8/15/14 Report - Bronze Rod Shipwreck Finds. 1715 Fleet Posey Rings and Bracelet Finds With Inscriptions To Be Translated.

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



Bronze Pin With Washers
Photo submitted by Trez

 

Trez sent the above picture of an item found by his father at Corrigans after seeing my 8/10/14 post, which showed some similar objects found by UB (shown below).

 
 
 

Trez says The washer's (on the item above) actually have some ornate markings along it, I wonder if the other man's spike does?

UB and I referred to these items as spikes in the 8/10 post.  It seems to me now that they are not spikes at all.  The photo that Trez sent shows that both ends are flared. 

Notice the rods on the cannon carriage below. 

I believe that the ones above would be used similarly to the ones shown in the cannon carriage shown below.  They appear to be smaller, though, and for lighter duty.

I would not be surprised if many of those types of things of various sizes were to be found on every ship.

If you can point me to any other pictures of bronze rods with what we have referred to as washers, or if you know the correct names and how they were used, please let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help.  I think Trez's pictures show that UB's items (at least the two that are not covered by wood) are not spikes.

Thanks Trez.



A posey ring is a finger ring, often of high carat gold, with a poem or motto inscribed on it.  The tradition goes back to the Middle Ages. 

Here are a couple of examples of 18th Century posey rings.

Photo source:  www.georgianjewelry.com

These examples are English.

Posey rings have been found on 1715 Fleet wrecks.  Two examples are very large, and may have been worn over gloves.

The inscriptions on the two 1715 Fleet rings, one found in 1989 and the other in 1996, are as follows:

Z+DIA+BIZ+S+ZB+Z+HGA+BFS++

Z+DIA+BIZ+SAB+Z+HG+F+BF

Presumably those abbreviated messages would be in Spanish.

They were originally published in the Oct. 1977 Florida Historical Quarterly in an article by Catherine M. Gaither.

I could not find those pictures now.

Like the two posey rings shown above where the words are separated by marks, the abbreviated words on the 1715 Fleet rings are separated by crosses.

There is also an old Treasure Coast beach find bracelet reported to have the following similar inscription.

Z DIA BIZ SAB ZHG BFRS

If anyone can translate or decode these inscriptions, I'd be very happy to hear from you.

I hope some one will take up this project and get us the answer.


Here is the specific source link for the two posey ring photos shown above.

http://www.georgianjewelry.com/items/show/15602-i-lyke-my-choyse-poesy-ring-ca-1700


One of those disturbed areas is just coming off of Africa again.  It has only a 10% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

On the Treasure Coast the conditions remain the same.  Same calm surf and South wind.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

8/14/14 Report - Treasure Coast Gold Artifact Find Identified As Reliquary Pendant. Google Higher Resolution Satellite Imagery Coming Soon. Massive Tomb Found.

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



2014 Treasure Coast Find (on left) From the Salvage Vessel Booty



New information just in about the Booty's Treasure Coast gold relic find.

I received a photo of this find back a few weeks ago and showed it in my 7/31/14 post.   After doing a little research I said I thought the object might be a pyx.  Yesterday I received an email about the item from author and researcher Laura Strolia.   It seems I was wrong about the identity of the item.  

Here is what our friend Laura Strolia said.

In regards to the recent find ... I believe it is a RELIQUARY PENDANT.  The central oculus would have held an object that belonged to a saint, such as a piece of hair, or a painted image of a holy person.  Crystal would have been added for protection, as well as a chain.

This piece of devotional jewelry exhibits a cross above a sunburst.  The sunburst was intentionally created to take on features of a monstrance, an object used to display the consecrated Eucharistic Host for adoration.  During the Colonial Era, the monstrance design was quite common for displaying relics, with some relicarios being several feet high and others being only a few inches long.  For instance, a beautiful hanging pendant from the late 1600s, belonging to the Hispanic Society of America Collection, shows an intriguing sunburst with a topped cross.  While it does not contain a relic, the subject matter of reverence is an example of its popularity for the time period.

Reliquary pendants suspended on a chain would have been worn with upmost care and love because of their precious contents.  Catholics venerated saints and owned relics to be intimately connected to a favorite saint through prayer.  The remains were a reminder of their existing spiritual relationship.

The size of the pendant recently salvaged seems to be of a quite large dimension compared to the smaller lightweight personal pieces that were worn around the neck or waist.  Wearing a pendant of this size, along with its bulkiness, would put the holy object within at significant risk for physical damage.  Therefore, one would assert it was not designed as a wearable piece of jewelry, but to display elsewhere.  The devout often kept religious items in view, hanging from chains in their private quarters for adoration.  Often these exquisite pendants were given as votive offerings and church treasuries owned many donated ones.  On a holy person’s feast day, it was common for reliquaries to be carried and suspended for public view.  They would then be exhibited in the church during hours of prayer.

It had been mentioned that the found artifact might have been a pyx and would have carried the consecrated Host to the sick or dying.  Catholics believe that the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  The container used for such an important mission needed to be completely closed on all sides, front, and back. It was crucial no elements came into contact with the consecrated Host through any cracks or opened wire, and that was why small round boxes with secured latches were usually used for the job.  A pyx would have been put in a burse (pouch) that hung around a priest’s neck while traveling.  When looking at the artifact, there seems to be a circle on its top that most pendants have for chains.  This piece of hardware would not be needed on a pyx because it was the burse that included the long fabric or leather pieces for hanging.  When taken out of a church, a pyx would never be hung by itself without being in a burse, and especially with having airy filigree metalwork.  If any Hosts had not been used, the pyx immediately went back to the Church where the Blessed Sacrament was returned to a closed tabernacle.  Now, three hundred years later, the Church still acts with laws regarding the importance of the Sacrament, as I recently attended a meeting by our Bishop in protecting the sanctity and dignity of Holy Communion distribution.  After all, the Blessed Host IS the very life of God, a sacrament which Christ taught is necessary for eternal life. -- Laura Strolia

Thanks much Laura.  

You might have read Laura's book The Marigalera of the 1715 Fleet.  I've read it and mentioned it in this blog.

 Google Maps provides a satellite and street views.  Most of you probably know that.  Maybe you have used google to research remote sites.   Well Google now has a contract with a satellite company to obtain imagery from space that will detect objects as small as ten inches.   That is a good tool for higher definition remote research.

Here is the link.

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/googles-satellites-could-soon-see-your-face-from-space



A massive tomb from the era of Alexander the Great was uncovered in Greece.  Nearly 500 meters in circumference, it is one of the largest ever uncovered in Greece.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2401057/Have-archaeologists-discovered-grave-Alexander-Great-Experts-enormous-marble-tomb-fit-king-Greece.html

Just goes to show how many things remain undiscovered if this huge tomb could remain hidden for so long.


On the Treasure Coast the tides are still bigger than normal and the surf is predicted to be 1 foot or so for at least several days.

No new tropical activity in the Atlantic either.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

8/13/14 Report - How Objects Sink During Summer Beach Conditions. Valuable Antique Jewelry. H. L. Hunley Submarine. Titanium On Beach

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

Antique Diamond and Ruby Ring.
Source: See aol.com link below.

I'm often asked about those light pieces of melted metal that people find along the coast.   They look a lot like aluminum.  I believe that many of those are titanium.   I've posted about that in the past.  Since I still get questions about those finds, here is a little repeat of what I said.

If you've ever dug up a piece of metal that looks something like melted aluminum on a Treasure Coast beach, it could be titanium from a rocket or maybe the space shuttle Challenger disaster.

Here is a link to a web site that tells how to identify titanium.

http://mrtitanium.info/2008/03/17/how-to-tell-if-a-piece-of-metal-is-really-titanium/

As you might know, titanium is also used to make inexpensive jewelry these days and is much less expensive than platinum, gold or silver.



Below is a beach photo that I showed a few days ago.  I'm showing it again as an illustration.

Recent Treasure Coast Beach Picture.

A few days ago a lifeguard told me about a diamond engagement ring that was lost a few days earlier.  He said the lady was in knee deep water at the time.  He also said that even though the ring was lost a few days before, the water had been calm.  He was thinking it would still be about where it was lost since the water had been so calm.

 

What the lifeguard did not understand is the poor sandy beach conditions in that area.  Despite the generally very calm surf, things were not staying near the surface, but rather were quickly sinking our of detector range.

 

The wave in the above photo is not as big as it looks.  It wasn't much more than about a foot.  It is breaking nicely and from its form you couldn't tell it from a ten foot wave. 

 

What I want to point out is that where the red line is, the crashing water will churn the sand even though the surf is small.  Furthermore, the line of impact will move as the tide goes in and out so that the red line will move ten or twenty yards or more in and out twice a day.  Not only that but the area in front of the crashing wave, between the red and yellow line has surging water which will move the sand and keep it from settling.  That means sand will be accumulating from the red line to the yellow line and a little beyond.   That is what happens during a summer beach.

 

So even though the water looks very calm, it won't take long for an object like a ring to be buried.  It is partly a matter of the ring sinking and partly a matter of  it being covered.  The sand in this area is loose and the apparent sinking happens at a fairly rapid rate.

 

As I have pointed out in the past.   It takes more water force to move some objects than others.  I'm talking about horizontal movement now, not vertical.

 

It takes very little water movement to move sand, especially when it has been suspended, as it would be by the crashing wave.

 

The fact that it takes little force to move sand but considerably more to move something like a ring, which is more dense,but which also is shaped in a way that does not provide good surface area to the water to push against, what happens is that the sand moves faster around the curved object, letting the object sink through the loose sand while at the same time moving more sand in to cover it up.

 

There is what I call a trigger point for different objects.   The trigger point (amount of water force need to move an object) for sand is much lower than the trigger point for an object like a ring.   That is much of what accounts for objects like rings sinking quickly in sand when the force of water is slight.  That is what basically what happens during poor beach conditions.

 

The trigger point is determined not only by an objects weight or density, but also by its shape.  I've demonstrated that by experiments in the past.

 

Here is one link to reference.  You can search for others.

 

http://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/search?q=trigger

 

Above is a picture of an antique diamond and ruby ring worth $80,000.  Use this link to learn more about the ring and a matching $160,000 bracelet

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/08/12/antiques-roadshow-diamond-and-ruby-jewelry-worth-a-fortune/20945611/


The H. L. Hunley being conserved.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140812/PC16/140819871/1177/scientists-to-begin-exposing-the-real-hunley

Nice picture and article.


There is no tropical weather to watch in the Atlantic.

On the Treasure Coast the tides are still fairly big, but the surf is still around one foot and will remain that small for several days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

8/12/14 Report - Archaeology Site Closed. How To Decide When To Quit. More On Walls Full Of Silver Coins. No Cyclones.

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


Treasure Coast Beach This Morning


I found this interesting article that raises some questions.  It is about an archaeological site that has been studied since Victorian days and was more recently excavated by numerous students and professionals until one archaeologist finally declared that there was 'nothing left except gravel and natural geology.'

Here is a brief excerpt from hat article.

The public is invited in for one last open day Saturday, when there will be tours, craft demonstrations, and displays of this year's best finds, including a red pottery bowl as immaculate as if made yesterday, a massive thumb ring with an enamel inlay, and a copper alloy bottle opener, which proved to be the folding handle of a Roman soldier's skillet – apart from the decoration, almost identical to a first world war mess tin handle.

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/aug/08/silchester-roman-town-closes-natural-geology-archaeological-excavation-ends%20%20

One person wondered how long a site should be dug.   That to me is an interesting question.   This site was dug until they decided that there was nothing left but gravel and dirt.

That question of when to quit can be applied to metal detecting too.  When do you quit on a detecting site?   The answer depends on a lot of factors.  

If it is a site where there is continual replenishment of targets, such as a beach, then the answer might be never.

If you ask the question about a shipwreck site, for some the answer might still be never - at least not in their lifetime.   But for others the time to give up might come much sooner.  

The time to give up isn't necessarily when there is nothing left.  It might be much sooner when there are other more productive site.  You only have so much time to spend.

The decision about when to give up on a land site is often easier than a shipwreck site. 

Still the decision can be difficult.  Is the site really hunted out?  That might depend on you talk to. 

Will technology improve enough to make a site more productive again - perhaps in different ways?  That is another question.

Personally, I still am often surprised by how many times I can go over a land site and continue to find things.   That is especially true when you have used one detector or technique and then the next time use another detector or technique.  It is easy to think a site is cleaned out when there is still more to be found.

The goal is always one of the main considerations.   Without specific goals, you can't really evaluate success.  What do you want to find?  What types of things?   Is the goal to get everything, or only the best things?

In this study it seems that one of the most earth-shattering conclusions is that olives were eaten in England earlier than thought.   How important is it to know that?  To me it doesn't seem very important.   Not important enough to spend tons of time and money on.  But you never know what you will find before you begin.

Some people would say the fact that olives were eaten in England earlier than thought is or could be very important.  I'm sure those people are the ones that expect to get something out of the study - if not a salary, perhaps publications, recognition and professional advancement.  Good for them!  But is that why the site is being studied.  Judge for yourself.

It seems to me that archaeology is often practiced as if the primary purpose was to keep archaeologists employed. 

Lets not forget about the red pottery bowl, massive thumb ring and bottle opener that the pubic will get to view.  And whatever important information those objects might add.   But do the results justify the cost?  That is a question that should be answered.  Is it the best use of time and resources?

The same can be said of a metal detecting site.   Do the results justify the costs? 

In my opinion, that question should be answered in a very different way than a project that is being funded involuntarily by tax-payers. 

Metal detecting is voluntarily done by individuals at their own cost.  Many of the products are difficult to quantify -  recreation, exercise, lost items found and returned, and even occasionally but rarely, important discoveries that lead to archaeological investigations.

Whether you are talking about an archaeological project, shipwreck salvage (also archaeological but privately funded), or a simply metal detecting, there is a decision to be made.  In each of those three cases the decision should be made in a different way, but in all cases the decision has to be made. 

In all three cases, the decision has to be made without perfect knowledge.  You never quite know if you are quitting too soon or if there might be  better place to spend your time.  And in all three cases, there is a subjective element.  No matter how well you collect data and analyze what you have found, there is always the element of the unknown.  And that is a good part of what makes it so exciting.



More on the old house full of old coins. 

One city worker thought it might be finders keepers at first.

And they kept it quiet for months waiting to see if someone came foreward to claim the money.

Interesting.

Here is another article on the house with walls full of coins.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/trash-cash-florida-workers-find-2-000-silver-coins-demolition-article-1.1897886


There is nothing tropical going on in the Atlantic.

On the Treasure Coast the surf is small.  At the beach above, the unusually big tides from the Super Moon didn't do anything good.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

8/11/14 Report - Two-Box Detecting. Storing & Maintaining Finds. Metal Detecting ID Test. Fossil Sand Dollar. Super Moon Tides.

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

2-Box Detector

If you ever want to hunt aunt Mary's buried silver tea pot, cache, septic tank, or some other larger buried object, you could use a 2-box detector like the one shown here.

The top picture shows the two boxes in closed position for transport, along with the collapsible rod.

The bottom picture shows each of the two boxes, which would go on each end of the length of rod.

You would hold the rod in the middle slightly above ground and when you go over a buried object you will get a signal.

This is one I've used a few times.  One time was to locate a septic tank, which I quickly did.



The link to the story about the old house and silver coins wasn't working for a while yesterday.  I think it is now fixed.

 

Florida heat and humidity can be hard on all kinds of things.  If you like old things, keep them carefully protected. 

You probably already know that if you have iron objects, especially those that have spent time under salt water, they will fall apart unless they are carefully conserved and protected.  Take a look at the old canons in the park along US 1 in Fort Pierce.  They are seriously corroded and damaged.

But it isn't only iron.  If you have fire arms, especially nice old firearms, they have to be properly cared for and maintained.  It is best if they are kept in a humidity controlled environment.  Dehumidifiers are available for gun safes.  You don't want that antique gun to be damaged.

Papers and books do not do well in hot humid Florida environments either.  If you have old maps or books, they need to be kept out of bright sun-light.   Do not keep them in basements or garages either where they will get mold or mildew or in hot attics.  Bugs will also damage not only paper pages but will ruin nice old colorful book covers.  

Leather needs to be maintained too.  It will also mildew.

If you have HO model trains, for example, the band drives will melt in Florida heat.  Rubber parts on anything, including antique cars, will quickly deteriorate.

This is a tough place to keep old things nice.  It is easier in colder and less humid environments.

And one thing I've said before, don't keep finds made of different metals together.  Metals such as silver and pewter will discolor and corrode if they are stored touching other metals.  Silver seems especially vulnerable.  Don't just drop your finds in a box mixed together if you care about them.  It is best to store each item separately wrapped.

I have also found that the more information you store with finds the happier you will be when you dig them out in the future and wonder when and where they were found and what they are.  Don't depend upon your memory.  You might think now that you will remember, but in a few years you might wish you wrote it down.

As usual I'm speaking from experience and have learned most of these lessons the hard way.

If you have some items that you really like but aren't able or willing to maintain properly, you might think about selling them and sending them to a good home.  It can be real discouraging to find out that you let something old that you really liked get damaged by lack of care.

One more thing.  Keep valuable finds and items in a bank safe deposit box.

Here are three I objects I used in a little test.

I used the Ace 250 to detect these objects.

The knife was identified by the detector as iron.

The small vintage toy gun was identified as a penny.

The watch also was identified as iron.

These are the kinds of test that I recommend if you have any interest in detecting items like this.

Do you really want to pass over knives and watches?  That is a question you have to answer for yourself.

Here is a nice fossil sand dollar.  The matrix is still attached to the back.



I mentioned the unusually big tides yesterday.  Sunday was the closest full-moon of 2014.  If you check the tide charts you'll see how big the tides were.

Here is an article about the moon and tides.

http://news.yahoo.com/sundays-supermoon-full-moon-really-super-132856515.html?pt=BureoF3GVB

I'll be checking some beaches after the big tide.   If the water got up to any dunes, that might be interesting.  I don't know if it did.   I can think of one place that I'll check for sure.

The weather coming off of Africa that I mentioned yesterday still has a 10% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours and is still far far away.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

8/10/14 Report - 60 Pounds of Silver Coins Discovered! Great Bronze Shipwreck Spikes Found. Wreck of the Olivette Explored. Fine Watch. Big Tides.

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




Bronze Spikes Found by UB
Photos submitted by UB

Here are some great finds.   Bronze spikes!   One is still in wood.  That is really neat. 

Also the one with the washer or ring around it is unusual.

Great finds and photos UB!

UB was wondering if anyone had seen one with something like this washer thing on it, and if anyone had any thoughts about their possible age or any other ideas they might be able to offer.

He was also wondering about how to conserve them.

UB has a proven technique for conserving wood, but was wondering how to conserve the combination of wood and bronze.









The Olivette, was an American steamer that was turned into a hospital ship, and was used in the Spanish American War to treat injured Spaniards as well as Americans.  It sank in 1918. 

Here is a nice video showing divers exploring the discovered wreck.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/video/USS-Olivette-Shipwreck/316563523637/Comcast/TopVideoClips/?cid=sf_vidtray

Source: Orlando Sentinel link.

This old house was condemned and demolished.  In the process 60 pounds of silver coins from the early 1900s were discovered in the walls.


Tek sent me the link to this article published in the Aug. 10 Orlando Sentinel.

Thanks Tek!







The link below will give you the entire story and a video on the treasure in the old house.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-silver-dollars-chimney-st-cloud-20140808,0,1921056.story



Due to the poor beach conditions, I've been targeting modern jewelry at tebeach..  There has been a good bit of it at a few of the Treasure Coast beaches.

Here is the type of thing you can find, and no target ID meter would get it exactly right.

That is about the most attractive watch that I've seen.  And in great condition!



On the Treasure Coast the surf is very small, but the tides today were unusually big.  

There is a little weather just coming off of Africa that has about a 10% of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

That one is very far away yet, but could be worth watching.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net

8/9/14 Report - 14K Gold Topaz Ring, 1938 French Coin. Reading and Research. Foreign Coin Web Site

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


My internet service was running real slow this morning, and I didn't try to fight it.  I had given up on posting today, but things finally got working.  I'll only do a quick post today though.

First here is a new beach dug ring.  14K gold with topaz and small diamonds on the side of the band.


And below is a unusual coin find for the Treasure Coast.  It is a 1938 2 French Francs.  It is made of aluminum and bronze and about the size of a half dollar.

I didn't have any idea what it might be worth, but finally found a site where I could get the information.  The coin isn't worth much at all, but the web site was a nice find.

 The coin is in nice shape but still not worth much.

Here is the web site where I got information about the coin.

http://www.coinsandvalues.com/








As long as the old stuff is buried on our beaches it isn't going too come in.   There is just too much sand out there and there isn't enough surf to move any significant amount of sand.

It is more difficult to cover an area thoroughly in the water.  You can't grid it with the same precision that you can grid dry land.

Some people try to grid in the water and can do a fairly good job if the water isn't rough.   Don't be afraid to spend a lot of time going very slow. 

I think I've explained the spiral pattern that I frequently use in the water.

I am reading a book about one of my ancestors who was an Indian scout.   Not only does it give great clues to metal detecting sites, but it gives some real life history of the 18th century that you don't hear much about.  There was a lot of violence going on, so much so that it makes pirate life seem very tame in comparison.  I can understand why that history has been sanitized in the history books.  Burning at the stake, scalping and various tortures were added to the killing.  And I'm not just putting it on the Indians.  There were whites that collected a lot of scalps.  It was a violent time and place.  And the part that makes it very interesting to me is that places are named that I know very well.

I'm recommending dong some reading and research no matter where you hunt. 

In the book I am reading now, they show old cabins, forts, caves, crossings and all sorts of good clues, including some more modern pictures that identify where the old things were back in the 18th century.

I showed some pictures of a woods in that same general area where I did some detecting a month or so ago.

On the Treasure Coast we still have South winds and a one foot surf.  That won't change for at least a few days.

Noting going on in the tropics.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@Comcast.net