10/15/16 Report - After Hurricane Matthew Emails and Comments.

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

Erosion Tuesday by Sea Oats Condos
Submitted by Darrell S.

Hurricane Matthew brought high water that hit and eroded the dunes.  Notice when roots are newly exposed.  If the roots are large then you know that they had a while t grow.  Also notice any distinct layers in the sand and what is in that sand.  This looks like it might be some of that fine white renourishment sand.  If you can find places where the erosion was into old sand in some out of the way location, you might still have a chance of finding something old.

Matthew eroded some dunes when it passed by.  Since then the water has been high, but not that high.  As a result, if there was anything that fell out of the cliff face, it could still be laying there (if nobody else has picked it up yet).  On the other hand, sand has built up in the beach fronts.  As a result old items in those areas could have been covered again.

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Despite the fact that much of the erosion that occurred on the Treasure Coast was in renourishment sand, there were still coin lines that were produced at some of the busier beaches.  If you don't know what a coin line is you can search this blog for my discussions.

I received the following email from Sherman W, about a coin line that he found.

Well, my cob found before the storm is a $3 fake. Probably bought at Mel Fishers. If you want pix let me know.

I did a clean up on my coin line today. Another 6 quarters, 14 dimes, 6 nickels and 12 pennies. Funny, at the south end of the line I ran into two other detectors, one had found nothing the other a single penny. All the coins on the whole beach collected in my line? Where did the rings go? I wont go there again for a while, it will be out of my way. One other comment; I think a lot of people do not know how to use their machines properly. I have been detecting for 40 years and have had 8 machines some were not easy to master. I had one that probably did not even pay for it self. I have a couple of inland sites set up for over the winter, not great sites, we shall see. It is not always the treasure, it is the journey. Sometimes the knowledge learned is the most valued. Take care, and good hunting. Sherman

Thanks for sharing Sherman.

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KT sent me an email and concerning the fossil I showed a few days ago, said, ... almost certainly is a horse tooth. if you could show an end on view, it would clinch it. a fossil horse's tooth will show a crenulation pattern similar to a mammoth tooth. i have pulled a bunch of both types from the central Fla phosphate pits in the 1970s.

Thanks KT,

Keep an eye out for fossils on the beach.

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I got an email from Gold Nugget, our friend from North Carolina.  They got hit hard by Matthew.  Hope everyone up there is well.

Here is what Gold Nugget said.

From your 10-13-2016 Post - I liked the Photo on Jupiter Beach To me it look like the Ancient Fluff mud [sometimes pluff mud, TG] from a marsh. To either side where it ends might be a Good spot to detect, The sand should be lower.

Still stuck and can't get to my 1700-1800 site ,Waves are looking good from Nicole.

Thanks GoldNugget,

The beach was at one time far from where it is now.  There were once rivers and marshes and other types of land where the beach is now.  Some of the fossils come from areas like that.

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Hurricane Matthew brought a lot of attention to the Treasure Coast and then passed us by.  I received the following email from Peter H., a detectorist from the UK.  He makes some good points.


I just had a few thoughts. I think the excitement of a storm hitting the treasure coast has got me excited across the pond here in the UK .Its a sort of mini blog about strategy in general...

What do you do after the biggest storm to hit the treasure coast in many years ? Where do you go first? what are the best sites ?what do you go searching for?

If you don't have a strategy and put some thought into it then you could be too late, either the finds will become covered again or someone could beat you to the find of a lifetime.

For a beach detectorist a storm that's about to hit a beach is like Christmas to a young child .Its a time full of dreams ,anticipation,wonderment and excitement but its also a time to get ready, to be prepared and to follow the best strategy to maximize the potential for the best finds.

You can't be everywhere at once so where do you go ?

As an experienced detectorist yourself, you know the hotspots and you know where finds have been found before and that's the key to the strategy.

In the vast majority of cases you will find what you are looking for where finds have been made before .

I guarantee that you have already identified the spots and you have been waiting patiently for the storm to do its work.

I once waited 9 years for one patch to erode and I wasn't disappointed when the storms came but I almost missed out because I got too excited and didn't think straight when I hit the beach.

In this period before the storm I would work out where I really thought there would be the best chance of finds then I would plot them and work out the best course of action to get to them all taking into account distances ,ease of access and the likelihood of competition from others. Of course there are many other factors .Do you go for areas where there are larger 4 reale cobs or areas where there are harder to find smaller cobs?.Do you prefer the chance to find gold instead ? Will the back shore erode out spilling coins or will coins be thrown up from the near shore. Your plan will be down to your personal choice and experience.

Having a strategy means you've got it all worked out before you hit the beach. It means you approach all your chosen spots with a clear idea of what you want and with a clear back up plan to follow .All this planning means you move from one potential hot spot to the other maximizing your time, effort and experience.

Follow your instincts, follow your experience but above all follow a plan and remember to religiously check all your equipment and batteries.!!! - I've made so many mistakes by not checking the gear !!

I enjoy all your posts immensely and I wish you all the best in luck and judgment for the exciting finds that I'm sure you'll make in the coming days and weeks .A storm changes beach patterns around the shores for many weeks so never give up !! I know you've been waiting for this storm for a long time and I know you'll have the best of times.I can't wait to read your posts !!

Best wishes and kind regards,
Peter H

Thanks for writing Peter.  Best wishes to you all on the other side of the pond.

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I'm still waiting for some low tides.  I want to get to some areas where the water has to go down before I can see what is there.

That's all for today,
Happy hunting.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/20/15 Report - Great Colonial & Early American Coins. New Way You Can Find Out More About Your Ancestry Through DNA Testing. My Very First Metal Detecting Outing.

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

New England Shilling To Be Sold March 26.

If you like old coins you'll love looking at the article linked below.  On March 26 Stack’s-Bowers, in conjunction with the Whitman Baltimore Expo, will be offering a collection of colonial and early American coins such as those shown here.



Confederate Half Dollar
A Real Rarity

The auction starts with one of just eight Noe 1-A NE Shillings in private hands, graded PCGS EF45. The coin is a high-quality example of the earliest coinage struck on the North-American continent in what today is the United States.

To the left you see another great example - one of just four original 1861 Confederate Half Dollars struck in April of 1861.

The article shows a number of truly great coins like those shown here, but if you'd like to see even more, go to the auction catalog (See link below).

Here is the link or the article.

http://news.coinupdate.com/henry-p-kendall-foundation-collection-preview-4740/


And here is the auction catalog or some very enjoyable browsing.

http://media.stacksbowers.com/VirtualCatalogs/2015/Stacks-Bowers-Galleries/Mar2015-Baltimore/SBG_Mar2015_Balt_Kendall_Catalog_LR.pdf


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In the past I've encouraged researching your family roots.  I've found that by doing that not only did I learn more about who my ancestors were and where I came from, but also in the process learned a lot more about local history and located good new detecting sites, some of which were on my ancestor's properties but also some that were not.

The first place I ever did any metal detecting was at the site of an old house where my grandmother once lived as a child.   There was a standing stone chimney and some other remains of the house, but not much.   I remember seeing the well.  That was over fifty years ago.  I hadn't thought of that much, but it was my very first metal detecting outing.  It was a great site too, even though I didn't fully appreciate it at the time. 

The detector, as I remember it, was maybe a Radio Shack model.  I don't think it would detect much more than iron.  And we did find some iron pieces, but not much else.  I'd love to be able to go back in time and do the same site now as it was then with a good detector and with a lot more knowledge.

Funny that I never thought about it much before, but that was the very beginning of my metal detecting.  I didn't get seriously into detecting until years later.  We didn't use that old detector much after that one outing.  I don't think it would detect coins, and we gave up on it.   But thank you grandma!  She never knew what a journey she started me on.

Anyhow I've encouraged you before to dig into your family tree, and if possible, go hunt some of the sites where you grew up or where your parents or grandparents lived.  Digging up a piece of personal history can be very meaningful.

It is now possible to dig into your roots in another way.  Ancestry.com offers a DNA testing service.  For $99 you receive a kit in the mail.  Follow the instructions, mail it in and then receive the results back in the mail.

The kit comes with a tube which you fill with spit.  It takes a good bit.  Then you ship it back to be analyzed.

The results include data such as the following example from their online ad.

They will also connect you with others who share your genetic line if you want them to.   You can specify how private you want to be and if your name is to be made know to others or not.

They will, however, if requested by law enforcement, provide your DNA to them.   Even if you haven't committed a crime or anything, you might not want your results out there.  I guess it is also possible that you might learn something that you don't care to know.  Think about it before doing it.  If you do decide to do it, it might be a lot of fun.

Read more about here.  Otherwise browse ancestry.com DNA.

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We have a two to three foot surf today but a really nice tide.

Happy Spring,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

12/8/2014 Report - Increasing Surf Expected For A Couple Of Days. Treasure Coast Beach Conditions Mostly Unchanged So Far.

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



One Fellow Caught By the Roving TG Beach Cam
While Detecting Sunday.

Yesterday I went out to see how the beaches were progressing. 


Beach conditions had deteriorated slightly since Saturday.  Where there were cuts, they had filled some.


The length of the cut at one renourished beach has been getting longer, now running a few hundred yards.  Too bad it is in  renourishment sand.





The second picture shows one nice two-foot cut.  You can tell something about how long that sand has been in place from the root development that has been exposed.


One good thing about places like that is that the weeds will trap coins and items below he cut.




Two-Foot Cut As Seen Sunday.

Overall, I'd rate beach conditions poor at this point.


The waves seemed higher at some places than at others.  There were a good number of surfers where the waves were well formed.


Below is a quick video that shows the waves and a little surfing.


If you look closely you can see a surfer coming from the top left of the screen.  He's out there a ways so looks small.

 

 

 

Below is a beach that has cut and partially refilled a couple of times in the last week or so.  Yesterday it was pretty mushy out front.   This is the same beach shown in the coin pattern distribution illustrations that I showed yesterday.

 

Note the sea weed.

Some of the guys that have been land detecting lately have been coming up with interesting finds.  I'll have some of that for you tomorrow.

Today the surf is supposed to be a touch higher - 4 - 6 feet or thereabouts.

Then tomorrow the surf forecast is even higher - more like 5 - 8 feet.
That prediction has remained unchanged for a few days. 

The wind direction today and tomorrow on the Treasure Coast is supposed to be from the North.

If we can get the swells hitting more from the North, we might see improved conditions.  That is what I'll be watching for and hoping for. 

After that the surf predictions are saying we'll have reduced surf. 

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net