3/18/20 Report - Interlocking Rings. Hardness and Other Materials Tests and Observations. Mayan Find.

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

Interlocking Ring Finds. 

Not long ago somebody sent in a photo of an interlocking ring set they found.  I think there were three in the set.  Here are two of the sets that I've found.  One has three interlocking rings and the other has five.

I can see the significance of two interlocking rings for lovers, but I don't know if other numbers might have some significance.

The symbol used for the Olympics is five interlocking rings, each of which represents the five continents, but I doubt that the five interlocking rings shown above has any significance.

I've found several of these types of rings.  One set is made of different metals.  One ring is gold, one silver, and I don't know what the other one is.  I don't know if there was meant to be any particular significance to that either.

In any case, interlocking finger rings do not seem uncommon.  The ones I've found are not marked, even when they are made of a precious metal.

I noticed that there seems to be a relationship between number of rings and the width of each ring.  When more rings are involved, the individual rings are smaller.  Maybe otherwise they wouldn't fall together as nicely.

Any ideas on the possible significance or date of interlocking finger rings?  Let me know what you think.

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When you submit a mystery item for ID, provide all the relevant information you can.  Remember, anyone who sees a photo will not be able to observe all the little details that you can.  They won't be able to see it from angles that you don't provide.  They won't be able to feel the weight of the item.  They won't know the size, unless you provide it.  They won't be able to view it under different types of lighting.  And they won't know where you found it.

The more information you provide, the better your chances of getting a good ID will be.  Here are some things that might be helpful.

Some indication of size.  It is easy to forget to give the measurements or an item for size comparison, but it is often very important information for someone who only has a photo to look at.

Multiple views from different angles.  With coins, two angles will almost always do the job, but other items might require more angles.

Weight.  The weight can tell you a lot.  As I mentioned yesterday, when it comes to coins, the weight can help determine the denomination or the amount of corrosion or if the coin might be a reproduction or counterfeit.

Don't forget, you have the item in hand and can see things and conduct tests on the item that somebody looking at a photo will not be able to do.  The results of any tests you conduct might be helpful.  As I mentioned yesterday, is the object magnetic?

You might test the metal.  Even if you don't have a metals test kit, there are still a variety of ways you might be able to help determine what the item is made of, but these days you can always take the item to a pawn shop or jeweler to get an XRF analysis.

But there are many easy tests.  Silver makes a distinctive sound when dropped on ceramic tile.  If you've handled enough silver coins, you might recognize that sound.  Lead and silver make a very different sound.

Lead and silver can often be distinguished by the different sounds or by the patina.  You can also tell the difference when you rub those metals on a touch stone.  You might not even have to use acid.  

If you know the material the item is made of, let the readers know.  It might seem obvious to you, but it might not be obvious to those who only have a photo.

Where was the item found?  People sometimes don't want to tell that, but it doesn't hurt to tell the type of location, along with what other things were observed or found in the area.

Look closely for any marks that might be a clue.  They might be small or hidden.  

Sometimes you can determine what the item is or at least how hard it is by doing a scratch test.  You probably have seen in the movies someone bite a coin to determine if it is gold or maybe you've seen someone test a diamond by trying to scratch glass.

A scratch test can be especially useful when testing gems.  Below is a brief table giving the relative hardness for some items.

Hardness                                                                                                           Cutting
Scratch           Mineral Used                                                                              Hardness
Hardness        For Compar-
(Mohs)            ison.
===============================================================

1                      Talc                  Can be scratched with fingernail                              0.03
2                      Gypsum            Can be scratched with fingernail                             1.25
3                      Calcite              Can be scratched with copper coin                          45
4.                     Flourite             Easily scratched with knife                                      5.0
5.                     Apatite              Can be scratches with knife                                     6.5
6.                     Orthoclass         Can be scratched with steel file                              37.0
7.                     Quartz               Scratches window glass                                          120.0
8.                     Topaz                                                                                                 175.0
9.                     Corundum                                                                                         1000.0
10.                   Diamond                                                                                       140,000.0

Table from Gemstones of the World, by Walter Schumann, 1984.

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That is a big range.  But as you can see, not only will a diamond scratch glass, but so will quartz.

You can find much more complete tables giving the hardness of various gems.  In fact the same book provides the characteristics, including hardness, of most gems and minerals.

Hardness is something someone looking at a picture won't know, but it might help narrow down the identity of your mystery item.

Even if you never submit a photo of a mystery item for ID, some of these tests or observations might help you identify your finds.

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Associate professor of anthropology Charles Golden and his colleagues have found the long-lost capital of an ancient Maya kingdom in the backyard of a Mexican cattle rancher...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2020/march/maya-discovery-golden.html

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What a crazy world!  I'm glad I grew up in the country.

Today's media and continual "connectectivity" bombards the individual with messages and gives no space for independent though.  It seems it has produced a generation of zombies.  Who could have guessed that someday going out of your house would be a social crime that could make you responsible for some type of Armageddon.

But it isn't the first doomsday scenario.   Only 20 years ago we had the Y2k hysteria.  Doesn't seem like that long ago!  Seems like modern man has always had some type of doomsday scenario, whether it was  War of the Worlds or 1984.  One movie from 2010, After Armageddon, had a story very much like the one we are facing with Coronavirus.  What is it with this every ten years stuff?

Below is that plot from Wikidpedia.

The plot centers around the Johnson family (consisting of Chris (Rob Hartz) and Ellen (Kathleen Cameron ) Johnson, and their son Casey (Hy Rillaro)) of Los Angeles, California, one of a small number of families to survive a global pandemic that, according to the opening of the film, occurs "sometime in the future..." The disease began as a particularly virulent flu strain in Southeast Asia. Efforts made to contain the virus in that portion of the world are ineffective as global transportation networks carry infected individuals all around the world. Hospitals become overloaded, and the public works infrastructure begins to shut down. Eventually, the main characters leave L.A., encountering many hardships along the way. They make it to a friendly small town, where life begins again.

Seems like our myths become our reality.

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As I said before, metal detecting is a activity with natural social distancing.

Here is my idea of Coronavirus fashion.

Mask also available.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/15/19 Report - Thoughts on Mystery Find. Metal Detector Conductivity Numbers and Object Identification.

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

I posted this item found by Jerry P. several days ago.  Jerry wondered what it might be.  He wondered if it might be an ink well, but I didn't mention that in my post because I didn't want to influence you.

Someone said they wish there was an object for comparison in the photo.  That might have helped.  Jerry did say that it is about three inches around.  If by that he was referring to the outside circumference of the object, it is small.  To give you some perpective, a US quarter is very close to three inches around.

I got a lot of different ideas on this object. Mitch K., who has been very accurate with his mystery item IDs, said it is probably a pet urn.

DJ thought since bronze is non-magnetic it might have been for a compass. He also thought maybe an inkwell.

Joe D. thought it would be too heavy for a snuff box, and thought maybe it held a clock or instrument.

On the ink well idea - I think that is a possibility, but if three inches is the outside circumference, it would be smaller than most. A three inch diameter would be more typical for an ink well. A typical ink well might have an opening with a three inch circumference but the pot would typically be larger than that.

Below is an 18th century ink well set that I found online. Motice that the pots are very similar to Jerry's item.

Below is a pewter pet urn.  Pet cremation urns come in a variety of sizes and shapes and are made of various materials.

Pet Urn.

Being an isolated find and having such a common shape, Jerry's item is difficult to identify.

Here, for another example, is a salt cellar.  It definitely shows some similarities to Jerry's object.

Salt Cellar.

Unfortunately I don't think we can say what Jerry's object is, although we have some good ideas for Jerry to consider.

One thing that I noticed is the clean uncorroded hinge on the object.  That doesn't seem to suggest a lot of age to me.  I'd expect to see more corrosion from a very old item coming out of the sea.

The owner of the object, knowing more about the circumstances of the find and being able to hold it, has the best chance of coming up with an ID.  He is now armed with a variety of thoughts on the subject.  Perhaps a mark or something will show up to provide additional evidence.

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As you know I have just started to explore the Equinox metal detector.  This morning I decided to do a few conductivity tests.  I used the same test area I've used many times before. The area is subject to various sources of electrical interference.  In fact today I started out in multi-frequency mode, but then it became noisy and I switched to 15kz, which was nice and quiet.

First I tested a zinc penny and a copper penny.  The zinc penny generally came up as 21 - 22 while the copper penny showed a conductivity of 25 - 26.

Then I tested a clad dime and a silver Roosevelt dime.  The clad dime showed very slightly higher numbers than the silver dime.  Both dimes were in the 24 - 27 range.  The silver dime might have been about one point lower on average.

Next I tested a clad aquarter and a silver quarter.  The clad quarter was around 28 - 29, and the silver quarter a touch higher, at 29 - 30.

The silver versus clad coin numbers in this test were too close together for me to draw any conclusions.  The zinc penny rang up lowest, and the quarter numbers were slightly higher than the dime numbers, while the copper penny was not very different from the dimes.

I also compared a 1967 to a 1964 half dollar.  As you might expect there was very little difference.  They were in the 33 - 35 range.

Then I checked a Morgan dollar, which showed in the 35 - 37 range.  So pretty consistently, the larger denomination coins showed higher numbers than the smaller coins even though there were differences in composition.

I also tested the two rings that I showed in recent posts.  One was the small silver turquoise ring and the other the small alloy Claddagh ring.  Both gave conductivity numbers of 24.

This wasn't an extensive or even good test.  I just wanted to get some ideas on how the specific conductivity numbers might provide helpful information, so it is too early for me to draw many conclusions.

The conductivity numbers definitely help some.  For example, you can certainly tell the difference between iron and most coins, for example, but when it comes to making more precise judgements, like the difference between clad or silver coins, I'm not so sure you can do that reliably using just the conductivity readout.  It does look like you will get a different reading for zinc and copper pennies.

People often conduct their metal detector tests with US coins, but I don't know how many people are out there looking for US coins.  I think most people are more interested in finding gold jewelry, old artifacts or other types of things.  Coins do provide convenient test objects, but one thing you probably really want to know is how your metal detector responds to the types of objects that you most want to find.

If you want to find gold jewelry, gold nuggets, silver reales, or old artifacts, the best test objects are the things most like those you want to find.  If you are after gold rings, for example, be sure to test your metal detector on a variety of types and sizes of gold rings.

Many of us hunt a variety of types of objects.  That means that you should become familiar with how your detetor responds to a wide variety of types of objects.  Want to find a Rolex watch?  I'd suggest testing your detector on watches.

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One person hoped that Glen would keep us informed about any progress he makes on his mystery object, for example if he cleans it or gets it x-rayed or finds anything else that might be related.   When people contribute their ideas they are interested and have a little investment in an object, they would like to know what happens next.  When I take the time to answer a question for someone, I hope they let me know of any additional developments.


Expect a few more days of calm surf.  There are not storms forming yet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/13/19 Report - How Well Do You Know Your Metal Detector? Steel Cents and One Previuosly Unidentified Coin. Sorcerer's Treasure Trove.

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

1943 Steel Penny Finds.

If you've been with me very long, you know that my preference is to detect everything and dig everything.  I know there are good reasons and times to use discrimination, but generally speaking, I'm more interesting in finding things than skipping things, and using discrimination will increase the chances of missing something good.  Good things are made of different materials and come in all different forms and combinations.  In short, discrimination is not perfect, even though it can be helpful when used properly.  There are times when you will need it.

I've started to explore the Minelab Equinox metal detector.  I'm not far along in that process.  I believe in really getting to know a detector, and that means a lot of testing and experimenting.  You'll never know everything about a detector, and you might not want to.

Anyhow, I want to know how my detectors respond to various objects under various circumstances.  I want to know what they will miss as well as what they will find.

Different metal detectors have different strengths and weaknesses.  As a result, one detector will be the best choice of one job, and another the best choice for another job.  But you have to know enough about them to choose the right one, and to know what you are gaining and giving up.

I found the object shown below.  I've had it for a while and thought it might be either a corroded steel penny or a German coin.  I decided to test the conductivity of it with the Equinox along with some other steel pennies (shown above).

Unidentified Coin.

I don't really know the Equinox very well yet.  I've spent less than an hour with it so far.  So I took the steel pennies out in the yard along with the unidentified coin or whatever.

I was originally thinking of doing some more extensive testing, but decided to quickly test the steel pennies first thing this morning before I did anything else.

What I found out is that in the main detector modes, none of the steel pennies produced ANY signal.  That might make you happy if you want to miss small steel objects, but you aren't going to find steel pennies unless you know how to make some adjustments that I don't yet know about.,

I did switch to pin-point mode, and the Equinox did what some of the detectors I used heavily years ago did - it nulled over the steel penny.   By nulling, I mean that when the coil was moved over the steel penny there was a signal on each side but when the coil was directly over the penny, the signal went silent.

Those other detectors were always in an all-metals mode and nulled over iron.  I didn't have to pay attention to iron, but knew it was there because of the nulling.

I wanted to find out if the unidentified coin might be a corroded steel penny so I wanted to see if the conductivity was the same as my other steel pennies.  Well, I didn't get a conductivity reading for either my known steel pennies or the unidentified object.

Now here is the funny part.  After taking the magnified photo of the object for this post, I noticed the letters just left of the six o'clock position near the rim of the object.   I assume that is part of IN GOD WE TRUST.  If  I'd seen that before, I probably wouldn't have done the test this morning, but in doing the test I learned that the default modes on the Equinox are not going to detect steel pennies or other similar objects.  Maybe there are some settings other than pinpoint mode that will do it, but I haven't found that out yet.

I've always said that if you haven't found certain types of objects and wondered why, it MIGHT have something to do with your detector and how you detect.  That is why you should thoroughly get to know your detector.  And, as I've said before, the best way to do that is with systematic extensive testing and experimentation.

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Archaeologists found a box full of what they called a "sorcerer's treasure trove."

The trove was found in what remained of a wooden box. The wood itself had decomposed and only the bronze hinges remained, preserved by the volcanic material which hardened over it.

In it were crystals, ceramic, amethysts and amber. Scarabs (beetle-shaped amulets) from the Middle East were identified, along with various gems, including a carnelian with a craftsman figure and a glass bead engraved with the head of Dionysus, the Roman god of wine, fertility and ritual madness... 

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49325627?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environment&link_location=live-reporting-story

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After I mentioned yesterday that I've been doing this blog for over ten years, one person commented on how fast that time went. Very true! Time flies. And in that time a lot has happened. We've lost some fine folks, but a lot of you are still with us. I've lost some family members.

The blog has evolved too. I'm better informed.  All of the submissions have been a big part of that.

And I think we've raised the level of the hobby.  I think we have inserted a lot of information into the discussion and raised the general level of understanding.  You don't always have to be right to do that.  

I've noticed that more people are now doing what I might call binge reading. When people newly discover the blog, they have tons of posts to go through, and people are going through a bunch of old posts at one sitting.  When we are getting storms, erosion and changing beach conditions, people don't want to miss a single day, but the beach conditions haven't been changing much lately.

I just got an email from one person (Paul M.) who evidently just discovered the blog and said, best treasure site on the internet. i am so so glad i found it Blessings paul

Thanks Paul! Glad you found it useful.  I get a lot of help and information from others.

I'll give you all another day to provide your thoughts on the two unidentified items I posted on 8/11.  I'd like to give everybody a chance to give me their ideas on those objects.  All thoughts and opinions are appreciated.

There is no significant change in weather conditions.  Expect more calm surf for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/10/19 Report - Earrings: Materials and Some Clues for Determing Age. Diamonds and Other clear Genstones.

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

Nice Crystal On Drop Earring.

I recently posted a photo of what I believe to be a vintage button featuring a clear stone.  Here is   very nice large clear crystal (if that is what I can call it) from a vintage earring that I once found.

Clear stones are a bit of a problem for me.  You always want to know what kind of stone you have, but it can be difficult to tell if you have a diamond, zircon, or any of a variety of other types of clear stones, unless you have a gem tester or take the item to a jewelry store or pawn shop to be tested.

This earring seems to me to be vintage.  Other than its overall look, notice the screw type closure.  Those were invented in the early 1900s and used a lot until the clip-ons were invented around 1930.

Closure For Same Earring.

This one is signed, but I haven't yet been able to make out the signature.

In the Renaissance era earrings were not popular because women's hairstyles obscured the ears, however they became more popular in the 17th century.  According to Deagan's book, Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 - 1800, earrings have been found at Spanish Colonial New World archaeological sites, especially 17th century sites. The long dangling type are more frequent from 18th century sites.  Many of those were made of copper alloy or gold and featured faceted glass, or paste, while others featured pearls, turquoise or emeralds.  Several gold drop-earrings have been found on 1715 Fleet wreck sites.

The closure can provide a clue to the age of an earring.  In the early 20th century ear piercing was not in fashion, so screw and clipon earrings were heavily used until piercing once again became popular in the 1970s.

17th and 18th century earrings were usually attached by a simple curved wire.  Similar wire hooks are still used today so that alone doesn't help much.

Here is an example I found on a Treasure Coast shipwreck beach, but there is no evidence that it is very old.  It could be quite modern.  There are no definitive marks, and the design is very basic and common.

I have found one almost exactly like one shown in the Deagan book on page 164 (figure 6.12).

When it comes to clear stones, there are a variety of methods or tests you can do yourself to see if you might have a diamond.

Of course the easiest thing is to take it to a jewelry store or pawn shop and have them test it.

Here is a link to a web site that lists 25 different clear gemstones that are used in jewelry.  Of course, it includes diamonds, zircons, white sapphire, spinel and much more.

Simulated gemstones are not new.  Paste, made from glass, goes back to Ancient Egypt.

The Rhine River was filled with quartz pebbles that were used in jewelry. That is why they are called Rhinestones. Eventually the natural glass pebbles were depleted.

In 1891 Swarovski invented a machine that could mechanically cut and facet glass. He began making rhinestones with a 32% high lead content with great refraction.   He also came up with a new kind of plating that for plating silver and gold onto the backs of the crystals.

I plan to add to this content some other day.

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Still nothing of interest on the National Hurricane Center web site.ast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/28/19 Report - Melted Beer Can or Space Debris? Some Answers and Tests You Can Perform.

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


I just received an excellent email from Jerry P. on those melted pieces of white metal that people find on the beach.  Here it is.


Aluminum or Space Poop by Jerry P.

It’s been called melted beer cans, space poop, space platinum, NASA trash. So is it space debris or beer cans? This is a debate that has been going on for years within our group of beach hunters. All I can do is add to the puzzle and maybe someone can put this dog to rest.

If you detect the beach long enough you will eventually pull a piece of what appears to be aluminum or titanium melted by super high temperature. Aluminum has a melting point of 1,220.58 F or 660.32 C and titanium 3034 F or 1668 C. A bonfire, at it’s highest temperature, if constructed correctly, can burn as high as 2012 F or 1100 C plenty hot enough to melt aluminum but not titanium. You maybe thinking slam dunk, case closed it’s melted beer cans. Hold on the dilemma is not over yet. Rockets are made of light weight materials like titanium and aluminum. Rocket propellant, under a controlled manner, burns at around 5,800 F or 3,200 C. This is plenty hot enough to melt aluminum and titanium. This temperature is based on a controlled burn within the rocket engine. If the lunch had an unexpected “anomaly” then these propellant would be mixed in an uncontrolled burn/explosion which could result in much higher temperatures. We are back to square one!

I detect with an old machine (sovereign gt) and it just talks to me. Aluminum has a distinct sound on the sovereign and the one thing that I notice about these melted pieces is that they sound something between aluminum and silver. This tells me it’s not aluminum and must be another type of metal.

A bonfire test is in order. I stoked a fire in the backyard pit and waited for it to get good and hot before adding some aluminum cans. I let the fire burn overnight with the cans inside. In the morning I took my inland machine (AT Pro), pinpointer and a sifting screen to retrieve all metal targets. The cans did melt or at least they changed their form however they did not look anything like the pieces we pull off the beach. They did not melt into a blob and were very thin and brittle. The pieces we pull off the beach are rock solid and can hardly be dented with a hammer.

I was starting to believe the beach pieces could very well be part of our space program or military missile defense program of which one is still ongoing today.

There are other things to consider like the Untied States Air force. They have a restricted military training zone just off our coast and could be firing air missiles. We also have our poorly constructed beach renourishment program to consider. Much of this renourishment sand comes from the offshore bars around Cape Canaveral. This would most differently support a space debris theory.

What solidified it for me was when I started pulling specimen pieces. These were pieces of the melted metal that have unique items embedded in them. Items that you don’t see at your average bonfire, some kind of thick quartz or crystals, rivets, orange and red tile like fragments and my best piece has both quartz/crystal and a small stainless steel spring embedded in it. Would love to hear if anyone has looked into these pieces. JP

      

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Thanks much Jerry.  Great email!


Below is a related post that I did on 5/10/18.

Metal Glob Found On Beach
How can you tell if it is titanium?

There are a few questions that I get all the time.  One question that I get a lot is about those shiny globs of metal found on the beach that look like melted aluminum.  It could be aluminum but it could also be something else.

Sometimes space debris falls on the beach or in the ocean.  People often want to know if their shiny piece of metal could be a piece of space debris.

It can be difficult to say for sure, but there are tests that you can do to tell if a piece might be titanium or aluminum.  I once wrote about that a long time ago, but since I still get the question and have more information now, I decided to address the question again.

Here are some quick tips that can help you decide what you have.

Here are some easy tests to get started.  Titanium is not magnetic, so if a magnet sticks to it, it is not titanium.  However, aluminum is normally not magnetic either.  So that is only a beginning.

When it comes to telling titanium from aluminum, titanium is about twice as heavy as aluminum and much harder than aluminum.  If you use a metal file, aluminum will come off in small globs, but titanium will not.  It is relatively easy to scratch a mark on aluminum.

If you file down beyond the surface metal, the newly exposed surface of titanium will darker than a similar piece of aluminum.

If you used a rotary grinder on a piece of titanium, the sparks will be a blue-white color.
Here is a link to a web site that will give you more detail on these and other tests for testing titanium and other metals.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/

Titanium is used for a lot of applications these days. Everything from wheelchairs and bicycles to parts for rockets and wedding rings are made with titanium. If you find a ring that doesn't test gold or silver, it might be titanium.

Titanium isn't a very expensive metal. You can find current prices online.
 

Big pieces of space debris are occasionally found too.  Here is a link to an article about space debris including the above tank from the space shuttle Columbia that landed in Texas.

https://www.space.com/12518-space-shuttle-columbia-debris-texas.html

In 2015 a large piece of what looks like a piece of a Galileo rocket was found on the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-lauderdale-rocket-debris-20150802-story.html

And in January of 2018 a part of a SpaceX rocket was found in South Carolina.

http://www.ibtimes.com/spacex-rocket-debris-found-south-carolina-amid-zuma-payload-mystery-photo-2641243

You never know what you might find, so it always helps to be able to test it out.

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I know of at least one detectorist who contacted NASA and got confirmation that his find was a titanium space debris.  Of course that does not mean that all specimens are.

You might be able to find the post reporting on the person contacting NASA if you use the blog search box.

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Bill P. just sent me an email suggesting XRF analysis.  I think that should do the job.

I did a post on XRF analysis recently but didn't think about it when I did this post.

Thanks Bill!

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net