10/3/18 Report - Protecting Cherished Finds. Ornate 1715 Fleet Silver Gun Side Plate. More Big Surf.

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

Section of Ornate Silver Gun Sideplate Dug From 1715 Fleet Wreck Beach

After decades of hunting, I've made a lot of mistakes.  Some of the most disappointing are the result of not properly storing finds.  Some things, like glass or pottery are fragile, but there are also some things that you would think would never break that will.  That includes silver and gold.

It is very disappointing to find an item that survived hundreds of years in nature, perhaps even rolling around in the surf, and then have it break in the safety of your home.  It happens.  You might be surprised by how often it happens.

Proper storage is important.  Time takes a toll.  The heat of Florida does not help.  Glass cracks with no apparent cause.  Or you can drop an item on a ceramic tile floor.  Ceramic tile floors are the absolute worst.

Thin pieces of ornate silver such as the gun sideplate shown above can break if stored under weight or pressure.  If you want to keep them nice, don't stick items like that in a box of coins or other items.  There is already a crack that you might be able to see in the photo.

Gold can break too.  You'll occasionally find gold rings that have a cracked band, but some of the old gold and tumbaga items had a lot of copper, which makes them more brittle and susceptible to breaking.  Carefully store old silver and gold artifacts so that they are not under weight or pressure.  Put them in separate containers that will protect them.

It goes without saying that old bottles can break.  The older bottles are thicker than modern bottles, but they also can have bubbles and other imperfections that make them especially vulnerable.  Just a couple days ago I found that I broke a nice amber strap flask.  I had it in a container with some other bottles.

Even fossils that survived thousands or millions of years can easily break.  That can be very disappointing.

My main point here is to store your cherished finds very carefully.

Security is another issue.  In the past I've recommended keeping valuables in a bank safe deposit box.  But even in that case, make sure that your box is large enough that you don't have to jam things in.  Put individual items in boxes or containers that will protect them.

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Leslie is heading north and away from us.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We're still supposed to get some nice high surf.  I'm not expecting much though, due to the direction of the swells.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Wednesday the surf is predicted to be 6 to 9 feet.  You don't get that real often.

Although you see little or no erosion, that doesn't mean that sand isn't being moved.  When it accumulates on the beach, it is obviously coming from somewhere.  Anytime sand moves, you want to know where it is coming from.  When the sand builds on the beach front it is coming from submerged areas in front of the beach.  That is significant.  If it moves from the right areas, objects can be uncovered so that they are exposed.  They can then be moved onto the beach when conditions are right.  If, however, the sand is pulled back into the water, those items can be covered again.

There is another system developing in the tropics that looks like it will move into the Gulf over the next week or so.  I don't think the Treasure Coast will get much from that one.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/16/14 Report - Traveling To Detect. When It Is Hot It Is Hot. Amazing North Carolina Beach Finds.

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

Eroded North Carolina Beach
Image from video by GoldNugget

On the Treasure Coast we still have that one to two foot surf.  The tides have been good due to the Super Moon.

I have a lot to write today - enough for four or five posts.  I'll have to hold a lot of it for another day.  I didn't post yesterday because I was traveling and didn't get a chance.  I'll try to get this post done in a hurry.

I was up North and had a great time giving a brand new detector a testing.  Among the finds was a Large Cent - 1829.  That was surprising, especially considering where it was found.  I'll get into more of that some other day.

Instead of taking the detector on the plane, I had it shipped up North where I was going to be and had it shipped home when I was done.  That saved all the hassles of taking it through security and on the plane or in baggage, which of course could be done instead.

I'll give you a review of the new detector and show some of those finds some other time.  Right now I want to show you what GoldNugget found on a North Carolina beach.  That isn't where I went.  I was in another state.

You'll remember after tropical storm or hurricane Arthur passed us, it hit North Carolina.  I mentioned at the time that it would be hitting North Carolina but I wouldn't be making that trip.  Well, North Carolina is where GoldNugget hunts, and he sent us some great photos of some great finds.   You'll enjoy them.

  Thanks GoldNugget!   And congratulations on the amazing finds!

They had some good erosion in North Carolina.  He sent me an email last week and said the site is still producing.   He said, When the Beach is Hot ,It's Hot.

 He posted a short video clip showing the beach where the items were found on Youtube.

Here is the link to that video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GppaqFyT-iA&feature=em-upload_owner

It is the first video that he posted.  Good job!

The photo at the top of this post is one of the first few frames from that video.

 Notice the undercut and eroded dunes.  That is more than a six foot cut I would say.

Also, that beach isn't at a park or walk-over or anything.   You'd probably have to walk a good piece to get to it.

And there aren't any obvious signs that this would be the place to be. 

Those are all important things to notice.   I've talked about things like that in the past.  

If you want to find a location like that you'll have to work for it, but when you see the finds below you'll see that it can be worth the work.

GoldNugget said, I'm still trying to Identify the Emblem looking item.

If you can help him identify the item, let me know.

All of the find photos below are from GoldNugget and the site described.

Like I said, I have about four days of posts in my head.  I'll leave them for some other time.  Today you can enjoy GoldNugget's finds and his video.  Give it a look and think about what you are seeing.

There is a lot you can learn from that. 

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net