4/30/20 Report - More On Metal Detecting Watches and Researching Watch Finds.

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

Rolex Watch Found by JamminJack

Yesterday I talked a bit about finding watches.  JamminJack sent this photo of a Rolex he found.  He said he was surprised that it wasn't a knock-off.  It has a pearl face and diamond hour markers.

I'm glad he mentioned knock-offs.  Like everything else of value these days, there are plenty of counterfeits out there.

I once found a Malibu Polo Club watch that I was going to wear, so I took it to a repair shop to have a few links removed from the band.  I didn't know anything about the brand and never imagined that it was anything that anybody would counterfeit, but the dealer wouldn't work on it because it was a knock-off.

There are a lot of knock-offs, but there are tons of genuine watches that are worth a lot.  Certain Patek Phillipe watches are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, for example.  There are watches that I never heard of that are worth a lot, and I recently discovered that I should have paid more attention to some of those.

I have the following price guide on watches, but as happens with priced guides, the prices quickly become out of date.  Nonetheless, having over 1000 pages, this book provides tons of useful information, including tables of serial numbers, technical details and lots of history.  Being a 1997 edition, the prices are next to useless, but even if they are way off, you can still tell if you have something that might be valuable enough to get checked out.  It would be a pity to discard a watch worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.

At least if you find a watch you don't know anything about, there is a chance that you can find enough information to give you some idea.

Ladies Gucci Watch With Interchangeable Color Plastic Ring.

You might be surprised by the values of some watches.  Back in the late 1990s, I found several of the ladies Gucci watches like the one shown above.  Evidently a lot of them were lost.  I think maybe because the band was so rigid and the clasp not very good, but I never paid much attention to them because they seemed to be so common, however a quick check of eBay shows they can be worth over $100 in used condition.

Men's Gucci Watch Find.

I haven't even bothered to check out this Gucci watch yet, but I just saw a bunch of Gucci watches selling for close to $1000 so I guess I should get it checked out.

Back to the subject of knock-offs - there are a lot of web sites and videos that will tell you how to determine if a Rolex is real or fake.  One thing to check is the date bubble.  It should magnify 2.5 times.  Many fakes do not have a bubble or do not magnify the right amount.

Here is a web site that gives a number of clues on how to identify a real or counterfeit Rolex.

https://www.jewelry-secrets.com/Blog/how-to-spot-a-fake-rolex-watch/

In the old days, most of us probably used an acid test kit to test our finds.  Today it is easier, and you can get more detailed information, if you just take metal items to a pawn shop or jeweler that has an XRF analyzer.  Times have changed.

It is easier to take watches to an expert too, rather than trying to do all the research yourself.   That is what I do.   There is an authorized Rolex dealer in Vero, for example.  So any Rolex, or any other watch that I suspect might be good, I take to a watch dealer or someone who should know.  Watches aren't the easiest thing to research.

Rolex watches have a serial number and you can look up the serial number to get an idea of when the watch was manufactured.  You might think that you can find the original owner by using the serial number, but Rolex won't give that information.  I tried that  more than once.

You can check TheWatchRegister.com, but that database only shows watches that were registered by the owner, so a lot of the time you will not find the serial number you are looking for.

Concerning detecting watches - I previously did some videos on how the position of a watch can affect the signal you get from your metal detector.  I used the Ace 250 on those videos.

Using an Equinox metal detector, the results were similar, but with the Equinox you can also consult the conductivity numbers.  I think I did similar tests using an Aquanaut detector oot, but don't know if I posted it.

Here are the links to the three videos showing how the position of a watch affects the metal detector signal.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqZ9XJiKy7o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtIVumXmtyU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYGswg64oWE

If you want to find watches, it is worth practicing, as I mentioned yesterday.  I always thought I found so many watches because other people were using discrimination and missing them.  You don't want to miss watches, because they can be some of your more valuable finds.  That has certainly been true for me.


It might be also be worth reminding you about something else I wrote about in the past.  When you are trying to find the rightful owner of a find, make sure to not tell them everything.  If there is a personal inscription, for example, keep it secret so you can ask any one who claims to be the owner about the inscription.  You want to make sure you have the correct person.

I say that because I've had people try to claim finds that did not belong to them.  It happens way too often.  I did a post on that before and also did a post describing precautions to take when hunting a specific item for a person.

When searching for an specific item, make sure to get an exact description with positive identifying details before conducting the search.  If you find something better than what you were searching for the person might try to claim it.  It has happened.

In South Florida you will have more problems with people than on the Treasure Coast.  In crowded areas there will sometimes be people who follow you around trying to see anything and everything that comes up in your scoop.  In the past I described some of my favorite techniques for dealing with that too.


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The Treasure Coast surf will be decreasing from the current two to three feet.  You can expect a calm surf in the not too distant future.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/31/19 Report - Valuable Roman Coin and Unknown Coin Find. Jupiter Beach. Passing It On.

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

Left: Very rare and valuable Roman coin found by detectorist in England.  

Right: Similar coin recently found by Sharon and submitted for ID shown in yesterday's post.

Looks like we have an interesting story.  Yesterday I posted a photo of a coin (right above) found by Sharon and submitted for ID.  On the left above is a Roman coin that sold for over half a million dollars.  

Of course there are apparent differences as well as similarities.  One seems to be gold and the other not.  The portrait seems to be of a different person and the wording is different.  Still there seems to be enough similarity, most notably in the head wear, which suggests to me that Sharon's find could be Roman.  Whether it is genuine or a reproduction or copy has not yet been determined.

Here is a bit of the story of the valuable Roman coin shown on the left.

A rare 1700-year-old coin depicting Roman ruler Allectus found by an amateur metal detectorist in a field in Kent, England, has been sold for a staggering price in the UK. The gold coin is very rare, and this set off a bidding war that smashed the auctioneer's estimate for the piece and set new records, finally being sold for £552,000 (US$700,000). It is the most money ever paid for a coin depicting Allectus and the most valuable Roman coin minted in Britain to have been sold at auction. 

The exact location of the find has not been stated, but it was near Dover, in the English County of Kent. 

Dix Noonan Web announced that the find was made by a 30-year-old amateur metal detectorist, who has followed the pursuit for seven years, while he was searching some tilled farmland with his brother... 

You can find out more about that coin by using the following link, which was submitted by William K.

https://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/roman-coin-allectus-0012118

Thanks much William.

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Jupiter Inlet Beach

Photo by Joe. D.

I received the photo above and the following photo along with the following message from Joe D. yesterday.

Hello,

   I was out before the sun for low tide at the inlet! Sorry to say that the constant march of bulldozers and sand has already affected the inlet beach! Very few targets now!  They are past the condos heading north to the inlet beach, and the sand is washing ahead of them!

   Carlin Park now has a 100 yards of beachfront, and the rocks are buried under about 15 feet of sand! The only eroded beach left, is basically the Reef Club south now!

  It would be cheaper to build new buildings west of the beach, than to keep throwing money away on beach sand! If i had a nickel for every dollar they spent on sand, I'd be rich!⛱💰 

Joe D.

Jupiter.

Photo by Joe D.

Thanks Joe.

Lots of shells for the shell hunter there.

Nothing more appropriate to the New Year than the moving sands of time.

It has been said that we don't own treasure.  We are only the caretakers for a while.

That fits right in with my New Years theme and the following message I received from DB.

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I recently volunteered at a Christmas present giveaway and created a chest full of sand for the kids to dig in. I slowly filled it with every treasure I come across in my treks.

My family and I provided plastic baggies and answers to children of all ages.  I had my detector there and gave a few special kids some stories and info about hunting.  I even had a handful of children more interested in burying the treasures to replenish the box for the 125 children that came through. 

We gave over 1000 shark teeth away including some very large megs. Marbles, metal detecting finds, pottery, shells, coins, seaglass. You name it and it was in there. It was over 10 years of collecting but was my overflow. 

I cant explain how rewarding it was and hope I can store up enough to do it again someday. I know that those items sit proudly in many hiding spots. Hidden in a satchel or tucked away in a box. Only to be the seed of excitement created by the thrill of the hunt to hopefully someday bring the same joy over and over again. 

For some, it was something they had already done and found more interesting now, but others, it was just beginning.  

The best gift I could ever give on Christmas. The ability to find treasure in many things.  '

DB.



Thanks DB. Very good idea. Its good for the hobby and the children that I am sure enjoyed the experience and benefited from it.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

It looks like we'll be starting 2020 off with a week of small surf on the Treasure Coast.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Here we are about to step into a new decade.  It seems like yesterday that we were preparing for the a new millenia.  There were apocalyptic fears that every computer in the world would crash because of some glitch having to do with the computer's inability to handle a year that didn't start with 19.   Businesses wasted tons of employee time and money on preparing for some feared disaster.  Well, not much happened.   The world went on with barely a hiccup.

I just had a funny thought.  I find all kinds of junk that I end up using in one way or another.  I just enjoy using the junk I find rather than buying stuff.   I decided to list some of the useful junk I've found.

1.  Boots.  I've found boots that fit and that I used.  One pair were attached to ruined waders.  I just cut the boots off.   I got some good use out of them.  I also found fireman's boots in the Indian River that came in handy.  They have steel toes and steel plates under the soles.

2.  Reflectors.  I just found nine orange reflectors on a metal plate.  They were probably used at the end of a dead end or something like that.  I mounted them on some posts along the driveway.

3.  Wire.  I like finding old wire and have a variety of gauges.  I use it all the time.  One recent use was to make outdoor Christmas decoration hangers.  I used some to make hangers for Orchids.

4.  Old bottles.  Used as décor on a window ledge or book shelf.

5.  Tools.   Pliers, Wire Cutters, etc.  Some are badly corroded and useless, but some are in good condition.

6.  Wood and boards.  Used to make various things.

7.  PVC pipe.  Used to make a variety of things. including an outdoor Christmas tree and indoor Christmas tree stand.

8.  Coconuts.   The shells can be cut and used as planters.  I used one to make a Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween.

Those are just some off the top of my head.

5/13/19 Report - Alternative Types of Treasure Hunting and Thinking Outside the Sphere. $24,000 Penny Find. Cashless Society.

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

Urban Prospector

Source: New York Post.

There are many places and ways to treasure hunt. but people are usually on a very narrow track.  They might try one or two or maybe three kinds of hunting, but there are many others that they never even consider.

While most of the time I metal detect on the beach,, I have done some other very different things, but there are still many others that I have never tried.

There are some types of hunting that most of us would never think of.  For example, there is a fellow that hunts the cracks and pot holes in the streets in the New York diamond district ( photo above).  He extracts the accumulated debris and later pans it.

You can view the video of how he works the streets by going to this old post.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2011/12/122611-report-one-strange-place-to-find.html

I really recommend taking a look at that video.

You might be surprised by how much you can find on the streets.  Without even trying, I can remember finding, a heavy gold chain, gold bracelet, gold earrings, and Gucci and other watches on the streets, so I'm not at all surprised by the success of that fellow.

Parking lots are good too.  You have a good chance if at first light of day you search in front of a glitzy but rowdy bar after a busy night.  I learned that when I arrived early one morning to detect and found a heavy gold chain after getting out of the car.

I once found a gold ring that had been smashed by cars in a puddle in a parking lot.  I looked for the gem stone in the puddle too, but I don't remember if I found the gem stone or not.  I doubt it, or I'd probably remember it.

When I lived down south and visited the shopping malls with my wife, I'd spend a lot of time scanning the floor especially around the edges of the jewelry cabinets and under the clothes racks. You might be surprised by how often you could find an earring backing or some other little piece, like maybe a small stone that popped off.  That isn't what we typically think of as treasure hunting, but for me it was.

I used to find valuable old books at thrift stores.  That is not as easy now because of how the collectible book market has changed as a result of the internet.  That was also a type of treasure hunting for me.

My point is, no matter what type of hunting you do, there are other types of hunting that you might not think of.   People naturally fall into habits, and those habits can become constricting.

I believe that despite the amount of sharing that takes place these days, most finds are never reported or publicized.  Those that are publicized usually don't reveal much of anything that is radically new .  People that are onto something really new and exciting often aren't ready to publicize what they are doing.  And they are too busy.

It is good to be skeptical, but a person can dismiss things too quickly because of the limited range of their own experiences and imagination.  That is a real danger.

Most beach hunters have not done much cache hunting, for example, and there are a lot of different ways to do cache hunting.  You can do it like they do it on the Curse of the World War II Gold TV program, which for my taste is way too much like the Oak Island show, or you can do it many other ways.  Glenn Carson wrote a book on the subject, but I haven't seen a lot written on the subject.  There are so many places and ways to do it, and the hits are not real frequent.

People who renovate houses have an inside track on cache hunting.  There are things stuffed away in nooks and crannies that are forgotten.  I know that for sure.  You can occasionally stumble on a find like that, or you can intentionally hunt things like that and become skilled at it.

Abandoned houses, shacks, barns often conceal nice treasures too.

I define "treasure hunting" way more broadly than "metal detecting."  Although I enjoy and have done a lot of metal detecting, I have done some other types of hunting too - some of which are less common and less written about.  There are many other ways to hunt for things.  I personally like what I call eye-balling, which can be practiced in more places and will result in different kinds of finds.

As we all know, beach metal detecting is a great activity.  It offers so much.  Being outside is nice.  The exercise is good.  And you never know what you might find.  And in my opinion, it is a great educational activity.  There is so much you can learn from it.  It is also a challenge.

It is important to evaluate information and ideas, but I think creativity is as important as skepticism.  Things can be too quickly accepted or too quickly dismissed.

When you see or hear something that you think is impossible, at least entertain for a minute the possibility that there might be something you haven't thought of.  Ask yourself how it might be possible. You might discover brand new opportunities when you challenge your own skepticism.

For me, a lot of the fun of treasure hunting is the creative process.   Don't let treasure hunting become a mindless mechanical repetition.  There are always new things to learn and different ways to do things.

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Megan Green made a great find in 2017.  It was a 1969-S Lincoln Double Die Obverse cent.

Megan took up coin collecting when her young daughter had a serious heart defect.  Megan needed a diversion and began searching coins.  She searched wrapped rolls and boxes of coins she got from the bank.  After a while she gave up, but then started up again after a taking a break.

Not only did the hobby provide the diversion she need during trying times, but it also helped with medical expenses.  The 1969-S double die cent find was valued by PCGS at $24,000.

That story was reported in greater length in the May 21, 2018 issue of Coin World.

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Here is an article you might want to read about how cash is being replaced by other methods of exchange.  I've talked about that some in the past.  I disagree with some of what is in the article, but you might find some of the ideas interesting.

It starts...

A cashless society has been a talking point for futurists for years, but for one reason or another, has never quite been within our grasp. Now, like the electric car and clean energy, it’s finally happening - and it’s about time...
https://transferwise.com/us/blog/the-disappearing-paper-why-cash-is-a-dying-payment-method

In my opinion there are some very good reasons to use cash and some real dangers to cashless systems.

But what will be the impact on detectorists?   It will hurt some more than others.  Many are not  interested in finding modern coins anyhow.

The article mentioned that the average life of paper currency is only six years.  It looks to me like the life of a zinc penny might not be much better.  I've been seeing a real high percentage of 2018 and 2019 pennies lately.

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Have you ever noticed those slide show articles, like Ten Most Expensive Cars or something like that.  For each and every paragraph you have to click a NEXT icon.   I hate those, they are click-bait, and I just refuse to do them.  If I really want to see the information, I try to find the same information somewhere else, and you usually can, because they steal the information and put it in a form that requires you to click to see each paragraph, and each paragraph come with a bunch of ads. Tyup

I don't do Facebook or some of the other things either.

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Thanks for all the kind reponses to my Mother's Day post

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The Treasure Coast surf for the next week or so will be only one or two feet.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/4/19 Report - Manual For Cataloging Old Buttons. Shipwreck Finds. Searching Paper Money for Valuable Serial Numbers.

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

Some Finds (Front and Back) By Joe S.

Photos by Joe S.

I just received the following email message and photos shown above.

Hello, I live in southern NJ and follow your blog all the time. I am retired and have been detecting for about 8 years. This is the first time I've decided to send you some of my finds. These pictures are some recent finds from a local beach known for shipwrecks just off the coast... 

Nice finds Joe.  Thanks for sharing.

Looks like the fronts of a couple ornate two-piece buttons, a flat button and an old nail that looks just like some of those we find on the Treasure Coast.

I get emails from around the world, even as far away as Australia.

Here is a link to an archaeological cataloging manual for buttons.

https://www.daacs.org/wp-content/uploads/buttons.pdf

Here is a part of a table from that document just to give you some idea of the type of information you can find there.

Part of Table from DAACS,org document referenced above.

You could use this table to identify the type of shank on the flat button shown above, for example.

I might add that link to my reference link list.

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Yesterday I mentioned hunting paper money.  Some paper money is worth more than face value.  It doesn't have to be old either.  I've mentioned before about what are called "fancy serial numbers."

For a few months now I've been checking the serial numbers on the paper money that passes through my hands looking for fancy serial numbers and low serial numbers that can be worth some extra money.

So far the lowest serial number I've found has four leading zeros.  Here it is.

I found a very good web site that gives good information, including approximate values for bills with low serial numbers.  Here is what it says.

Low serial numbers are really a lot of fun to see. The more leading zeros you have on a currency, the higher the value will be. However, this rule does need to be explained:

Serial number 00000001 – 00000009, most valuable
Serial number 00000010 – 00000099, always carry a premium
Serial number 00000100 – 00000999, could carry a premium
Serial number 00001000 and higher will rarely be worth more than face value

So my dollar with four leading zeros didn't quite make it, but I'm getting closer.

You might want to check out the web site. It provides a lot of good information. Here is the link.

I've seen 00000001 serial numbered bills listed for tens of thousands of dollars, but the odds of finding one are very long.


http://oldcurrencyvalues.com/low_serial_numbers/

I highly recommend the web site.  It also has information on old paper money, foreign paper money, star bills, counterfeit bills, etc. etc.

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On the Treasur Coast we haven't had much surf lately.  In a few days we'll get a bump in the surf, but only a small one.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/23/15 Report - One Way To Add Value And Interest To Your Treasures. North Carolina Beaches Producing. Sea Glass Web Sites.

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

What's the most valuable thing you ever found?  That is a question that I hear a lot.  If you detect very much you've heard it too.

I'm never comfortable with that question.  For one thing, I don't know the answer.   I'm sure you've heard that an item is only worth what you can get somebody to pay for it.  If I do sell something, which is rare, I do some research, but I let the market tell me what the item is worth.

Since my primary interest isn't economic, and I know that is what I'm being asked, I don't know how to answer the question.  I could get into a long discussion, but that isn't what the person wants.  Their interest isn't complicated, but it doesn't mesh with my thinking.  The result is that I'm left with an uncomfortable feeling knowing that not only do I not know the answer, but I am also a little uncomfortable with how the question is posed and the underlying assumptions.

Even if you boil it down to a matter of dollars and cents, I'll bet that some of your finds will fool  you. You might have finds that are worth a lot more than you realize and vice versa.

Not long ago I talked about a red piece of uranium sea glass that I found.  I didn't know until very recently that it was uranium sea glass.  I didn't find that out until years after it was found when I finally looked at it under a black light.

Red sea glass is rare.  Only about one out of 5000 pieces of found sea glass are red.  But this piece is more rare than that.  It is nice extremely well tumbled and shaped.  It is more rare than that.  It is also uranium glass.  That puts it in another category altogether.  The fact is that the red piece of uranium sea glass that I found would probably sell for more than many of the silver reales that I've found.  Who would have guessed?  Most detectorists have no interest in sea glass.

My point with this discussion is not about sea glass.  It is about treasures and how easy it is to be fooled by the potential economic value of finds.  It is easy to over value or under value different types of items.

I think more mistakes are made by not not appreciating the value of items than by thinking that things are worth more than they are.  If you over-value something, you won't throw it away or sell it ridiculously cheaply.  You'll just be disappointed to find out that you can't get much out of it.

In the case of items that are not thought to have any value, they are often ignored, sold too cheaply or thrown away.  You might never find out about that mistake, or you might.

This is just as much about silver cobs or escudos or other kinds of treasures.  They can be over valued or under valued.  The key is knowledge.  Do your research.

Here's another question.  What is the oldest thing you've found?  You might think of coins that are hundreds of years old, or maybe an artifact.  In my case, I didn't know what my oldest find was for a long time.

My oldest coin find is about 5th century BC.   Obviously that is not a U. S. coin.  But that is far from my oldest find.  My oldest finds are millions of years old.  They are fossils.

The first fossil I found came up in a scoop of sand and shell when I was digging probably a penny or something.  I didn't know what it was at the time, but thought it was unusual, and as I often advise, I put it aside and kept it. I didn't know what it was for a number of years.

The knowledge you bring to a treasure can totally transform it.  You might not know something important about a find, but when you learn more about it, the find can be transformed.

It is knowledge that makes the item more interesting and possibly more important.  Knowledge can also actually make an item more valuable.

Take for example, a coin with a certificate of authenticity.  The certificate provides knowledge.  It should tell you something about the item, such as who found it, maybe what wreck it was associated with etc. etc.  That knowledge makes the item more valuable.  Having a coin graded can also make the coin more valuable.

Research can provide important information about an item.  Notice that auction catalogs provide as much relevant information as possible.  The catalog might tell you about any special features, rarity and anything else that might make the item more valuable.

As I learned more about my red sea glass, it became more valuable - in more ways than one.  That is another example of how what you bring to your treasure is important.  What you know about an item can add a lot of value - again, in more ways than one.

Most people look for the obvious treasures.  Anyone will recognize a coin, and value it if it is old or made of silver or gold, but there are treasures that aren't obvious to the eye.  There are treasures that you might not recognize at first.

I feel like I'm talking in code or symbolism here, but that was unintentional.  It is still there.  There are multiple levels to what I am talking about.

I'll bet that you have found better things than you know. I'll bet that you've seen and passed over or even thrown away some valuable treasures.  I have.  As they say, knowledge is power.

What you bring to a treasure is important, and adds value.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast is a little rougher now.  It increased today and will be something like three of four feet for several days if the predictions are correct.

Ida is still out at sea, but that disturbance that has been slowly moving north should be affecting North Carolina.

I actually got a recent video clip from GoldNugget who is finding reales and other old coins on a North Carolina beach.

Here is the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToHgfXtNytI&feature=youtu.be

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A package of pot was found on a Fort Pierce beach yesterday.

Some years ago, I found three large (4x4x4 foot bales) on a Fort Pierce beach early one morning.

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Here are some good sea glass web sites.

This one is about uranium sea glass.

http://www.findseaglass.net/vaseline-uv-ultraviolet-and-uranium-treas-glass/

And this one presents a table showing the rarity of different colors of sea glass.

http://seaglassreinvented.blogspot.com/2012/02/sea-glass-color-rarity-chart-how-rare.html

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/1/15 Report - Two Valuable Treasures. Which Is Most Valuable? Detectors In Various Price Ranges And What People Are Spending.

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

Two Pearls From Margarita
Found in 2007

Gold Cross Discovered On Cabin Wreck
Recovered in 2003

Which of these is the most valuable?  You might be surprised.

This Gold and Emerald Cross was found inside of an ornate gold box that was sealed shut due to its centuries under water. Along with this magnificent Cross was a five-foot long chain and two spectacular emerald rings. Discovered on the site known as the "cabin wreck" while exploring the 1715 Fleet, the Cross may well have been meant as a gift to Elizabeth Farnese, Duchess of Palma, from King Philip V of Spain. After his previous wife died in 1714, Philip began to woo Elizabeth. She eventually consented, but would not consummate the marriage until she received her weight in gold and jewels . Already behind schedule, the 1715 Fleet was forced to delay even further so that fine jewelry and other wedding gifts could be delivered to the ships headed back to Europe. Due to turbulent weather, unfortunately, the ships carrying many of the new Queen's jewels sunk well before they reached European soil.   Estimated Price: $100,000 - $125,000

Two Pearls  In June 2007, Blue Water Ventures in conjunction with Motivation, Inc. (the Fisher family's salvage operation) found a lead box within the Margarita's wreck site that contained thousands of pearls. Following the discovery, a gemologist from the GIA was enlisted to analyze and categorize the pearls so that their history and guidelines for future care could be established. Conclusions drawn from the numerous tests performed do confirm that the pearls are historically important, the nacre condition of these pearls is good given their age and the hundreds of years they spent on the ocean floor. It is believed that the lead box they laid in had in fact protected the pearls from significant damage and erosion. These two pearls in particular are the two largest pieces stemming from the 16,000 pearl discovery aboard the wreck of the Santa Margarita, the sister ship of the Atocha. Attributed to Indian pearl divers off the coast of the Isle of Cubagua near the Venezuelan coast, this particular area was specifically prized for its oysters and their pearls beginning in the sixteenth century. Each of the two pearls in this lot have been graded by the GIA as "AA," which means they have a very high luster, and at least 75% of their respective surfaces are free from defects. Considered to be part of the most unique collection in the world, these pearls hail from a rare species of oyster associated with the Nueva Esparta region where they originated. It is perhaps poignant to note that the word "margarita" in both Greek and Spanish translates as "pearl" in English. The Isle of Margarita which is situated close to Cubagua was given its name by Christopher Columbus to honor the Infanta Margarita of Austria, who was engaged to the heir to the Spanish throne.  Estimated Price: $300,000 - $400,000

To be approved to bid on these lots, please complete Guernsey's Bidder Agreement Form (http://guernseys.com/v2/images/Mel_Deo_Fisher/docs/Fisher_BidderAgreement_Form.pdf) and return it to Guernsey's by fax or email before 12 Noon (EDT) August 5.

The above pictures are from the online auction site.


To view the online auction here is the link. 

http://www.invaluable.com/catalog/searchLots.cfm?scp=c&catalogRef=LCOZ5LM9LU

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The most read post of July was the  7/27/15 Report - MILLION DOLLARS Of Treasure Recently Found On A Treasure Coast Shipwreck Site.  The Difference Between Compact And Mushy Sand.

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“If you want to build a boat, don’t drum up the men and give them orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” -Antoine de Saint Exupéry“

I just thought that was a great quote.  Antoine de Saint Exupery wrote The Little Prince. He was a French aristocrat, writer, poet, and pioneering aviator.  He was best remembered for his novella, The Little Prince.  He once wrecked and was stranded in the Sahara and last disappeared over the Mediterranean while on a reconnaissance flight in 1944.

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The most recent poll has concluded and the results are in. There were 111 people that responded - a good sample size.

Seven people, 6% of the respondents, paid $250 or less for their last detector purchase.  That could include detectors like the Garrett Ace 250 or Fisher F2.  Those are decent detectors.   

My last detector cost me closer to $2500, but the one before that was the Ace 250, which cost about 1/10 the one I purchased next.  While both are worth the money in my opinion, the Ace 250 is a good value and would be an excellent first detector, back-up, or special purpose machine.  I'm not doing an advertisement - just my personal observation.  

Some people might call these detectors toys, but they are adequate for beginners and me.  My Ace is a handy detector that I use for specific situations such as making a first pass over an old home site or scanning a junky high and dry beach.  

A note for beginners -  start with something basic and simple.   More expensive does not mean more simple. And more expensive does not always mean better.  Some advanced detectors will totally frustrate a beginner.

33 people, 29% of the respondents, paid between $250 and $750 for their most recent detector purchase.  That would include detectors such as the Garrett Ace 350, Fisher F4, Bounty Hunter Discovery at the lower end, and more advanced detectors like the Garrett AT Pro, Fisher F5 at the higher end.

As I've said before, I won't touch a Tesoro because they advertise a lifetime warranty but won't honor it.  

The largest number of respondents paid between $750 and $1500 for their most recent detector purchase.  That is not surprising to me since many of the Treasure Coast use a detector such as the very popular Excalibur which costs about $1500.  That is up some in recent years.

When you get into waterproof detectectors, the price goes up.  Also specialized hunting in difficult ground often calls for more expensive detectors.

This price range includes detectors such as the Fisher Gold Bug II, Garett GTI 2500, Fisher F75, Teknetics T2, and up right around $1500, the Minelab Excalibur.

Prices will vary depend upon where you buy and what options and accessories are included.

The Excalibur might fall in the $1500 to $3000 category, depending upon where you got it etc.   In retrospect, the one thing I would change about the poll is the $1500 cut-off point.  The Excalibur is so common on the Treasure Coast and comes in at about that price.  It could fall on either side of $1500.  

The Minelab E-Trac is close to that lower cut-off too.  

Other detectors in that range are detectors such as the Minelab SDC and CTX 3030 and  Garrett ATX,

Above $3000 you get into specialized detectors such as the GPX and GPZ gold detectors and a whole variety of detectors.

I know I didn't include all detectors, some of which are very good.  I notice that I didn't mention any Whites detector, for example.   There is nothing wrong with that brand or others that I might not have mentioned. 

  

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There is one tropical disturbance still out in the Atlantic.  It is closer to Africa than us though.  

On the Treasure Coast there is no change in beach detecting conditions.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net