6/14/20 Report - More Fossils: Mammoth and Bison. Ancient Off Shore Channels.

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

Newspaper Clipping Telling About Mammoth Find by Randall S.

Submitted by Randall S.

I got some emails in response to my post on fossil finds.  Randal S. sent me this newspaper clipping showing his Mammoth tooth find.  And below is a tusk to go with it.

Randall S. With Mammoth Tusk.

Submitted by Randall s.

Great finds Randall.

I understand that Randall, since moving to Florida no longer sports the "mountain man" look.  Looks good to me, but probably not for the hot weather.

There have been mammoth tusks found by treasure salvage crews and I have seen them sold in a Sedwick auction.

---

Bison Joint with Hole.

Find and photo by Kurt R.

Kurt R. sent this photo of a bison joint with a hole in it.  It was found at Rio Mar about thirty years ago.  The indigenous peoples often split bones to get the marrow.  If you look closely, sometimes you can see how a hole was drilled.

Thanks Kurt.

I've seen a number of fossils from the Rio Mar area.

---

DJ, who went to the Peace River suggested that a beach scoop might work better than a shovel for digging fossil material.  That sounds good to me.

One of the advantageous of doing different kinds of hunting, is the creativity that comes from transferring knowledge and methods from one kind of hunting to another.  That is one reason I recommend investigating different types of hunting.

---

While on this subject of fossils, Dino Hunters is a new TV series that will premier on the Discovery channel, June 19 at 9PM.   It could be good.  I hope they keep it real.

You can find old fossils on the Treasure Coast, but no dinosaurs.

---

Here is a link that will take you to a collection of papers.  Marine Aggregates and Prehistory is only one of them.  Several of the others discuss wrecks.

https://www.academia.edu/2068779/Marine_Aggregates_and_Prehistory?email_work_card=view-paper

In the Marine Aggregates and Prehistory article I found this illustration showing a paleo-channel.

The seismic analysis shows a filled channel.  In fact there is a smaller and even older channel very nearby.

As you probably know, our coastline has changed a lot since the ice age.  Florida was once much larger and coastal ancient coastal settlements are now submerged.  There are submerged archaeological sites like the one off Venice Florida, and there are channels made by streams that are now covered by the ocean.

If you watch Bearing Sea Gold, you probably noticed how some of the teams were working old channels miles off shore.

Don't forget that our coastline was much farther out than than it is now, and the entire landscape extended out quite a ways.  Some channels created in the distant past are now filled with sand or other materials but they can be identified.

---

There is not tropical activity of any significance.

The surf will remain around two feet, and the tides are small.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/15/19 Report - How A Beautiful Pre-Civil War Artifact Was Recovered From the Depths. Bone Find? Interesting Surf Prediction for T. C.

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

1852 Tea Pot Recovered From Steamer Wreck On Display.

Find and photo by Sebastian Steve

I just received the following in an email from Sebastian Steve.

IMMIGRANT KETTLE/TEA POT 1852  Recovered by Sebastian Steve.

I saw your 'TEAPOT' photo, so I thought I might share my recovery (from about 30 years ago) of a teapot or kettle and the story that it carries on...hopefully forever...however long that is.

I was salvaging a passenger steamer up in Lake Erie, lost in 1852.  I went down on my morning dive to 160 feet, and worked along the port gunnel.  Sure enough jammed in the passageway on the main deck was an "immigrant crate" as I had named them.  This one the top was missing, evidently blown off from the air pressure trapped inside.  They really were not like an immigrant trunk with a big lid that opens.  Instead these were often just heavily built hardwood boxes nailed shut for the period of the voyage.  

Theft was rampant back in these days, and the only way to keep your goods safe, was to guard them day and night.  Literally sleep with your head resting against your crate.  Nailing your "Crate" shut certainly deterred theft!  The wealthy in first class would consign their luggage and valuables to the ship's purser, who kept all their belongings locked up tight in the purser's cabin for safe keeping. 

And as I began to feel around inside this immigrant crate, I could feel many objects to my delight still remained. Certainly all the contents could have been blown out from the air pressure.  This of course was all by feel, as the second my hand touched the first artifact, the powder silt was up, up, and away!  Totally bringing the visibility of the dive down to near zero at this location.  

But I was used to working in low visibility, or even just by feel, so I continued to investigate the contents of this crate.  A beautiful oval cheese box came out.  Totally hand made and carved with decorations in the wood.  These were often given as wedding gifts to a new young couple.  The crate had preserved the thin wood perfectly, and all the inscriptions and patterns could be seen.  A beautiful piece indeed.

Then I felt something harder near the bottom of the crate.  Harder, yet round with a protrusion.  I pulled this artifact up and out into the clearer water.  And I saw for the first time, that I had a beautiful tea pot or kettle as they are often known by.  Not a bit of damage, no dents, amazing how it survived a collision and foundering into 160 feet of water with no damage!  But wait... the lid was missing.  I think I groaned so hard, I almost spit out my regulator.  My chances of finding that lid was next to zero.  It must have blown out the top of the crate when the lid blew off.  What a royal shame... Still a pretty piece, and I could see some kind of inscription on the handle.  

And so I surfaced after my 11 minutes of decompression.  My total dive was about 50 minutes, but only 20 minutes of that was actually on the wreck.  In the afternoon dive, (after sitting out for 4 hours for residual nitrogen to escape my blood stream) my next dive would have the same profile for decompression, but only 15 minutes of time on the wreck.  So yes...a total working day of only 35 minutes....and a full hour boat ride each way to the wreck.  There was no time for sightseeing, not with the business I was in of making my living from the deep.

It was a beautiful day...and after a nice rest in the warm sun, a sandwich and soft drink, it was time to suit up again.  Down I slid on the descent line, deeper and deeper, and right over I swam to my mystery chest I had just located that very morning.  And I against all odds, felt around in the bottom of the crate for the lid.  I knew exactly what it would feel like, and its size.  My minds eye would identify this lid quite easily "If" it were only still there in the crate.  Blown out...in reality it could be anywhere.  Depending on when the air pressure had her way with the crate.  The lid could be five feet from the crate, or 50 feet away under three feet of silt.  It had to be found in the crate or kiss it goodbye...forever.  

I feel like I almost "willed" this lid into my hand.  Because at about ten minutes into the dive I had her in my hand !!!  I knew it right away, but I still backed up and thrust my arm up and above the silt cloud into clear enough water to see what I had.  And OH-Boy...was I a happy diver.  Far too fine a piece of history to not be complete.  And now she was complete in all her glory.

What makes this kettle so special?  If you study the inscription on the handle... it is "MHD" 1852.  And there is also a maker's mark from when the kettle was made.  This is only speculation...but I would state my reputation on this...Some gifted man for beautiful scroll work, purchased this kettle in N.Y.City after crossing the ocean from the Fatherland.  To commemorate his arrival in the United States, he scribed into the handle his initials, and the date.  Making this a very important --immigrant artifact--- of 1852.  I believe he had the calm and time to do the carving as he went peacefully down the Erie Canal from the Hudson River to Buffalo, N.Y. on a horse drawn canal boat. 

Inscribed Tea Pot Handle.

Photo by Sebastian Steve (clipped by TG)

And so after 30 years it was time....time for a new home that could guarantee its continuity and safety.  I carefully selected a couple who run a maritime museum out of their home in Michigan.  It's first rate in all respects.  And just as important, this Ken has a deep and loving respect for the history of The Great Lakes.  I wish him well with this gorgeous piece of immigrant history.  A piece this fine might bring in the neighborhood of $5,000.

All the Best,

Sebastian Steve 

Very meaningful and beautiful find!  Thanks for sharing Steve.

---

John L. sent me the following email and photos.

Hello again.

I was wondering if you and/or your readers could tell me anything about this find.

I know very little about fossils, but this sure seems to be one resembling a tooth.

Found it in a line of shells at a local, municipal, tourist beach.

Thank you again for keeping up your terrific blog! 

I don't think this is a tooth, but if you can provide more specific information on the item, please email me.

Find and photos by John L.

---

Now this is starting to look like it could get interesting.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Three days in a row of 4 - 6 foot surf is predicted for the Treasure Coast.  Of course, it could change for the worse yet.

Keep watching,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/23/17 - Another Kind of Treasure Coast Treasure: Fossils. Easter Island Stones. Sampling. Happy Thanksgiving!

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

Vintage Post Card OriginallyReceived by My Grandfather in 1909.

---

Did you notice that this Megalodon tooth fossil received a winning bid of $550 in the recently concluded Sedwick treasure auction?

Auction Listing From Sedwick Auction 22

I showed that to remind you that there are other types of treasure on the Treasure Coast besides coins and artifacts.  You can find fossils all the way along the Treasure Coast.  I've seen fossils on most of the beaches.  Some beaches provide more fossils than others, of course, but you can find fossil shark teeth, as well as rhinoceros, giant sloth, camel and even mastodon bones on the Treasure Coast.

This meg tooth is more valuable than the vast majority of what you might find, but there are valuable fossils to find, and if you like finding old stuff, you should know that Treasure Coast fossils can be millions of years old.

Below are a couple of fossils I picked up the last time I was at the beach.  Beach conditions were not good for finding fossils, but I noticed them along the way.  They aren't really worth anything, but it shows that fossils are out there.

Matrix Containing a Few Pieces of Fossil Bone.

On the left bottom of the photo above is a vertebra.  At the top is larger piece of fossil that I have not yet identified.

Larger Piece of Broken Fossil Bone.

This one is larger and a little unusual because of the two colors.

Keep your eyes open.  You never know when you might see a nice shark tooth or something else nice.

---

There is always more than meets the eye.  You've seen the huge stone heads of Easter island. but they are actually more than heads.  They have bodies too.  The bodies were buried over a period of about 500 years by natural processes. They didn't sink - at least not much.  They sit on rock foundations where they were originally carved and then raised from horizontal to vertical.

Here is the link.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2017/07/26/famous-easter-island-heads-have-hidden-bodies/#220cb45af804

People wonder how huge stone blocks like these could have been moved.  In this case they weren't moved - at least not far.  They were carved on location and then flipped up.

Use your head and save your back.

Speaking of which, I was glad to see on a recent episode of Oak Island that the fellows FINALLY decided to do things a bit more systematically and methodically.   They finally drilled a grid of holes to do some testing and sampling.  I've been screaming at the TV for them to do that for at least a couple of years.  I felt the same way when the Hoffman's ( I think) finally had Tony Beets (sp) do some serious core sampling.

In the past I've done a few posts on sampling.  Sampling can save a lot of time.  Very important concept.

---

Here is a sad article.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/11/18/wwii-veteran-calls-for-help-and-dies-as-nurses-laugh-video-shows.html

While you are being thankful, express your gratitude by being kind, especially to those who need it most.

---

Today we'll have a three to five foot surf.  The next few days the surf will be decreasing.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/24/16 Report - Merry Christmas From the TreasureGuide. Extinct Seal Tooth On Lake Worth. Small Sight Find.

Merry Christmas to all from the Treasure Guide!

Here is a Christmas wish to you from the 1950s.
Just a little time travel.

With all the Christmas activities, I don't have much for you today but wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas.

---

The tooth of a monk seal was found on the shore of Lake Worth.

According to Robert S. Carr, the conservancy’s executive director, the lake was believed to be a freshwater body until the area’s earliest settler, Augustus Oswald Lang, cut a channel across the barrier island around 1867. That resulted in changes in the lake’s salinity. Those are being studied by the conservancy through careful examination of animal remains.

Discovery of the tooth is the first evidence of the seal found in the area. Its presence is an indicator that the seal was hunted by prehistorical people.

Here is the link for more about that.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article120609578.html

---

Dan B.,  who was a part of the huge 1715 Fleet find of the 2015 salvage season, offered this insightful response to yesterday's post.

I think that that the "flip of the fin" observation is fun because it exposes the reason why joy is important in your activities. Too many times we are distracted enough to miss a little gold glimmer. Thats why we have to be mindful and present. Enjoying what you are doing allows us to look at our surroundings clearly, instead of clouding our senses with drama or stress. If we are fretting about not finding the lobster, we could sure miss the find of a lifetime, even if it was staring us in the face. 

Thanks for the comment Dan!

---

Speaking of a little glimmer, yesterday I saw the smallest gold sparkle coming from the sand in a field.  I bent down to investigate and pinched the sand where it was coming from and picked it up.  When I opened my fingers this is the object that reflected the light. (Dime shown for comparison.)

It is the thing that goes on an earring post.  The funny thing about it is that I can't imagine how it ended up where it was.  Those kinds of things fascinate me.  I'm left wondering how in the world it got there.

I'll have to test it and see what I can learn about it.

I have a knack for noticing small things on the ground.  I like eye-balling and am in the habit of noticing things like that.

---

The second part of my series of post was delayed again.  I'll get back to that after Christmas.

Have a blessed and merry Christmas.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article120609578.html#storylink=cpy

7/20/12 Report - US Military Uniforms, Accoutrements and Weapons & Great White Sharks

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

Large Fossil Great White Tooth

I hope you liked Clausen's report on the Fort Pierce collection that I posted yesterday as much as I did.  It should be especially helpful when researching local military finds of that period.  The button collection is really great.

I've seen  a pewter feather holder for a Seminole head dress that was once dug in the Fort Pierce area.


Here is a great source of information.   It is a survey of US military uniforms, weapons and accoutrements, beginning in the early 1800s and continuing up through the modern day.

You can check out the change in uniforms, buttons, swords, insignia and all kinds of things.  It should be helpful in identifying the age of finds as well as the identity.

http://www.history.army.mil/html/museums/uniforms/survey_uwa.pdf

It is a large PDF file, so will take a while to load.


A Great White shark was sighted by divers near Fort Pierce.  They say it is not common to see Great Whites around here.

Here is that link submitted by Jim M.    Thanks Jim.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/divers-encounter-great-white-shark-coast-fort-pier/nPttj/

I saw a whale breaching in the ocean a couple of months ago.

I'll mention this again because I'd like to get responses.   I have the feeling that sharks might sense and be repelled by the electornic pulses being transmitted by metal detectors.  I've seen them heading directly at me and then suddenly turn and quickly head off in another direction.  Of course that might not have anything to do with the metal detector.  Any ideas on that?

Great Whites may have been more common around here in ages past - even in the river. The photo at the top of this post shows a Great White fossil tooth found on the banks of the Indian River.  It is over two inches and has nice serrations.  Keep your eyes open while detecting.


Still no change in detecting conditions.  The seas are flat.  South/southeast winds.  Low tide around 3:30.


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net