12/3/15 Report - Treasure Traps and Trapping Treasure. Sifting In Wet Sand. Bigger Surf Coming.

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

We all know that treasure moves.  From the time it is spilled into the ocean or onto the beach it moves.  It doesn't move continually though.  There will be times of relative stability, and there will be times when it can move quickly.

If you've ever dug a coin while standing in a rushing backwash of any magnitude and drop a coin before getting it firmly in your pocket, you know how quickly a coin can move yards in the matter of a second or two.

And if you ever dropped a coin in the ocean and watched it fall, you probable say it going one way or the other instead of falling straight down

The longer an item is out there on the beach or in the water, the more likely it is that it has reached a point of relative stability where it will not move much again until something fairly dramatic happens such a good storm or hurricane, for example.   The longer it has been out there, the more it will take to get it to move again.

I remember reading over twenty years ago how a one fellow constructed a trap on the beach to trap gold rings.  I think I read about that in Carter and Trevillian's book, Diamonds in the Surf.  If I correctly recall, the fellow constructed the trap out of stones.

After reading that story I made sure to check under and around rocks for gold rings and found a few that way.

If you think about it, treasure is trapped in all kinds of traps.

There was one time when I dug five silver dimes in one scoop.  They had settled at the bottom of a fallen palm tree after they washed out of a dune and down a slope.

I often focus my detecting around one type of trap or another.  Groins, seawalls dips and rocks and even clay or mud can create treasure traps.

You will observe natural treasure traps at work when you are detecting.  I detected one treasure trap day after day for months.  It was an area in front of a sea wall and behind a conrete goin.  It seemed like every night there would be a new supply of coins and jewelry there.

It is possible to construct your own treasure traps.  The first thing to know is how treasure moves. Just like anyone who traps wild animals, it helps to know how and where the game moves.

Although I have managed to construct some small traps and obtained some results, constructing highly effective treasure traps on an ocean beach does not seem practical.  I'll still keep thinking about it.

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One thing I've noticed lately is that most people do not use their scoops to sift wet sand when detecting in the wet sand.  Many people dump the wet sand on the ground and spread it out with a foot.  They either then see the target or pinpoint it with their detector.

It is difficult to sift wet sand.  That made me think about constructing a different type of digger for compact wet sand.

You can always use the moving water to sift the wet sand through your scoop, but the risk is that if the item is very small and falls through the screen or otherwise falls out of the scoop, you can easily lose it in the moving water.  That can cause time and perhaps the item.  That technique can still be used if you are careful.  You might be able tell if the item is large enough to sift in moving water without going through the screen of your scoop.  You will still need to be careful that the item doesn't fall out of your scoop.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast was small today.  Saturday it will increase.  The peak surf will be late Saturday night.

We'll have a north or northeast wind for a few days.  It was out of the north today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/8/14 Report - A Recent Treasure Coast Cut and Some Hints For Analysis. 17 Pound Gold Nugget Found.

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

Interesting Spot On The Treasure Coast Yesterday.

This picture makes a good illustration.  I'll use it to talk about beach analysis.

The low spot is just a touch above and to the right of the center of the picture.  That would be in the wet sand just behind the bigger rocks.

Cuts were very few and far between that day. This spot was not at all typical.

When I look at a spot like this the first thing I look for after looking at the cut is the low spot in front of the cut.  In this case, the low spot was bordered on one side by rocks.

The cut in this picture is about four feet high and maybe a little more.  As you can see the cut extends to the north a good ways.  It also extends a good ways to the south (out of the picture).

I'd take a look at the bottom of the cliff to see if it is a fresh cut or if it is a few days old and deteriorating.  Also look at the sand in front of the cut to see if the cut is filling yet, and if so, how much.  Check the firmness of the sand in front of the cut.

There are boards sticking out of the sand.  Check them to get an idea of how old they are.  In this case I was disappointed by how modern they looked.  I really should have taken a better look at them and the nails that were in them.   Nails can tell you a lot about the age of the boards.  I didn't take the time to uncover the nails.  That could have been a mistake.

Rocks can function as traps.  Both the rocks and boards can serve as markers, as they are covered and uncovered it will tell you how much sand is being added or removed.  Always take a good look at such markers.  They can provide valuable information.

In this picture you can see a bend in the beach.  Look at any cuts or dips to try to determine how they were formed.  There may be other similar places along the coast where similar cuts were formed.   I'd check other spots south of bends like this one.  Sometimes you'll get a good idea of where other cuts will occur along the coast by looking at how and where one cut was formed.

Just under the top layer of sand was a layer of course but hard packed red/brown shell sand.  You will learn to identify different types of sand and what types of items might be found in them.  That sand had been undisturbed for a good while, but the boards suggested to me that the sand had not been undisturbed as long as I first thought might have been the case when I first saw it.

Watch any spots like this over time.  They can fill or become deeper.  They can move any direction.  By watching the various markers, including boards and rocks, you should be able to tell if the dip is moving one direction or another from one day to the next.

Note when the dip was formed.  What was the wind direction at that time?

When a cut like this is formed south of an eastward bend in the beach, it would normally be a north/northeast wind.   When the wind changes there is a good chance the cut will fill again.

Any cut like this is worth checking out at least briefly.

Today we have a southeast wind.  That won't change until around Tuesday when we'll get a northeast wind again and a bit of a bump in the surf.

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Here is the kind of day you'd like to have.  A herdsman found a 17 pound gold nugget laying on the ground.   Now that is the type of eyeball find I'd love to make.

Here is the link for the whole story.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinese-herdsman-stumbles-onto-a-17-pound-gold-nugget-2015-02-05?mod=MW_story_recommended_tab

Thanks to Leo for sending that in!


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.ne

9/22/14 Report - Gold Coin Found Nearly 3000 Years Old. Identifying Treasure Traps. Greatest U.S. Buried Treasure Ever Found. Joy of Problem-Solving.

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




Very Old Gold Coin Found by Diver.
Source: See link.

A diver saw a flash of a gold coin on the bottom while diving in shallow water.  The flash came from this coin, thought to be nearly 3000 years old.  It weighs only .63 grams.

Here is the link.

http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/09/09/diver-finds-2750-year-old-gold-coin-in-bulgaria/


Keep your eyes open.




Always be on he lookout for treasure traps too.  They can be found in a lot of different kinds of places and can collect items over long periods of time.   Not only can they collect items, but they often protect items from being found by other detectorists.

Lets start with sidewalks and roadways.   If there is a concrete walk leading up to your house, go out and drop a coin on the walk and see where it goes.   If it rolls, it might end up in the crack beside the walk.   Not only will things collect in the crack beside the walk, but they will likely not be found there.  For one thing, there is a good chance they will stand on end, and that makes it difficult to detect.   If the walk or driveway is concrete, it will likely have iron rebar in it that will keep many detectorists from detecting close to it.  So even if the site has been heavily detected, there is still a good chance that anything lost right beside the walk or driveway will still be there.

Some detectors can be operated closer to things like that than others.   With experience you can learn to detect around traps like that, getting at least some of those items.  Play around with your detector settings.   Also the sweep angle.  Maybe switch to a small coil. 

It could be an area where you can't use a detector very well but where you can dig and use a sifter.  Think of alternative methods for getting items out of spots that are difficult to detect.  

The key is to keep thinking about where there might be traps that will collect items and how you can detect or retrieve them.   A lot of detectorists will simply miss some of the best areas simply because an area is not well suited to their hunting style or techniques.

Tree roots can also trap items.   Not only can they trap items, but they will also protect items from other detectorists.  Some detectorists won't detect closely around obstacles or will give up digging when they hit a stubborn root.

Rocks can trap things too.  I've found gold rings under rocks on the beach. 

The currents will speed around rocks that are too big to be moved by the water, and that will move the sand and items will slip into the deepening depression.

I do not intend to give you an exhaustive list here, just a few examples to get you thinking.  I won't spoil all the fun of problem-solving for you, but as you scan a site always be alert to possible treasure traps and think about where things might be protected from other detectorists.

On a beach and in the water there various types of natural and man-made traps.

When I take a vacation or visit a new location, it seems that alarms are always going off in my head as I notice treasure traps and begin to drool over how much treasure has probably accumulated, and then my mind switches to thinking of different techniques for getting it out.  A whole lot of the fun for me is in the problem-solving process.


Coins from the famed Saddle Ridge Hoard, said to be the greatest buried treasure ever found in the United States, will be on display Oct. 9 - 11 at the PNG show in New York.  The display will include 50 of the found coins along with the rusty containers. 

One of the coins on display will be the finest known surviving example of a 1866-S Double Eagle without the motto.

Here is the link for more information on that.

http://www.coinweek.com/coin-clubs/saddle-ridge-coins-cans-coming-png-new-york-show/


There are no storms brewing in the Atlantic or Gulf.

The surf along the Treasure Coast today will be around one foot.  It won't be much bigger than that for a week or two. 

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net