6/8/17 Report - Various Finds in One Treasure Coast Beach Hole. Diver Finds WW II Trumpet With a Story. Old Woodworking Tools Book.

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

Iron, Glass, Copper and Pottery
Fins and photo by Darrel S.

In May Darrel found this variety of object of widely different dates and composition all in the same hole.  Here is what Darrel said.

I found all these objects in the SAME HOLE!

The button, I think is part of the smaller brass or copper object. I think it is a snap off pair of pants that broke. The glass could be from bottom of gin or mallot bottle. The iron objects are from small spikes.

Imagine digging all of that from one hit! I was shocked when I saw the glass, but the shard baffled me until I turned it over and the button was attached to it. At first, I thought a maravedis coin, but after removing, could see a button. Later inspection leads me to think the button is part of the rivet or snap and somehow found it attached to middle period pottery 300 years later!

Same objects.
Photo by Darrel S.

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Trumpet Recovered From Sunken WW II Ship.
Souce: See Washington Post link below.

Navy conservator Shanna Daniel carefully cleans a smashed trumpet that was retrieved by a diver from the wreck of the USS Houston, which was sunk in battle by the Japanese in 1942 during World War II. Navy experts believe the owner's DNA might be preserved inside the instrument. (Michael Ruane/The Washington Post)...

The trumpet arrived at the lab 2 1/2 years ago, handed over by an Australian diver who found it in the wreck of the USS Houston, a World War II cruiser, off the coast of Java in Southeast Asia.

The Houston, which had been President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s favorite vessel, was the elegant flagship of the Navy’s Asiatic fleet when it was sunk in a fierce battle with the Japanese three months after the attack on Pearl Harbor...


https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-broken-trumpet-from-a-sunken-warship-holds-its-secrets-from-wwii/2016/02/02/f5972f38-bfa0-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html?utm_term=.b61b44933a45

That is one very nice artifact with a cool story, and it was great that the Australian diver turned it in.

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As I said before I don't generally post YouTube videos.  I posted one, and then I received so many that I can't keep up with them, so I'm just saying that I'm not going to be posting links to YouTube videos.  I'm going to keep doing this blog as I've done it in the past.  There are some videos that are worth posting and that I'd like to post, but it opens up a whole new can of worms and would change what I do.  Thanks for all who have submitted YouTube links anyhow.

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I get a lot of mystery items.  It always helps to be familiar with a large variety of items, so that you have a better chance of  identifying odd finds.

Here is a neat free ebook that might be of some help.  It is Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 by Peter C. Welsh.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/27238/27238-h/27238-h.htm

Lots of pictures.

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I'd like to hear from anyone who has posted a link to this blog or mentioned it elsewhere on the web.

As you might know, I don't do any advertising or promoting of my own.  From the beginning of this blog people told me that I should monetize it.  I know that is true, but I haven't made any attempt to do that.  I'm just happy to help anyone who wants to read it, and I can see from the stats that there are a lot of those.  I also watch for Google Pluses.  Thanks.

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More rain.  Rain continues to uncover items along the beaches.  We have a sustained weather pattern. Too bad it isn't a pattern of strong northeast winds.

The surf is going to increase a little.  Expect a two to three foot surf Friday and Saturday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

10/18/16 Report - Civil War Ordnance Uncovered by Matthew. Kang-hsi Of Manila Galleons. TCBDCR= 2.

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

Pot Shards From Manila Galleon
Source: Xinhualin link below.

The first thing I want to mention today is the big tides that will be combined with a 4 - 6 foot surf today and an even bigger surf tomorrow.  Unfortunately the winds will hit straight on, but there could be enough water action to help, especially tomorrow.

High water can result in a few scattered cobs on the beach even if there are not much of any cuts. However, you can almost always find some erosion if you look around enough after high water, especially around rocks and other natural or man made obstacles.

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4PM update: I was out this afternoon and as a result am giving a Treasure Coast a beach detecting conditions rating of a 2.

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Hurricane Matthew uncovered Civil War ordnance in South Carolina,  One corroded clump of grenades was exploded.

Trae R. sent the following link.

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/great-white-nursery-discovered-off-new-york-old-civil-war-ammo-on-south-carolina-beach-ocean-oddities-east-coa_142415/

Here is another link about the same thing.

http://www.livescience.com/56458-hurricane-matthew-uncovers-civil-war-cannonballs.html

That reminds me of the grapeshot I found in the Carribbean, but left there because to take it on the plane could have meant hefty fines or other troubles.

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Mexican archaeologists have uncovered thousands of fragments of a 400-year-old shipment of Chinese "export-quality porcelain" that was long buried in the Pacific Coast port of Acapulco.

The shipment of rice bowls, cups, plates and platters dates from the reign of the Ming Dynasty's 13th emperor, Wanli (1572-1620), and is believed to have arrived in Acapulco aboard the China Galleon, which regularly sailed between Asia and the New World...

Evidence even shows that starting in 1565, the return trips to Mexico were manned by Chinese crews, said Fonseca.

Here is the link.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-10/17/c_135761246.htm

I've talked a good bit in the past about Kang-hsi porcelain, which is sometimes found on 1715 Fleet beaches.  I've posted pictures of shards in the past and even provided information on how to identify Kang-hsi (See photo above.).  My 3/29/13 post is one that talks a little about Kang-hsi porcelain.

Obviously not all blue on white shards are Kang-hsi.  There was other pottery shipped in the Manila galleons that was not as fine as the Kang-hsi.  Lower quality pots were used for storage.

You can learn to easily distinguish between lower quality pottery and Kang-hsi.

Here is a link to a great but brief overview of the archaeology of the Manila galleons.

http://www.themua.org/collections/files/original/61b274c68e00272c5e50f0af53f5b140.pdf

That is all for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/19/15 Report - Indian River Treasures. Steamboat St. Lucie. Pot Shard, Old Bottle & Fossils.

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



Picture of the Steamship St. Lucie
Docked Not Far From Jensen.

In the old days the Indian River Lagoon was one of the main highways on the Treasure Coast.  Boat traffic was used by early settlers.  Later there was steamship service.

Here is a picture of the steamship St. Lucie at dock near Jensen.  I haven't found the name of any others, but feel there must have been others.

If any of you know of other steamships that sailed the Indian River along the Treasure Coast, I'd like to hear or read about that.  I've done a little research on that but haven't found very much.

You will occasionally see old things along or in the river.  One day just walking along Indian River Drive I saw a check-stamped pottery shard.  That was a surprise. 

Back after the hurricanes of 2004, the west side of the Indian River was lined with bottles.  It really was amazing.  They were solid along the water line.

The bottles gradually disappeared.  There weren't any to be seen for a few years.  I didn't know if they would ever return because many of them came from the banks where people used to throw their garbage.  That, of course, was in the days before they had garbage service. 

After the hurricanes they put sheets of concrete blocks over the banks of the river to prevent Indian River Drive from getting washed out again.  I thought with all of that we might not ever see the bottles again.

Last year a few of them started to appear.  And in the past few months some of the older ones started to show up again in spots where there was erosion along the water line.

My guess now is that there are still tons of them covered by sand that will be washed up again some day.

Years and years ago an embossed blob top beer bottles was found in the sand down by where the steamship shown above was docked.  The dock is no longer there.  It was destroyed by a hurricane way back in the day.

The thing that revealed the bottle was a spot of moss in the sand.  The moss, or seaweed or whatever it was, was growing on the bottle.  That bottle was not along the water line but out in the shallow water.

There are still the remains of a few garbage burn piles that can be found on the banks of the river.  Not many though, because of the erosion control structures.

I've never gone out to hunt fossils along the Indian River but have twice seen fossils there.  The first was this nice Great White tooth found along the edge of the river

Great White Shark Fossil Tooth.

.When I first saw it I thought it was the corner of a buried bottle.  When I bent down I saw it was a shark tooth. 

It is a very nice example with sharp serrations.  It is over two inches long.

One other time I was walking along the river bottles and noticed a fossil tooth of an extinct horse.  That was a surprise too.  I didn't really think that would be what it was when I first saw it.

Even though the fossils are there, I think in most places they are very rare.

When it comes to metal detecting along or in the shallow water of the Indian River, it is very difficult.  There is a ton of trash on the banks and in the shallow water.

I did spot an old pair of ear rings in one old burn pile once.

Even without a metal detector you can find all kinds of stuff along the river.  Those that I've mentioned today include include pot shards, old bottles and fossils, all of which I have seen when not hunting them. 

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The surf predictions and wave data is now found below the popular posts list.

This week we'll have very smooth surf and south winds.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

1/18/14 Report - Metal Detecting Interests, Holed Pot Shard Mystery Solved & Religious Gold Pendant Find

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

14K Pendant Beach Find.

What peaks your interest?  As I said the other day, different people like different things.  But people change over time too.  What interests you at one point, might not interest you at all a year later.

There is such a wide variety of types of targets that can be found on beaches, and that can help anyone remain interested.  If you get bored with modern jewelry, you can hunt fossils.  No matter what it is, there is always something else you can target.

When you are very much into one kind of item, such as maybe shipwreck items, you might not see how or why others are interested in other things.  But when you get to know more about those other things, you might learn what is interesting about them.

The more knowledge you have of different kinds of items, the easier it is to maintain a high level of interest.

I've never had the problem of being bored.  Yes my interest level rises and drops for certain things, but there is always something that has my interest.

I do tend to get bored with certain types of targets when they become easy and routine, and I often feel that the things that I haven't found as much are more interesting.

When I first started detecting my goals were small.  I counted coins and face value of finds.  My counts got higher and higher and I'd gradually change my expectations and goals.   It wasn't long before the number of coins wasn't really of much interest at all, then I started counting gold rings.  Coins then became primarily of interest as a sign or indicator of what the beach was doing at a given area.

Anytime I could find a hot spot (accumulation of coins that had been on the beach a while) I new there was also a good chance of also finding older jewelry that had also accumulated.

As time goes by I continue to raise my standards.  What was a good day when I started detecting would not be considered a good day today.  And what was a good day after ten years, would not be considered a good day today.   My standards and expectations keep increasing.

I think it is good to keep records and set goals.  It lets you know where you are and gives you a way of judging your performance.  It also pushes you to keep learning and improving.

Another change is that I'm less and less interested in the monetary value of finds.  Now I like things that either have some mystery about them or that have some style or history to them.

The pendant shown today, for example, isn't anything great, but it just seems to me to be more attractive than most, and it isn't a type that I've already found two or three times before.  It isn't hugely interesting to me, but I like it better than some simply because it is attractive to me.  Small, compact, nice square lines, not gaudy.  Just more attractive to me than most.

Another View.

I also like things that I haven't found before or don't know much about, like those pot shards with holes, like I showed yesterday.

The shards are most likely old, but the mystery remained for some time.  I couldn't figure out how it was used or what it came from.

You can see that photo in yesterday's post.

I did learn what it is just today.  William M. said that Native Americans drilled holes in pots that cracked and used ropes to tie them together.

It did look to me like it was a hole for a rope.  William also said he might be able to send photos of some examples.

The identity of that item was a long standing mystery for me, and I'm glad to have it figured out.

Thanks William.

In any case, metal detecting never gets boring if you keep learning, studying and raising your standards.  It might be difficult to get excited by things that have become routine, but there are always new things and new surprises.

One thing to remember is, you wont' continue to learn and improve if you think you already know everything.

On the Treasure Coast today the surf is around two or three feet.   The cool wind is still coming in from the West.  That is expected to not change for a while.

About a week out, they are predicting a higher surf, but as I usually note, the predicted higher surf when it is that far out, often does not happen.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/29/13 Report 1715 Fleet Kang Hsi Porcelain, European Pot Shard & Native American Shard

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

Tip of Kang Hsi Shard.

Yesterday I scouted three Treasure Coast beaches.  All three looked pretty much the same.  Poor!

All three were sandy and sloped up to the old berm.  I didn't manage to find any shell piles either.

While treasure beach conditions remain poor, three things I'd consider is looking for non-metallic items in shell piles, if you can find any good shell piles, hunting modern jewelry or going off-beach.

A couple photos of the beaches I saw are posted below.

I thought I'd take a close-up look at some non-metallic finds today, such as shards.

I've talked about Kang Hsi porcelain in the past.  And I've shown some pieces.

Kang Hsi Shard
Second View.

You might know that valuable Kang Hsi porcelain was carried on 1715 Plate Fleet ships as they carried their treasures back to Europe.

Most often, the Kang Hsi porcelain you might see on the Treasure Coast beaches is blue on white, although there are a few other colors that you might find.

Kang Hsi porcelain is good porcelain.  You can learn to identify it, even though much European pottery was later produced to mimic Kang Hsi.

I decided to take a good look at a Kang Hsi shard and discovered one thing that could help you identify Kang Hsi.

First the porcelain is white and fine grained and the items are thin.   That contrast sharply with much European and American blue on white ceramics.

Above is a close-up photo of a Kang Hsi shard.  And below is another shot of the same piece from another angle.

European Pottery Shard - Probably British
Circa 1800.

Look at the broken edge on the right where the blue strokes end.  Notice that the blue has depth.  You can see that it goes through the layer of glaze.

Kang Hsi, unlike the typical European and American blue on white pottery, has that kind of depth.

Here is common shard of European blue on white pottery.

Notice the course darker clay on the European shard.  Also notice how much thicker it is.

You can also see that the surface blue does not penetrate the clay but lays on the surface of the glazing.

I think the differences are clear.  The European shard came from a Caribbean fort and battle area.  It was all over the ground there.


Here is a second view of another part of the same shard.

View of the Clay Where the Surface Glaze Has Been Chipped Off.

One other difference between Kang Hsi porcelain and common European pottery is the blue on the European, and American, pottery will be the same shade.  The blue on Kang Hsi will show various shades and appears to have been applied by a skilled artistic hand.

There are a number of very good books on Kang Hsi porcelain if you want to know more.

You should keep your eyes open for it when on shipwreck beaches.

Entire dishes have been found on the beach in years past.  It is difficult to find an unbroken item on the beach, though, but even the shards are sometimes mounted and sold in jewelry.

Below is another type of pottery.  It is native American and came from South Florida.  Instead of painted, this shard is incised.

Incised Native American Pot Shard

I don't have any idea how old this one is.

After the hurricanes I spotted a stamp checked piece of pottery laying right on the surface beside the road.

You never know what you might see, but the more you know about various things the more likely it is that you will see something.

As I always say, keep your eyes open while detecting.


Beach detecting conditions are poor on the Treasure Coast.

Below are a couple of beach photos from yesterday.

Two Different Treasure Coast Beaches Yesterday.
Same Conditions - Poor.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/1/11 Report - Pot Shard, Beach Dangers & OMEX

Another Signal Find.

This one is a pot shard. Too bad it has no markings on it.

It was found a few days ago on a Treasure Coast beach. It tells me that there are probably more Native American artifacts in the area, and that the area was used hundreds of years ago and deserves a good going over.

Once again the readers of this blog prove their superior knowledge and helpfulness. The responses that I got about the Res-Q-Lite were beyond my expectations. All of those questions are now answered.

Robert K. sent a ton of detailed information.

Here is a little of what he said. The embossed illustration on the canister tells the story; these devices were attached to ring buoys (also called 'life rings') via a lanyard of 6-feet or so. The ring buoy lived in a bracket attached to the pipe rails of a weather deck, and the waterlight was hung from an adjacent fitting. There would be several of these assemblies scattered about the decks. Some life rings would have waterlights and some would not.

In practice - if a man went overboard, the first people to be aware of the fact were supposed to go to the rails and throw ring buoys overboard, in the hopes the man could grab one. The waterlight, hanging from its bracket would be thrown over with the ring buoy it was attached to.

The act of pulling the waterlight from its bracket would break the solder holding an axial rod that penetrated both the top and the bottom of the waterlight. When the unit hit the water, it would start flooding through the hole in the bottom. Water coming in contact with the lumps of calcium carbide inside the canister would start the production of acetylene gas. The gas would emerge through the hole left by the axial rod in the top of the waterlight, and the gas would burn - giving off light and thereby marking the location of the ring buoy and, hopefully, the man grasping it.

And Stan submitted a link to vol. 33 of the Marine Review (page 27) that included the following information.

The Cleveland & Buffalo Transit Co. has decided to install the water light manufactured by the Marine Torch Co., of Baltimore, Md., on its fleet of steamers. Mr. Carl Virgin, general manager of the Marine Torch Co. who was in the great lakes district recently visiting vessel owners, left a number of torches with Capt. Hugh McAlpine, master of the City of Erie. On Saturday night last, Capt. McAlpine threw them overboard en route between Buffalo and Cleveland and reported that the torches ignited instantly, making a powerful light which was visible for a distance of twelve miles. Mr. T. F. Newman, general manager of the line, immediately ordered his steamers to be equipped with the torch upon the recommendation of Capt. McAlpine.

As explained in last week's issue of the Review, this torch consists of a can about 9 in. high and 3 in. in diameter. Both on the top and bottom of the can is a strip of soldered tin which can be ripped off just as the torch is being thrown overboard. Water entering immediately generates a gas. At the top of the can is a small chamber containing a substance also generating a gas through the action of water and which instantly causes the . gas escaping from the lower chamber to ignite. Therefore nothing is needed to produce a flame except water. It does not matter how completely the light is submerged it instantly relights upon coming to the surface. Nor can wind extinguish it for though it blow the flame away is instantly renews itself. As an emergency light nothing can equal this as it derives its power from the elements which are fatal to other lights. It would be useless to dilate upon the advantages of this emergency light to steamers and wrecking outfits. They are too apparent.

Here is that link.

http://books.google.com/books?id=_lUcAQAAMAAJ&lpg=RA1-PA27&ots=WaDMto4xzd&dq=MARINE%20TORCH%20Co.%2C%20BALTIMORE%2C%20MD.%2C&pg=RA1-PA27#v=onepage&q=MARINE%20TORCH%20Co.%2C%20BALTIMORE%2C%20MD.%2C&f=false

The Marine Review is a good resource. You might want to browse through it.

And from information submitted by Kevin B. I learned that these lights were done away with by the Coast Guard during WWII because the lights could ignite spilled oil coming from a sinking ship. The chemical lights were then replaced by electric lights.

Thanks to all of you guys that submitted this information. It helps me a lot.


As a follow up to a few comments I posted a day or two ago about the negative detecting experiences of one detectorist in South Florida, I wanted to add a note of caution. There is a lot of crime down there and you should be cautious about where you park.

Here is an article describing the kind of thing you might run into down there these days.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2011/05/gay-activist-herb-sosa-south-beach-a-war-zone-demands-end-to-urban-weekend-with-video.html


I never recommend hunting crowded or busy beaches. Either go before or after the crowds.


Did I mention that I've noticed more police patrolling Treasure Coast beach accesses lately? I don't know if there have been some recent problems or if it is just precautionary.


I've been following Odyssey Marine Explorations a lot lately and just found an article that lists a variety of events that could affect their stock price. Most of the listed events are shipwreck related, but the minerals exploration they are doing is also very significant.

Here is the link.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/272389-odyssey-marine-the-ultimate-event-driven-small-cap?source=yahoo


I mentioned rip currents the other day because I could see that conditions were right for rip current development. Any time you have a sand bar that is being breached by a lot of water, the water has to find its way back to the ocean. That means rip currents. And as I mentioned, they can be dangerous to inexperienced swimmers. 55 people were rescued from rip currents by Martin County life guards last Sunday and Monday. I think that makes my point.

Treasure Coast Beach Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is almost directly from the east and the seas remain at about 4 feet. Conditions remain poor.

A lot of the beaches have a dip and sand bar just off shore. Most of the dips are too small and filled with sand and small shells, so aren't producing much but light junk.

Watch those rip currents though. They can create areas where heavy materials are uncovered and left behind. I'll remind you again, they can be dangerous.

You might want to wait until the seas calm down. While we'll have four foot seas for a couple more days, the seas will be slacking off until it gets very calm again, like is predicted for next Tuesday. When it gets calm again, you might want to go out to see what the recent tides left on the beach fronts.


Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/3 Report - Non-metallic Treasure Coast Finds

Indian Pot Shard Found on the Treasure Coast.

This one was found at the beach on the surface. It is about an inch and a half square. It is darker on the outside than the inside and the outside shows some of a decorative design. Pot shards showing some ornamentation are almost always a bit more interesting - at least to me.

You might be able to see one line running from near the bottom center at about a forty five degree angle towards the upper left and two parallel lines on the opposite side.

Below you see a view of the other side (inside) of the same shard. Notice the rim edge at the top of the piece.


Another View of the Same Shard.

Some of you might have any interest in pot shards or Indian artifacts, but they do provide information when they show up on a beach. First it tells you that old light items are washing up - or out.

Second it tells you that there has been some activity at the site in past centuries. That is important and useful information.

Many sites where the Spanish camped were also associated with Indians. Sometimes the Indians were involved in salvaging shipwrecks, either of their own free will or otherwise.

We know that the Indians often interacted with the Spanish and both Spanish and Indian artifacts can be found at the same sites. Not too long ago I mentioned a Native American dwelling found in St. Augustine where there was a mission settlement.

Also, if the Indians found a particular site to be of some advantage, so would other people, weather it was a source of water, game, or strategic advantage. That means that it would be a good site to detect.

Use non-metallic signs like this as an indicator of a possibly good detecting site.

While on the subject of non-metallic items, watch out for loose emeralds. They have been found on the Treasure Coast.

Two Raw Emeralds.

They won't necessarily be cut and polished like those found in a ring or other jewelry.



Bottles of vintage champagne were salvaged last summer from an early 19th century shipwreck near Finland. 50 sealed bottles are expected to sell for about $68,000 each.

http://i-winereview.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-government-revenue-source.html

The previous record price for a bottle of champagne is $21,200 for a 1928 bottle of Krug.


Forecast and Conditions.

Beach conditions remain essentially unchanged. The forecast shows nothing as high as five foot seas for the next several days. That means more of the same.

You'll probably have to really hunt for anything much good. The good spots will be few and far between.

One piece of advice I would give is to take a look at the low tide areas. Also hunt out some of the off-beach spots.

I might give a hint or two on some of those in the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net