6/23/19 Report - Overgrown Old Site Checked Out With Some Success. More on Fake Reality TV. Artifact Identification: Bronze Weight.

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

1942 Quarter Find.

I've been mentioning a site that I hoped to hunt.  It is very overgrown, but it was obviously the site of an old building of some sort.  There are scattered remains of an old chimney.  I finally got out to check it out a little with my detector, and even though there was barely room to detect between the trees and brush, I was still able to get some coins.  They were mostly from the forties, but I suspect that there is older material there.

As you can see, the coins were not in great shape.

Buffalo Nickel.

1945 Mercury Dime.

From just scratching around a little, it looks like there are a lot of coins to be found there - much more than I expected.  I don't have any idea what went on there, but obviously something.

This is what most of it looks like.  You can see the problem.

Overgrown Site.

There was no room to sweep, so I used a non-motion mode and stuck the coil around wherever I could.

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Bronze Ring.

RITTO, Shiga Prefecture--It took 20 years, but archaeologists reckon they now know the purpose of a bronze ring unearthed at an ancient site here: as a weight for measuring commodities.

That, in itself, may not sound exceptional, but researchers are excited because bronze ring weights have only previously been found as burial accessories in centuries-old tombs in China and the Korean Peninsula.

The artifact was found in 1999 during excavation work of a dry riverbed that flowed during the late Yayoi Pottery Culture period (300 B.C.-A.D. 300). The dig by the municipal education board also turned up earthenware fragments and bronze arrowheads...

Here is the link.

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201906210001.html

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Gold has been going up nicely lately, being at about $1,400 per ounce.

Gold Prices from 1994 to Today.

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You know that most reality TV programs are fake to some degree.  You never see the film and production crews, which you know have to be there even though everyone, including the sellers, "acts" like they aren't present.  That in itself misrepresents the reality of the situation.

I've talked about some fake TV treasure shows, and detailed a few examples, but am personally coming to a greater appreciation of how fake they must be.

The most important thing for a TV show is to get ratings - otherwise it won't be on.   They have to get attention.  One show that I've watched a good bit is American Pickers.  On the surface it might seem like one of the more honest ones, but now there are web sites claiming that it is very fake.  I won't even get into all the allegations, and I don't know how accurate they are, but you can read the allegations for yourself.

https://theworldnewsdaily.com/reasons-american-pickers-is-totally-fake/

For me this isn't about one TV show or kind of TV show.   There are much larger social implications, but I'll resist the temptation to get into that now.

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A WW II veteran is united with his French sweetheart after 75 years.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wwii-sweethearts-who-reunited-in-france-may-see-each-other-again-this-time-in-mississippi/ar-AADerNG?ocid=spartandhp

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Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/22/19 Report - Cache Hunting and Finds. Paper Money and Fancy Serial Numbers Having Value.

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

Cache Hunting Book by H. Glenn Carson.

Cache hunting is a lot different from hunting coins on a beach.  Depending upon the type of cache hunting you are doing, you might come back with nothing a lot of the time, but if you hit find a cache, it can hundreds of coins or other objects all at once.

One of the things I like about cache hunting is that you can find paper money as well as coins.

One of the challenges is that your metal detector ID meter won't be a much help a lot of the time.  It isn't going to read pot of coins or bag of paper money.  And a lot of the time you'll have to sift through a lot of junk, metal and otherwise.

You don't have to find a ghost town to hunt caches, they can be found a lot of places, including back yards, and maybe even your own house.  You might be surprised how often people hide valuables and forget about them.

There are also more broken down abandoned buildings than you might suspect.  Sometimes they are hidden in overgrowth and sometimes there is little to indicate that they ever existed.

I've reported on a lot of cache finds in this blog.  Most were accidental rather than specific targeted caches.

Here is a very small part of one Florida cache find made by one of the readers of this blog.

Anyhow, Glenn's book is the only one I know of about cache hunting.  There is a newer addition (Cache Hunting II).  There must be some by other authors, but I don't know of them.  There isn't a lot of useful information you can find on the topic in general.  You almost have to have a specific cache in mind, otherwise it is very general.

Glenn used to write for at least one treasure magazine, as well as authoring a lot of books, and for a while, I think it was in the 80s, published a treasure hunter's newsletter.  We communicated on a couple projects.

He once put together a group that invested in a Mexican silver mine.  That turned out to be a scam and people lost money.  I know there was talk of people suing, but I don't know who was the defendant or whatever became of that.

I've reported on a few caches found by readers of this blog in the past.

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Serial Number 82882228

I enjoy checking the serial numbers of my bills.  I haven't been doing it more than a few months, and this is one of the better ones I've found, even though it isn't worth much.   The serial number is 82882228.  Some people call any serial number with only two different numbers a binary.  Others only consider a serial number with only 1s and 0s to be a binary.  I've seen a few with two numbers like that offered on eBay for around ten dollars.

It would have been better if it was a radar or repeater, ie 88222288 or 82828282.

Checking serial numbers is really easy, although the valuable ones are surprisingly rare.  Condition is important.  This bill is limp and worn.  That isn't what serial number collectors want.

Of course older bills and silver certificates occasionally show up and can be valuable.

The more leading zeros you have on a currency, the higher the value will be. 

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

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

If you are interested in old US bills or fancy serial numbers, here are some web sites to check.


http://oldcurrencyvalues.com/low_serial_numbers/



https://www.papermoneywanted.com/one-dollar-notes-values


http://oldcurrencyvalues.com/binary_serial_number/


http://www.mycurrencycollection.com/reference/star-notes/lookup


https://www.moneyfactory.gov/resources/serialnumbers.html

Many people collect "star notes." Star notes are used by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to replace misprinted/damaged currency before it goes into circulation. These replacement notes are printed just like normal notes, except there is a star printed in the serial number. On Federal Reserve Notes, the star is where the block letter normally is (the last letter of the serial number). On Legal Tender notes and Silver Certificates, the star is where the prefix normally is (the first letter of the serial number).  I've shown one of those before.

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I got into another container of dug pennies and separated out a couple dollars of spendable or cleanable pennies.  I hate those unusable salt water destroyed zinc pennies.

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The surf is very small, and the tides aren't very big either.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/21/19 Report - Ordnance on Beach. Mystery Item Identified. Checking Dug Pennies. Coastal Flooding. Mystery Jar.

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

Ordnance Found on North Carolina Beach.

A lady in North Carolina found an unusual item (above) at the beach, which she took home to put in her garden.  It began smoking.  Police identified the item as some kind of white phosphorous military ordnance.

Here is the link.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/north-carolina-military-ordnance-beach-garden-police

I don't know what she found attractive about it, but it is a reminder to be careful what you pick up at the beach.

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Speaking of ordnance, the last two mystery items were shot down like ducks in a shooting gallery.  It seems they were identified within minutes of being posted.

Mitch King was first again, identifying yesterday's mystery item as a shot bullet.  He sent these pictures.

Hollow Point Bullets

Scott B., with his military and law enforcement background, quickly followed describing the item as a fired hollow point bullet.

Thanks guys!

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I came across a container of pennies that I hadn't looked at in many years, and I know I didn't look a them well.  Probably I only looked for old dates or unusual coins, so I decided to look for the better ones to see if there might be any error coins.  Some of them were in very nice conditions while others were totally destroyed.

Here are a couple examples.  There were both worse and better coins.

Corroded Penny.

Not Perfect but Nice.

The varying patinas always amaze me.  There was bright red to black and silver colors.

No valuable coins were found, but there were a couple keepers.

Most will be rolled and exchanged.

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After three years of brutal flooding and hurricanes in the United States, there is growing consensus among policymakers and scientists that coastal areas will require significant spending to ride out future storms and rising sea levels — not in decades, but now and in the very near future. There is also a growing realization that some communities, even sizable ones, will be left behind.

Total cost of adding sea walls

1. Jacksonville, Fla.$3.5 billion

2. New York City$2.0 billion

3. Virginia Beach$1.7 billion

4. Galveston, Tex.$1.1 billion

5. Charleston, S.C.$1.0 billion

6. Tampa, Fla.$938.4 million

7. Barnstable Town, Mass.$889.2 million

8. Corpus Christi, Tex.$861.1 million

9. St. Petersburg, Fla.$751.4 million

10. New Orleans$725.1 million

Here is the link.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/climate/seawalls-cities-cost-climate-change.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

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I found the 14 inch tall jar shown on the left below.  I've been thinking it might be for motor oil.  It reads CAPACITY 64 OUNCES AT THE RIM.    A much prettier Tiolene Motor Oil Jar is shown on the right.

Can anyone identify the jar on the left?

14 Inch Tall Found Jar on Left.  Tiolene Oil Jar on the Right.

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No change in beach conditions.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/20/19 Report - Sacred Heart Imagery and Cobs. Mystery Object. Sharing and Passing on Finds. Shoe Polish Bottles.

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

Here is a mystery find from John C.  As you can see it is only an inch or so across.  He says the center appears to be copper.

What do you think?

[ UPDATE:  This one has been solved.  Will have that for you tomorrow.]


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Sacred Heart Image.

There is a good chance that you've found a pendant or item bearing the image of the Sacred Heart.

Here is an article on its symbolism and meaning.

https://aleteia.org/2018/06/08/explaining-the-strange-symbolism-of-the-sacred-heart/


I've addressed the issue of heart-shaped cobs to some extent before.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/11/11515-report-more-on-heart-shaped-cobs.html

And I posted Laura Strolia's excellent research on the sacred heart as it applies to heart-shaped cobs.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/11/11x15-report-dug-silver-christ-figure.html

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I have often talked about labeling and storing your finds.  It is easy to forget the details over the decades, and someday you might want to pass the items on to someone else who will appreciate them as much as you did.  In that case it will be helpful to have the information to pass along with the items.

Maybe one of your children or a relative or friend has a special interest in some of your finds.  Share what you know and what you have learned about your finds.  Share the joy and passion with people who appreciate your finds.

We all know that you can't take it with you. so you might want to leave special items to those who appreciate them.

As you probably know, a young adult member of my family passed quickly and unexpectedly away about three weeks ago, and the process of taking care of the estate has barely gotten underway.  The person that passed didn't have very much at all.  He didn't have a house of his own or hardly any possessions, unlike many detectorists who have put together nice collections over the years.  He had very little money, yet the government requires those who are in mourning to take care of the distribution of the estate, whether it is big or very small.  Just because you don't have much, doesn't mean it will be easy.

One of the best things you can do if you have a checking account or any kind of financial account is make sure you have a beneficiary or beneficiaries designated.  That can make things easier.

If you want your cherished finds to go to a good home, get a proper will made by a good attorney in your state or residence.  We all know that there are some people who will appreciate old coins, arrow heads, old bottles, or artifacts, and there are some who know nothing about them and who will throw valuable or cherished items in the garbage.  In Florida, if you have a will, it is easy enough to specify who you want to get your favorite items, but you do have list them and specify who you want to get them.  The list will go along with the will.

A minimal funeral can cost thousands of dollars.  You might want to provide for that so your loved ones don't have to deal with the details and expenses while mourning your loss.

I know that people don't usually want to think about it, but you might also want to determine who gets your favorite finds.  It is better to deal with it when you don't really have to.

Most of all, enjoy your finds today and share the information and joy that you got from them.

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If you old enough you probably remember shining your shoes with Esquire shoe polish.  I remember doing it before church every Sunday.

I've been organizing my bottle finds and photographing them.  I've been doing mostly the more common and less valuable ones first.  

Here are a couple Esquire shoe polish bottles.

Esquire Shoe Polish Bottle.

I don't usually keep the screw top bottles, but some are so nicely embossed that I do keep them.

There would have been a cap with an attached dobber to apply the polish.

Below is the type that I remember using.

Esquire Shoe Polish Bottle

Front and Bottom.

Bottom of Same Esquire Bottle.

to search

From Wikipedia -

During the Great Depression Sam and Albert Abrams, chemists and entrepreneurs from Brooklyn, took over an ailing boot polish maker, the Knomark Manufacturing Company of Williamsburgh, Brooklyn.  In 1938 they purchased the Esquire brand.  After a saturation advertising campaign in 1944, the company became the best selling shoe polish manufacturer in the US... In the late 1950s, they sold the Esquire brand and the 1914-built Esquire Building on 330 Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn. In 1957, Revlon acquired the Esquire brand which made annual sales of 15 million dollars. Revlon sold the Esquire shoe polish brand and other Esquire product brands in 1969...

You can see "KNOMARK INC." on the top of the bottom, but it is in the dark area.

I like the older bottle barrel shaped bottle much more then the more recent bottom one.

I'm adding some of these to my TGBottleBarn.blogspot.com web site.

Funny how you can find local history laying around everywhere.

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No change in beach conditions.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/19/19 Report - Mystery Quickly Solved. 18th Century Tavern. Evaluating Age of Old Bottle.

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

Modern Wine Bottle Topper.

Yesterday I posed a mystery item.  It is no longer a mystery, thanks to Mitch King, who found this photo of a brand new wine topper of exactly the same type.  Besides the pewter top being corroded, the one I showed yesterday was also missing the cork that surround the wood core.

I couldn't believe he found a photo of the exact item that quickly.

Susan E. also correctly identified the item.

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Archaeologists exploring the site of a recently discovered 18th Century tavern in eastern North Carolina say they were stunned to learn it burned to the ground with a treasure trove of merchandise stored under the floorboards.

The fire, which occurred in the 1760s, caused the walls to collapse over the floors, sealing the crawl space shut like a “time capsule,” says Dr. Charles Ewen, who led the dig with a crew of students from East Carolina University.

It is suspected the site might also have served as a brothel for the historic port, known as Brunswick Town.

Items found under the foundation include intact smoking pipes that were never used, crushed liquor bottles and iron tools that historians can’t yet identify, Ewen told the Charlotte Observer...

Read more here: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article230892034.html#storylink=cpy

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article230892034.html


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I recently showed a bottle with a wire top and stopper.  I thought it would be instructive to take a closer look at it.

Closer View of Top of the Bottle.

It looks something like a Lightning stopper, but is actually a Swingtop stopper that shows some age.

How old do you think the bottle would be?  Take a look at the next photo and see if you see any clues.

Swingtop Closure

Despite the age shown on the stopper, the glass looks fairly new.  If it wasn't for the age on the stopper, I'd think it might be a reproduction bottle.

Same Bottle.

The seam on the bottle runs all the way to the top,  there are no bubbles in the glass, and the glass is thin and of uniform thickness.  It does not look very old.

Besides being found on reproduction bottles, lightning and similar tops are occasionally used on modern beers and other bottles.

You can usually tell the difference between old and newer machine made bottles just by looking at the glass.

I didn't take a photo, but on the bottom of the bottle is a faint Hazel Atlas symbol and K-703-11.

We know from the history of the company and the Hazel Atlas mark on the bottom that it was made between 1902, when the Hazel Company and Atlas Glass Company joined to form Hazel Atlas, and 1956,  when the company was bought by Continental Can Company.

The illustration below provides some useful information.

Source: See WVCulture.org link below.

The K indicates the plant was the Zanesville, OH plant.  I suspect if I did some additional research I could come up with a much more precise date.

See http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvhs/wvhs1721.html

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That item has a lot of personal connections for me.  Before my father was able to get into the service during WW II, after several failed attempts, including running away to Canada to try to get into the Royal Air Force and being put on a bus and sent back home, he worked nights packing jars at the Washington, PA  Hazel Atlas plant during what was supposed to be his freshman and sophomore years of high school.  He really only attended school during football season to play football, and continued to work nights at the plant.

Shift work was the norm, and all, regardless of position or seniority, worked as dictated by management. The company policy was to employ only those of age 18 or older, but tales are told of some who were able to "fudge" their age and begin employment at 16 or 17. (WVCulture.org web site.)

According to my best figuring he got work in the plant even younger than 16.

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We are really stuck in a pattern of little surf and rainy days.

I've been hoping to get out to investigate an overgrown site that has the remains of an old broken down chimney, but the weather hasn't be coorperating.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net