11/14/11 Report - Feathers, Undigable Targets & Rusted Encrusted Objects

Spike(?)In Wood.

Today I decided to show three rusty old objects. They just seemed interesting to me and provide a real contrast with the half reale I've been talking about.

The first item is what looks to me like the remains of an iron spike with some of the wood still attached.

The second appears to be a iron rod bent, maybe intentionally, in a U-shape. The rod is thick - about an inch in diameter. That is a heavy duty piece of metal, maybe used like a U-bolt. From top to bottom the U is about five inches tall. You can see part of a shell stuck in between the U.

Bent Iron Rod.

And finally,what looks to me like an iron door hinge. The flat rectangular part is 3 inches by 1.5 inches. You can see attached at one side a small cylinder (at the left side of the top edge of the rectangle. If there is another corresponding part to the right of that, as I would expect, it is hidden by the big chunk of encrustation that you see along the top edge.

Iron Hinge(?)

As always, I would like to hear your thoughts on any of these encrusted objects. I enjoy trying to identify mystery objects.

I found some lead roves many years ago along with musket balls and other items that I knew something about, but I didn't figure out what the roves were until just recently.

This morning (Saturday) there were bird feathers all along the beach. They were large feathers, like maybe sea gull and pelican. I did a quick search on the web and noticed that the same thing had been reported at other places along the East Coast of Florida. I wonder what is happening. I wonder if it could be related to those stories about birds falling out of the sky?

I went out this morning primarily to see if I could dig up that target I was unable to recover yesterday. I took some better digging equipment and hoped that the sand level would be down a little.

The sand wasn't down any but I gave it a shot anyhow, but still couldn't get the target. It was about a foot lower than I could get to. I'll check the area from time to time and maybe eventually be able to get it when the conditions are right.

I had no trouble finding the item again. I marked it as 45 paces from a stump and was able to walk right to it.

I do have a portable GPS but didn't have it along when I found the item to mark it's position.

There are other ways to relocate specific locations. If there are trees or buildings, fenceposts or telephone poles, you can usually sight along two pairs of landmarks. I say two pairs because you need one pair to sight a line, and two intersecting lines to mark a spot.

If you try to identify a specific spot using only one landmark, you will not be nearly as accurate. I've tried that a number of times and it just didn't work very well. Therefore I learned to use at least two landmarks and preferably four.

If there aren't any existing landmarks that will do the job, set up stones or stakes. I believe stones tend to stay in place better than stakes. People like to move stakes, it seems.

Precious metals prices have been retreating lately.


Forecast and Conditions.

Yesterday John Brooks was pretty cut. Today already it had filled in some. It was mushy and there were very few signals. I think most of the beaches are building,and in front of many of the beaches there is a new bar separated from the beach by a small dip.

We have an east wind and calm seas. I don't expect any improvement in beach conditions for a few days. I would rate the treasure beach conditions as poor for finding shipwreck cobs.

Still you might be able to find a spot or two that will give you some chance.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/14/11 Report - Philip V Half Real Cob

Bon Steel Park Yesterday.

This photo was submitted by Ken A. who braved the cold yesterday. He said the sand was mushy.

It appears that the north wind that I mentioned yesterday did some work. The following cut was two to three feet high in most places along John Brooks park. There were very few signals of any kind this morning.

Sorry about my finger over the lens.

The sand from the cut at John Brooks was dragged down and formed a bar in front of the beach with a little dip in between. You might be able to see some of that behind my finger.

John Brooks Park This Morning.

The other beaches that I saw this morning didn't have much erosion. In fact two days ago I stopped at a spot that looked promising but I didn't detect it then because I wanted to go somewhere else first and figured I could come back later if the other spot wasn't any good. Well when I returned to that spot today, it had deteriorated since I had last been there. It was no good at all. I did detect one big deep object that I couldn't dig up. That's the way it goes. Things change day by day. When a beach looks good one day, it might not be any good the next and vice versa.

Concerning the unrecovered deep object, I took note of its position and will attempt to recover it some other time if the sand erodes there. If I had gone after it when I was there the other day, I think I probably could have retrieved it.

John Brooks is the only beach that I saw today that had improved, but I'm sure there are others.

Bon Steel doesn't look real good but it is showing a little erosion.


Yesterday I posted a photo of a half reale that was found on a 1715 Fleet beach. I think it is probably a Philip V cob. Here is a picture of a Philip V Mexican Half Reale presentation piece that shows much more of the half reale's design.

1705 Mexican Half Reale Presentation Piece.

The mint mark is not visible on the coin that I showed yesterday, but you can see the compound curve of the S, and the end of the S that is a bit out of shape, the dot below the P, and the fleur-de-lis below and to the right of the P.

I think the design of the presentation piece appears to be very similar to the cob that I showed yesterday except much more of the design is clearly visible.

After comparing, it appears to me that yesterday's cob could well be from the reign of Philip V.

After Charles, Philip V reigned from 1700-1724. If the cob is from a 1715 wreck, as I believe it is, I would guess that the date would be between 1700 and 1715.

I think half reales are interesting. Often much of the design is missing and you have to study a bit before you can identify a cob like that.


Forecast.

As I mentioned there is a little new erosion out there, but there are also places that have deteriorated.

The wind is from the northeast but the seas are expected to decrease for the next few days. As a result, I am not expecting any improvement for a while.

You might be able to find a spot or two that still holds something.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/11/11 Report - Mystery Item and Shipwreck Sites

Non-metallic Find From the Treasure Coast.

This is one of those items that I am pretty sure is from an old shipwreck. It was found near the water's edge at Corrigan's, but I have not been able to gather any information on the identity of the object.

It is about two inches across, appears to have had four sets of double lobes around the outside with rays pointing outward. I think if you look closely you can see a bit of that.

The most central feature is an eagle or bird. You can see one wing open to the right of center, it's breast to the left of that, near center.

I don't know what it is made of but it is not metallic, and it is not a hard material and is subject to some crumbling upon drying.

Keep your eyes open while metal detecting.

If anyone has any idea about this object I would be glad to hear



TheLa Belle was one of Robert de La Salle's ships that sunk and was found by the Spanish and the lost again for a few hundred years. More recently it was rediscovered in present-day Matagorda Bay where it has been excavated.

I found a number of interesting web sites about the wreck of the La Belle.

http://www.thc.state.tx.us/belle/

This link will take you directly to section on the artifacts of the ship.

http://www.thc.state.tx.us/belle/lasbelleartifacts.shtml

And here is more information on the same wreck.

http://library.thinkquest.org/27423/THEBELLE.htm#



The remains of one shipwreck that shows up on the Oregon coast from time to time recently resurfaced.

Here is the link (Submitted by Will B.)

http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2010/12/oregon-coast-shipwreck-shows-up-after.html


There are thousands of metal detectors for sale on eBay it would seem. Some expensive, some nothing more than toys, some new and some used.

Different detectors have different strengths and weaknesses. As a result one might be the best choice when looking for one type of item and another better for finding something else.

People often ask what type of detector they should buy, or what is the best detector. There is no single answer to that. You have to consider a wide variety of factors, including what you intend to target, where you are going to hunt, your budget and even your personality. Those are all things that should be considered.

While I won't give any recommendations on what detector you should buy, one thing I will say is that you should not start out with the most expensive, most fancy or most powerful detector. Get something that has a lot of flexibility and learn with that machine and then upgrade in the future if that is something you want to do. The first detector can then become your backup.

I do think that a backup detector is a good idea, and you might even find yourself pulling out the backup when the target and prevailing conditions happen to suit that detector.

Think of detectors as being something like golf clubs. Each one has it's purpose and might be the best choice for a particular set of circumstances.

Don't be afraid to use the less expensive model. It might just be the right one on any given day.

I still occasionally pull out a detector that is over thirty years old and has a four-digit serial number. It works fine, and has it's place in the arsenal.


Forecast and Conditions.
The wind is out of the northwest again. We'll be getting a cold front today. The seas are calm but will be increasing a little. The high tide will not be very high.

Conditions haven't changed significantly for a few days, and I'm not expecting much of any change real soon.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/9/2011 Report - Spike Found and Miscellaneous Odyssey Marine & Pirate Stuff

Treasure Coast Metal Detector Find.

It looks to me like this is probably a shipwreck spike. Notice the barb on the end. I've seen shipwreck spikes with a similar shape, but slightly different.

I've shown at least one other barbed spike in this blog from a wreck south of the Treasure Coast.

This spike was found by Al C., who submitted the photo. Thanks Al.


You've probably heard of Wikileaks. And no it doesn't refer to Wicans at the urinal.
(Must be near a full-moon out there.)

You might think that Wikileaks has nothing to do with treasure hunting. Well, that's what a reasonable person would think, but it appears that the US government is siding with Spain and against Odyssey Marine. That was revealed by a document on Wikileaks.

I haven't investigated the matter thoroughly, but it sounds to me like a friend of somebody's friend in the present US administration is wanting to keep some valuable paintings, and having no skin in the game, as they say, the administration is willing to trade Odyssey's finds so their buddies can keep the paintings.

Maybe I'm all wrong on that, but that is my guess from the little that I've seen.

Here is the link if you want to look into it.

http://www.coinnews.net/2010/12/17/wikileaks-cables-state-department-against-odyssey-in-black-swan-shipwreck-case/


Talking about Odyssey Marine, their stock price is now $3.20 per share. That is not bad. Really fooled me. If I had it, at that price I would probably be watching for a signal to sell. It has done very well over the past few months.

Don Pedro Gibert (or Gilbert) was a pirate that operated along the Treasure Coast and is said to provide the name for Gilbert's Bar where the House of Refuge is located. I've mentioned him before and provided a link to an old book telling about his trial.

Here is some general information about him if you haven't heard of him before.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Gilbert



Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is out of the north/northwest. Seas will be about two feet today, increasing to about four feet tomorrow.

That is not enough to do much to most of the beaches, but if it hits just right could create some small cuts or refresh some of the places that have been eroded in the recent past.

Nothing much new here.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/8/2011 Report - Looking Through the Glass & Nails

Copper Nails Found Near Jupiter Inlet Beach Last Week.

Terry T. found these nails down near Jupiter Beach recently. He says he never found anything like this before.

First finds are always fun and memorable. Congratulations Terry!

If you have some first finds, especially recently found, sent me a photo and a bit of the story. For that matter, I'd like to see any finds that you might want to share. I won't be able to post them all, but will post as many as I have time for.

In the past I've posted a lot of pictures of spikes and old nails. I also posted an this illustration of some old nails that might be some help.

You can read those old posts and see other finds by using the search box on this blog. You might enter the keywords "nails" or "spikes"."

It's always good to become familiar with a wide variety of miscellaneous objects. Finds like this can tell you something important about the beach and the area where you are hunting.

Old Nails.

Yesterday I posted a photo of a piece of black glass that I found while eye-balling a beach that I didn't bother detecting because of the beach conditions there. You can scout a lot of area visually when looking for clues and non-metallic items.

As you might know, black glass is not really black, although this particular piece would easily fool you, unless you held it up t a bright light to see it's dark olive green color. It really does look black otherwise.

Anyhow, I thought you might want to learn a little about black glass, which can be a good clue when you find it.

Here is a link to a web site that shows a lot of old bottles, including black glass. This site will give you an idea of the different types of black glass bottles that might have been lost with old shipwrecks.

http://www.bottlebooks.com/Most%20Valuable%20Bottles/most__valuable_black_glass_bottles.htm

And here is another web site that tells a lot about glass shipwreck finds. It is a study of the pieces of glass found on the Queen Anne's Revenge (Blackbeard's flagship) wreck site.

http://www.qaronline.org/techSeries/QAR-R-08-02.pdf

I highly commend this group for posting their research reports online.

While on the subject, a bunch of old bottles and other things has been found under a parking lot in downtown San Francisco.

Here is the link.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/development/2011/01/remnants-boozy-village-found


Forecast and Conditions.

The wind is out of the West and the ocean is flat. You know what that means - good time to get into the water. It's much easier to work in flat calm water.

I don't have to tell you again to avoid the leased areas, but I just did.

It looks like tomorrow and the following days, the seas will pick up a little again. Until then don't expect any changes in beach conditions.

It will be nice to get some churning again.

That's all for today.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1//6/2011 Report - Maravedi & More Wet Sand Hunting

Maravedi Found Around Corrigan's.

Yesterday I asked about the crown on the Jupiter half reale that I showed. Bill P. said it reminded him of the crown on a Maravedi which he found up around Corrigan's. Here is a photo of that cob.

I noticed that a tripod boat is working off of the FPL nuclear power plant outlet again. It had been at the Port of Fort Pierce for a good while.


The dredging operation has started at Jupiter. Take a look.

http://evsjupiter.netfirms.com/zoo001.jpg


I wanted to add to yesterdays discussion. I was talking about the sifting action that takes place in the wet sand areas. The more wave energy that hits the area, the more sifting there will be. Also the longer the force is expended, the more complete the sifting will be. If heavy wave action hits an area of the beach over a long period of time, items will be sifted more completely.

When items are sifted, density is one factor that will be determine where the oobjects will end up. Heavier items will be separated from lighter items. (Density and weight aren't the same. I'm simplifying a bit.)

Even in a very thoroughly sifted area you can sometimes find a mixture of types of items. One way that can happen is that after much of the sifting action has taken place, items can be dropped into the area. Or, different layers of sand and the items associated with that layer, can be deposited over another layer. As a result, you can have various layers on top of each other, each containing a different type of obect.

When you dig an item, notice what type of sand it is found in. You will often notice that items of a particular age are coming for one specific type and layer of sand.

If you have a nice coin hole one day, and if it is not cleaned out, the next day, a thin layer of new sand containing light materials such as aluminum can be deposited over the coin hole. If the new layer is thick enough, it can appear that the coin hole disappeared when in fact it is just a little deeper. If the new layer is not very thick, it can appear that two different types of items are coming from the same layer.

Learn to identify the different layers. They will often be apparent. I've seen quite a few different layers on the beaches lately. And the same layers can be found in the same relative position many miles apart.

Yesterday, I noticed that on more than one beach where the sand was piling up, there was a thin layer of brown course sand over a layer of shells, which was over another dense harder layer of sand. Each layer produced different types of materials.

I said that density is just one factor that determines how objects get distributed in the wet sand areas. Some of the other factors are the shape of the objects and surface of the object.

Some objects adhere to sand more than others. Objects that adhere to sand will often be deposited with less dense items. A corroded zinc penny with sand adhering to it, will often be found higher on the slope than zinc pennies that have not yet corroded.

Watch how objects move in the surf at the bottom of the beach. Some objects will roll easily and quickly move up and down the slope along with the surf. Some will tumble and some will hug the surface and resist being moved.

Well, I think I've rambled long enough on that topic.

I guess I'll mention one more thing. Sinkers often accumulate in the same places where heavy gold items accumulate. However on the Treasure Coast, and many other beaches. There is so much fishing that a lot of the sinkers are recent drops and won't be associated with accumulations of gold. But if you find accumulations of old sinkers, there is a good chance that you will also find a big old class ring in the same hole.

The heaviest class ring I ever found was found in a hole with about six sinkers of about the same weight out in the middle of nowhere.

That's it for today.



Forecast and Conditions.

It's a nice cloudy rainy day. A front went through last night and the wind is now out of the west. The seas are flat.

I like the clouds and rain, but if you still go detecting, watch out for lightning. I am hearing thunder even as I write.

Sometimes a local thunder shower will cause enough wind to cause some cuts when you would not otherwise expect it.

After today, the seas are predicted to increase again up to about three feet, which of course is usually not enough to change conditions significantly.

The thunder is increasing here and the wind is starting to blow pretty good. It actually looks like a real storm out there right now.

We can certainly use the rain.

I would rate the beach hunting conditions as poor right now.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/3/2011 - Wet Sand Hunting

A Couple Additional Unidentified Items Recently Found in a Coin Hole Not Far From a Suspected 17th Century Wreck.

The strip of lead is about two inches long and seems to have a pattern stamped into it. The pattern appears to consist of slightly curved lines running at about 45 degrees from the long edges of the strip in a cross-hatched pattern.

Other than that, I don't have any ideas about it. It could possibly be from any of a wide variety of time periods.

I get the feeling that the shell pendant, or whatever, is modern. I haven't determined the type of metal yet.



Before the end of the year, I started answering a question someone asked about the best way to hunt a beach. I did a couple of posts talking about hunting what I call "recent drops" in the dry sand. I didn't finish the topic though because I had some other things to talk about.

Today I'll talk a little about hunting the wet sand. For today's purposes, the term "wet sand" will include the area from the highest extent of the recent high tides down to the water's edge.

Hunting wet sand is very different from hunting the dry sand. In the dry sand, items will remain pretty much where they are dropped. In the wet sand, they will change location because of the movement of water.

When hunting wet sand watch for any movement of sand. New sand accumulating on a beach is generally not a good sign, but cuts are a good sign. Big cuts are one of the easiest things to spot and can be one of the best places to hunt. Generally speaking, the bigger the cut, the better the hunting, but there are exceptions.

Often the area just below a big cut will produce a lot of coins and other items.
Sometimes that same area will produce nothing, but it is always worth checking. Sometimes someone will clean it out before you get there and sometimes the coins will get moved down into the water or down the beach in one direction or another.

Cuts will fill in. The next day it can fill in, and then the next day after that, it can erode again, replenishing the targets.

Related topics that I've talked about in the past are "vertical compacting," "coin lines" and "coin holes."

There are times, though few, when you can find a beach front with newly pile up sand containing a bunch of coins or other targets.

In the wet sand the coins will be sifted and distributed by weight, or perhaps more correctly, by density as they are acted upon by the water. It is something like the effect of moving water on gold nuggets in a pan. The denser materials are separated from the lighter materials.

The longer the water acts upon the targets over hours or even days, and the greater the force of the water, the more the items of different kinds will be separated.

It is actually not only by density that the items are separated. Other factors such as shape of the object and how much the materials adhere to sand and other factors will also affect the distribution.

In the past, I've also talked about how the shape of coins affects how they are distributed. Having a low profile, they aren't moved by the water as easily as object that are shaped in a way that offers more surface area for the force of the water to act upon. They hug the surface and tend to remain behind as the sand gets washed away.

Anyhow, what you want to hunt in the wet sand is the areas where the heavier objects are most likely to be deposited. Again, there will be a pattern if the water has acted upon the area very forcibly for very long. Heavy objects such as gold or lead will be distributed near the center and lighter objects elsewhere.

There will often be a progression and by identifying that progression, you can sometimes track your way from the lighter materials to the denser materials. That, by the way, is another reason to not use too much discrimination. If you discriminate out materials, you will not see the progression and you will lose information that could guide you.

In the past I have referred to tracking treasure. It is something like an old Indian that tracks down a deer. He benefits by knowing where the herds travel during the different seasons, he knows how to identify the clues, and he knows their tracks.

I think that is enough on that topic for today.


Do you know what 20th Century copper penny sold for $1.7 million dollars in 2010?

Here is the link that will give you the answer.

http://www.luxist.com/2010/09/23/rare-penny-sells-for-1-7-million/


Forecast and Conditions.

It doesn't look like there will be any significant changes this week. The wind is out of the northwest and the seas are relatively calm

I'd rate the treasure beach detecting conditions as a 1 (poor) and likely to stay that way for a few days.


Happy hunting.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net