3/4/20 Report - Ornate Roman Sword In Sheath Found. Other Miscellaneous Finds. Bigger Surf Coming.

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

200-Year-Old Roman Dagger in Sheath.

Source: See LiveScience.com link below

I posted about this Roman sword on 3/3, but it looks like somehow it accidentally got deleted so I'm posting it again.

Here are the first few paragraphs.

Archaeologists in Germany were "lost for words" after the discovery of a 2,000-year-old silver dagger. The weapon was found in its sheath in the grave of a Roman soldier who once fought against the Germanic tribes.

The dagger was so corroded, it took nine months of sandblasting and grinding before the sharp, 13-inch-long (35 centimeters) weapon was restored, at which point researchers were easily able to remove it from its richly decorated sheath...

After the dagger was X-rayed, CT scanned, and restored, archaeologists marveled at the dagger; its handle is inlaid with silver and decorated with rivets, and the iron blade has "deep grooves on either side of the midrib, a pronounced waist and a long tapering point," Tremmel said.

The iron sheath is lined with linden wood and decorated with red glass, silver, niello (a black mixture, often of sulphur, copper, silver and lead) and red shiny enamel. Rings on the sheath were used to hang the dagger from a belt, which was also found in the grave...

Clipping From Video Showing Cleaned and Restored Sword on Belt.

Source: See LiveScience.com link below.

Here is the link.

https://www.livescience.com/roman-iron-dagger-sheath.html

---

I've often said, "There is always somewhere to hunt and something to find."  When conditions aren't right for one kind of hunting, it is for another.  You just have to change and adapt to the prevailing conditions.

I also believe that doing different kinds of hunting is both fun and educational.   You'll often learn something from one kind of hunting that you can then use when doing another type of hunting.

Yesterday I didn't go metal detecting, but I did do a little bottle hunting, and came away with a few nice bottles but nothing really special.   Here are a couple.

Vintage Coca Cola Bottle and Unidentified Stopper Top Bottle Finds.

The Coca Cola bottle is in very nice clean condition.   As you probably know, Coca Cola collectibles are among the most collected, right up there with Disney. 

This bottle is from Claxton Ga.  It is not an old or rare bottle, but I assume it would be extremely common either.

Bottom of Claxton GA Coca Cola Bottle.

Yesterday I also posted some finds by DB.  Here they are again.

Shell Artifacts, Fowler's Ink Bottle, Lea and Perrine Bottle, Bottle Stoppers, etc.

Finds and photo by DB.

---

The predictions for a higher surf this weekend are holding up well.   I think they improved their mode.  In the past the predictions would often predict a high surf that would disappear as the time got closer.  Now the predictions seem to hold up very well.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/18/18 Report - Tips for Estimating the Date of Jewelry. SB804 and HB631. Five Days of Detecting Back In The Day.

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

Source: MyClassicJewelry.com link below.

I often get emails asking if finds might be old, and we try to identify and date finds all the time.  When it comes to jewelry, it is very difficult to provide an age for many items.  Many jewelry designs and functional features have been used or centuries.  Nonetheless, there are some things you can look for that might help you narrow down the age of an item.

I found one very helpful web site on vintage and antique jewelry that presents some very useful information.  One illustration from that web site can be seen above.  You can see different clasp types from three different periods.

Here is the link for more of that web site.

https://www.myclassicjewelry.com/blog/vintage-jewelry-hardware/

There are other good web sites on the subject.  The following list came from a good web site on necklace clasps.

There is more on that web site.  The above is just a small sample.

Here is that link.

http://blogs.houseofgems.com/index.php/2014/10/dating-vintage-necklaces-by-their-clasps/

I"m sure you can find other good web sites that can help you date jewelry finds.

---

In a previous post I referred to an article about Florida SB 804, which, according to the article, would allow beach-front property owners to restrict public access to the beach in front of their property.

See http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2018/3/11/residents_fighting_b.html.

After originally posting that article, I was told by a trusted source that the bill wouldn't do what the article claimed.  Then I received more emails about the danger of the bill.  Not wanting to become either a community organizer or legal analyst, and not being able to decisively unravel or provide a definitive conclusion to the matter, I'll provide just a few comments today and then get back to the normal business of this blog.

Among the things I was was told is that SB804 was “tabled, but that a similar bill, HB631, was on the Governor's desk.  After looking at the text of HB631, and without being able to determine the legal meaning of many of the terms for myself, here is what I decided to do.  I contacted the Florida representative for my district and sent him an email asking for clarification on HB631 and told him I was strongly opposed to any legislation that would restrict public access to the beaches.  That seems to cover it for me regardless of what SB804 or HB631 says or doesn't say.  I expect his interpretation, if received, will be skewed according to his political leaning, so that will be of limited value, but I did express my feelings.   Now it is up to you.

This post will replace any previous comments I made on the subject and will most likely be my complete and final post on the bills.

Here is a link you can use to find your Florida government representatives.

MyFloridaHouse.gov.

---

I've talked about my old detecting records before.  I just noticed an interesting five day span in which I found five gold rings at four different locations.  I must have had some time off.

On 5/26/89 on Lower Matecume Key I found 14K band marked 1988.  Someone didn't have that one long.  I was using a modified Nautilus 571 at the time.  That was one of my all-time favorite detectors.

On 5/27 there was a 16 dwt 1970 U. M. class ring found at Crandon Park and a interlocking silver and gold rings.  You could usually find some gold there but it wasn't usually of high quality.

On 5/28 the find was thin gold ring with the initial J at Bill Baggs park.

On 5//29 it was a gold ring with small diamond found at Jupiter Inlet Park.

On 5/30 the find was a 1967 class ring (didn't record the school).  I find it strange that I made the hour long trip to Jupiter two days in a row.  The conditions there must have looked OK.

None of those days was big, but each one produced a little gold.  It looks like I was ranging farther than usual for some reason.  The only day of the five that I remember the finds is 5//27.  I remember exactly where those finds were made.  The life guard stopped me after less than an hour of detecting.  He said that detecting wasn't allowed in the park, so I put my detector back in the car and left.
However, the next day or so, I called the Dade County Parks Department, and they told me that they were going to lift the detecting ban at the park very shortly.  And they did. 

I also talked to them once about a beach club on Key Biscayne that was telling me I couldn't detect in front of the club.  The county told me that I had every right to use the beach back to the erosion control markers.  That sand is paid for by the tax-payers and the tax-payers should remember that.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/24/15 Report - Mystery Object Quiz. Comparison Of Two Very Different Detectors - One Cost $200 Plus, The Other $2000 Plus.

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

First a little quiz.   These are some items I picked up when looking for bottles the other day.

Do you know what the square box like object is?  I got it wrong when I first saw it.

It has some markings on the bottom but they are hard to make out.

Do you see anything in the picture that goes with the box?  I didn't know they went together until a few days later.

See if you can figure out what it is.  I'll give the answer at the bottom of the post.
--------

I've used a variety of detectors over the years including detectors made by most of the major manufacturers, including Whites, Fisher, Tesoro, Garrett and Minelab.  I've used custom made detectors even more than the detectors made by those companies.

I often get emails asking about what detector to buy.  As you probably know, that is a tough decision,  I can't make that decision for anyone without knowing a lot of details, such as where they want to hunt, what they want to find, and even knowing something about them.

I can say I wouldn't choose Tesoro for wet sand or water hunting, and you should not be fooled by their advertising a lifetime warranty.  It is not a lifetime warranty at all.  They will not honor the warranty when they determine that the detector is obsolete.  They also have other ways to get out of their "lifetime" warranty.

Anyhow, today I thought I'd compare two very different types of detectors made by the same manufacturer.   I chose the Garrett Ace 250 and the Garrett ATX.  Those are two very different detectors.

The Ace costs just over $200, while the ATX costs over $2000.  On the basis of that alone you might think that the ATX will be the far superior detector, and in some ways it is, but there are times when the Ace might be the best choice, and price isn't the only factor, there are times and places where the Ace will actually perform better.

The Ace has basic target ID.  The ATX does not.  The ATX does have a feature called "iron check" but as the manufacturer says, iron check is conservative.  It does not always identify iron.

Both have discrimination.  You probably know how I feel about discrimination.  There is nothing wrong with using discrimination, but use it discriminatingly.  That means don't use it too much.

If I were to describe those two detectors in a few words, here is what I would say.

First the Ace 250.  Inexpensive -  Easy-  Productive - Limited
Now the ATX.         Expensive - Challenging - Powerful - Rugged

The Ace 250 would be a good beginner's detector.  The ATX would probably be very frustrating for a beginner.

There are other times I would choose the Ace.  It is excellent for quickly scanning an area.

The ATX, on the other hand could drive you crazy in a junky area where there is a lot of small trash unless you learn how to effectively deal with that.  It will detect nearly invisible small pieces of iron and it takes a while to learn to effectively deal with that.  Many people would not have the patience.

Don't get me wrong.  I think the ATX is a great detector.  It is just not for everyone or every situation. 

Like I often say, "Detectors are something like golf clubs. Select the one that is right for the situation." 

If you hunt for different things at different types of sites and can afford it, you might want to have more than one type of detector in your arsenal.

---------

Answer to quiz.

Picture clipped from a web site selling vintage items.

Here is a picture of an item like the mystery object that I asked you about.  I found it online.

The object is a vintage letter and stamp moistener.  Water was put in the container and the wheel had an axle that fit into the slots.  When the wheel was turned stamps or whatever could be moistened by the wet wheel.

Picture of the found container
with wheel inside.

------

No significant change in beach detecting conditions yet.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/12/14 Report - Age of Those Who Metal Detect, Sand Surprises, Vintage Fort Pierce Coca Cola Bottle & Milkette Bottle

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

Fort Pierce Coca Cola Bottle.

I decided to take a little walk today to do what I call mucking.  That is just some leisurely junking around in generally low-value target areas.

I enjoyed the walk and found a few things that I liked.   One was this old Fort Pierce Coca Cola Bottle.  I liked it because it is unlike any I've found before and is local.

The top is damaged.  That is a big disappointment.  I haven't cleaned it up yet and haven't done any research to date it yet.  Maybe I'll post some better pictures after I clean it up.

And here is another surface bottle that I ran across.  Also something that I've not found before.  Haven't done the research on it yet either.   I'll probably post more of today's finds in the future.

Vintage Milkette Bottle.

By now you probably know what the fox says.  (In case you don't, that is a reference to song on a YouTube video that became wildly popular.)   But do know where the sand goes?

Here is a link that will take you to a couple of videos on that topic.  I'd suggest you take a look.  You might think you know where the sand goes, but the second video especially surprised me.

http://sand-wars.com/

Did you know that there is a sand mafia and that gang wars are fought over sand?  It seems like such an endless resource that we don't use for much except treading under foot and trying to dig through.  It is very useful and valuable though, and as the video points out is used in all concrete buildings, not to mention glass and a bunch of other things.

There is good sand and bad sand, rough sand and rounded sand, and there is regulated sand.  Like most everything these days, much of it is regulated by a government.  You can't go to the beach with dump trucks and cart all of it away to your cement or glass factory.

We all know that there are even some locations where there are laws about digging holes in sand.

Anyhow, the two videos that I'm talking about changed the way I look at sand.

Thanks to Eric L. for submitting the link.


The most recent blog poll has concluded and the results are in.  A good number of people (152) responded.  I guess it was an easy question that anyone could quickly answer with no hesitation.

First, I'm disappointed that there are so few young people involved.  Only 3, or 1% of those responding, are fifteen or under.  That does match what I see in the field.   I seldom see anyone that young detecting on the beaches, but am always glad when I see a kid going at it.

I suppose that of those 15 and under that do detect, they might not do much reading about it and therefore wouldn't be reading this blog or responding to any poll in it.  I suppose that young people might simply enjoy detecting with family members. 

If you are one of the few young people who detect, I'd love to hear from you and about how you got started and why you like metal detecting.

As I've said, I think metal detecting is a very educational activity that will increase curiosity in a variety of academic subjects as well as research and the scientific method.  I can't think of many more beneficial activities for young people.

In this poll, only 1 person, (less than 1%) was 16 to 25.   I guess those are the years when people are in school, into cars and chasing members of the opposite (or same) sex.  I was once told that metal detecting is for old people when I was still in mid-life.  That is the perception, and to some extent, whether it should be or not, is true.

Even more surprising to me is the fact that only 7 (2%) of those that responded to the poll are 35 or under.  Maybe it is for old people.  Younger people are going to school, getting married, making a home, etc. etc.  And maybe it is the more mature crowd that appreciates digging up or reading about the older stuff.  You might have even drank out of a Milkette bottle, but not if you are very young.

It seems that people start to get into detecting around the 36 to 45 age group, perhaps when children start leaving home or finances can more easily be put to metal detectors and leisure time.

You also shouldn't forget that as I learned in a previous poll, there are a good number who read this blog and respond to the polls but do not detect real frequently for various reasons, such as no time or opportunity.  I don't know yet if there are people who are interested in the topic and read about it but who might not have any interest in actually going out and doing it.  I know there are some arm chair treasure hunters.

Here is the biggest finding for me.  93% of those that responded to the poll are 36 or older.  That is pretty astounding even taking into account any margin of error or any possible interpretation of the results.

Most of those who read this blog and respond to the polls, and most of those who metal detect are at least middle aged.  Metal detecting, for whatever reason, and like it or not, is an activity in which it is mostly the mature that are involved.

For detector manufacturers that could be a problem.  I can't say that interest in detecting is decreasing overall.  It doesn't seem that way to me.

I don't have figures on detector sales, but I see more people on the beaches with metal detectors than I did years ago.  Perhaps that has something to do with the price of gold or the economy, or awareness of metal detecting as a hobby.  But you don't see many Parker Schnable's out there.  (If you don't know, Parker is a gold miner on the TV how Gold Rush.)

According to the poll, the peak age group is 56 - 65 (33%).  That certainly corresponds to the beginning of the retirement years, so maybe it is a matter of leisure time.

23% are 66 or older.  There is a time when detecting becomes more physically challenging.  It does seem that among hard-core detectorists, once they have the interest, it doesn't easily disappear.

Well, one thing the poll clearly says to me is that metal detecting, as reflected in this blog, is primarily of interest to those of more mature age.

I wonder what needs to be done to get more young people involved.  Do we need to do Youth Hunts or do presentations in the schools?

I'm sure some will say we don't need any more detectorists.  I understand where that would be coming from.  But we do need more interest in history and other subjects that metal detecting encourages.  Nothing does that better than hands-on activities.

I also have to say that my personal observations in the field support the data obtained in this poll.  Most detectorists that I do see out there are over 35.  No doubt about that.  So I have NO trouble accepting the poll results.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/28/12 Report - Mixed Metal Detector Finds From One Mainland Site

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

Today I’ve decided to show some more finds from a mainland hunt for a variety of reasons. One is to further illustrate the point that just because a site is old, not all finds at the site will be old.

Most spots that were used years ago have been used since, sometimes nearly continuously. Therefore, very often you’ll find more recent finds and have to remove a lot of more recent stuff before you get to the older finds, which tend to be deeper and give softer signals.

The weights found vary from 2.5 pounds to 8 pounds.  Most had the weight marked.

Most also showed a patent date.  The date on the bottom weight in the photo above is the clearest and seems to read July 3, 84.  That weight is a six pound weight. 

A well-used and heavily corroded chisel is shown below that weight.

Dug Toy Tractor

Most of the first finds made at this site appeared to be from the 1970s. Not very old at all, but then there were the older finds, such as the 1902 nickel.

A number of coins from the seventies were found, along with some other things that are easy to date, such as the nice metal tractor shown here.

And below is a vintage item. I take it to be a hook for hanging coats and hats or something.



Vintage Dug Hook.



Just a few examples today.  I’ll show a few of the more interesting finds in the future. I want to do some more research first, and I still need to take some good photos.



Aquanut, who hosts the annual Treasure Coast Treasure Hunters picnic, sent me the following news.


I thought you might want to know...

Tom Gidus, a friend to many of us has been diagnosed with Colon Cancer. We in the treasure hunting community need to band together to help one of our own. I've proposed a Cure Mad4Wrecks Cancer cookout on Treasurenet because, of course, the many members there that know him personally. I hope you guys here will support the effort also.

Here's what I put on the Shipwrecks forum:

Tom, You've always been a great presence at the Treasure Hunter's Cookouts. I want to do what I can to help. Although this isn't exactly a celebration, a benefit for one of our best might generate some money to keep you treasure hunting with us. With some help from our friends, what say you all to having a cookout and invite all our friends in the Treasure Hunting community to a Cure Mad4Wrecks Cancer cookout! I know most of us TH'rs aren't rich, but we all know someone who is. Get 'em to come! I'll put it together with what little I have and we'll party next month! Nothing we're doing could possibly be more important. Suggestions are welcome!

Aquanut


I’m sorry to hear the sad news but am also optimistic about a complete cure.

I know that notices posted on this blog get a lot of action. 

The seas along the Treasure Coast are down to 2 - 3 feet today, with north winds in the morning, turning more east in the afternoon. Not much change for the next few days.

Conditions remain about the same.

Low tide this afternoon will be just after 1:30.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/30/11 Report - 7 Foot Seas Predicted!!! & Treasure Coast Vintage Bottles

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

Vintage Soda Bottles Found Along the Banks of Treasure Coast Waterways.

Something a little different today while we're waiting for the beaches to improve.

I'll go left to right.

First a Pepsi bottle embossed Pepsi Cola. This one doesn't show where it was bottled. The bottles that are found on the Treasure Coast come from all around Florida and all around the world.

Second, a soda bottle embossed Red Rock Co. Jacksonville FL. Its nice when the bottle tells you where it came from.

Third, as you can see a vintage 7-UP bottle. No location.

Fourth,a bottle embossed Stuart Bottling Works. I don't know what the bottle contained. It looks like a soda bottle to me, but I don't know. I'll have to find out where the Stuart Bottling Works was and what they did. Maybe someone out there can help with that. I sold another one like this before.

I especially like the local bottles.

Fifth, a Coca Cola soda water bottle. On the bottom it is embossed Fort Pierce Fla. Another local bottle telling a little about our local history. I've sold one or two of these before. Vintage Coca Cola items are usually easy to sell.

These are just a few examples that have been eye-balled along the Treasure Coast.

As I've said before, items like these, while having some value of their own, give you information about people and locations of the past.

One Treasure Coast bottle was sold to someone in Australia. Another was sold to a guy that was writing a book on Florida pharmacy bottles

There are all kinds of things to be found. When you are looking for cobs keep your eyes open for other things.

I've mentioned before that my introduction to bottle hunting came after Hurricane Andrew. I was detecting for coins and found some old bottles washing up on the beach. I found some bags and started picking up the bottles, which turned out to be worth more than the old coins I found that day.

I think about starting a site just to display various types of Treasure Coast finds but never got around to it.


Dropping lake levels in Texas exposed native American archaeological sites. Many looters have been arrested.

http://www.kwtx.com/news/headlines/Dropping_Lake_Levels_Expose_Ancient_Artifacts_And_Looters_Have_Noticed_130746858.html?ref=858

I'm not aware of Native Americans using concrete thousands of years ago. If looters were digging under concrete, it would seem that the site had already been disturbed, so any disturbance done by the so-called looters would be secondary at best.


Here is a nice article about recent archaeological discoveries in the historic Hudson River Valley.

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Dig-under-way-at-historic-Saratoga-battlefield-2188054.php


As you know, both gold and silver prices have dropped significantly lately. Gold has gone from around $1900 to around $1600, and silver from around $40 an ounce to around $30. It's any body's guess where they'll go next.

After a big drop and bounce, OMEX stock seems to be dropping too.


Treasure Coast Beach Forecast and Conditions.

Philippe seems headed west. It might be coming our way.

And the surf web sites are now predicting 7.5 foot seas for next Thursday. That is the big news today. Seas that high could really improve conditions for us. As you probably know, it depends upon other factors as well, but seas that high give us a good chance for something good to finally happen.

Today the wind is out of the north/northwest. Seas are relatively calm, and the surf web sites have decreased the level of the seas expected this weekend.

We do finally have something hopeful to look forward to.


Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/23/11 Report - Vintage Watches, Gold Coins, Live Beach Cams

Interesting Band on Found Watch.

I always like to browse sites showing 17th an 18th century items. If there is one thing I regret, it is the times that I failed to recognize the approximate date of an item when I dug it up only to learn later that I should have paid more attention to the item.

I've mentioned before the time I dug a musket part and the musket flint and didn't recognize what it was at the time. That was when I was new to digging up things from earlier centuries. If I had recognized what I had, I would have stayed in the same area longer and hunted much more thoroughly than I did.

I once dug a gold enameled ring on a shipwreck beach and didn't think it looked three hundred years old. I didn't know that they did enameling centuries ago. But they did.

Anyhow, as a result of things like that, I like to study old artifacts of all types so I recognize them when I see them.

A big part of successful detecting, is recognizing the clues that you come across. If you find a 17th century artifact, for example, you should hunt that area very thoroughly before moving on.

Here is a nice web site where you can study some very nice examples of 17th and 18th century jewelry.

http://www.peterszuhay.com/jewellery.htm



If you were detecting and found a Seiko watch, what is the oldest it could be?

Back of Watch Bearing Serial Numbers.

Sorry. The numbers on the back of the casing didn't show up in the photo very well, but they are there. You can clearly see the number on the band.

Did you guess how long ago Seiko watches were made?

The first Seiko brand watches were produced in 1924. Not exactly an antiquity, yet much older than I would have guessed. I would have thought something like 1970.

The Seiko company is even older than that, going back to the 1880s.

An interesting bit of trivia: the first crystal watches made by Seiko cost as much as a new car at the time.

Thanks to the internet a lot of information is available to help you decipher serial numbers. On a Seiko, for example, the first number of the six figure serial number gives the last digit of the year the watch was produced. 4 as the first digit indicates the watch was manufactured in a year such as 1964 or 1974, for example.

Unfortunately you have to figure out what the first three digits of the year would be from information about when that model of watch was produced or other sources.

The second digit of the serial number indicates the month. If you want to learn more about that just search Seiko and serial number.

Similar information is available for most other watches. There is a really great forum for Rolex watches as well as many other brands where you can get your questions answered.

Here is the link for the Rolex forum.

http://www.rolexforums.com/


Vintage and antique watch collecting are very popular.



Ten rare Double Eagle gold coins worth 40 million were ruled to be the property of the U S Treasury. The coins have been in the possession of a family for a number of years, but were ruled to have been improperly removed from the mint and therefore the property of the Treasury.

Here is the link to that story.

http://search.aol.com/aol/search?query=double+eagle+gold+coins+owned+by+treasury&s_it=keyword_rollover

The story suggests that the coins might go on display. Many people think they should be sold. Sounds right to me. Pay off some government debt.


I added a web site to my Tide and Surf Projection Section on this blog. It gives the links to many live web cams for Florida, including many for the Treasure Coast.

Thanks to Jim M. for submitting the site.


Treasure Coast Beach Forecast and Conditions.

The low pressure area down by the Lesser Antilles has developed only a little. It now has a 30% chance of becoming a cyclone. The early projections that I saw, predict that it will most probably go into the Gulf.

I wouldn't be surprised if the surf predictions change a little in the next few days, but right now the wind is out of the south/southeast and the seas for the next several day will be about 1 to 2 feet. If that is accurate, the conditions will not be changing significantly for a while. I wouldn't be surprised to see the surf predictions changed in the next few days though.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

PS: I don't usually post this early in the morning. If you usually check out the posts early in the day, you might have missed yesterday's post.