10/25/19 Report - Avoiding Deterioration and Preserving the Value of Coins. Pre-Contact Images Found. Jamestown Graves. Storm Forming.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Can you believe it?  It looks like there might be another storm developing in the Gulf.

The surf will be up to around three to five feet today, and the tides will be high too.

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It is rare to dig up a coin that is in near perfect condition.  Most coins that you dig will have been in circulation for a while and buried in dirt or sand or worse.  That means that the coins value will already be reduced, but even though detectorists are seldom handling the most pristine of coins, it can still be helpful to be aware of the things that can harm coins and reduce their value.  I recently received an email from Joe D. in which he mentioned that coins he had stored in a cardboard folder were corroding.  Even if you purchase a near mint coin and keep it in a coin folder or something, there are many ways that a coin can be damaged and reduced in value.

Here are some things that can damage coins even if they are carefully stored.

Humidity.  That is a big problem for us in Florida.  Some companies market "air tight" holders, but they aren't guaranteed to be airtight.

Acids.  Coin collecting supplies made out of paper or cardboard can cause damage.  I just received an email from Joe D. telling how coins he stored in a cardboard folder had corroded.  Copper and silver coins are especially vulnerable to toning from household acids or even vapors emitted from cooking.

Chlorine.  "One of the main sources of this are flips made from plastic that contains PVC.  Additionally, vapors from a hot tub or pool can seep into the area where you store your coin collection."  You'd think that coin holders sold for the purpose would be safe, but not all of them are.

Air Pollution can also damage coins.

Improper Handling is one of the biggest causes of coin damage. Of course dropping or improperly cleaning coins will damage them, but acids and oils on your hands can also cause damage.  Gloves can be used.

Coins can also be damaged when sliding them into and out of coin holders.  Coin collectors use the term "flip rubbing."

Here is a link that will take you to an article that more fully describes the above sources of damage and how to store your coins safely.

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/how-to-safely-store-your-coins-768295

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… Federal Reserve banks receive coins at face value because they are obligations of the United States Government. The Banks store the coins until they need to fill orders from the commercial banks in their district. The Federal Reserve banks fill these orders from their vault stocks of both new and circulated coins. Also, they fill the orders without regard to date or mint mark. Coin shipments leave the Federal Reserve banks by armored car, registered mail, or express.

If a commercial bank has excess coins on hand, they may return the coins to the Federal Reserve bank. It then sorts the coins for fitness. They return badly worn or bent coins to the United States Mint which melts them down and makes them into new coins. Also, the banks remove foreign and counterfeit coins from circulation. According to Federal Reserve sources, over 20 billion coins valued at well over $2 billion pass through their coin processing units each year..

Here is the link for more about the US Treasury

https://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/distribution.aspx

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Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) have found 11 pre-Hispanic images in a tunnel in Ecatepec, México state, that is part of a dike system that dates back to colonial days.

Among the images discovered on the sides of the 8.4-meter-long tunnel are petroglyphs and stucco relief panels, INAH said in a statement.

The tunnel is part of the four-kilometer-long 17th-century dike system known today as the Albarradón de Ecatepec.

A war shield, the head of a bird of prey and a “paper ornament” are among the images carved into the walls of the tunnels while a teocalli, or temple, is etched into the central stone of the arch entrance. The temple is dedicated to the rain god Tláloc, the INAH archaeologists concluded...

Here is that link.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/archaeologists-find-tunnel-with-pre-hispanic-images/

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Archaeologists are digging up 17th century graves at Jamestown.

https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-jamestown-grave-1019-20191022-qlypvf4xm5dedm4eptzt3hmcua-story.html\

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Send me your beach reports and photos.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/12/18 Report - Storing Coins and Other Finds: A Few Tips. Dinosaur Tracks.

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

Four Walking Ladies

I was looking at some older coins the other day and noticed some things that I wanted to pass along.

Once you have found an item, cleaning is the next step, and then comes storage.  Record keeping is something that should be done at different times and for different reasons.  I keep records of finds that will help me keep track of how I'm doing and what is found at different areas.  But there is another kind of record keeping that you might find helpful.

When you store finds like those shown above, it can be helpful to label them well.  I didn't do enough of that for the coins shown above.  Only one of the four tells where it was found and only one tells when it was found.  I'd recommend putting having that information on your finds.  It is always nice to have good labels to help revive your memory.

Below are a couple silver dimes that were stored in a clear plastic envelope.

Two Proof Silver Dimes.

I think I won these two silver dimes at a metal detecting club meeting.  That isn't clear though, and I'm not perfectly sure.

The plastic container once had a paper label in it that is now falling apart.  You can see that.  The heat and humidity of Florida is not easy on things.

The plastic container was stapled for some reason.  You can see the rust from the staple on the left side.  You would not want a proof coin, or any nice coin, stored touching a staple or any other piece of metal.  Keep nice coins away from other metal objects.

Below is what numismaster says.

Next come the plastic 2x2 coin flips. Make sure that you get rid of the PVC plastic. Mylar flips will replace them, but can damage coins if they are moved in and out frequently, as always, be careful, especially if you are storing valuable gold or silver coins.

Plastic and paper flips should not be used for long term storage of more than six months. Under exceptional conditions they will protect your coins over a longer span, but the big problem is that they are not airtight.

The same is true of the cardboard 2x2 holders. They have a Mylar window so that you can see both sides of the coin. These can be stapled shut, again with the warning not to get the staples or the stapler too close to the coin. To keep the coin safe the 2x2 needs to be stapled on the three open sides. Again the reminder to use your pliers to flatten the staple legs so they don’t damage an adjacent coin. Staples will rust, but there are stainless steel staples on the market.

Next come coin folders and coin boards. These have holes for each date and mint, and in some cases the outstanding minting varieties, such as overdates. These are what you most likely will use to start your collection. Most folders have a paper backing, so you can see only one side of the coin. They expose the visible side to the atmosphere and any pollution, contamination or fingerprints. My recommendation is that you use them for circulated coins that will not show problems. Your uncirculated coins need special protection and proof coins should be left in their packaging. This is especially true for questions on how to store gold coins, if the coin is a proof coin, it should stay in the packaging it came in..

Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.numismaster.com/ta/inside_numis.jsp?page=how-to-store-coins

For common inexpensive coin finds I like the Whitman coin folders and plastic prescription bottles with the original labels removed.  The folders are convenient and fun.  You can easily see what is missing from your collection and upgrade the collection as you find better examples.

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Rare prehistoric dinosaur footprints discovered in the UK have shed new light on the middle Jurassic period, according to a new report.

The study, published in the Scottish Journal of Geology on Monday, was carried out by researchers from the University of Edinburgh and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who unearthed 50 new dinosaur footprints left 170 million years ago in the Isle of Skye, northwest of Scotland..

Here's the link for more.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/03/europe/dinosaur-tracks-scotland-intl/index.html

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The wind picked up yesterday and changed direction.  The surf today is to be bigger.  Some sand should get moved.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/24/16 Report - Last Naval Battle Of The American Revolution. Embrittlement of Silver and Importance of Storing Things Carefully.

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

March 5 there will be there will be an event commemorating the last naval battle of the American Revolution.  Above is the front of a flyer from the Sons of the American Revolution describing the event.

Captain John Barry left France on December 8, 1782, and arrived in the port of Martinique on January 8, 1783. There he received orders from Robert Morris, dated October 11, 1782, sending him to Havana to pick up "specie for Congress" and deliver the cargo to Philadelphia. Despite the long wait for the orders, Captain Barry prepared his ship for the journey. Along the way during his cruise to Havana, the Alliance had spotted various vessels just off the horizon, but was never quite able to identify them or give chase. Ultimately he realized that several British vessels were patrolling the waters and more than once he had to use the speed of the Alliance to avoid capture...

Here is a link for more information about the battle.

http://flssar.org/Images/LNBAR/LastNavalBattle.pdf

If you have an ancestor who fought in the revolution you are eligible to join the SAR.

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If I only knew then what I know now!  How often have you thought that?  That has been on my mind recently.

One of things I would do differently is store finds more carefully.  You might be surprised how things that survived many years in the ocean or on a beach will break for apparently very little cause.

Some things you expect to break easily, such as glass or pottery, but sometimes things you would never expect to break do.

I've been surprised by some metal items that cracked and broke.  You'd think that if they survived for so long in the wild that they wouldn't break just sitting in a box or whatever, but it happens, and it can be very disappointing when it does happen.

Silver and gold can both be more brittle than you might think.  Not long ago I talked about tumbaga.  Tumbaga, which can look like pure gold, but it can have high percentages of other alloys, such as copper, which makes it much more brittle.

I had s silver side plate for an old gun in a box with a bunch of coins.  It broke.  Who would have thought?  And after all of those years.

Silver can corrode in ways that makes it brittle.  I found a good study that talks about that.  The title is of that paper is Embrittlement in archaeological silver artifacts: Diagnostic and remedial techniques.

Unfortunately only part of the article is available online, but here is the link.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11837-003-0168-x#/page-1

I never expected it to break under the circumstances, but it did.   Knowing what I know now, and considering that and other cases, it is better to store things very carefully even if you might think it isn't necessary.

It is always good to separate items made of different metals too.  Silver is especially vulnerable to being fowled by other metals that touch it.   It is just a good idea to store things in separate containers, coin holders or whatever.  Don't forget good labels with dates, locations and other information.

Remember, that as this article shows, silver, like other metals, can be corroded in ways that makes it more brittle.

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I haven't been out much lately due to a combination of causes.

The surf is decreasing along the Treasure Coast.  Expect that for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/7/14 Report - Seven Metal Detecting Mistakes That I've Made That You Should Avoid. Catching An Asteroid.

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

Asteroid Capture Apparatus
Source: YouTube Science Channel link posted here.

I've talked before about some of the possibilities for treasure hunting in outer space.  Here is a video showing how they hope to catch an asteroid - nothing like a hemerroid, although catching an asteroid might be a pain in the butt.






Here is the link for the full video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oVAZytlfE8&index=6&list=UUvJiYiBUbw4tmpRSZT2r1Hw


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I've made my share of mistakes. I think of some of them very frequently.  It might be that those are the ones that I've learned the most from.

I'm not sure the mistakes I remember the most are the most important.  Maybe I made some bigger mistakes, but probably those that I remember the most are those that I particularly regretted and made a mental note to avoid in the future.

Here are a few of the mistakes that I've made.  Maybe you can avoid them.

1. Discarding an item in the field when I didn't know exactly what it was.

One time that I often think of is when I dug a twisted piece of metal and then close by a nearly rectangular piece of flint.  That was probably thirty or more years ago but I still remember it very well.   I realized later that the piece of metal was a piece of a musket cock and the flint was the musket flint. 

Now I wish I had kept it.  And by not recognizing what it was at the time, I probably did not hunt the immediate area as well as I should have. 

2.  Not digging an item carefully enough.

Not too far from where the unidentified musket flint was dug, I detected a very nice artifact, but I wasn't careful when digging it.  It was very brittle and completely crumbled as it was dug. 

I guess that hunt was a very memorable hunt for me - both good and bad.  At the time it was mostly good, because I hadn't yet realized the significance of my mistakes yet, and it was the first time I hunted a centuries old battle site.  I remember most of that hunt very well, not just the mistakes.

Most people have probably damaged a coin or something while digging it.  It is a common and sometimes costly mistake.

3.  Not labeling a find with all the important information, including among other things, when and where it was found. 

You will forget some things.   It is good to be able to go back and refer to good detailed notes or labels when you want them.

4.  Losing track of a nice find.  If you are not careful you can lose track of a valued find after you take it home. I suppose everybody loses track of things once in a while. 

A good organized system for keeping finds will help you find that special item when you want it.

5.  Not checking equipment before going out for a hunt and not taking back up batteries and the like.

You can save a disappointing and wasteful trip by checking your equipment first.

6.  Destroying an item through improper cleaning.

Muriatic acid can be used to clean some things, but it will ruin other things. 

Don't tumble things that might be valuable.

I once tumbled a nice guilded pendant that was hundreds of years old.  It was encrusted and I just assumed it was a coin.  It wasn't, and I damaged it.

Try to find out what something is and what it is made of before starting to clean it.  Learn how to best clean an item before doing anything that could damage it.

When something could possibly be valuable, do your research first and then chose the most cautious method of cleaning to begin with. 

You can clean things in steps, using the most cautious methods first.  That can help avoid more costly mistakes.  Those first steps could reveal something about the item or material that will help you decide how to continue.

7.  Putting a find in a pocket that has a hole in it. 

I mentioned the other day how a nice gold chain slipped through a shirt pocket and I had to walk back a mile or more to find it again.

Check your pockets and goody bags.  Chains will quickly slip through a very small hole easier than you might think.

There are seven mistakes that I've learned from.  I can think of others, but don't have time for them all today.  You might already know these, but even if that is so, this will be a good reminder.  We all get lax from time to time.

Maybe you can avoid making the these mistakes.  I hope so.


Happy and mistake free detecting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net