9/26/25 Report - Silver Atocha Find. Design of Hapsburg 8 Reale. Divers Salvage Titanic's Sister Ship. Bigger Surf Coming.

 

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Source: Email from Mel Fisher's Treasures.

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Divers recovered artifacts from the Titanic’s sister ship Britannica.

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Divers have recovered artifacts from the Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I. 

The Culture Ministry in Greece said Monday that an 11-member deep-sea diving team conducted a weeklong operation in May to recover artifacts including the ship’s bell and the port-side navigation light...

Here is the link for more about that.

Divers recover artifacts from the Titanic's sister ship Britannic for the first time | AP News

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First struck in 1497, the Spanish 8 Real quickly rose to prominence and became emblematic of a truly global empire and general financial stability. The high purity of this coin was so consistent that 8 Real coins were accepted as quality silver over time from Spain to Australia. Further proof of their universality can be extrapolated by the sheer quantity minted for over 450 years and the fact that many examples exist with countermarks from local authorities certifying their authenticity and purity.

In the mid-14th century, the king of Castile and Leon, known as Pedro the Cruel, established the silver Real. It would be over one hundred years until the 8 Real was first introduced by Isabella and Ferdinand in 1497...

These coins were struck in 1538 at the Mexico City Mint by mint assayer Pedro de Espina only two years after the mint was established by royal charter in 1536. The earliest recorded mention of this type can be found in the 1545 mint report of Francisco Tello de Sandoval. The design of this coin was highly symbolic and influential in numismatic history. It first introduced the Pillars of Hercules to Spanish coinage. The trapezoidal banner with the word PLVS, meaning more, would become a staple of Spanish numismatic imagery and eventually evolve into the $ symbol. PLVS was a reference to the ancient motto of NE PLvs ULTRA as the Spanish monarchy was refuting the ancient Greek belief that nothing existed past the Straits of Gibralter...

Here is the link for more about Spanish Reales.

The Evolution of the Design of the Hapsburg Spanish 8 Real

===

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

We have some weather just east of the Treasure Coast that will have an effect on us.

It looks like we'll be getting some higher surf Monday, which is about a day earlier than was predicted by Surfguru a day or two ago.

Surf Chart for the Fort Pierce Jetty Area as Presented by SurfGuru.com.

The surf is supposed to be higher Monday and peak Tuesday.  That will be a help, but unfortunately the angles aren't real encouraging.  Mostly from the east.

The tides remain high but a little off previous levels.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/25/25 Report - Largest 17th Century Gold Coins from a Famous Collection Buried Before WW II. Aucilla River Project. New Tropical Storm.

 

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Reportl

An amazing hoard that was buried before World War II was part of the one of the most amazing collections ever assembled.  It is known as the Traveller Collection. The 17th century Ferdinand III gold coin is expected to bring in over 1 million dollars.

The highlight of the upcoming auction is a 100-ducat gold coin (shown above) of Ferdinand III of Habsburg, minted in 1629. Weighing an extraordinary 348.5g of fine gold, it is the largest denomination of a European gold coin ever minted in historical times. One of only three known specimens, this coin has an initial estimate of CHF 1,250,000 but is expected to realize over CHF 2 million, which would make it the most expensive European gold coin ever sold at auction. The auction is also notable for being the first time two 100-ducat coins have been offered in a single sale.

CHF indicates Swiss francs. A Swiss franc is now worth about $1.26 US.

But the really good story isn't the coin.  This coin is only a small part of the collection and a bigger more fascinating story. 

Here is some of that story.

A collection of 15,000 historical coins, known as the Traveller Collection, is set to be auctioned by Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC), with experts estimating its value at over $100 million...

The collection features coins from more than 100 territories around the world, spanning centuries and including extremely rare coins in exceptional preservation condition, with some traceable to the greatest collections of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...

The original collector, whose identity remains undisclosed, began amassing coins in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. By the late 1930s, he and his wife had traveled extensively across Europe and the Americas, acquiring coins and meticulously documenting their origins. Fearing a Nazi invasion during Hitler's rise to power, he buried his coin collection, a decision made in the face of growing unrest on the continent. He carefully packed his acquisitions into cigar boxes, sealed them in aluminum wrappers, and buried them deep underground, where they remained for over five decades. Not long after the Nazis occupied parts of Europe, he died of a stroke. Only he and his wife knew the location of the buried coins, which included more than 10,000 coins hidden in their garden...

Source: The Traveller Collection's $100 million coin trove heads to NAC auction | The Jerusalem Post

In the mid-1990s, the collector's widow, now elderly, decided to retrieve the buried treasure, realizing it was time to unearth the collection. She enlisted the expertise of Numismatica Ars Classica (NAC) to oversee the sale and produce an inventory and evaluation.

What NAC uncovered was extraordinary, and it took more than a year to catalog the coins. "It was like being in a candy store every day,"...

Second Auction of Record-Breaking Traveller Collection Presents Rare Central European Coins

and...

Rare Gold Coin, Buried for 50 Years, Could Command $2.5 Million at Auction

The above coin is only one of many examples in the collection.  Here is just one of many more possible examples in the collection..

===

Here is a resource you might like.  It is the newsletter of the Aucilla River Prehistory Project, which came to an end in 2000.  You'll find many notes about the project that focuses on a little out-of-the-way corner of Florida that has a rich archaeological history.  

In the last issue of the Aucilla River Times you'll find information on quite a variety of topics, including paleo Indians, mounds, a person sometimes referred to as Florida's first archaeologist and how to tell the different between various species of mammoths and mastodons from tusk patterns.  If you are interested in Florida archaeology, I'd recommend taking at least a quick look.

Here is the link.

Aucilla-River-Times-Vol-XII-No-1-May-1999.pdf

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

Busy Atlantic.  We have a new tropical storm - Humberto. and some developing weather over the Bahamas.

Source: SurfGuru.com.

So it looks like we'll get a nice little increase in the surf next week.  Combined with the high tides, that should cause a little sand movement.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/24/25 Report = Hoard Found. Great Florida Stone Point Gallery. Checking Couple Small Finds. Systems Developing Off Florida.

 Written by the TreasureGuide for he exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Rare coins from Jewish rebellion under Roman rule excavated in Galilee

The coins, bearing the images of Roman emperors Constantius II and Constans I, were found hidden in a pit at the end of a narrow tunnel inside a large underground hiding complex

Israeli archaeologists have discovered a rare hoard of 22 bronze coins dating back more than 1,600 years in the ancient settlement of Hukok in the Lower Galilee this week. The coins, bearing the images of Roman emperors Constantius II and Constans I, were found hidden in a pit at the end of a narrow tunnel inside a vast underground hiding complex.

Researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Zefat Academic College believe the treasure was stashed during the Gallus Revolt (351–352 CE), the last known Jewish uprising against Roman rule.

“This shows that hundreds of years after these tunnels were dug out, they were reused,” say the researchers. “The hoard provides – in all probability, unique evidence that this hiding complex was used in one way or another during another crisis – during the Gallus Revolt – a rebellion for which we have only scant historical evidence of its existence,”...

Here is the link for more about that.

Rare Coins From Jewish Rebellion Under Roman Rule Excavated In Galilee - i24NEWS

The photo at the top of the article seems to be a stock photo instead of the actual coin hoard.  Many internet articles are doing that now, so be aware of that.  They should make it clear like I am now.

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I found a couple more small items: a silver chain and an earring.  I hoped I added a few more grams of gold but needed to check.

Small Silver Chain Marked OTC and 925 Italy.

First, I checked the small chain shown above.  On one side the tag was marked OTC and on the other side of the tag, was 925 and Italy.  Nice little chain, but no gold.

Looking up the OTC mark, here is what I found.

For over four decades, OTC International has been a leader in the fine jewelry industry through an unwavering commitment to design artistry, quality craftsmanship and superior customer support. OTC's global workforce shares a common mission of delivering exceptional products at values that resonate with today's consumer. Delivering value in today's market requires constant innovation. OTC combines state-of-the-art manufacturing with global sourcing to deliver its retail clients superior quality and value.

The other item I found was a small yellow gold colored earring.

Earring With No Mark.

I found no mark on the earring, so did a rubbing on a touchstone.  The blue arrow at the top of the picture shows where I did the rubbing. The plating wore right through.  

I don't like acid testing because the rubbing leaves a mark on the item, but sometimes it doesn't matter.

Below is a handy device.  I don't think it is really a bench pin, but maybe that is the right term.  I don't really know what it is called, but it is handy for holding small items in just the right position if you are working on the item or are just trying to get the right angel for a closeup photo. 

For illustration purposes, the left arm on this one is now holding a penny. 

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Dr. Ripley P. Bullen collected information about Florida projectile points from avocational and professional archaeologists for decades. First presenting his typology in the 1960s... Bullen’s stone tool typology was meant as a starting point to understand the variety of this type of artifact to address archaeological cultural groups through time. It is still one of the most highly used stone tool typologies for Florida. Bullen anticipated that it would be further refined and built upon through the years...

first presented in the 1960s and was reprinted in the 1970s due to high demand (Bullen 1975)... The intent of this new digital version is to provide a comparative research tool, increase access visually, and stimulate discussion and continued research of this renowned collection (e.g., Dunbar 2007; Farr 2006; Milanich 1994; Thulman 2007).

Here are just a few examples from the gallery.

And here is the link to the gallery.

Bullen Point Types Gallery – Florida Archaeology & Bioarchaeology

Get your point finds out and see if you can match them up.

In my opinion this is the type of thing archaeology should be producing.  Congratulastions.

It is a useful tool.  I've been saying for years, archaeology should be sharing more, especially since the internet has made it so easy.  Archaeology is often said to save history for the public, but they still aren't very transparent in many cases.  

===

So there is a lot of weather happening to just to the east.  You can see that both of those disturbances have a good chance of becoming cyclones.  

I took a look at Windy.com, and captured the following clip for Monday.

Source: Windy.com  (MWF Model showing Monday Projection)

So it looks like Monday the nearest of the two systems will be over the Bahamas.  

Below is what SurfGuru.com is predicting.

Source: SurfGuru.com Surf Chart for the Fort Pierce Inlet Area.

So despite all the activity in the Atlantic to the east of Florida, the surf is not expected to be high for the next several days, and only two to four feet Monday, which the systems are closest to us.

Another thing is that the surf direction will be consistently from the east.  Not the best situation for beach erosion.

Keep watching for changes.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net.

9/23/25 Report - Another Type of Treasure to Be Aware of. Inverted Jenny and Other Valuable Treasures. The Ephemera Equivalent to Coin Collecting.

 

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Old Copy of Treasure Island Child's Book.

I said one time that I thought my first exposure to pirates and treasure was Peter Pan, but I found this old book in my old books and I'm now thinking that Treasure Island could have been it.  The book is what first got some children interested in pirates and treasure.

I have something different today.  It isn't something you could find with a metal detector, but it is one more type of treasure.  It is a type of ephemera and was once a pretty popular hobby.  I haven't been much involved with it lately, but it was a part of my life at one time.  

Here is a link to a site that presents 14 valuable old postage stamps.

14 Rare Stamps That Could Be in Your Junk Drawer – Decluttering Mom

I just ran into that site and was looking at my old stamps just a couple days ago.  

Yesterday I mentioned a nice ring that was found in a handbag purchased at thrift store and I suggested several tips about items unintentionally left in donated thrift store items.  Stamps are one of those kinds of things that can sometimes be found.  Although there are some stamps that are very valuable.  Stamp collecting is much like coin collecting and most kinds of collectibles.  Valuable items are rare and not easy to find.  And with coins, condition is extremely important.

I once picked up a stamp album with some old stamps in it.  Of course, the cost was almost nothing.

I first started stamp collecting when I was about six years old.  I was in the hospital for an appendectomy, and my parents got me a bag of used stamps.  It gave me something to do, going through the stamps and placing them in a scrap book, which was actually a book of new greeting card samples provided by a greeting card company to the store where my grandmother worked.  She brought home the old used books, which I used, after removing the greeting cards, to put my stamp collection.  I remember the bags of stamps to this day.  Several years later I starting moving the stamps I accumulated from the old scrap book to a stamp album that had a place for every type of stamp, including the various countries.

Stamp Album with Bag of Stamps.

I haven't completed the collection.  I haven't been into them for many years.  

Among the items with the stamps, I also found this envelope with an old stamp on it.  I recognized the address as being where my mother was born.  I didn't know anything about the stamp but realized it was pretty old, so I did a little research.

Old Envelope with Old Cancelled Stamp.

Like I said, it is much like coin collecting.  Fortunately, we have better research tools now, including both internet tools and a good camera for taking closeup pictures, just like I do with my coins.

1 1/2 Cent US Stamp Circa 1930.

The camera was a big help, just like it is for viewing coins.  You can see everything you need to see.

Unfortunately, this stamp is like some coins or bottles.  The stamp does not show a date, and the postmark date isn't on the cancellation, so I looked it up and found a date.  It is around 1930.  The internet tools are very handy.  I didn't have that when I started my stamp collection.  I have a Maritius stamp that looks like one of the very valuable ones, but I doubt that it is.  More research is required.

As for the Harding stamp, as I expected but didn't know, it isn't worth much even though it is fairly old.  

Coin collecting and stamp collecting are very similar in many ways.  Unfortunately, with very few if any exceptions, valuable stamps have to be very rare and in great condition.  Nonetheless, you can learn a lot from a stamp collection, and some people like it.  Thank goodness for the new technologies and research tools.

Stamp Collecting, like coin collecting, covers the world and will teach you a lot of history.  

Stamps, like coins, can be valuable because of rarity, but there are also errors, such as the upside down plane on the early air mail stamp known as the inverted Jenny. 

Keep your eyes open stamps are small and easy to conceal and can sometimes be found between book pages, on old envelopes or almost anywhere.

Stamp collectors, again like coin collectors, generally like brand new mint examples rather than used cancelled stamps that show a lot of wear.  

For me, these stamps and albums, like many of my metal detector finds, bring up a lot of memories.

I've done several posts in the past about post cards, which besides being an area of collecting also can provide pictures of old sites which might be good metal detecting sites.

Here is a link to one of those.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: Search results for postcards

I did once or twice pick up somebody's old stamp collecting album at a thrift store for practically nothing.

I like ephemera too.  Some of it is good for its content, which can be interesting even when not in excellent condition.  Ephemera can provide a lot of information that could prove useful to the detectorist.

Personally, I like used well-worn coins and cancelled stamps better than mint examples even if they aren't as valuable. Know about values but collect what you like.

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

There is a lot to see on the National Hurrican Center map.  Gabrielle is past us now, but two other systems are out there.  The orange area isn't going to develop much but will at least give us some northish winds for a short time.  The red system could develop more, but is expected to stay farther out.

Source: surfguru.com.

As you can see, SurfGuru isn't predicting much of an impact.

The high tides are still nice and high though.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/22/25 Report - Surprise Ring Find. Tips on Thrifting. Gold Hits New Highs. AI for Treasure Hunting: Benefits and Risks.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclcusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

An Illinois woman made a welcome discovery in the pocket of a handbag purchased from a local thrift store...

"I found it at a goodwill near me," Vanessa told Newsweek. "I always keep an eye out for real leather bags, and I liked that this one was a nice brown leather crossbody...

Vanessa had already saved a tidy sum by getting the Madewell bag secondhand, but things got even better when she took it home. "I looked in the interior pocket and found a ring, along with a Tylenol tablet and a receipt from a Mexican restaurant," she said...

Here is the link for more about that.

Woman Thrifts Leather Handbag, Finds Priceless Discovery Inside - Newsweek

You can occasionally find good surprises at thrift stores, and it is kind of fun, especially if you have a collecting interest and knowledge about what to look for.  

But it works the other way too.  You can easily make a mistake when you are donating.  You have to check drawers, pockets, and every nook and cranny.  Check behind the back cover of old paintings too.  

I've found some good things between the  pages of old books.

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(Reuters) - Gold surged to a record high on Monday, buoyed by investors' heightened expectations of a dovish rate-cut path, ahead of remarks by multiple Federal Reserve officials and key inflation data later in the week.

Spot gold rose 1.2% to $3,726.42 per ounce, as of 1132 GMT, after hitting a new record high of $3,728.22 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures for December delivery climbed 1.5% to $3,760.90...

Here is the link.

Gold scales record high as markets brace for further rate cuts

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I've shown before several ways that detectorists can use AI.  It can be used to research, or even suggest, metal detecting sites, provide hints on where and when to search. help with a wide variety of questions and help identify items. 

Expect increasing use of AI in the future for both treasure hunters and metal detectorists.  I'd expect much greater integration of AI in metal detector technology, for example.  It will be used to design and develop metal detectors and help metal detectors identify targets.

AI is more effective than keyword browser searches than we have been using. Browsers are now integrating AI.  For example, my google searches are beginning to act much more like Copilot, and I suspect Google is accessing Copilot or getting data from Copilot.

In the future, AI will be used to survey the data on treasure sites and treasure recoveries and recommend future search locations.  Submersibles and robots driven by AI will be used to carry out recovery operations.  Why go out and sit all day on a boat when it can be guided by a joystick and done remotely?

Before I answer that question, it is important to recognize the risks and dangers of AI.  You must be aware that not only does AI make mistakes, but it can become too much of a substitute for human intelligence.  It reminds me of when calculators were introduced into classrooms and some students became so dependent upon the calculators, they couldn't do mental math.  And like those who depend a  upon fact checkers, there is a danger that "lived human experience" could be devalued.

AI systems gossip.  You might think a query is a onetime private event, but AI remembers the interactions.  Interactions goes on "your permanent record."  AI will undoubtedly say that it remembers your interactions to add context, which helps it give you better answers, but there will undoubtedly be intentional and unintentional leakage.  I've noticed that after asking AI about a topic, related sites and ads will show up on my main page.  In other words, AI gossips.  It is not bound by any promise of confidentiality, although you get the feel that it is a private conversation.

Now getting down to my main point.  Assume that you can send your robot out to metal detect or sit back and guide your salvage operations with a joystick.  That might sound good but think about it.

You might also lose something - perhaps a lot.  There is something about being there - hands on, feeling the sun wind, surf and sand.  It could become a remote mining operation, and maybe you'd be more successful in some ways, but would you have the same feeling of participation?  Would you lose more than you gain?  That is something to consider.

I won't even get into what some of the smartest people are saying about things like the existential threat of AI, but there is a lot to think about.  

I'm sure that AI can be used by treasure hunters and detectorists in many useful and satisfying ways, but all I am saying is consider the risks.  How much of the human participation and decision making are you willing to give up.  

I'd recommend that every treasure hunter and detectorists at least look into AI and become familiar with it so they can exploit the benefits and be aware of the risks.  AI is rapidly evolving.  The rate of change is so rapid that it could be unmanageable.  That is one of the big dangers.

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

So Gabrielle is staying far out to sea, but the other system will be less developed but will come a little closer to the Treasure Coast.

Source: Surfguru.com.

Tomorrow we'll have a little bigger surf.  Check the winds.  All from the east.

The high tides will be good and high.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/20/25 Report - Small Cuts along the Treasure Coast: One Example. 50,000 Coins Discovered by Amateur Diver.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Small Cut South of Fort Pierce Jetty Park on the Morning of 9/20.

This morning (9/16) there was a brisk wind from the north that was creating a rough north to south surf on the Indian River near Fort Pierce.  From the look of it, I thought the cut to the south of the bend would reemerge. So I looked and I saw what I expected.  The cut to the south of the bend had returned (Shown above.).  

If you are familiar with a particular stretch of beach and what has been going on there, you can tell with a fair degree of accuracy what will happen when the wind and surf changes.  I'm using this one as an example because I get a good shot of it from the Fort Pierce South Jetty beach cam.

Any beach detectorist can benefit by keeping in touch with beach changes over time.  

A few days ago, I showed where a previous cut at the same area got washed out, as shown below.

 

Same Area After a Previous Cut Had Been Washed Out and Before Today's Cut Reemerged.

The photo above (9/17) shows the same area before the recent north winds and reappearance of a cut to the south of the bend.

A Cut Extending South of the Bend as Shown on 9/16

The photo immediately above (9/16) shows the same area when the beach was cut before it got washed out.

Again, my point is that if you keep in touch with the shape of a stretch of beach as well as the changing winds and surf, you will have a good idea of how the sand will be moving and where the cuts and hot spots will appear and disappear or simply move. 

As the surf direction changes, the eroded erosion can move north and south or up and down the beach,

Of course, the ides in combination with the surf will have an effect too.  Cuts can wash out, be increased in height, or moved in or out.  

Observing this spot over the past few days provides a very good illustration.

The high tide of 3.3 feet will probably hit the foot of the cut tonight, but the high tide will be too late to get a picture of the water hitting the cut tonight.

---

Amateur diver finds 50,000 coins from the 4th century hidden under the sand.

A casual swim off Sardinia turned into a headline find. A diver near Arzachena spotted metal on the seafloor and alerted authorities, who then documented a cache of fourth century bronze coins, with early counts based on weight pointing to 30,000 to 50,000 pieces.

The coins rested in a wide sandy area between the beach and underwater seagrass.

The team also noted fragments of amphorae...

This site lies near a natural corridor where waves and currents slow, which would help concentrate objects. A scattering pattern can come from a container breaking apart, with coins tumbling and lodging in pockets of sand.

Archaeologists will test whether a wreck lies nearby and whether amphora fragments came from the same event as the coins.,, 

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Amateur diver finds 50,000 coins from the 4th century in the sand - Earth.com

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

Gabrielle is still expected to remain far out in the Atlantic.

The system behind Gabrielle probably won't amount to anything.

Source: SurfGuru.com.

Not much surf expected for the Treasure Coast, but we still are getting good high tides and some north winds.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

---

Or perhaps you remember when you had to make your own computer programs.  I made my own programs for statistical analysis as well as a variety of other tasks.

And then there was a huge book of programs for statistsical anaysis, so you could use those programs if you punched them on IBM punch cards  That gave way to programs you could get on discs that wree already programmed.  Most people who used those programs assumed they were right.  I felt much better when I programmed my own

9/19/25 Report - Hoard of Gold Coins Found. Shell Beads Found: Wampum. Shell Artifacts. Gabrielle Heading North.

 Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Hoard of Gold Coins Found in the Corner of an Excavated Ancient Room.

The coins show a figure of a kneeling archer, the characteristic design of the Persian daric, a type of gold coin issued by the Persian Empire and probably minted at Sardis...

Darics were minted from the late sixth century B.C. until the conquest of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great in 330 B.C., and the design of the coins remained the same with only minor stylistic differences. The coins weigh approximately 8.4 grams and are on average 16 millimeters in diameter, a little smaller than the diameter of a dime...

“The hoard was found in the corner of a room in a structure buried beneath the Hellenistic house. Presumably, it was stored there for safekeeping and for some reason never recovered,” Ratté said. “According to the Greek historian Xenophon, a single daric was equivalent to a soldier’s pay for one month.”

Researchers believe that one of the primary uses of the daric was to pay mercenary troops, and it is possible that this hoard was associated with military operations in the area around Notion.

Ratté also notes that most hoards of darics have been found not by archaeologists in scientific excavations, but by looters who have “no concern for history.”

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

Persian gold coins likely used to pay mercenaries found at site of ancient Greek city in western Turkey | University of Michigan News

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Wampum Found in Newfoundland.

Archaeologists on Newfoundland's east coast made a rare discovery earlier this summer, when they unearthed what is believed to be the first wampum beads found in the province...

Wampum are white and purple tubular beads made from quahog and whelk shells. They were used by Indigenous peoples on continental northeastern North America for ornamental and ceremonial purposes, and they were woven into belts as mnemonic devices to record traditions, historic events, diplomacy and laws...

They were also used as currency and for trading, and that's how the group of archaeologists working in Ferryland believes they arrived at the Colony of Avalon.

"English merchants or Dutch merchants would have maybe traded with Indigenous people, acquired them ... and then brought them up to Ferryland and again traded them here," said Brydon...

Here is that link.

'Extremely unusual' discovery of wampum beads in Ferryland believed to be province's first | CBC News

You probably know about the shell mound at Old Fort Park of Fort Pierce overlooking the Indian River.  One of the nearby houses had an archaeological site in the backyard where numerous shell beads were found.  

And if you keep your eyes open you might see shell artifacts laying on the surface.  There are known archaeological sites along our Treasure Coast beaches and artifacts occasionally wash out of the dunes.  I've told, for example, of the tourist at the Disney Resort that came up to me and asked if the item she found after beach erosion was an arrowhead.  It was.  I told her she could take it to the McClarty museum just up the road.  

Florida Shell Tools.

On the left is a scraper shaped for scraping something like an arrow shaft, for example.  And on the right is a punch.

There is always a chance of seeing surface indigenous artifacts after beach erosion.  

Respect archaeological sites and artifacts.  There are some that could have walked right by without knowing it.  

---

As I was saying, on Friday the three major stock indices closed at record highs.  

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

Gabrielle is expected to say far out to see.  Watch the system behind that.

The Friday high tides were good and high today.

Source: Surfguru.com.

In recent years there have been some good Treasure Coast beach metal detecting in both October and November - especially November.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net