3/29/25 Report - Remote Viewing: Research and Application from CIA and Other Research Institutions. Intuition and Metal Detecting.

 

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Saturday Morning.
Source: SurfGuru.com.

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Source: The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/9/17 Report - 2011 Law Concerning Ownership of Artifacts and Space Exploration Artifacts. Blog Poll Conclusions.

Back in 2017 I did a post that reported on a poll that I conducted in this blog.  I asked readers to indicate how much they rely upon intuition in their treasure hunting.  The chart above summarizes the results of that poll.  The chart gives the percent of respondents that reported relying upon intuition entirely, more intuition than analysis, equal amounts of intuition and analysis, more analysis, and entirely analysis.  As you can see only two percent of the respondents indicated going entirely by intuition and eight percent entirely by analysis, with the vast majority, using a mixture of intuition and analysis.  The most general conclusion is that almost all of the respondents rely upon analysis but also use their intuition to some extent.  

Below is a definition of intuition from Psychology Today. 

Intuition is the ability to understand something instinctively without the need for conscious reasoning.  It is often described as a form of knowledge that appears in consciousness with without obvious deliberation, allowing individuals to make decisions or judgements based on "gut feelings" or hunches...

That is not exactly how I would describe it, but it is close enough for most purposes.  I don't like using the term "instinctively" because to me "instinct" suggests something "inborn" while intuition, in my view, is the product of a lot of information processing. 

Einstein considered intuition very important.  Here are some of Einstein's quotes on the subject.

The only really valuable thing is intuition. I believe in intuition and inspiration; at times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason. The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery.  There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you and you don’t know how or why.

It is difficult to say how often our hunches, or intuitions, are correct but most of us must feel that our hunches are sometimes correct and helpful or for some other unexplained reason, at least compelling.  We remember the times when our feelings seemed to pay off and, we attribute those successes to something other than coincidence or accident even though we can't explain how or why it works.

Just recently CIA documents were made public that discussed how "remote viewers" were able to correctly describe details of distant sites that they had never visited.  Not only were numerous experiments conducted, but various organizations or agencies repeatedly called on "remote viewers from those projects, which suggests that the remote viewers must have been found helpful.

Below is a link to an article describing one experiment in which a "remote viewer" described the location of the long sought "Ark of the Covenant" as well as other details about the sacred treasure.

Declassified CIA files reveal psychic quest for the Ark of the Covenant - The Jerusalem Post

And here is a brief excerpt from that article describing what the remote viewer saw.

Remote Viewer No. 032 described a container made of wood, gold, and silver, adorned with images of six-winged angels, and similar in shape to a coffin.

"The target is a container. The container contains another container inside it," Remote Viewer No. 032 stated, according to the New York Post.  The remote viewer further described the object as being "hidden—subterranean, dark, and wet," indicating the concealed nature of its location...

So, is the Ark of the Covenant buried on Oak Island? Additional details provided by the remote viewer seem to exclude that. The site is described as being in an area near gold domes and white robed people. 

You might enjoy reading more about the psychic's description of the location and the artifact in that article. 

Russell Targ, one of the primary researchers on government sponsored contracts on remote viewing, summarized the project in the 24-page article described below.

Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 569–592, 2019 0892-3310/19 RESEARCH ARTICLE.    What Do We Know about Psi? The First Decade of Remote-Viewing Research and Operations at Stanford Research Institute by RUSSELL TARG.

You can find it online for yourself, but below are a couple excerpts.

 In its 15 years of operation, the Fort Meade remote viewing program received 450 requests for services from various US Government intelligence agencies. Despite the CIA’s denial of the utility of remote viewing, they referred 34 missions to the remote-viewing human, The First Decade of Remote-Viewing Research and Operations at SRI 589 intelligence group at Fort Meade for their intelligence needs; with 122 from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and 172 from the Joint Task Force (JTF). This kind of repeat business strongly indicates that the customer was finding the information useful enough to keep coming back for more, thus lending support to the validity of psi and the utility of remote viewing. All the SRI–SAIC and government reports and reviews have now been published in four volumes as the Star Gate Archives by Edwin May, the former research director of the SRI–SAIC remote-viewing program (May & Marwaha, 2018a, 2018b, 2019a, 2018b)...

In 1978, a Soviet, Tpolev Tu-22 Backfire bomber went down in northern Africa. It was full of code books; and both the Russians and the CIA were eager to find it. However, since it crashed into the jungle, US satellite photography couldn’t locate it. We were asked by our CIA customer to try to locate the plane by remote viewing. Both a talented SRI viewer and an experienced female remote viewer from the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base made contact with the plane. They both described the locale and drew a circle on a map. When the CIA landed a helicopter in that circle, the first thing they saw was a group of natives dragging pieces of the plane from the river to the village, just as the SRI viewer described. This whole event is narrated by President Jimmy Carter in the opening scene of my 2018 documentary film Third Eye Spies...

It definitely seems that there is some experimental support for effectiveness of "remote viewing."  The intelligence agencies spent a lot of time and money investigating the subject.  It should be noted, though, that some "remote viewers" are much more effective than others, and some people have virtually no talent or skill for it.  

In the treasure hunting community, there is very little discussion or acknowledgement of such skills.  That seems strange to me, since treasure hunting is an area where such techniques would seem to be most helpful.  Treasure hunters acknowledge hunches or feelings, but as far as I know, have not investigated or systematically described techniques like those explored by the CIA and other research institutions.  The difficulty of describing how those techniques actually work could be part of the problem, not to mention how ESP phenomena conflicts with a materialistic or classical physics world view.  

Below are a couple related links you might enjoy.

Is ESP Real? Harvard Scientists Say They Have Settled The Debate | Science 2.0

The Flower Ornament Scripture A Translation Of The Avatamsaka Sutra By Thomas Cleary : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

In the first, Harvard scientists concludes that ESP does not exist based upon a failure to find expected brain changes associated with ESP tasks.  The assumption is that ESP activity would be shown by changes in brain function that could be detected by their imagining system.   

The second is a document that takes a very different view (ancient Buddhist) and provides techniques for developing what we might call ESP abilities.

Personally, I see intuition as being the result of developed information processing and assimilation. Observations and information are processed and assimilated to produce a higher level of insight, which is not easily broken down or explained.  

In contrast to intuition, I would define ESP is a process of gaining information that does not come through the normal five senses. So, intuition can be seen is a higher level of information processing, while ESP implies a means of input other than our normal five senses.

Your own position on ESP will depend to some extent on your personality, views and experiences.  If you are interested in the subject, there is a varied body of literature that you might want to explore.  Some of that literature describes methods for improving those skills.  You can find more on the Star Gate Archives online, but it may require some digging.

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Rip Current Statement issued March 28 at 3:13AM EDT until March 30 at 4:00AM EDT by NWS Melbourne FL

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected. * WHERE...Coastal Volusia, Coastal Indian River, Coastal Saint Lucie, Coastal Martin, and Coastal Brevard Counties. * WHEN...Through late Saturday night. * IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.

Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, which occur most often at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and in the vicinity of structures such as jetties and piers. Heed the advice of lifeguards, beach patrol flags and signs. Entering the surf is strongly discouraged. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.

---

Source: Surfguru.com.

It is still windy and we have a little higher surf today but not as much as predicted yesterday.

The afternoon low tide will be almost one negative foot.  Haven't had a low tide that big for quite a while.

Take a look at the beach cam image at the top of this post.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/28/25 Report - Gold Coin Cache Found. Casual Visual Find to Be Followed by Metal Detecting. ESP & Ark of the Covenant.

 

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

A small jug discovered in the Israeli capital's Jewish Quarter last month turns out to contain four gold coins — the equivalent of four month's salary for a common laborer at the time the coins were tucked away more than 1,000 years ago. 

Archaeologists discovered the hidden loot while surveying a site prior to the construction of an elevator to the Western Wall Plaza, a historic public square in Jerusalem's Old City. Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) inspector Yevgenia Kapil found the juglet, a clay vessel not much bigger than a coffee cup. Weeks later, excavation director David Gellman, an IAA archaeologist, upended the juglet into his hand and was shocked when a handful of coins came out with the dirt...

Here is the link for more about that.

Ancient gold stash found in jug in Jerusalem | Live Science

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It is always nice to find a cache, no matter how big or small, and a gold coin or two always makes it a special day, especially if it is old.

• A passerby discovered a rare Viking-era iron bracelet in a wetland on the Swedish island of Öland.
• The open-ended bracelet style is rare in large part because of the use of iron.
• Officials plan to undergo a deeper search of the area to see if the find was a one-off or if there is a hoard stashed nearby.

...someone who officials are calling “an attentive person” discovered what first appeared to be an unremarkable, rusted-out bracelet. Instead, the find turned out to be a rare example of an iron arm brace from the Viking era...

Still, once the weather allows, officials plan to scour the area with metal detectors to see if they can discover more lost Viking-age treasure...

Here is that link.

A Passerby Discovered an Ancient Viking Artifact

Just yesterday I was talking about how a visual survey can be a useful first step before metal detecting.  This is a good example of the type of thing that can happen.

I've also talked about how come cold water environments can preserve metal materials.

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Classified documents on cold war ESP experiments were recently declassified.  One remote viewer seemed to identify the target, which was the ark of the covenant, as well as details about its location.  If he was correct, it didn't sound like it was on Oak Island, although it was seen as being in a wet underground location.  It was seen as being in a location with mosque domes, or something like that and white robed peoples.  

I'll get into topics like that more in the future.  A poll I did in the past showed that a good number of the people that read this blog rely to some extent on intuition.

===

Jensen Beach Friday Morning.
Surfguru.com Beach Cam.

It is windy this morning, so I checked out a couple beach cams.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Friday Morning.
SurfGuru..com Beach Cam.

As you can see, despite the wind, the surf isn't big yet.  The surf chart shows the same thing.

Surf Chart.
Surfguru.com.

Tomorrow the surf will increase.  Looks like three to five feet.

We also have some small negative tides today.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/27/24 Report - Hispania Coin Molds Discovered. Rip Tide Danger. Science and Philosophy. Descartes. Book Treasures.

 

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

Coin Molds and Coins.
Source: See link below.

A stone mold used for coin minting in Hispania found.


The discovered object is one of the two valves of a bivalve mold used for producing coin blanks (raw, unminted metal discs used to manufacture coins) through molten metal casting. The piece, measuring 11 cm in height, 13.7 cm in length, and 5.4 cm in width, has a flat surface with circular casting marks and evidence of thermal use. Petrographic analysis has determined that the stone used for its manufacture comes from the geological unit of Porcuna, confirming the local exploitation of resources for industrial tool-making in antiquity...

The discovered object is one of the two valves of a bivalve mold used for producing coin blanks (raw, unminted metal discs used to manufacture coins) through molten metal casting. The piece, measuring 11 cm in height, 13.7 cm in length, and 5.4 cm in width, has a flat surface with circular casting marks and evidence of thermal use. Petrographic analysis has determined that the stone used for its manufacture comes from the geological unit of Porcuna, confirming the local exploitation of resources for industrial tool-making in antiquity.

X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (µ-XRF) analysis revealed the presence of a binary copper-lead alloy in the mold’s metallic impressions, consistent with the compositions previously identified in coins...

Here is the link.

First Stone Mold Used for Coin Minting in Hispania in the 2nd Century BCE Found at the Obulco Site in Jaén

So there is the possibility that they would find molded coin blanks that weren't yet struck, if I understand this.

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Rip Current Statement issued March 27 at 2:49AM EDT until March 28 at 4:00AM EDT by NWS Melbourne FL

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected. * WHERE...Coastal Volusia, Coastal Indian River, Coastal Saint Lucie, Coastal Martin, and Coastal Brevard Counties. * WHEN...Through late tonight. * IMPACTS...Rip currents can sweep even the best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.

Rip currents are powerful channels of water flowing quickly away from shore, which occur most often at low spots or breaks in the sandbar and in the vicinity of structures such as jetties and piers. Heed the advice of lifeguards, beach patrol flags and signs. Entering the surf is strongly discouraged. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help.

Rip currents can create some nice treasure holes, but you don't want to get into something you can't handle.  

--

There is so much noise on YouTube, but it seems that quantum physics is leading a lot of physicists and other thinkers to the conclusion that consciousness is a basic determinant of the material universe, which is quite different than prevalent recent theories that consciousness is product of the physical brain.  Quantum physics is also leading many to conclude there must be a God.   

The consciousness first theory is one I've held for at least fifty years.  I've hinted at it in this blog from time to time.  

Descartes is perhaps best known for the statement, "I think therefore I am."   If you ask yourself how you know whatever you know, and then how you know that, etc. etc. and continue that process long enough, you will eventually come down to the realization that the only self-evident and undoubtable thought or realization is that you are conscious.  The basis of science is a pervasive doubt and questioning.  Doubt is as basic to science as knowledge.  If they ever studied Descartes (and perhaps also operationism) they could have come to the same conclusion about the place of consciousness without waiting for the development of quantum physics.  

Instruction in science should begin with philosophy - especially the philosophy of science.  Philosophy of science is a field that deals with what science is, how it works, and the logic through which we build scientific knowledge. It involves examining metaphysical, epistemological, and ethical issues related to scientific inquiry (wikipedia).  How can you have science education without philosophy?  You can't.

Descartes Book I Picked Up When A Local Library Was Deaccessioning.

Books are among my favorite types of treasure.  In the past I sold some for good money after picking them up for almost nothing.  The Descartes book probably wouldn't bring hardly anything, but it has been a treasure for me because I like the physical book, and I also appreciate the information contained.  Few people would consider it to be much of a treasure, but I do.  Some treasures are more personal than monetary.  And for me, the personal ones are the best.

Deaccessioning is a strange word that they use to refer to weeding out a library collection.  You can get a lot of free books that way.  And sometimes they might charge a dollar or something like that.

I used to look through libraries and see some real gems that are totally unappreciated.  I've saved a few of those.  One library had an entire collection of collectible books.  They didn't realize what they had.  Librarians often don't know about rare, collectible or antique books.  

It is amazing how often I've found old books, hundred years or more old, that have never been opened or read once.  I've seen books on the shelves with uncut or untrimmed pages, so I know they have never been read.

I ran on too long and have to stop before I get too depressed about our educational institutions.

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Descartes was smart but totally bipolar in his mind/body dichotomy.  (A Short Poem by T.G.)

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Source: SurfGuru.com.

Bigger surf tomorrow.  Small negative tides today.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/26/25 Report - Eye-Balling and New Mystery Find. Shiver Me Timbers and Other Phrases. Gold and Copper Prices.

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

Possible Stone Scraper.

There was a nice hard but brief rain yesterday.  It is a perfect time to scout or search land sites.  The vegetation is thin from a winter season that was very dry along some coastal areas and the recent rain would expose surface items.

Just this morning in my own yard, with that all on my mind, I looked around some sandy areas where  near-surface items could have been exposed by the recent rain.  One thing I noticed is the above stone, which could have been used as a scraper.  I am not certain that it was shaped for that purpose, but if I was without tools and saw it, I would have picked it up and added it to my tool set.  

Possible Lithic Scraper or Cutting Tool.

I know very little about lithic tools and don't see what I can say for certain are worked surfaces.  Nonetheless, it fits the hand remarkably well.  For use as a scraper.  You can see the cutting edge, which is the edge that looks most like it could have possibly been shaped by human workmanship, yet due to my lack of knowledge about such things, remains, in my mind, questionable.  You can also see where downward pressure would be provided by the forefinger and the impression where my thumb fits nicely.  If it was not formed for use as a scraper, it could still be seen as a happy accident.

I won't say this is an artifact, because I don't know for sure, but it is an interesting item, and the point that I'm making today is that it is a perfect time to visually search land sites.

Here it is in hand.

Scraping Tool(?) In Hand.

It worked well when I tried it out.  Cut a nice line across hard wood.

Any thoughts or opinions on this find?

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Gold Price Chart.

Gold this morning is $3048, as I type.  That is not the absolute high, but close.

Similarly, copper prices are right up there near all-time highs.  

Maybe that will hasten the demise of the one cent coin.

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I had this post nearly finished last night when a mistaken stroke of the keys lost all I had completed.  That is always annoying, especially when I can't easily reconstruct it.  Sometimes I don't feel like trying to reconstruct what I lost, and I take the loss as a sign to start over and leave my old attempts to remain in wrack and ruin upon the digital rocks.

The phrase "wrack and ruin" evolved over the centuries.

Henry Bull moved the phrase on to ‘wrack and ruin’ in his translation of Luther’s Commentarie upon the fiftene psalmes, 1577:

“Whiles all things seeme to fall to wracke and ruine.”

Eventually it became "rack and ruin."

I'm always interested in how the waves of words and phrases move through the language and culture.

Below is the frequency chart for "rack and ruin" in printed material.

As you can see, it was most used around the 1920s but was being increasinly used in print during the later 20th century.  

Have you noticed that "Thanks" has increasingly become "Thanks so much" when used on TV.  The "so much" seems unnecessary and repetitious, but I guess is added for emphasis and flattery, especially on TV, when there are fawning contestants.

There was a while when everybody was talking about dissonance, but that has faded in more recent times.  

You watch the flow of words and ideas to watching the changing frequency of use.  The internet is a big spreader.  People adopt there ideas without having to think.  They copy a lot.  One common phrase that was used a lot as applied to education and memorizing is "regurgitate."  Thankfully, I don't hear (or read) that one so much anymore.

But back to nautical phrases, the phrase "shiver me timbers" came to mind.  That phrase is nautical slang and is a reference to the timbers, which are the wooden support frames of a sailing ship.  In heavy seas, ships would be lifted up and pounded down so hard as to "shiver" the timbers, startling the sailors. Such an exclamation was meant to convey a feeling of fear and awe, similar to, "Well, blow me down!", or "May God strike me alive and well". Since on the high seas the ship was the sailors' 'world', it may also be interpreted as an exclamation for "shake my world" as the subject being referred to could be or may be considered a potentially 'world shaking' event. (wikipedia)

I like tracking the source and adoption of words and ideas interesting.

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I noticed that the Oak Island TV show now has a new young lady metal detecting expert.

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Sand Being Pushed Around at Fort Pierce South Jetty.

Surf Chart.
Source: Surfguru.com.

We're supposed to get a little more surf later this week.

Did I mention that Fort Pierce is talking about starting paid parking at some of their beaches.  I don't know if I got that posted before losing it.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

 

3/25/25 Report - Coin Weights and Other Weights as Artifacts and Collectibles. Jamestown and 1715 Fleet Weights. Piece of Ephemera.

 

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

Coin weights were the pocket-sized guardians of fair trade. Before modern banking, coin weights ensured fair transactions and protected against fraud...

Most coin weights were square, rectangular, or circular and made from brass, bronze, or lead. They were calibrated to specific coin denominations and often bore designs, inscriptions, or marks indicating their purpose. Some included the image of the coin they were meant to verify, while others featured symbols of authority, such as the initials of a ruler or minting institution.

To use a coin weight, a merchant placed it on one side of a simple pan balance scale and the coin in question on the other. If the coin matched the weight, it was deemed genuine. If it was too light, the coin had likely been shaved or it was counterfeit...

Here is the link for the rest of that article on collecting coin weights.

Weighing History - Numismatic News

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In early Jamestown, brass coin weights were necessary to verify the values of gold and silver coins. Unlike modern small change, which only represents a government-established worth, the value of colonial coinage was determined by its content — the actual amount of gold or silver it held. It was a common practice to clip coins for their metal. This illegal practice was not always detectable on the hammered coins made before 1662 which — unlike the later machine-made coinage — were not finished with a milled edge.

Coin weights portray the obverse, or front side, of the coin they represent. This made identification easier for the largely illiterate population of the time. All of the weights recovered from the site are square, and three dated between 1612 and 1619 are for Stuart coins. The only Elizabethan weight is for the gold ryal worth 15 shillings. It is stamped with a hand, indicating that it was made in Antwerp, and bears the maker’s initials “PVG.” The Elizabethan ryal was issued between 1583 and 1592....

Here is that link.

Coin Weights | Historic Jamestowne

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A quick search of the PAS database only produced on "coin weight."  I'm not confident I did that right.  

Here are the search results I got.  

Search results from the database Page: 1

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Of course, weights are not such an unusual find. One beautiful example of a complete nested weight set was found by Captain Jonah on a 1715 site.

Here is the link for more about that. 

You can see that here.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 11/11/16 Report - Amazing 1715 Fleet Artifact As Found and As Cleaned. More On Relic Hunt.

Here is a similar nested weight set from the sist of the Queen Anne's Revenge.

Artifact of the Month: Measuring Matters | Queen Anne's Revenge Project

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Back in the day, science and electronics were a focus.  I found the booklet shown above in my box of toys that I told you about a couple days ago.  It came with a kit, which included a motor, lights, and various parts or components along with instructions to build a variety of working projects.  Below are a couple pages from that book showing a couple of the more complex projects.

Electronic Projects Described in the Booklet.

I always enjoy looking at ephemera..  Ephemera often provide a better picture of the times - often better than other kinds of artifacts.  Unfortunately, this one does not have a publication date, but I know the approximate time frame.

Interesting to see what was available for kids on those days.  

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Source: Surfguru.com

Almost no surf this morning and not much expected all week long.

There is a little rain in the Fort Pierce area.

The bulldozers are pushing sand at Fort Pierce South Jetty, which has become a very common thing.  Unfortunately, the sand will eventually make its way down to the treasure beaches where it has been building for quite some time.

---

If you take climate change as an existential threat, I guess you want to burn electric cars and charging stations.  Very telling.

---

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/24/25 Report - More Research Resources and Information on Keys, Locks and a Couple Related Treasure Coast Finds.

 

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

Locks Found by John C.

A few days ago, I gave you a great research resource on locks and keys. John C. wrote and asked if anyone had an information or ideas on the above locks that he found.  Here is what he said.

In reference to your last post, i really don't know too much about these 2 items. The one on the left appears to be some type of, inner door latch lock of some type, that may have used, some type of skeleton key to operate,?

The plate on the right looks to be some type of combination lock plate, the numbers are one through eight, maybe U S mail, ? It's pretty beat up,so i wonder how it ended up on the beach,? maybe you, or some of your viewers may have some ideas, i appreciate the blog, and all your hard work,

Thanks, John C. 

You never know what you might find on a beach - almost anything and everything.  And you just have to scratch your head about how it got there.

The item on the right does appear to be the front of a post box, as you suggest.   As soon as I saw it I was reminded of the one I had when I was at the university many years ago.  They are usually made of a good heavy material, maybe bronze, and clean up beautifully.  There are a variety of those being sold on eBay.  I think you'll be able to clean it up so it looks very nice.  Below is a photo of the type of thing you'll see online.

Mail Box Doors for Sale on Online.

I think you are on the right track on the other one too.  It does look like a door lock.   Maybe vintage or possibly antique.  Maybe someone else can help date that one.  If you look up vintage/antique door hardware you'll find many similar examples. 

Here is the link I provided for research on locks and keys a couple days ago in case anyone missed it.

Locks and Keys Throughout the Ages : Vincent J. M. Eras : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

After revisiting the topic of keys and locks I found some additional sources of information to recommend.  Below are some good ones.

Here is a link to a site that provides some help for identifying several types of keys.

11 Types of Vintage Keys and How to Identify Them | Resalvaged

And next is a great site by the Lock Collectors Association.  This site covers keys from the early centuries right up to the 20th century and includes great photos and descriptions of various types of keys.

The Lock Collectors Association

And the following site discusses the subject of locks and keys archaeologically found at Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson's tobacco plantation.

Jefferson inherited the property in 1773 and began designing and working on his retreat home in 1806. While Jefferson is the most famous individual associated with the property, it had several owners before being purchased for restoration, preservation, and exhibition in 1984.

The site presents a variety of locks and keys from that plantation.

Here is that link.

Under Lock and Key – Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest

And here are a couple pictures of finds from that site.

Lock and Keys Found at Poplar Forest.
Source: See link immediately above.

And next is a must-read for any serious key researcher.  It is the PAS guide for recording keys.  

Keys – Finds Recording Guides

Immediately below is a helpful excerpt from that site.

Most of the keys recorded on the PAS database are made from copper alloy, but most excavated keys (and probably most keys in use in the past) are made from iron. Keys of the two materials seem to be surprisingly different, and we should not assume that what holds for iron keys is also true for copper alloy keys.

The best source for Roman keys covers only the iron examples (Manning 1985) but also mentions a few copper-alloy examples in passing.

The best source for early-medieval copper-alloy keys is Megan von Ackermann’s PhD at the University of York, which will shortly be available on Ethos. There is also an excellent short section on early-medieval iron keys in the Flixborough report (Ottaway in Evans and Loveluck 2009, 187-195).

The best sources for early-medieval and medieval keys are Goodall in Biddle 1990, Ward Perkins 1940, and Egan 1998. There are no particularly good sources for post-medieval keys...

That one covers keys.  Below is the PAS recording guide for pad locks.  The padlocks in the PAS database include many that are older, including medieva and older, which will be older than those typically found by U.S. detectorists.

Padlocks – Finds Recording Guides

While on the subject, here is a Treasure Coast find that is somewhat related.  

I found that one on the site that produced many railroad finds.  I think it is a sliding bar latch for a gate or door.  Pretty heavy duty.  I also found a padlock and chain on the stie, but don't know if they go together.  

I don't have the sliding bar, but I think it would work very much like the more modern sliding bar latch shown below.  

Let me know what you think about this one and John C.s finds shown at the beginning of this post.

Keys and locks are certainly nice finds and great collectibles.  I hope these new research links help you out.

===

Funny story.   I found at several pairs of dentures over the years. While digging around in a garden, my wife uncovered a set and thought she was digging up a corps or something. She came in and told me. I recognized the dentures as something I dug up at some time and evidently didn't get thrown into the garbage.

----

Source: SurfGuru.com.

The surf is small today.  The wind is from the southeast.

The weather is getting warmer.  It is still pretty good - not real hot yet, but that will be coming.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/23/25 Report - Conch Washout. A Surprise Unboxing and Some of the Treasures Found.

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

Broken Pieces of Conch Shell at a Washout.

A couple days ago, I think it was, I mentioned a couple washouts.  I talked about one that I thought could have exposed material from an old mound.  I went back to get a photo of the spot, but I couldn't find any conch shells.  Some probably got covered with sand again, and some washed away.  After looking around a while, I found a few pieces of conch shell in the area of the washout (shown above).

I looked in the nearby water and quickly found one complete shell that was covered by seaweed.  I turned it over so you can see it (below).

Conch Shell From Washout.

I thought that maybe somebody was picking them up.  That suspicion was confirmed when I found a pile of shells just down the beach a very short distance.

I still don't know the source of the conch shells and whether they came from a mound that was originally in the area when the road was made, or if they came with fill dirt or if the old timers were harvesting conch at some point.

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I was cleaning out my garage yesterday and came to a couple boxes that hadn't been opened since I first moved to Florida nearly fifty years ago.  I had some idea of what was in them but never guessed what all I was about to find.  There were two big boxes that my parents packed and sent to my new home when I moved to Florida.

I was pleased to find a variety of items from the model train sets that my dad bought for me when I was only a few years old.  I don't remember that Christmas at all.  I was too young at the time.   

I still wonder how my dad could afford it but remember being told he bought the pre-war Lionel sets for a bargain price from someone he knew.  Still, I would guess that it cost him a week's wages.  And that was a lot of money for a man with a new family trying to get a loan to build a house after coming home from the war.  

I opened the first box and the first item I saw brought a big smile to my face.  It was the bascule bridge.  I always really liked that bridge and wondered what happened to it.  I thought it got left behind somewhere and never expected to see it again.  They made good stuff in those days.  It is metal and has a working motor.  The bridge would go up and connect the track again when it went down so the train could pass over it.

Lionel O Guage Bascule Bridge.

My model trains were my favorite toys all through my childhood and beyond.  I thought a lot of my Lionel stuff was gone for good.  Then out of the box came another bridge, and the gateman's house that operated when the train went by, the log loader, and the crane.  

The crane was the neatest of all.  It was an electromagnetic crane that would pick up metal.  It could be controlled to load and unload metal items from waiting cars.  That was fun.

Lionel Crane.

When I took the crane out of the box I didn't find the boom but was still glad to see the crane.  Later I found the boom and other parts when I opened a second box.  Another big smile.  

I found some of my slot car sets too, as well as other things too numerous to mention.  There were also small clothes tucked in the box.  Many of those items seemed to be about the right size for a two or three-year old.  \

Children's Shoes.

I didn't know I had so many shoes, and certainly never expected to see them.

One little shirt had a picture of Dale Long - Home Run King of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  And there was a Pirates pennant (copyrighted by Bazooka) that once hung on the wall of my childhood bedroom.  it reminded me of the 1960 World Series and seeing a baseball game at Forbes Field with my grandma and mother.  Forbes Field, like my grandmother and mother, are now gone.

Old Bazooka Pittsburgh Pirates Pennant.

My favorite shoe still has caked mud on the bottom - hard as a rock.  I couldn't believe it.  

Little Shoe Complete with Caked Mud.

How that takes me home!  Seventy some years ago, a small child played in the mud in grandma's front yard.   When I looked at that shoe, I didn't recognize the shoe but felt like I recognized that mud.  I feel like I know where it came from.  Like Adam, country kids come from mud.  They remain rooted in it.

I'm probably going to throw away those little shoes - but not today.  My mom kept them, and that means something to me.  They were special to her, and that makes them special tome. 

All those newly unboxed items carry memories.  There are too many items and memories to mention. They take me back through time.  I can sit here and at the same time see myself walking down the slippery, muddy slope under the thick green canopy of grandma's front yard.  But now I realize, like I didn't and couldn't realize back then, how my young parents and grandparents loved, protected and took care of me.  I can realize it now.  And I wish it came sooner. 

The first thing I saw in the box was a bridge.  How fitting!  But everything I took out of those boxes was a bridge. They connected me to other times and places.  That is what artifacts do and that is the beauty of artifacts and finds of all types.

These items took me back to my younger days.  They are part of the story of who I am and remind me of where I've been and where I came from.  I'm convinced that is the thing all treasure hunters really seek.

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Source: Surfguru.com.

The surf is calm and the weather is beautiful for being our and about.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net