, I understand, use cards that use microchips instead of the magnetic strips  The microchips are safer. 

Unlike magnetic strip cards that transfer a credit card number when they are swiped at a point-of-sale terminal, chip cards use a one-time code that moves between the chip and the retailer's register. The result is a transfer of data that is useless to anyone except the parties involved. Chip cards, say experts, are also nearly impossible to copy.

I said before that cash is becoming a thing of the past.  It might happen sooner than you or I expect.


The other day I said that I don't dig holes in parks or lawns but instead plug or probe and pop the item out of the ground. 

Detectorists should never leave a public area leaving signs that they were there - other than the fact the area should be cleaner.  And I'd say that real detectorists are pretty good about that.   Most of the  trouble comes from beginners or people that are just giving treasure hunting a try thinking that they are going to dig up a treasure chest or something and can't tell the difference in signals between a coin and a cannon.

Well, plugging can be abused too.   Just yesterday I was watching the TV show Diggers, and one of the fellas on the shows was doing what he called plugging, but the problem was that his "plug" was about a foot square.  That is not what I call plugging.   When you plug, the objective is to take out a whole plug, about the circumference of the target and not much bigger.

Here is a good article on proper recovery techniques.

http://goldpanprospectors.com/files/METAL_DETECTING_RECOVERY_METHOD11.pdf

Another technique taught in that article is "slitting."

It is important to be very careful about how you recover items.   You hear people say that you shouldn't take a knife to a gun fight, well with detecting it is the opposite.  Don't take anything bigger than you absolutely need.   Take a screw driver instead of a shovel.

I'll tell you a secret here.  You don't need a detector to recover an item.   It is not necessary to have a detector with you when you remove an item.  AND, it is not necessary to have a recovery tool with you when you detect.

I don't know if you realize the value of that statement.  I'm sure you didn't hear it before this.   If you get what I am saying, it is worth big bucks.   I'll give you detailed instructions on that some other time.

The one thing I want to leave you with now is this, leave a site looking better than you found it.

And also don't carry around a shovel or anything larger than necessary in a public place such as a park.

Keep a low profile when detecting. 


Today the surf on the Treasure Coast will be up a little, close to four feet.   By Tuesday the predictions are saying that we might get something closer to six feet.  That is getting in close to a surf that could, depending upon other factors, result in improved detecting conditions.   There is a lot of sand that has to be moved though.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/30/14 Report - Quality Finds, Cash Hidden in Orlando and Saddle Ridge Hoard of Gold Coins Being Sold

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

Find and photo submitted by Robert H.

On June 1 clues will go out via Tweet for envelopes of cash hidden in the Orlando area. 

I previously told about the same thing happening in San Francisco, but those in the Orlando area have the chance to go on a hunt for cash Saturday.




Yesterday I showed a photo of a pile of trash picked up by Robert H.   People don't generally show that type of thing, but it is important. 

I often recommend picking up the trash.  Trash on a beach can tell you a lot.   It can tell you something about what other detectorists have been there before you and what they did or didn't do.   It can tell you how things are distributed.  In the wet sand it can tell you which way to go to find treasure.

From his picture of the trash he had picked up, I could tell that Robert had found some treasure.   If you are picking up trash like that you will find treasure.  Show me a man's trash and I can tell you something about how he hunts, where he hunts, and most importantly something about what treasure he has found.

I was right when I said that Robert had probably found some nice treasures.  He just sent me some pictures of his treasures.

Another find photo submitted by Robert H.

Robert said,  I have been looking at it  [ this blog ]  everyday for the last year and a half. Pretty much from when I started detecting.  

Robert has done exceptionally well for the short time he has been detecting. 

From the trash photo I could tell that Robert has taken my advice concerning picking up the trash, and he has some really great finds to show for it.  I'm just showing two of them today.

Robert has made some real quality finds.  You don't find those everywhere.  To find quality, you have to be hunting where quality is.

Trash usually comes before treasure no matter where you are.

Congratulations on the great finds Robert!  And thanks for sharing.

When it comes to rings, simple solitaire diamonds can be among the most valuable, often more valuable than bigger or more flashy rings.   They can hold expensive quality diamonds, but are not the easiest to detect, especially when deep.

I've told before about how when I started detecting I didn't think women lost as many rings as men.  That is because I was using discrimination and missing the smaller rings.  Women lose a lot of rings too.  I found that out when I learned to turn my discrimination off.

Analyze what you are finding or not finding.   That can tell you if you should make adjustments to your detector settings, especially if you are missing one type of desirable item.

Another type of mistake is focusing too much on one type of target.  If you are finding a lot of rings but never find watches, there is probably a good reason that you missed the watches - maybe discrimination.  Maybe you aren't picking up the watches because even some good ones can sound like junk instead of sounding like a coin or ring, which, of course, are smaller.

You should get an idea of what type and amount of different types of items you should be finding.  I once knew what proportion of rings to coins should be found on the dry sand, wet sand and water.   I was keeping good records and figured out the numbers.  Unfortunately I don't have those numbers now, but still know roughly in my mind what the proportions should be like at different types of beaches and know when I'm about due or overdue to find one particular type of item under different conditions. 


You might remember the headlines from back in April about the $11 million gold coin cache (the Saddle Ridge Hoard) found in California.  It is now being sold off.

 One 1874 $20 Double Eagle, which typically sells for around $4,250, sold for $15,000.

Here is the link for more of that story.

http://blogs.marketwatch.com/themargin/2014/05/28/first-rare-gold-coin-to-sell-from-great-buried-treasure-ever-nets-for-15000/


After today the surf on the Treasure Coast will be increasing a little daily until it peaks at about three to five feet on Tuesday.   This is a good day to get in some water hunting before the surf increases.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/8/14 Report - Cold Front Causes Little Erosion, Upcoming Coin Shows & A Closer Look

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

 One Beach Beginning to Cut Yesterday After High Tide.

I went out to see what the beach was doing yesterday afternoon just after the high tide.  As I suspected there was a little erosion beginning at the same beaches that eroded when the last cold front came through.  We were having a strong North wind.

The erosion wasn't very pronounced when I looked at it and it didn't look like it would do a lot more.   The cut that I saw was less than a foot even though it ran a good distance.

Another beach that I looked at was not cutting.  The sand was mushy at both beaches.

It was cold yesterday out there in the wind.  I didn't see anyone else on the beach.  The wind was blowing the sand.  It looked a little like snow drifting.  It feels a good bit warmer today.  Less wind too.

The wind was so similar to how the previous cold front started, that is why I expected the beaches to erode the same way.  I'm not expecting as much today.

Tomorrow the surf will be a touch higher.  Things are not coming together real good.  I'm not expecting to be able to upgrade my TC beach conditions rating.

Targets were scarce where I was.  Didn't see any shell piles either.

Here is a quick video clip showing the surf and beach yesterday afternoon.

I received the following news by email from SedwickCoins.

Sedwick Coins will be at the FUN show in Orlando beginning Jan. 8 and at the New York International Numismatic Convention beginning January 9.

FUN (Orlando, FL), at the Orange County Convention Center, Hall NB, North Concourse, 9899 International Drive, Orlando, FL. The largest show of the year and a huge draw for treasure material (January 8-12).

NYINC (New York International Numismatic Convention), at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, 301 Park Avenue, New York, NY. The most prestigious show of the year for world and ancient coins (January 9-11).

They will also be at the Treasure Coast Coin Club's 48th Coin and Currency Show, January 18-19 at the Vero Beach Community Center, 2266 14th Ave., Vero Beach, FL.

So there will be some good chances to see what they have or show them anything you might want to consign.


Did you look at the video from James F. in the 1/4 post about the competition hunt?    I thought that one little guy was a hoot.


Joan T. thought the white chalky looking stone in the silver charm that I posted recently might be mother of pearl.  I think that might be right.  The surface layer was probably deteriorated.

Close Up View of Arrow Head Surface

In my 7/3/13 report I showed a white arrowhead that was found on the beach.  Somebody mentioned that it might be coral.  I think it might have been William M.  Anyhow since I got some equipment that takes very good closeup photos, I think I've confirmed that it is coral.  Take a look at this close up of part of the surface of the arrowhead.

Looks like coral to me.

I think it is worth taking a really good look at your finds.  You might be surprised to learn what you have.

A jewelers loop is one thing that will come in handy.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net