3/11/20 Report - Some of The Oldest Coins Found On The Treasure Coast.

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

Maravedi Found by The Capitana Crew During The 2019 Season.

On 3/7 I posted a photo of a find by Terry S. and asked if it might be the oldest coin found on the Treasure Coast.  JamminJack sent me a photo of this maravedi found by the crew of the Capitana during the 2019 salvage season.

From my research it seems to match a maravedi pictured in Monedas Espanolas Desde Juana y Carlos A Isavel II 1504 a 1868 by Calico et al.  From that, it appears to be a four-maravedi from the mint of Santo Domingo and from the reign of Juana and Carlos and would also be early 16th century, like the coin found by Terry.

I should say that as far as I know, Terry's coin has not yet been authenticated, but if it is authentic and my match is correct, then both the maravedi and Terry's find seem to be from the same general time period.

Below is the other side of  the maravedi.

Other Side of Same Maravedi Found by The Capitana Crew During the 2019 Season.  

And below is a scan of an illustration of a similar four-maravedi from Santo Domingo shown in the Calico book. (Sorry about the lack of clarity of the scan.)

Four Maravedi from Santo Domigo Shown in Calico Reference.

But that isn't all.  JamminJack also sent me a photo of a very old coin which he described as "found on the Winter Beach camp site before development covered the site."  It is in his possession.

Photo of Holed Carlos y Juana Mexico One-Reale

Find and photo by JamminJack. 

This type of coin is also illustrated in the Calico et al reference book on page 30.

Here is the tag coin's tag.

Tag of Above One-Reale.

Submitted by JamminJack.

My reference book, like the tag, dates that coin to the early 16th century.

On 3/7 I asked if Terry's find might be the oldest coin found on the Treasure Coast.  Without being able to put an exact date on any of these coins, they do appear to be from the same period.  Two examples were shown today.  Each one could be the oldest of its type.   If not the oldest, they appear to be among the oldest.

I intended to check out the coins in the Florida collection too, but haven't done that yet.

Isn't it interesting that one of these old coins was found during the 2019 salvage season and then another in early 2020.  Just coincidence?   Or could there be some connection?  Maybe a hole or area containing older items was exposed.  I don't know.

There are always new and interesting questions.

I've been planning on talking more about the Winter Beach camp for some time now, but there has been a lot going on.  Maybe I'll get to it soon.


Thanks to the expert readers of this blog for helping me to bring you such interesting content.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/8/20 Report - Higher Surf and Some Erosion On The Treasure Coast. A Few Finds Made. Charles and Joanna Coins.

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

Wabasso Saturday.

Erosion started on some of the beaches Saturday.  Some beaches were cut, others weren't.  

The access gate was closed at Seagrape.  That will be an obstacle for some, but for others it might be an opportunity.  Some reales were found there last month.

DJ sent the following photos taken Saturday at Turtle Trail.

Turtle Trail Saturday.

Turtle Trail Saturday.

Turtle Trail Saturday.

Turtle Trail Saturday.

A gold ring was found and another part of one.  They need to be cleaned and tested though.  

Here are a few other finds from Saturday.

Flat Button Found Saturday.

Back of Same Button After Light Cleaning With Detergent.

Sometimes all you need is a little light cleaning.  A little detergent and a toothbrush can help make a a button readable without much danger.  I just used a toothbrush and a little dish detergent on the above button.  You do have to be careful if there might be gilt which can be easily removed by accident though.

Encrusted Bullet.

Folded Lead Strip With Couple Holes.

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Peter H. who lives across the pond but reads this blog daily and sent in the following link to a Sedwick article about Charles and Joanna coins.

https://www.sedwickcoins.com/articles/carlosyjuana.pdf

Great article.

Thanks Peter.

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The surf is expected to be higher Sunday - 7 - 10 feet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/20/20 Report - Some History of Treasure Coast Treasure Hunting: Bruce Ward. Bigger Surf Coming.

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

January 1965 Issue of Argosy Magazine Containing Story of Bruce Ward's Treasure

Submitted by JaminJackUSA.

If you are interested in the history of treasure hunting on the Treasure Coast you might want to find a library copy of the January 1965 issue of Argosy Magazine.  

Several days ago I posted a nice four-reale that was purchased by JaminJack from the estate auction of Bruce Ward.  Jack sent me a copy of the Argosy article as background on the adventures of Mr. Ward.  The article describes Ward's big find, which was made in 1964, early in the history of modern Treasure Coast treasure salvage, and at a time when the Real Eight Corporation and a variety of other smaller and less documented treasure hunters were working along the Treasure Coast.  This is the type of article that no Treasure Coast treasure hunter will want to miss.

Photo Appearing in January 1965 Argosy Magazine.

Submitted to TBR by JaminJack.

Bruce accumulated a lot of treasure, which he did not sell because he planned to make start a museum.

Here is a photo of a homemade dive platform that he created and used until he upgraded.

Photo of Homemade Dive Raft Shown in January, 1965 Argosy Magazine.

Sent to TreasureGuide by JaminJack.

And here is his salvage boat, the DeeGee.

The DeeGee Salvage Boat.

Source: Jan. 1965 Argosy Magazine.

Thanks JaminJack.

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I was working in the yard this morning when I noticed that the wind had changed direction.  It is now coming more from the north, and it feels like a bit of a cool front came through, so it was not surprised when I looked at the surf predictions and saw that the surf will be increasing.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like maybe up to a ten feet surf by Wednesday.  And some north winds before that.

That is a big enough surf to move some sand.  I just wish the wind kept coming from a northerly direction for a longer time.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/13/20 Report - Beach Conditions Deteriorating On Some Beaches. Photos of Finds.

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

John Brooks Beach Near Low Tide Saturday.

The first and main thing I want to say today is that the beach conditions of the South Hutchinson Island beaches that I checked are deteriorating.  The surf is decreasing and the beaches are building.  I suspect the same thing is happening at the other beaches, especially any of those that were freshly cut on Friday.  I'm therefore dropping my beach conditions rating back to a 1.

This is the third time that the stretch from the condos to John Brooks has had five or six foot cuts in just a few weeks.  Frederick Douglass and the beaches immediately to the south were not cut nearly as much in that time period.

The two following photos show the sand that extends out in front of the beach.  That is where the sand from the cut ended up.

John Brooks Beach Sunday.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Near Low Tide.

You can see the sand that extends out in front of Frederick Douglass beach below.

Frederick Douglass Beach Sunday Near Low Tide.

Frederick Douglass Beach Sunday.

You can see a bit of a bar in front of Fort Pierce South Jetty beach now too.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Sunday.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Sunday.

All three of those beaches have a pile of sand in front of the beach.

I think Fort Pierce South Jetty beach is now back farther than it was the last time they renourished it.  Expect that beach to be renourished again before long.  They just keep pumping the money onto that one.

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Terry Shannon wrote of a good day he had back around the beginning of the year and sent some photos of his finds.

Finds by Terry S.

Here is what Terry said.

… I found a modern 14 k ring, a bunch of coins all greenies, sinkers and then what I believe is ship wreck stuff pictured above. A small musket ball, a latch hook, a large bronze square nail that they converted to a rivet and some smaller old square nails. What I think is interesting is the silver ring.  This is the silver band when I found it and after cleaning.

Silver Ring Find Before and After Cleaning.

Find and photo by Terry S.

The ring cleaned up well and looks nice but it had to be lost a long time to have eaten up to this extent, the inside of the ring is as rough as the outside and it was very thin. I sent a picture to an expert and asked if it could be a ship wreck ring. He said definitely modern. My point is that it is often hard to determine what you have at times. 

Thanks for sharing Terry.

Terry also sent a photo of a half reale, which I plan to show as soon as I get around to it.   I also have some interesting recent finds from other people to show, but I'm getting tired now and will have to pick that up some other time.

For now,
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/29/19 Report - 2019 Reviewed. Mostly About Storms and Finds. Prosecution for Object Found in Garden.

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

Well, one more year coming to a close. It seems not that long ago I was sitting here writing the first post of 2019.  Now it will be one of the last.

Overall, it wasn't the most productive of years, either in the water or on the beach.  There were finds, as always.  And there was excitement - not all of it good.

2019 actually started out pretty good.  We had some good erosion, and I issued a "3" beach conditions rating on my January 28 report.  A couple days later (February 2), I posted the many shipwreck finds made on the beach by Jonah M.

The next highlight was the gold mystery find made by Terry S. reported in my post of April 2.   We had a few days of good discussion on that topic.

The next highlight was the gun parts found by Will R.  Will found an encrusted barrel which he was able to reconstruct by making a mold.  That was detailed in my 6/25 post.

Then came the big excitement that was followed by a big let down.  Hurricane Dorian looked like it might be the worst storm to ever hit the Treasure Coast, but after threatening for what seemed like days on end, turned away and left us little changed, except for all the beach closures.  You can relive that by rereading my 9/1 - 9/5 posts.  I kept everybody up to date on what was going on, sometimes multiple updates during the day.  Those posts were read by hundreds of people.

Few finds were reported after all the Dorian excitement, but one Potosi reale find attracted a lot of attention (9/10 post).

Then there were a lot of storms in the Atlantic, including Humberto, Jerry, and Imelda to name a few, but they didn't do much for us on the Treasure Coast (9/18 post, for example).

Here are the most read posts of the year.  There is a definite skewing towards the beginning of the year.  People continue to read old posts as well as the new ones.

Most of the most read posts usually come from the beginning of the year, but this year all of the Dorian excitement resulted in a lot of blog activity in September.  Of the ten most read posts of 2019, there were two from January, two from February, one from April and five from September. The top three posts of the 2019 were posted in September when everybody was closely following Dorian.

Top Ten  Most Read Blog Posts of 2019

(descending order)

9/3  Dorian.
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/9319-report-dorian-updates-decision.html

9/4  Dorian
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/9419-report-metal-detecting-conditions.html

9/5  Dorian
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/95-report-beach-reports-from-other.html

1/24 Controversial Incan Funerary Mask(?) from Treasure Coast
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/01/12419-report-incan-funerary-mask-made.html

2/12  1715 Fleet Site in Melborne
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/02/21219-report-1715-fleet-site-in.html

9/2  Dorian
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/9219-report-surf-predictions-and.html

2/9  Emerald Find
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/02/2919-report-great-treasure-coast-eye.html

4/2  Mystery Gold Object Find
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/04/4219-report-two-great-treasure-coast.html

9/10 Reale Find
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/09/91019-report-treasure-coin-found-after.html

1/28 Level 3 Conditions and Bronze Spike Find
https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/01/12819-report-beach-conditions-alert.html

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The following was reported in 2010.  

A woman who found a 700-year-old silver 'coin' whilst digging in her garden as a child has become the first in the country to be convicted of failing to hand in suspected treasure. 

Kate Harding, 23, was prosecuted under the Treasure Act after she ignored orders to report the coin-like artefact to a coroner...

Here is the link.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2460215/posts

I think there have been more justified prosecutions.  I have a hard time with someone being prosecuted for something they found as a child in a garden and kept as a memento.  I don't know the entire situation, but that is how it feels to me.

---

The surf is decreasing and will be low for at least a few days.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/11/19 Report - Exploring the Equinox With Gold Test Targets. Reader Emails. Three Systems to Watch.

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

Top: Small 2.9 gram 14K ring.
Second Row: ,.8 gram 14K charm, and thin 1.5 gram 10K bent ring
Bottom: 6.1 gram 18K ring

I did some tests with a few gold targets (shown above) and the Equinox 600 metal detector

The first thing I found is that the EQX11 Double-D smart coil that came with the Equinox does indeed have a blunt sensitivity profile as you would expect from a double-d coil.  There appears to be some center effect though.  I'll have to do more testing to be more precise about that.  I observed some interesting effects under different areas of the coil, but need to do more testing before saying much more.

I wanted to test the conductivity numbers for the different test targets to see what I could learn.  I was testing in an environment with a lot of nearby cables and electrical interference, and would like to do my tests again in a cleaner environment.

The conductivity number for the first item, the small 14 K ring, was 12.

The conductivity number for the charm 14K charm was 9 - 12.

The conductivity number for the 10 K bent pearl ring was 6 -8.

The conductivity number for the 18K band was 26.

I'm not sure how much I can make of those numbers at this point.  Will 10K gold items consistently show a lower conductivity number than a 14K item?  I'll find out before long.

I was going by the markings on the items and did not test the gold purity.  I assume they were right, but I'll have to make sure of that when I get a chance.

At this point I'm really wondering how much use I'm going to get out of the conductivity numbers.  The small gold items were producing numbers that are similar to a lot of other things, and the numbers do seem to jump around a lot.  It might just be my lack of experience with this metal detector, but I would not presently use these numbers to determine if I should dig an item or not.  They seem too inconsistent at this point.  I'll do more testing and see how it comes out.  And maybe I'll learn enough to be able to use the numbers better in the future.

While I'm not yet sold on the practical value of the conductivity numbers, with the possible exception of those in the iron range, I'm impressed by what I'm able to tell from the audio signal.  For example, standing the charm on edge results in a double blip when the coil is swept at a 90 degree angle to the edge, but very little signal when swept the same direction as the edge.  And the 14K ring made a double signal when it was turned in one direction and a single blip when turned the other.  It does seem to me like there is a lot of information in the audio signal.

I'm accustomed to using audio signals to determine the depth, size and shape of objects, so maybe that is why I found the audio signals so informative.  I'm more skilled at that.  I'm not accustomed to using conductivity numbers to discriminate.  Time will tell.

I will be doing more testing.  I have a long way to go before feeling confident that I know how to get the best out of this metal detector.  At the same time, I am growing more confident that the detector generally works well.  I have a lot of questions though about the practical value of the conductivity numbers.  Again, that might just be because I have not yet learned to use them well.  And it might also be because my tests were conducted in a difficult environment with a lot of electrical interference.

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Here is an email I just received from Bill G. on the subject of beach closings.

My mother had a place across the street and 2 streets down from the main public beach access just south of Riomar. My understanding is all the houses have deeded right to beach access. Her access was a designated path between two ocean front condos with a boardwalk over dunes.  Back in the early 2000s I was going down to stay a few days and do some fishing (didn't detect back then, dont fish now) and she mentioned they had put up a fence and gate at her access and it was only open sunrise to sunset. Police would come by and open/close. She said she asked around and it turns out a councilman had a relative in one of the condos and they were having an issue with people sneaking in and having sex in their pool. She said he abstained from the vote for obvious reasons. If it was me I would have challenged it and made it very public. I grew up there, but no longer a resident. 

And catching up after a busy week or so, here is an email from Russ P. that I received a few days ago after I talked about the costs and risks of hurricane preparation.

I could not agree more with your post today.  

Two personal stories of the cost of 10 days of essentially fear-mongering from media, government, and forecasters:

One of my cousins owns a hardware store and lumber yard in Belle Glade, south of Lake Okeechobee.  He sold 2000 sheets of plywood on Friday.   On Saturday, people were still purchasing the more expensive finish plywood despite all the models now showing that the storm would turn north and miss Belle Glade.  He actively tried to dissuade folks from buying the unnecessary plywood because so many of the people were clearly very poor and had other important necessities to spend their money on, but people had been so worked up by a week of worse case reporting that they wouldn't hear it.  

We have a family reunion every Labor Day weekend which is one of the highlights of the year.  The event is on Anna Maria Island, south of Tampa.  About half the family did not attend (from the Panhandle), because they were so nervous about the hurricane.   We had some of the best weather and beach conditions ever, so it was really disappointing they were not there to enjoy it.

I know everyone has stories like this, but you are right on when you talk about the costs.  The economic cost is huge, but so are the intangible costs, including the stress of watching 10 days of doomsday scenarios.  

Russ

And another one from DJ.

I spent the last three days getting everything stowed away and battened down! Your right about cost! Even with a generator already, it probably cost me between 500 and a 1,000 dollars to stock up on fuel, food, etc... 

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I couldn't really see the recent post-Dorian reale find that I posted yesterday, but at first glance it looks like it might be a Potosi two-reale.

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There is a lot to watch in the Atlantic.  The first system in line will probably not become very strong but will bring us some rain this weekend.

It is too seeon to tell about the others.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/10/19 Report - Treasure Coin Found After Dorian. Coils and Area of Sensitivity. Storms Coming.

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

Find Posted on Facebook.

Photo Forwarded by Kenneth T. 

Looks like someone got their first.  This coin was posted on Facebook as some one's first shipwreck coin find.  The posting was on Sept. 5th at 8AM, and it says it was found near the Disney Resort.  So it looks like at least one was found, and probably a few more. The photos and report was sent to me by Kenneth T.

Other Side of Same Coin

Forwarded by Kenneth T.

I wish I had a clearer closeup of that silver reale.

Thanks much Kenneth!

---

I was going to do a detailed look at sweep patterns today, but I didn't get it ready yet.  It will take some time for me to make the illustrations.

I've talked before about the importance of knowing the area of sensitivity for your coil.  The area can vary for different areas of your coil.  Here is a simple illustration.

A concentric coil will typically have a more cone shaped area of sensitivity.  It will be most sensitive near the center of your coil.

A Double D coil will have an area of sensitivity that is consistent from the front to back of your coil.  A target under the front or back of the coil will be detected about as deeply as a target that is under the center of the coil.

I haven't always found that to be true when I personally tested coils, but that is what you'll see in the literature.  I believe in mapping the area of sensitivity for a coil by using an air test.  Move objects under different areas of the coil and see what kind of depth you get under different areas.

I've had some coils that for which the area of sensitivity was very wide.  I could detect targets to the edge and beyond.  Other coils on the same detector wouldn't do that.  In any case, it is good to know what the area of sensitivity is for the coil you are using.

If you have a concentric coil with a cone shaped area of sensitivity and make three sweeps without overlapping your sweeps, you'll be missing half of the area you thought you covered.

Lets say you have a coil that has a cone shaped area of sensitivity and you make three sweeps but are not careful to overlap each sweep.

You can see from the above illustration that you would be missing about half the ground that you thought you had covered.  A lot of overlapping would be required to get maximum depth over the area you are covering.

No matter what type of coil you have and no matter what the literature says about it, I recommend personally mapping out the area of sensitivity for you coil.  You will then know for sure what you are working with and what you need to do.

---

Three Systems Shown on the National Hurricane Center Map.

Here is the National Hurricane Center outlook text.

1. A weak area of low pressure, associated with a tropical wave located
a little more than 900 miles east of the Lesser Antilles is
producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Although some
slight development of this system is possible today or tomorrow, by
Thursday, upper-level winds are forecast to become unfavorable for
tropical cyclone formation.  This disturbance is expected to move
slowly westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean for the next
several days.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...20 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent.

2. Shower activity associated with a surface trough interacting with
an upper-level low near the north coast of Hispaniola northeastward
over the southwestern Atlantic has increased a little since
yesterday.  Little, if any, development of this disturbance is
expected during the next few days while it moves west-northwestward
across the Bahamas and the Florida peninsula. However, environmental
conditions could become a little more conducive for development
when the system moves into the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend.
Regardless of development, this disturbance will produce periods
of locally heavy rainfall across the Bahamas through Thursday, and
across Florida on Friday and continuing into the weekend.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...30 percent.

3. A tropical wave located just off the west coast of Africa is
expected to move quickly westward during the next several days.
Some slow development is possible late this week and over the
weekend when the system is several hundred miles east of the
Lesser Antilles.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent.

So it looks like Number Two could move across Florida, but probably not as a strong storm.

Keep an eye on these.  It won't be long before we get into the Fall season, which is when we got some of our most productive storms in the past, including the famed Thanksgiving Storm of 1984.

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/14/19 Report - Old "Imitation" Cob. Treasure In The Sewer. Artifact Collection. Coil Test Report.

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

Imitation Cob

Source: Current Sedwick Auction Listings.

There are some very interesting lots in the current Sedwick auction.  Lot 912 is this "imitation cob."  It looks very much like a 1752 2-reale, although it is said that it was struck in the 1820s.  I don't  know how they know when it was struck.  

Was it meant to be used as money or sold as a collectible? I have no idea.  It says it was "struck."  There are really a lot of questions about this one.   It would be very difficult to figure that all out if you dug it up. The lot description doesn't tell what metal it is made of either.

It has a bid of $400 already.

Here is the lot description.

Tucuman, Argentina, "imitation cob" 2 reales, date "752" (struck 1820-24), rare. 5.83 grams. Bold full date above waves, good full cross, AVF with coppery sediment around details.

And here is the link.

https://auction.sedwickcoins.com/Tucuman-Argentina-imitation-cob-2-reales-date-752-struck-1820-24-rare_i33012225

There is at least one other "imitation cob" listed in the auction.

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Crews went digging through Annapolis sewer lines — and found pottery dating back thousands of years...

Here is that link.

https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/annapolis/ac-cn-green-street-dig-20190412-story.html

Turn over enough ground and you are going to find something interesting.

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U.S. returns 2 pre-Hispanic artifacts to Mexico...

The artifacts were among thousands ranging from arrowheads to shrunken heads that U.S. federal agents removed in a 2014 raid at an Indiana farm. The farm’s owner, Don Miller, amassed the 42,000-artifact collection over several decades. He died in 2015 at age...

Here is that link.

https://yucatanexpatlife.com/u-s-returns-2-pre-hispanic-artifacts-to-mexico/

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Here is a test report from Sebastian Steve.

... I just reluctantly bought a 7" Concentric for my Nokta Anfibio Multi (3 frequencies 5,14, 20 kHz.  Already owning the 9" Concentric, I pretty much thought later on that this purchase was a waste of money.  Not at all the same as the 9"  Moral of the story:  "Do not judge a coil by just the number of inches in diameter, far more changes come into effect."   

I was digging very small non-ferrous items in my yard today with the 7" Concentric.  Areas that have been passed over literally 30-40 times already.  But change up the coil or machine modes, and there is ALWAYS SOMETHING MORE TO BE FOUND...ALWAYS...an odd tapered copper/brass bullet, a small round magnet in a conglomerate the size of an acorn, a half of a bronze screw.  All very tiny items, but monster targets due to this coil.  And again goes to show...there is ALWAYS MORE TARGETS TO BE FOUND...NO MATTER THE BEACH (ESPECIALLY THE BEACH) Your own back yard, Park, old home sites, etc., just by changing modes, tuning levels, coils, direction of approach to the field, etc.

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The tides are moderate. The surf is about two or three feet, but will be decreasing for a couple of days. Low tide will be around noon.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net