8/25/13 Report - More On the Old Coin Sites, The Road From St. Augustine, & More

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

I was talking about Hurricane Andrew the other day and just heard that yesterday was the 21st Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.  Doesn't seem all that long.  It was interesting.  Most of the mainland beaches in South Florida were not eroded even though the water got very high.  The other day I did mention a couple of the places were finds were made after Andrew.  Andrew also was responsible for getting me into hunting old bottles as some surfaced on a beach where I was hunting old coins.

The aftermath of Hurricane Andrew was an interesting time for watching the beaches and detecting.

A few days ago I presented a map of an area down south and marked some good detecting spots on the map according to my past experience with those sites.  I did that because I wanted to illustrate some things.  This is a continuation of what I started with that.

As I explained, I selected spots that were relatively close to each other (within just a few minutes of each other) and that produced old coins in good numbers when the conditions were right.  These spots did not produce as continually as some other types of sites. 

Beach sites that produce mostly older targets will only produce when conditions are right.  Besides only producing sporadically, the old U.S. coin sites do not generally produce many high value targets.

The three things that all four of those old coins sites had in common were, (1) that they only produced occasionally, (2) were small but well-defined areas, and (3) predominately produced coins from a relatively well defined time period.

I called those sites "secondary" in part because of those three defining factors.   They might be called "tertiary" rather than secondary depending upon how detailed you get in describing the various sites that you detect and your detecting goals, but they are not what I would call primary sites.

As I've said many times in the past, keep good detailed records of your outings.  That will help you get to know your sites better so they can be classified.

As you gain experience you will get to know more and more about different beaches, what went on at those locations in the past, and what they are likely to produce, and under what conditions they will produce. That means that you should be developing a good list of detecting locations, and learning more about what to expect from each of them.

Other things you might include in your site selection includes how far you have to travel to those locations, how close together different sites are and other things that affect the practicality and probable cost/reward ratio of detecting any one of them on a particular day.

Your primary site locations would undoubtedly include your favorites.   They are those spots that produce on a frequent basis a good number of the targets you most desire and provide few obstacles or little cost.

Your secondary sites would include those that on average produce fewer of the most desired targets and produce them less frequently.  I've previously discussed how to weight beaches or other detecting locations on the basis of the value of expected targets and the expected frequency of finds, also taking into account changing beach conditions at different locations.  

 It is not easy to find beach locations that produce older items such as coins these days, but they are out there.  It is much easier to find detecting sites that produce modern items.

The value of gold is still relatively high and it is difficult to find old coins of very much value, particularly on beaches where coins are often in very poor condition due to corrosion.

Nonetheless, do not completely forget about any locations where old coins have been found in numbers in the past and where they will likely be found in the future when conditions are right.  Those sites will also on occasion produce a few surprises in the form of antique gold jewelry or other old valuable items or perhaps a few modern items.

The gold items associated with old coin sites will most often  not be found mixed in with the old coins.  Remember, as I've shown in the past, over time items on a beach will move and settle according to factors such as density and shape of the targets.

Of course coins and gold at some sites will tend to be lost  differently too.  Often concentrations of coins will be found near places where people spend money and get change, whereas the gold will more often be lost in where people are removing items or frolicking in the water.

Good concentrations of gold will be found in high concentrations of coins in certain situations, such as in low dips that have a rocky or hard bottom.

One location that I marked on the map the other day would produce coins in the dunes and at the foot of the eroded dunes, but the gold items, including some gold that was newer than the coins, were more often found in the shallow water between the groins where there were very few coins.

You might categorize your proven and measured sites as follows.

Primary sites:  High average value of targets, high frequency of targets, often productive, no extreme costs or obstacles.

Secondary:  A mix of the above resulting in a overall lower value of finds (however you estimate that - it can be subjective rather than monetary).

Tertiary:  An even lower reward to cost ratio.

Of course you can use more categories than three if you tend to be more detailed.

I'll pick up here and continue in the future to address how to work secondary and/or tertiary sites into your site selection process.

It is important to remember it can take a while to find these secondary sites, but they are out there to be found if you spend some time prospecting.



Here is a story about the old route between St. Augustine and Pensacola.

http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2013-08-25/nations-oldest-city-importance-corridor-not-well-known#.UhoBICDD_xV


I'm hoping to soon get out to do my "how fast do different shaped objects sink" experiment.   I haven't forgotten about it.  Just haven't gotten around to it.


This morning was cloudy and rainy.  The surf on the Treasure Coast was a touch rougher but still only 2 - 3 feet.  That won't change much soon.

Low tide this afternoon will be just before 6 PM.

There is one low pressure area down by the Yucatan but I don't expect it to do anything for us, at least no soon.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/24/13 - Finding Secondary Beach Locations for Detecting Silver Coins & More

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

Typical Finds From the White Sand Dune Area Shown Yesterday

Yesterday I showed you some spots where old coins were often dug in the past.  It isn't very often that somebody will give you  good specific detecting spots and tell you what has been found there.

I didn't show those spots so you could run out there and detect them.  That wasn't the point at all.  I had a bigger purpose.

At least one of those spots has been almost totally obliterated by construction in recent years.  At least a couple of the others will still be productive from time to time when the conditions are right.  But the reason I showed these spots is because I wanted to give you some tips.

First, let me say it helps to know the history of an area.  The spots that I selected to show yesterday (all but no. 1) are areas that produced good quantities of older coins.  That is what I was focusing on. 

There were and still are other areas on those two little islands that are good spots to metal detect, in fact better spots than those that I showed in that they produce on a more continual basis - but mostly modern jewelry.

Here is one very important point that I want to make clear.  Get to know your beaches very well - what can be found at different areas and when.   And not just the places where every body else hunts all the time or the spots that produce on a more regular basis.  Get to know your beaches well enough so that you know what types and ages of items different spots produce and when they produce them.

Some of the spots near the area that I showed are hunted much more heavily than the small spots that I selected to show.  When I was hunting down that way on a regular basis, I would always see other detectorist at a few other locations near there but never once saw another detectorist at four of the five spots I pointed out yesterday.

There are those places that most detectorists hunt all the time, but there are also spots where few others ever hunt.  I've talked about that before.  That to me is a very important point.  There are places out there that you can have pretty much to yourself, even in these days when people complain about the amount of competition.  It does require knowing the area though.  It also requires knowing something about changing conditions.

Many people won't explore enough to find these secondary detecting areas and if they do look around an area and happen to hit the area when it isn't producing the first few times, they'll forget about it.  It might take a while to identify one of these good spots that produce old coins.  They don't produce all the time.

Taking beach conditions into account is important.  Realize that some spots will produce only when conditions are right.  That is particularly true of areas that produce older items and are not continually replenished with new items.

Once you know about those types of secondary areas, it is easy to take a quick look when you are close by to see if it might be producing at the time or not.   If it is, stick around and detect, otherwise quickly move on.

If you know the area good enough, you'll pretty much know when those areas are likely to be producing from the direction of the wind and waves.  Notice that the areas I showed yesterday face different directions and therefore will erode at different times.  That is a good thing that you can take advantage of.  When some are not producing, one or two of the others very well might be. 

That is something I like about hunting islands as opposed to straight coastlines.  The beaches face different directions and will erode at different times.

In order to find these good secondary areas you will have to explore a little.  It can take some time to find them because they won't be producing every time you are there.  You'll only learn the secrets of those places if you spend enough time with them.  A visitor or stranger to those areas would have a small chance of being there at the right time.  They might walk right through one of those areas and conclude there is nothing of interest there. 

Here are some of my main points today summarized.   There are still a lot of good detecting spots that are not widely known and heavily hunted.   It can take some time to find those good spots because they will not necessarily produce continually, but you can find them if you invest some time in exploration.  Knowing how to read beaches will definitely help when you do explore for those new areas.

In the near future, maybe tomorrow, I'll give some more tips on how to handle these types of secondary locations after you have identified them.



Maybe you saw this video on TV.  Really amazing.   It shows trees being swallowed by a sink hole.

http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/08/assumption_parish_video_shows.html

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There isn't much storm activity out there now, just two low pressure areas in the Gulf.  I don't think they'll do much.

On the Treasure Coast things remain pretty much the same.  Expect a 1 - 2 surf today and tomorrow.  The low tide might be a touch less low today and tomorrow than it has been recently.

Low tide today will be close to 5 PM.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/23/13 Old Silver Coin Spots From the Past, Hurricane Season Said To Be Far From Over, and Big Tidal Wave

Written by the treasureGuide for the exclusive use of Treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

You can find a lot of places that will produce old U. S. coins.  Today I'll show you a few small areas that at one time produced good concentrations of old coins.  All of these spots are within a short distance of each other. 

To the left is a Mapquest image of an area that I used to enjoy.  This area has changed a good bit since then, but I thought I'd show a few old coin holes.

By the way, I never ran into another detectorist at any of these spots back when I was hunting this area.

First, a trivia question:  What U. S. President had a home that you can almost see on this map?  I'll give the answer below.

I put numbers by some of the spots that I particularly enjoyed hunting for one reason or another. All five of these spots were small areas that could be quickly checked when I was in the area or passing by.  If conditions were right, I would mine them, otherwise quickly move on.

Virginia Key has been renovated in recent years.  When I was down that way, it was pretty much dilapidated and abandoned.  There were a few people that used the parking lot up by spot 1 on the map but not many.

I'll start there.  In the shallow water to the left of the "1" was one deep dip next to a rock groin that produced a good bit of modern gold jewelry. Surrounding the dip was a more shallow area that produced a few rings, but the dip was where the good hunting was.

On the beach by the "2" were some old white sand dunes that produced a lot of modern US silver coins.  That area was one of the heavily used  "colored beaches" back in the days of segregation.  Anytime the dunes eroded you could find silver coins along with a few other surprises.  The silver coins were mostly from the fifties and forties.  Note the groins there.

By the "3" there was an unattractive junky beach where you could also find some older US coins.  The coins there were not in good condition like those from the sand dunes at point two.  They were often corroded very thin by the acid mangrove muck.

Old bottles also washed up there after Hurricane Andrew.

Near point 4 was a coral outcropping that was carpeted by old silver coins after hurricane Andrew.  Most of the time the outcropping was covered entirely or partly by sand.

Near point five there was the remains of what appeared to be a gate.  I doubt if there is any sign of the gate remaining now.  Old US coins could be found there, including earlier coins such as barber dimes and shield nickels when the beach was eroding.  These coins were generally older than those coming from the dunes at point 2.

There was a hard packed area near point 5, which I think was what remained of an old road or parking area right next to the beach, and I think the gate might have been where people paid an entrance fee.  The hard packed area was eroding.  I don't know that a fee was collected there for sure, but there were a lot of coins concentrated in that area

There are other spots on those two islands that I won't comment on much now.  Some are still good areas for detecting modern jewelry and are rather well know and heavily hunted.

You might also know that genuine treasure chests were found on these keys.  And you might know about the skirmish at the lighthouse, the military operations on the key and the coconut plantation, etc.   Over by the lighthouse can be found traces of an old well that was a source of fresh water used by some of the very earliest explorers to pass by that area.

The answer to the trivia question: President Nixon had a summer home on the Key Biscayne.

It is easy enough to find good research material on these keys.

Satellite images like these can be very useful.


Climate Central says that 95% of major hurricanes occur in August, September or October.  That means that it isn't over yet.  There is still a lot of time left.

Here is the link to read more on that.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/quiet-august-no-guarantee-of-an-inactive-hurricane-season-16378


The largest tidal bore of the decade in China destroyed part of a sea wall and injured onlookers.

Video:  http://news.sky.com/story/1132109/huge-wave-crashes-into-wall-over-30-hurt


If you remember back in 2004, I think it was, when we had multiple hurricanes hit us in the same year, after those hurricanes the West bank of the Indian River was covered with tons of bottles, many of which were old.  In the years after that the bottles were destroyed by erosion control projects or covered again by nature and most of the bottles disappeared.  A few have been showing up again recently.   They are few for sure in comparison, but it just goes to show that there are still a lot of them out there ready to appear again when conditions are right..  It would be easy to believe that they are gone forever, but I don't believe that.


If you were wondering, I found out that Michael E. received no reward or even offer of reward.  Michael didn't return the ring expecting a reward anyhow and was glad to do the right thing.   As I said, most of the time you probably won't get a reward, and sometimes not even a thank you, which I really have a hard time understanding, but that is the way it is.


Nothing new in the Atlantic and not much new on the Treasure Coast that I'll bother to report today.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/22/13 Report - The Easy Way, 1899 Torpedo Identified, & Treasure Diving Otters?

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

One New Weather Area to Watch.

Not much to watch in the Atlantic, just this one low pressure area in the Gulf, which doesn't look like it will do us any good.


In a recent email to investors to the Mel Fisher organization, Kim Fisher, talking about the wreck of the Lost Merchant, said the following,  I was disappointed because I truly believed I was going to be able to tell you that we found her. It reminded me of what my dad used to say, “If it was easy everybody would be doing it.”   

That is an important statement.  Most people take the "easier" way. 

Not too long ago I was talking about the factors involved in metal detecting success and I talked about a factor that I called Extreme Effort.  I was talking about the ability and willingness to go a little farther than others - the ability and willingness to walk miles to a site or hunt in rough water or extreme weather or conditions.  The ability and willingness to do the more difficult thing and work the more difficult sites under difficult conditions and make the difficult find is something that can separate you from the others.

When you see lots of other people working the same site, some, if not most, are probably taking the easy way.  Instead of doing the research or finding their own site, they are following the crowd.  They might also be putting in long hours or working harder in some other ways, but in at least that one way they are taking the easier path.

I mentioned yesterday a few things I found through genealogy research.  I mentioned how some regular pioneers in the 18th Century were captured and killed.  Life for them wasn't easy.  Somebody is always paving the way for those that follow.

We all choose at times to take the easy way.  Michael E. didn't take the easy way when he returned the $4000 ring that he found.  For those with a deeply ingrained sense of right and wrong it might be the easy way, but for others that could be very difficult.

Was Michael rewarded?  I don't know.   What I do know is the reward wasn't what motivated him, and I don't see mention that it ever happened.  It could have, but it might not.

From my experience, most people do not give a reward to detectorists that return cherished items.   Some do, but not many.  It is easier, I guess, to not recognize another person's efforts and moral decisions than it is to compensate others for their good and productive efforts. 

It can be difficult to determine what is easy or difficult for someone else.  It partly depends upon who they are and what values they hold most deeply. 



You might remember the story of an early (1899) torpedo that was found by Navy dolphins off the coast of San Diego last March.  One of only three known to exist, the torpedo which was marked, "U.S.N. No. 24," has been identified.

Research revealed that only eight ships had been outfitted with Howell Torpedoes. Of those, only the USS Marblehead and the USS Iowa were in the Pacific where the torpedo was found.   Deck logs found in the National Archives revealed that in December of 1899, the Iowa lost the Howell No. 24."

Source: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/08/20/torpedo-shot-from-uss-iowa-in-1899-surfaces.html?comp=7000023468025&rank=2

I've entertained the idea of training an otter to go pick up coins or shiny objects on the ocean floor.  Let some of those little fellows browse around and I bet they would eventually pick up something interesting if you could convince them to keep focused.  A tasty fish or shellfish reward might do the job.  I think that might work better than an ROV.    By the way Dolores is giving the Lost Merchant guys some trouble.  I personally don't like to get any more technical than absolutely necessary.  I hate equipment problems.


I've been using this hot summer weather to try to get my foot injury healed up and haven't been to the beach much lately.  When I would go, it would set the injury back again, so I've been giving it a break.  I have been very busy lately anyhow.


I hope you take the advice about looking into genealogy as a research tool.  You might come up with some good information that you can't get anywhere else.  I found the name of a couple of ships that my ancestors came across the ocean on in 1733.   I found the name of the ships too.  That was a bad year for some treasure galleons, as you probably know.


The tides on the Treasure Coast will be about the same as yesterday - maybe the low tide won't be quite as low.

Still a lot of sand out there.  I think most people are after modern jewelry now unless you have permits and blowers.

The surf today is still running around 2 - 3 feet, and the wind mostly from the East.  I don't see any real change coming for at least a few more days.


Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

8/21/13 Report - Poison Ring, El Cazador Coins & Good Way to Find New Detecting Sites

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

Earliest Poison Ring?
Photo from The Sophia Globe.
See link.

To the left is a enlarged photo of a medieval ring.

The compartment on top of the ring is hollow and thought to be meant to hold poison.  The hole would be covered by the next finger and used to release the poison.

Below is the link to the story of the mdeieval ring.

http://sofiaglobe.com/2013/08/20/14th-century-poison-ring-found-near-bulgarias-kavarna/

Among the many other coins, coins from the El Cazador are expected to be on display at the upcoming Wall Street Coin, Currency and Collectibles Show, Oct. 17-19 at the Museum of American Finance at 48 Wall Street in New York City. 
 

The El Cazador  which sailed in 1784 with 450,000 newly minted coins left Vera Cruz for New Orleans.  The sinking led to Thomas Jefferson being able to acquire the Lousisiana Terriory from Napoleon. 
 

The wreck of the El Cazador was discovered by Jerry Murphy in 1993.
 

You can find many coins said to be from this wreck for sale on eBay.


The finest known example of a 1652 Massachusetts Pine Tree Shilling realized $76,375 at auction.

Here is the link for more of that story.

 

 http://news.coinupdate.com/massachusetts-bay-colony-pine-tree-shilling-auction-2120/


Not too long ago I recommend doing some genealogy research.  These days you can find a lot on family histories if you do the research.  You'll enjoy learning about your family or other families that were pioneers in your local area.   If you want some good new sites to detect, give it a try.

In order to give you some idea about the types of things you might discover, here is a little selection of what I have learned about some of my ancestors on my mother's side.

Joseph Brownlee served in Capt. Joseph Erwin's Company during the Revolutionary War. This company was raised in Westmoreland County, PA, and joined the regiment at Marcus Hook. It was subsequently included in the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Regiment, then in the Second, and finally discharged at Valley Forge, Jan. 1, 1778, by reason of expiration of term of enlistment. Engagements were Long Island, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Quibbletown, Brandywine, and Germantown.   Joseph was commissioned Third Lieutenant on April 15, 1776, Second Lieutenant on Oct 24, 1776, and First Lieutenant on April 18, 1777. He was captured at the Battle of Long Island on July 27, 1776, and exchanged December 9, 1776. He resigned June 22, 1777. Joseph married Elizabeth Guthrie in 1775. They had two children, John and Jane.

.... Joseph was a well known Indian fighter on the Frontier. As one source states, "He did not discriminate between a good and a bad Indian, thinking perhaps that there were none of the former class." In a letter from Col. Brodhead dated Nov. 2, 1780, he named Lieutenant Brownlee as one of several men who attempted to "destroy" a group of Delaware Indians under Brodhead's protection.  On July 13, 1782 Joseph and his family were attending a wedding at Miller's Blockhouse at Hannastown in Westmoreland Co. PA when the Indians attacked. Several of the guests, including the Brownlees, were captured. One of the captured women happened to address Joseph by name. The Indians, upon finding out who he was, killed him with a hatchet blow to the head, and then killed his three-year-old son John who he was carrying on his back. The Indians also killed another woman, identified in one account as Mrs. White, assuming she was Joseph's wife.  Elizabeth and Jane, who was only four months old at the time, were taken to Buffalo and Niagra. There the Indians planned to torture them to death, but a British soldier, whose family was being detained by American soldiers, convinced the Indians to sell them instead.  Elizabeth was sold to British officers for $20 and Jane for $10 and 2 gallons of rum. They were then taken to Montreal where they were exchanged and returned to Hannastown in July 1783.   After her return from captivity, Elizabeth married William Guthrie in Jul 1784 at Hannastown. He was killed by a fall from a wagon 10 Mar 1828. She d. 11 Feb 1842. Jane married James HUGLE and moved to Muskingum Co., Ohio.   The bodies of Joseph and the other slain captives were buried where they were found on what was later the Meckling farm.  Joseph Brownlee owned a 150 acre tract of land in Hempfield Township in Westmoreland Co.

Here is the source of the above selection.  http://noel.mcn.org/Westmoreland/BrownleeHistory.htm

That is a very small but colorful part of what I have been able to learn through genealogy research.  Through this research and more like it, I've learned things such as where skirmishes took place, where  old homesteads were located, and even where block houses were located that I didn't know about previously although I knew the areas rather well.

I'm sure you'll be able to find similar things and be on your way to detecting new and interesting sites.  Maybe you'll be able to dig up some of your families history, or maybe you'll want to research the history of other families from your area.

As I said the other day, Ancestry.com is giving a free two week trial period.  There are many other good resources on the internet though.


There are no storms in the Atlantic to be concerned with.

We'll be having a full moon and greater tidal variation.  Looks like the low tides should be good and low.

The surf on the Treasure Coast will be running around 2 - 3 feet for a couple of days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

 

8/20/13 Report - Erin, 17th Century Shipwreck, Erosion, Gold & More on Beach Site Selection.

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


It looks like Erin disappeared.  There are now no tropical storms or weather systems to watch.

The surf on the Treasure Coast has increased up to around three or four feet for a day or so.  That might help refresh some of the beach fronts a little.  Otherwise no significant change in beach detecting conditions.


Flooding is causing erosion along the Missouri River and exposing artifacts from ancient Native American artifacts to 19th Century pewter toys.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/08/19/3116729/corps-archaeologists-study-missouri.html

As I always say, be alert to erosion where ever it is.  Erosion can provide a nice window into the past.

Secondly, as the article points out, the same places drew people over the centuries.  People find the same things attractive now as they did in the past.  Whenever you see a particularly nice location, even if it doesn't show any signs of being used in years past, there is a good chance that it was.


An unidentified 17th Century Dutch trading ship is being excavated.

Here is the link to that story.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/archaeology/10249793/The-riddle-of-the-400-year-old-shipwreck.html


And here is a great story on changing gold prices, its impact on individuals to international banks and indifidual miners to investment companies.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-13/losing-faith-in-gold-from-ghana-to-vancouver-proves-rout.html



A few days ago I talked about how different beaches vary in the quality of finds they produce.  Some beaches produce a higher average value find.  And of course some beaches produce more good targets than others.  My previous illustration proposed a hypothetical beach that produced finds averaging $500 and another lower quality beach that produced finds that average $50.

I discussed how you would have to dig ten times as many good targets at the lower quality beach to equal the value of finds that you might expect from the high quality beach.  Looking at it the other way around, you only have to find one tenth the number of finds at the high quality beach to equal the value of finds that you might expect from the lower quality beach.  One additional consideration is the changing beach conditions that I want to talk about now.

For illustration purposes, let's say it normally takes ten  hours to make a  find at the beach that produces high quality finds.    Maybe there are fewer people that visit that beach and they might be more careful with their jewelry.  And if you average one find per hour of hunting at the lower quality beach, that means that the two beaches are equal in expected value.   10 finds of $50 average value = $500 total at the low quality beach, as compared to 1 find of $500 at the high quality beach.

Those numbers might not be realistic for the particular beaches you work, but they are easy numbers for illustration purposes.

You also need to take changing beach conditions into account and adjust your expected value of finds for each beach. If beach conditions really improve at the high quality beach so that you estimate that your chance of making a find at the quality beach doubles, that makes your expected value of finds for the high quality beach twice as great as for the low quality beach ($1000 compared to $500).

I know that it is difficult to precisely estimate the change in probability of finds as a result of changing beach conditions, and you don't really need to be that precise, but by looking at it in this way think you will be more clear about your decision making processes and make better decisions concerning site selection.

It also takes a good amount of time to get good records so that you can get a good average of the value of finds for different beaches.  That brings me to another consideration.   Here it is.  High quality beaches are much more likely to produce individual finds that can dramatically change your average value of finds.  One Rolex watch or one $50,000 diamond ring might not be found very often, but when it does happen, it will dramatically change your average expected value for that beach.  That is something that is difficult to factor into your decision making precisely.   If an extremely good find like that occurs at a high quality beach it might correctly affect your expectations because there is some chance it will happen from time to time, though rarely.

If on the other hand, something like that pops up on a lower quality beach, you never expect it to happen there again.  That means that you might factor it in to your decision making differently.

I won't make it any more complex.  I do recommend keeping very good and detailed records so you know the average value of finds at a beach.  When making decisions you don't have to use a formula and do the calculations.   Thinking of it in terms of a formula will help to make your decision making more clear though and help you to consider the relevant factors and how they enter into site selection.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/18/13 Report - Media Story on Treasure Coast Diamond Ring Returned & Tips for Working Hunted Areas

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


WPTV did a piece on Michael E. finding and returning a $4000 diamond ring that was lost and found on the Treasure Coast.  I mentioned that story a few days ago.  Here is the link to the news story.

The video comes on after the advertisement.

http://www.wptv.com//dpp/news/region_martin_county/jensen_beach/florida-man-digs-up-buried-treasure-of-a-lifetime-gives-it-away-after-message-finds-him

When I originally gave the story I said I hoped the media followed up on it.

Thanks to Bernie C. for submitting the link and Michael E. for the good find and his good act.

The video and article did not mention the St. Lucie Metal Detecting club and some other things.  That is not unusual for the media.  They have their own ideas of what should be included in a story.



Detectorists sometimes get discouraged by competition.  They show up at the beach and see two or three other people coming off the beach and think they might as well turn around and go somewhere else.  That isn't necessarily the case.

First, nobody can cover an entire beach.  There is just too much area.  But I wouldn't cover the entire beach even if I had the time.  Some spots are better than others, and I'm all about trying to identify and hit the best spots.

I'm don't worry much about the competition.  I've never felt it was much of a concern.  As I said the other day, I tend to specialize in finding those spots that are neglected by most others.

I've mentioned many times about the beach being a dynamic system.  That means it constantly changes.  As a result, hunting the same spot after it has been hunted can be like hunting an entirely new area.  It is the same area, but, like I said, things can be changing. 

I thought I'd give you some tips on how to deal with competition today.

First, is timing.  Take advantage of the fact that most detectorists are creatures of habit.  Many will show up at the same beach at the same day of the week and the same time of day.  If you are dealing with competiton, get to know the competition.  I don't mean what you might think I mean by that.  I don't mean to talk to them and get to know their name and things like that.  I mean get to know their detecting habits.  It isn't usually all that difficult, even if you never see them.  You can get to know them by their footprints, drag marks, etc.  Get to know when they detect and make consider your timing.

You can tell a lot about who was there before you even if you never see them.  How many targets did they leave?  What types of targets did they leave?  Is there a disproportionate number of nickels, for example?   Do they grid a small area or cover a large area loosely?  Do they work the dry sand, wet sand, or water?   Do they miss pull tabs, iron, big objects, deeper targets, or whatever?  All of that tells you something that will help you make adjustments and take advantage of the situation.

What areas did they detect and what areas did they miss?  You can sometimes tell that from tracks, uncoverd or refilled holes, or from remaining targets.

If you get to the beach early in the morning or after a rain or strong wind, it wipes the slate clean and makes it easier to tell what happened after that.

After gathering information, make adjustments.  If the others miss a lot of deeper signals, you might decide to select another detector, adjust your settings, or just focus on hearing those faint signals and deep targets.

I don't mind if someone leaves a lot of trash, which tells me they probably also missed some targets, and I don't mind if they left a clean beach, which makes it easier to focus on deep targets.  Either way there is an adjustment that you can make to take advantage of the situation.

Of course, all of that assumes that you decide to stay at that beach and hunt it rather than moving on.  Moving on to another beach can be a good option if you decide that detecting conditions might be better somewhere else.  I often take a look at a beach and move on without ever taking my detector out.  I'm not set on detecting beach X or Y, but make adjustments according to what I see as I go.

One good technique for dealing with competition at top beaches that I often like is to detect the perimeter.  Even if an area is very heavily detected, those that detect it often end up spending their time in a well defined area.  One technique I've used with remarkable success is to define the cleaned out area, and thoroughly detect around the perimeter of the cleaned out area.

In the past I told about one beach that I stopped at when I was traveling up by Pensacola.  There was a picnic area by the causeway to the beach.  I stopped there and started to detect in the water.  I could quickly tell that the area was pretty well cleaned out.  I noticed that there were two pilings in the water and found that the cleaned out area was a rectangular area with the two pilings being two corners of the area.  Inside the rectangle was clean, but just outside that area there was junk.  I decided to detect right around the borders of the rectangular area and in a few minutes came up with three gold rings.  All three were within a couple of feet outside the area that somebody obvoiusly detected on a regular basis.   I never saw them there, but I could tell what they had done, and adjusted accordingly.  They actually helped me out by helping me narrow down the area where remaining targets were likely to be found.  That is an illustration of what I am talking about. 

One of the areas that is most overlooked by other detectorists is where the water gets deeper than chest high.  Some guys do very well by specializing in deep water where many other detectorist do not detect.

Another of my favorite techniques is to hunt an area that is in the process of changing.  It doesn't matter if someone detected the area a half hour ago if another six inches of sand has been removed, or if new targets have washed up in that last half hour.

Others will also miss targets if they are moving too fast, discriminating, or just not scanning thoroughly.  All of those are things you can take advantage of. 

I have no problem following right behind people that do those things.  And I'm not insulting anyone here.  I'll follow myself too.   By that I mean, I'll go back over the same ground time and time again if it seems warranted, especially when I wanted to move fast the first time for some reason, maybe to do some sampling, or if the target density was high and I moved a good number of surface targets on the first pass.  Also, I'll go back and cover the same ground again if it was a high density target area and if the sand is moving as I detect.

Being worried by the competition is more of a psychological thing.  Yes, they might get some targets.  That's OK.  No problem.   Just analyze what is going on, make the necessary adjustments, and take advantage of the situation rather than getting discouraged.


Not much has changed on the Treasure Coast lately.   Erin is now a depression and moving west, but is still a long way away.

Another disturbed area that might form just came off of Africa.

That is it for now.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net























WPTV did a piece on Michael E. finding and returning a $4000 diamond ring.  I mentioned that story a few days ago.  Here is the link.

The video comes on after the advertisement.

http://www.wptv.com//dpp/news/region_martin_county/jensen_beach/florida-man-digs-up-buried-treasure-of-a-lifetime-gives-it-away-after-message-finds-him

Thanks for Bernie C. for submitting the link. 

The video and article did not mention the St. Lucie Metal Detecting club and some other things.  That is not unusual for the media.  They have their own ideas of what should be included in a story.






Jim M. sold the detector I mentioned was for sale two days ago and has a stainless steel scoop for sell on eBay.  It is item no. 141040416069.