8/8/26 Report - Jensen and Sewall's Point Areas: Treasure Spots and Finds. Pirate Don Pedro Gilbert. Probing.

 

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

You've undoubtedly heard of Gilbert's Bar, but did you know it was named for Don Pedro Gilbert, a pirate, sometimes referred to as the last pirate of the Atlantic.   His ship, the Panda, was capable of sailing deep water but also managing shallow waters, which would make it perfect for pulling into shallow inlets and hiding in shallow waterways.  There is a picture of the ship below.

On the Treasure Coast we focus a lot on the 1715 Fleet, but there are a lot of other shipwrecks and treasures besides that.  The Jensen and Sewall's Point area, for example, has a lot of history but has been very much neglected in the treasure lore.  I'm amazed that one of Frank Hudson's books lists 133 Florida treasure shipwrecks but completely skips the area between Jupiter and Fort Pierce.  Bit another of his books (Buried Treasures of Florida's East Coast) does list a number of treasure treasure spots in the same area though. 

Don Pedro Gilbert, born Pedro Gilbert, was born around the year 1800 in Catalonia, Spain. He first worked as a privateer for the government of Colombia. A privateer was a “pirate with papers,” for governments authorized privateers to rob the merchant ships of rival nations. Privateering was already a lucrative job, yet privateers often made extra money robbing vessels they were not authorized to target, which moved them into piracy. Gilbert became a pirate once he started raiding American merchant ships off the coast of Florida...  His ship, the Panda, was painted black with a white streak down the middle, and Gilbert would regularly wait with his crew in coves for the chance to lure a merchant ship with a fabricated distress call. The Panda could sail in shallow waters as well as the deep, but the merchant ships responding to Gilbert’s signal for help would often crash in the shallow water.  (Source: Don Pedro Gilbert – The West End Museum)

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Gilbert and his crew robbed an American ship, the Mexican, in the Bahama Straits while she was headed from Salem to South America with 10 boxes, each holding $2000 in silver along with other goods.  The crew of the Mexican was locked below deck and expected to go down with the ship, which was to be set fire and blown up, however haste caused by sight of another ship resulted in a botched job that allowed the crew of the Mexican to escape and prevent the destruction of their ship.  The Panda sailed to Africa and sought refuge with a black slaver before being caught by the British and extradited to Boston for trial.  Gilbert and many of his crew were executed in 1835.  The trial proceedings are documented.  Here is an excerpt.

While at Prince’s Island, Capt.  Gilbert bought a magnificent dressing case worth nearly a thousand dollars and a patent lever watch, and a quantity of tobacco, and provisions, and two valuable cloth coats, some Guinea cloth and black and green paint.  The paint, cloth and coats were intended as presents for the African king at Cape Lopez.  These articles were all bought with the money taken from the Mexican.  After arriving at the Nazareth, $4000 were taken from the trunk, and buried in the yard of a negro prince.  Four of the pirates then went to Cape Lopez for $11,000, which had been buried there.  Boyga, Castillo, Guzman, and the “State’s Evidence,” Ferez, were the ones who went.  Ferez took the bags out, and the others counted the money; great haste was made as the mosquitoes were biting intolerably. $5000 were buried for the captain in canvas bags about two feet deep, part of the money was carried to Nazareth, and from there carried into the mountains and there buried.  A consultation was held by Capt.  Gilbert, De Soto, and Ruiz, and the latter said, if the money was not divided, “there would be the devil to pay.”  The money was now divided in a dark room and a lantern used; Capt.  Gilbert sat on the floor with the money at his side.  He gave the mate about $3000, and the other officers $1000, each; and the crew from $300 to $500, each.  The third mate having fled, the captain sent him $1000, and Ruiz carried it to him.  When the money was first taken from the Mexican, it was spread out on the companion way and examined to see if there was any gold amongst it; and then put into bags made of dark coarse linen; the boxes were then thrown overboard.  After the division of the money the pirates secreted themselves in the woods behind Cape Lopez.  Perez and four others procured a boat and started for Fernando Po; they put their money in the bottom of the boat for ballast, but was thrown overboard, near a rock and afterwards recovered by divers; this was done to prevent detection.  The captain, mate, and carpenter had a conversation respecting the attempt of the latter, to blow her up, who could not account for the circumstance, that an explosion had not taken place; they told him he ought to have burst a barrel of powder over the deck and down the stairs to the magazine, loaded a gun, tied a fish line to the lock and pulled it when he came off in the canoe.  (Source: The Pirates Own Book eBook)

Here is another link for the court proceedings.

Trial of the Twelve Spanish Pirates of the Schooner Panda, a Guinea Slaver - Google Books

I've read several times about it largely being a myth that pirates buried their treasures, but the above is evidence that it did happen.

But back to the Treasure Coast and the treasures of the Jensen and Sewells Point areas.  Here are some of the signs of treasure and finds made in the area that I know of besides those you'll find listed in Frank Hudson's book on Florida's buried treasures.

A cannon ball was found by a lady in her garden in the Jensen area.

A small hand cannon was found in a yard on Sailfish Point.

Ruins in the Jensen area found by a 19th century survey team believed to be a pirate's hangout.

The "bleach yard" mentioned on old maps.

A musket barrel at Indian Riverside Park.

There was once a TV show that I've seen a few times that shows Brent and Jonah and another fellow or two magging for a wreck off Jensen Beach. At the end there was a find. If I remember that one correctly, it was a sword hilt.

Then there are the middens at Mount Elizabeth and Mount Pisgah, and the remnants of a coquina building thought to be a pirate hangout (probably the same as the above).

There was a novel written by a local author who conducted a lot of research and had maps and documentation of tunnels and gold at Sewall's Point.

There is also the story about a motel worker and maintenance man at an old motel that no longer exists that was located just north of the current Jensen Beach park who found a box or barrel of gold after a storm.

All that said, it is a very historic area with a lot of treasure lore.

Here is a little additional history of Sewell's Point.

http://sewallspoint.org/community/history/

In summary, the area has a long and interesting treasure history, and the Treasure Coast has much to offer in addition to the 1715 Fleet shipwrecks and beaches.

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One more thing today.  I wanted to remind you of probing.  

Many people use probes for finding bottles and other things.  They are actually used for things like locating septic tanks or taking soil samples.

Here is an example of one you can buy online.

I've seen people use them for bottle hunting around the Treasure Coast, but they can be used for a variety of purposes.

For bottle hunting in shallow water, I prefer something that covers a wider area even if it doesn't go as deep.  I use a rake or something like that, which can be dragged along.  You'll hear the screech of glass when it passes over a bottle or piece of glass.

One of the disadvantages of using a probe is occasionally breaking the bottle.

In any case, give some thought to how you might use a probe in addition to metal detecting and assist in your treasure hunting.

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Still no hint of developing storms in the Atlantic and not much in the way of bigger surf on the Treasure Coast.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/7/26 Report - Stories, Alerts and Cautions for Beach Detectorists. The Less Published Side of the Story.

 

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

Wabasso Beach Friday Morning.
Typical Late Summer Beach Conditions.

You've heard the great stories about how a detectorist finds an old ring and spends hours or weeks or years in research, eventually being able to return the ring to the over-joyed owner or in some cases the family of the deceased owner.  I posted two of those stories in a post just a few days ago.

The stories of detectorists volunteering their time to search for a ring having great sentimental value are common.  You see pictures of grateful owners who thought they'd never see their precious ring again getting it back.  You've seen those too.

But detectorists can also tell you stories about times when things didn't go so well.  I don't think you'll be surprised to learn that there are some people who don't always act like perfect saints on the beach.  You seldom hear about when detectorists are made painfully aware of that reality. 

Starting with something simple and all too common, we all realize that all of those aluminum beer cans, and other junk didn't spontaneously materialize on the beach.  And you have probably seen examples of rowdy, rude, mean or simply inconsiderate behavior on the beach.  If you step on a piece of broken glass in the water and cut yourself, as I've done, or get a fishing lure stuck in your foot, there is someone to thank.  Detectorists don't always remove all the litter they dig, which is something I recommend, but neither did they put it there to begin with.

And all those holes on the beach weren't dug by detectorists. Some of the bigger ones were dug by kids.

Then there are the old ladies that scream at you to get off their beach.  Or security guards that claim the resort or hotel owns the beach that sits on renourishment sand paid for by the taxpayers. 

It has been decades since I detected crowded beaches.  Now I usually go out of my way to avoid the crowds.  I often detect early in the morning when few others are out other than maybe some fishermen, or on rainy stormy days or on beaches that are far away from the crowds.  Avoiding the crowds has  minimizes the problems you'll run into.  When I do go to the beach, I go to metal detect and focus on that.  I'm jealous of the little time I have on the beach these days and prefer to not have many distractions.

One morning when I went out very early morning, a young lady came up to me and wanted to talk.  She followed me around and was very upset that I wasn't interested in carrying on a conversation.  She didn't like it and let me know that. One reason I went so early was to avoid exactly that.  I try to be nice to people when there are others there, I answer questions and search for lost items, and there are some people that I do enjoy, but some act like you are a public servant and owe them your time and attention, never thinking that you might have something you want to do.  I would never presume that someone else should quit what they are doing to do what I want them to.  But that kind of thing is the least of it.

When I was detecting the busy beaches of South Florida, I ran into a lot of different kinds of people.  You never knew what you were going to get.  There was everything from simple rude pushy behavior to craziness and outright threatening criminality.  The Treasure Coast is much more peaceful and saner than that, although there are occasional conflicts on the Treasure Coast too.

I've been surprised how often I've searched, found and returned lost items without hearing as much as a simple thank-you.  That seems odd to me.  I just assume that after you go out of your way to help someone, they would show some sign of appreciation or some gratitude of getting their item back, but that isn't always the case.  

I can understand why one detectorist at Jupiter years ago told me if someone wouldn't pay $20 for him to search for their item, he wouldn't do it.  I know that most detectorists will happily search for lost items without any expectation of payment or reward, but I can understand where he was coming from.  If it isn't worth anything to you, why should he spend his time hunting it.  I really think that is reasonable, although not what I do or any other detectorists that I know these days.  Detectorists just want to help and generally have no expectation of reward or payment, but to me it is still surprising that some people do not show any sign of appreciation for your efforts.  

But it is sometimes worse than that.  There are people who will claim they lost some valuable item just to watch a detectorist waste their time looking for it while hoping something good would be found so that they could claim it.  That is why I've explained that it is necessary to get a good, detailed description of any lost item before searching.  I know of at least two cases when a person tried to claim an item I found when it was not the one they lost.  Believe it or not, not all people are honest. Some will try to con you.  There are thieves and con men out there looking for any chance to grab a piece of gold.  I've seen a necklace ripped off one young lady at the beach by a run a thief that just ran by and broke it off her neck.  

In Dade County I knew of one detectorist who had his car broke into at least five times while he was metal detecting.  When he had nothing inside to be stolen, the car was still damaged.  In one case, when there was nothing else in the car, the spare tire was stolen from the trunk.  I've seen cars broken into on the Treasure Coast too, but not nearly as often as down south.

One day when I went past one of the worst parking lots, car alarms were blaring all over the lot.  I think it was 46th St., if I correctly recall.  You could almost count on your car being broken into in that parking lot.  As a result, I parked at another lot a good distance away by a manned fire station and walked a good distance to the beach where I wanted to detect.  But many other parking lots were almost as dangerous.  Maybe it is better these days.  I hope so.

Back a few decades ago, I'd detect on crowded beaches or shallow waters.  Kids would stick their face and hands in your scoop or just get in the way so you couldn't safely swing your coil.  Older people would crowd you and rowdy people could be a problem too.  I learned how to deal with all that. You had to be alert to avoid problems.

I've told before about how one detectorist had a jar full of cobs stolen from the trunk of his care while metal detecting at Jupiter.  It can happen anywhere.  As the signs say, don't leave valuables in car.

One time at a Dade County parking lot, I parked and headed to the beach with my equipment and noticed a suspicious looking young couple.  As I passed them on my way to the beach, I noticed the girl keeping a very close eye on me while the fellow went back to the parking lot.  It seemed like she was being a lookout, so I went directly back to the car and prevented a break in.  My scoop could make meat balls out of people.  But it is good to be aware of what is going on in your surroundings. It isn't easy with earphones on and focusing on your metal detecting.  It is easier, though, on a beach with no one else around.

If I pull into a parking lot and there is anybody or anything suspicious, I'll either wait until the situation seems clear or go somewhere else for a while.  From my experiences in South Florida, I learned to be very cautious.   

Back to the Treasure Coast, I remember after one of our good treasure storms when a fellow detectorist found a gold eight escudo on the beach.  There were two fellows on the beach without metal detectors, but one had a machete.  My friend said he thought he heard one of two say, it (referring to the gold coin) makes you want to stick him, doesn't it, or something to that effect.  My friend hightailed it off the beach in a hurry.

Don't get me wrong.  I didn't write about all the negative experiences I've had or seen over several decades of metal detecting, but the vast majority of my interactions on the beach have been friendly and enjoyable.  I enjoy showing nice well-behaved kids about metal detecting and what I'm finding, but others kids are uncontrolled and have no boundaries.  Most people are nice and I enjoy talking to them, but what I've described above is the other side.  

The other side is real but not widely published.  I'd rather write about the positive stories, but I tell you in order to make you aware so you can avoid bad experiences.  If you are aware and take precautions, you'll be able to avoid most of the negative or dangerous situations.

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There is a rip current advisory in effect on the Treasure Coast today.

It is raining on Fort Pierce beach this morning.  We've been having a lot of thunderstorms in the ocean and on the east coast beaches lately.

Surf chart from SurfGuru.com

Nothing interesting there, and nothing on the NHC maps.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/5/26 Report - Detectorist Etiquette. Archaeology Ink and Spanish Battling the Long Bow. Beach Metal Detecting Modern Jewelry Tip.

 

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

Wednesday Morning at Fort Pierce Beach.

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Junk Beside Unfilled Hole
Photo by Mark G.

Here is an email I received from Mark G.

Thank you and I agree with you; time spent on the beach does equal finds. And I also encourage people, if you have a detector bring it to the beach, so many people come up to me while we are on the beach and say oh, I have one of those. This morning I had a bad experience and would like to vent as well as ask detectorists to at least respect the work that goes into becoming a good detectorist, and part of that is respecting other detectorists.

Sunday morning, I planned to hunt JB dry sand north end, the cameras showed crowded towel lines over the weekend. I entered the first entrance, ground balanced and set out. Halfway to the water another detectorist entered from the farthest north end and was ground balancing. He was griding surf to dune. I was griding parallel to the surf. I turned halfway through my grid north and gave him the north half until he moved south then continued north, having to go over his grid. 

I could not believe what I was finding. None of his holes were filled in, and if they were it was to hide trash, none. I came across more than several holes with the bottle caps or pull-tabs laying right there by the hole. I have to dig a lot of trash to find one thing nice and I bring it all home because I don't want to dig it up again next time. By time I realized what he was doing, he was heading off the beach, and I noticed he didn't even have a finds pouch on him. 

Now I'm not perfect, I do discriminate against a bottle cap once in a while, but I don't dig it up and leave it...

Thanks for sharing Mark.

And leaving unfilled holes at the beach doesn't do the hobby any good.  There are those that would like to prohibit metal detecting and they don't need any excuses.  

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In a recent post, I recommended checking out an online free archaeology journal called Archaeology Ink. The journal focuses on Spanish colonial archaeology in the U.S. South.  The web site seems to be relatively new but presents a number of good articles on topics such as the Luna and De Soto expeditions and settlements.  I recommended that you at least browse the journal if you are interested at all in Spanish Colonial history in the U.S.  

Today I'll give you a few brief excerpts from journal articles.

One article addresses the subject of battle between the Spanish and the indigenous tribes, the effectiveness of the long bow against the Spanish and the how wounded Spanish soldiers could receive financial help.

Indian in Body Paint, ca. 1585 of a Carolina Algonquians, with a long bow as tall as himself, and quiver on the left hip. 

One account says that an arrow would easily pierce the Spaniards defensive gear including chain mail, however the article also says that the indigenous learned to aim at arms and legs, rather than the protected chests of the Spanish troops.  That doesn't seem to me to go together.

Here is one excerpt from the article about the longbow and the damage it caused.

Thus, it was that in one of the skirmishes which the Spaniards had with the Indians of Apalache, the Camp Master Luis de Moscoso was struck in the right side by an arrow which penetrated a leather jacket and the hauberk (chain mail) which he wore underneath as well…The arrow had continued through a quilted doublet and wounded him, though not fatally since it came at a slant.

Here is the link to that article.

Archeology Ink | Luna Articles - A Research Journal by Caleb Curren, Archeologist

In another article on the site...

In 2015, 19 years later, a local man found a sample of Spanish artifacts dating to the 1500s on a residential construction site on the East Pensacola Heights Site. He took his finds to UWF and within a very short period of time UWF proclaimed that they had definitely found the Luna Settlement Site. They then went to the media with their claim. UWF is still claiming that the site is the Luna Settlement Site despite a significant lack of definitive archeological data to support their claim. UWF has certainly found more Spanish artifacts dating from the 1500s but they were found with a majority of Native artifacts. Once again, it confirms previous investigations that the site is a Native village that had contacts with various Spanish incursions into the area during the 1500s. UWF has thus far failed to prove that the site is the actual Luna Expedition Spanish settlement...

The University of West Florida (UWF) has deliberately downplayed this fact since finding Spanish artifacts at the site dating from the 1500s, claiming that the site is the Luna Colony site. In doing so, they have put their credibility in jeopardy. The Spanish documents of the Luna Expedition never mentioned a Native village at their colony site. Remarkably, UWF has attempted to explain away the Mississippian pottery as brought to the site by interior Spanish expeditions into Alabama...

Here is the link if you want to read more about that.

Archeology Ink | The Saga of Archeological Investigations at the the Alleged Luna Settlement Site, Pensacola, Florida - A Research Journal by Caleb Curren, Archeologist

And below is a map from the journal that shows the UWF proposed Luna site as well as several places I've detected in the past when I was frequently in the Pensacola area for consulting work at the Navy station.

I had some interesting detecting at Milton (at the top of the map), for one example, as well as several of the ocean and bay beaches in the area.  

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There was a time when I was doing a lot of detecting for modern jewelry.  Early on in my detecting I hunted the towel line a good bit, but one place that was very productive was around the beach chairs.  

The chairs will normally have some metal and be hard to detect around.  Not only does the metal in the chairs cause problems, but it is hard to get your coil in and around the tight spots.  I found that the beach chairs would often provide a lot of coins as well as some jewelry.  In the old days, they also produced a lot of hotel keys.

I got pretty good at detecting around the chairs.  You can learn to detect there despite the false signals caused by the metal in the chairs.  It is like learning to detect along a chain link fence.  Don't sweep to and from the metal, but along with it whenever that is possible.  You'll get a signal from the metal, but also any objects.  You'll learn to detect the signal among the noise.

In the case of beach chairs that often remain in the same spot a lot, coins and jewelry can accumulate.  That is one place you'll find more pairs of earrings.  Other places you'll most often find a single lost earring, but around the chairs, the ladies will often take both off and they slip or get dropped on the sand without anyone realizing it.

Also, occasionally someone will drag a chair from its usual location, leaving a nice space to detect where things might have accumulated for some time.

Of course, you'll also have to deal with the usual small metal trash, but I'd rather detect the beach chairs than a towel line, even though both can be productive.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru for Fort Pierce Area.

Expect a little increase in the Treasure Coast surf this week but not much.

No tropical developments showing on the NHC map yet.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

8/4/26 Report - Time Flies in Different Ways. A Great Article on the Oak Island Search. 1000-Year-Old Ring Find. AI Again.

 

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

Why did the man throw his clock out the window?  He wanted to see time fly.

That is a corny old joke that a bunch of young children laughed over under the trees in front of grandma's house a little over seventy years ago.  It was one of those youthful summer days in the fifties when a small group of country kids ran in sporadic random bursts under the sheltering shade of the oak, ash and birch, pausing only briefly for jokes, laughter and other forms of play. 

They did see time fly - first this way and now that.

Gazing upon a newly uncovered old coin in your hand, can also be a form of time travel, but like a shattered crystal ball running out of power, straining produces only the faintest image.  This image, lacking surviving personal experience, requires more pieces to help Re construct the image, as incomplete as it is - still an attempt at time travel, but in another direction.

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Here are some excerpts from an exceptionally good article on a subject I've talked about in the past - Oak Island.

... While no treasure has been found, peripheral discoveries—apparent clues, possible traps, and geological curiosities—have compelled searchers onward, even as historians dispute the more sensational claims surrounding the treasure...

In the 1860s, a professor of languages from Nova Scotia’s Dalhousie University examined the stone and determined the code was a substitution cipher saying: “Forty Feet Below Two Million Pounds Are Buried.” But another attempted translation in the 1970s interpreted the code as a Coptic Christian warning not to forget your duty to the Lord...

Specialists at Harvard University confirmed the parchment’s authenticity, though it’s unclear whether that meant it was “authentically” a folio full of secrets or a scrap from earlier inhabitants of the island...

the Lagina brothers own the majority of the tour company that operates on the island, plus a TV show promoting that island...

in 1720 the Crown chartered private companies together with the British military to do business on Oak Island—including pine tar works, brass making, and wire drawing—to help clear debt. It was the largest industrial development in Canada at the time...

Fader says under the right circumstances, a sinkhole can be 130 to 165 feet across. He is adamant this phenomenon is the true origin of the Oak Island Money Pit...

Below is the link to that article.  I recommend reading the entire article if you are interested in Oak Island.  It is the best article I've read on the subject.

The History of the Oak Island Money Pit | Oak Island Treasure

I've complained several times about the program, including the continual neglect of both actual history and natural phenomenon.  This article addresses both.

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Image from Popular Mechanics Article (link below)

• A retired volunteer unearthed a rare 1,000-year-old Pictish ring during excavations in Scotland.
• The ring is one of the few Pictish rings ever discovered and offers insights into the Pictish kingdom’s history.
• The find sheds light on the Picts, a powerful group who defended Scotland from invaders and mysteriously vanished by the end of the first millennium.

Herei is the link to that article.

Archaeologist Finds 1,000-Year-Old Ring With Huge Implications

In addition to the ring image above, the article begins with another image showing two rings that look nothing like the one above.  I guess that was a stock image or something.  I wish publishers would be more responsible and accurate.  

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AI has become unavoidable but very useful tool, including many applications for metal detecting and treasure hunting, I've previously documented many of those in this blog.  

I'll continue to investigate AI and its applications.  Below are some personal observations.

My wife was recently trying to estimate the value of several items and used AI.  The results were mixed.  

AI helped.  It correctly identified some items and provided good estimates, but it some cases it was way off.  It completely misidentified the work.  But worse yet, it seemed very confident even when it was wrong.  It often required additional information, but the original answer it provided was given so matter of factly that it fooled my wife and I at first.  After additional research and correcting AI, it eventually came up with better answers.  I have no problem with that.  At times it just seemed to be throwing answers at the wall to see if they would stick.  At times, there was no hint of uncertainty or need for additional information.  It would have been easy to simply accept the incorrect answer, but you can't just assume that it is going to be correct every time.  When you are not certain or when you need to be sure to have the correct answer, double check with other resources.

I've also noticed more articles on metal detecting produced by AI. Those articles might sound good to a relative beginner, but they usually contain significant inaccuracies.  To a more serious detectorists, those articles offer nothing of value.  You'll see the name of an author, but it is evident that the author knows very little about the subject.

There are a number of clues that are typical of AI generated articles.  Someday I should try to list and describe the common clues, but I probably won't get around to it, and it might change by that time anyhow.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

As you can see, a slightly higher surf is expected towards the end of the week, but nothing very significant.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/3/26 Report - New Quarter Strike-Through. 3-Year-Old Picks up 3800-Year-Old Amulet. Spanish Colonial Archaeological. Internet Resource.

 

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

Quarter Showing Strike-through Error.

The first of five newly designed quarters to celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary, this coin features a Pilgrim couple facing West on the front, or obverse. The Mayflower ship, on which early English settlers journeyed in search of religious freedom, is the design featured on the back (reverse).


Known as a “struck-through,” the newly discovered error occurred on the obverse of the Mayflower Compact quarter. It appears as an incuse impression between God and we in the motto in God we trust and between the dual dates of 1776 and 2026...


The error, which you can see in the photo above, was likely caused by a piece of debris stuck to the die.

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

2026 Mayflower Compact Quarter Features Unexpected Error - Numismatic News

Here is the most obvious of several strike-through error coins I've found

It is easy to mistake a strike-through error with post mint damage, but damage that occurs to the coin after it leaves the mind is just damage.  It takes careful inspection.  Microscopic inspection of post mint damage will often show a ridge around an impression because the metal from the indentation will be displaced.  If you take an object and heavily scratch a coin, for example, you will be able to see where the metal from the dip is moved to.  That will be typically to the edge just outside the dip.  You won't see that if it was done when the die hit the planchet.

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A three-year-old picked up one stone that caught her attention of the thousands of stones in the surroundings.  It was later identified as a 3800-year-old scarab amulet.

Here is the link for the story about that.

Toddler Discovers 3,800-Year-Old Egyptian Amulet While Hiking With Her Family in Israel

You'll might see other stories about the same event, such as the MSN one, that shows a totally different scarab stone in the lead photo.  They do that all the time, and I've complained about it before.

In the past, I sometimes didn't realize their photos were just selected to grab attention and didn't really show the subject of the article.  I was probably fooled a number of times.  Now I know that their photos are often very inaccurate and misleading.  The description under the photo will often be very vague and provide a hint that the photo has nothing to do with the actual story.

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I just discovered an interesting web site.  I found it when searching for pictures of Spanish Colonial artifacts.  The site does have a lot of pictures of artifacts, but it also a presents archaeological articles related to Spanish colonial finds in the Southern U.S.  It author of the site is an archaeologithest who shares many of the ideas concerning archaeology that I've expressed in the Treasure Beaches Report.

You may not remember my posts criticizing archaeology, including their attitude towards treasure hunting and the public in general.  From what I've seen so far, the author of the site shares many of my thoughts and values on the topic. 

Here is a link to one old post in which I expressed some of my criticisms and suggestions. 

  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 2/25/18 Report - The Problem With Archaeology: The Perspective of a Supportive Citizen.  

Since I started expressed those thoughts, I've have noticed some positive trends.  I can only hope I had some small effect on that.  

Archaeology now sometimes uses metal detectors and even employs metal detecting clubs to survey some sites.  There was a time when there were very few that would admit the value of using metal detectors at all.  Treasure hunters and detectorists were described as looters and the value of metal detector surveys was not generally admitted.

The site I just discovered is "Archaeology Ink" which presents many articles written by, Caleb Curren, an archaeologist who focuses on Spanish Colonial sites in the Southern U.S.  Here is a link to the articles.

Archeology Ink | Assorted Articles - A Research Journal by Caleb Curren, Archeologist

One central focus of the author seems to be the site of the Tristan de Luna sites, claimed to be a 1559 Spanish colony.  Here are some excerpts from one of the author's articles on that topic.

The University of West Florida (UWF) made a “Remarkable Claim” in December of 2015 when they publicly announced that they had definitely found the 1559 Spanish Colony lead by Tristan de Luna (Pensacola News Journal, PNJ, Dec. 18, 2015). It has been nine years to the month since UWF issued their “Remarkable Claim.” They still have not produced the “Remarkable Proof” necessary to scientifically confirm their claim...

There is a dictate upon universities that mandates a practice of transparency of their data within a reasonable time frame. In the nine years that have transpired since the UWF “Remarkable Claim” there has not been a technical report made available to archeologists and the public. That is not a reasonable time frame... 

Archaeologists often say that the purpose of archaeology is to save history for the public, yet as I've said before, although the public pays for much of the archaeology that is conducted, the results are usually only available to the public in expensive professional journals instead of being made freely available to the public that paid for the work.  Archaeology Ink is freely available online.

To continue with another excerpt from that article.

Contact Archeology Inc. (CAI) has made repeated attempts to obtain a technical report or at least the UWF data of artifact tables and feature forms of what has been found and where it was found at the East Pensacola Heights Site (8Es1). CAI have been “stonewalled” at every juncture by UWF. They have not issued a detailed technical report in the nine years they have been excavating at the site. That is not respecting the “Public’s Right to Know” adherent to laws and ethics of the Profession of Archeology.

UWF has had numerous articles published by various public media outlets. They have also given numerous papers at professional conferences. That is not the same as a technical report being released to the public in standardized formats providing details of their excavations. For some reason UWF has aggressively avoided publishing such a document. If they did, it would allow the academic community to critique the interpretations of their data.

I have no doubt that part of the reason for the lack of transparency is the view held by many archaeologists that the public is eager to loot archaeological sites and not to be trusted with specific site information.  Treasure hunters and metal detectorists are especially not to be trusted despite the fact that treasure hunters and detectorists make huge contributions to museums and archaeology.  

It has long been my position that if the public was more involved and informed by the archaeological community they would by their presence be an asset that would help professional archaeology protect archaeological resources rather than being a threat.  As stated above the public funds archaeology and advances it in many ways and deserves full access for several very compelling reasons.  

I once conducted a poll in the TBR and found that very few of the respondents have seen the coins in the Florida Collection even though they are collected to "save history for the public."  Those who read this blog and likely have a real interest in history will not find it easy to see the coins, although rarely parts of the collection may go on tour.  Most of the poll respondents have, on the other hand, visited the McClarty Museum or the Fisher museums.  Much of the Florida Collection was contributed by private salvage companies' interests.  Without the involvement and cooperation of the public, including "treasure hunters" our public collections would be much smaller.  Besides contributing artifacts, the "treasure" community inspires interest in our history and archaeology and the public funds much of the profession.

Another excerpt...

Public universities in the State of Florida, including UWF, receive state and federal funding. Therefore, they are subject to state and federal laws which require full disclosure of their data. In other words, universities are subject to a legitimate expectation of transparency in the workings of those institutions...

 

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Archeology Ink | UWF’s Luna Colony Claim Remains Shrouded in Secrecy After Nine Years of Excavations - A Research Journal by Caleb Curren, Archeologist

And here is the link to the Spanish Colonial artifacts section.  It isn't the most exhaustive list of artifacts, but it is worth browsing.

Archeology Ink | Spanish Artifacts - A Research Journal by Caleb Curren, Archeologist

I share the sentiments of at least this professional archaeologist and those presented by his web site.  They are consistent with the thoughts I've presented in this blog over the years.  I recommend at least browsing Archaeology Ink.  It presents more articles that you might find helpful.

By the way, some of this blog's readers have found that some of the UWF archaeologists have been helpful.  I suppose some are better than others.

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Look at that.  Nothing stirring.  Not even a mouse.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We've had a very quiet hurricane sesaon so far.

Sebastian Pier This Morning.

Looks like the surf might pick up later this week.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/2/26 Report - Another Treasure Find Picture. World's Fair of Money. Meteoric Treasure Dating Problems. Zinc Nickels.

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

Beach Metal Detector Finds by Peter Hughes.

I did some previous posts on the shipwreck finds of Peter Hughes.  I previously show coins finds, but he also found some great shipwreck artifacts.  The above picture shows one of those. along with a variety of coins.

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From Sedwick and Associates, LLC...

Sedwick & Associates, LLC is pleased to announce that we will be attending the ANA World’s Fair of Money® from August 25 through 29, 2026, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

The World’s Fair of Money is one of the most important numismatic events of the year, bringing together collectors, dealers, researchers, auction houses, and institutions from around the world. We look forward to meeting with clients and friends, reviewing important material, and discussing consignments and bidding opportunities.

During the coming weeks, members of our team will also be traveling throughout Florida and other states to visit consignors. We will be traveling to South America as well. If you have coins, paper currency, medals, tokens, shipwreck artifacts, or other numismatic material that you would like to discuss with us in person, please contact us so that we can arrange a private visit.

Our next auction will take place at our offices in Maitland, Florida, on November 5 and 6, 2026. The quality, rarity, and historical importance of the material already consigned are making our 40th auction a particularly special event.

Whether you are considering consigning or planning to bid, this is an auction you will not want to miss. We are currently accepting additional consignments and welcome the opportunity to discuss how your collection or individual rarities may be presented to an international audience of serious buyers.

We look forward to seeing many of you in Pittsburgh at Booth 722 and during our upcoming travels throughout the United States and South America.

Sedwick & Associates, LLC

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On December 1, 1963, archaeologist Jose Maria Soler discovered a set of 66 pieces ranging in metals and including bowls, bracelets, bottles, and gold ornaments. Some pieces mix metals—there are three silver bottles, an iron bracelet, another iron piece with gold ornaments, and an amber and gold button. In total, according to the Jose Maria Soler Archaeological Museum, the collection features nearly 22 pounds of gold and is “considered the most important prehistoric treasure in Europe.”

While iron isn’t as flashy as gold, the origin of the iron in the collection had puzzled experts for decades. That’s because the dating of the gold found on the Iberian Peninsula worked out to sometime between 1200 BC and possibly as far back as 1500 BC. But the Iron Age and terrestrial iron smelting wasn’t happening on the peninsula before 850 BC at the earliest. That means the iron-looking elements from the Treasure of Villena presented a dating problem...

The 2023 study analyzed the nickel content from the two pieces, showing that the high nickel content falls in line with iron originating from a meteor.

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

He discovered 22 pounds of ancient treasure from an impossible timeline—then things got even weirder

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Ohhhh noooo!!!  Stinkin zinc Jeffersons!?  Looks like it might happen.  

Should the bill pass the Senate, in which case it will become law, the so-called penny will remain as legal tender. The bill also addresses our 5-cent “nickel,” the cost of producing this denomination, which is also becoming a sore spot for the US Mint.  The legislation authorizes the Treasury to begin minting a less expensive zinc-based coin. According to Rep. French Hill (R-Arkansas), this would “ensure that increased nickel demand is not mitigating the savings due to the elimination of the penny.”

Here is that link.

The Penny Isn't Going Away—But It's Changing - Numismatic News

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Jensen Beach Web Cam (Noth View)
Jensen Beach Webcam

Pretty boring stretch of unchanging weather and surf.  We are still having a small surf.

Nothing of interest on the National Hurricane Center map either.

Fort Pierce Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Just a little bump on the surf chart.  It looks big in comparison, but really isn't much.

I'm still having slow-downs while getting accustomed to a new computer.

Good Hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

7/31/26 Report - Amazing Very Early Shipwreck Silver and Gold Coins Found by One Dedicated and Successful Beach Detectorist Over a Period of Years.

 

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

Beach Metal Detecting Finds by Peter Hughes.

Beach in Wales.

My 7/12/26 post featured a great collection of beach metal detecting shipwreck finds found by Peter Hughes over a period of twenty years of beach detecting. The Ann Francis was a16th century ship that was coming from Spain. Peter's finds from the wreck included a large number of early silver and gold coins from Spain, the Spanish colonies and other countries along with other amazing artifacts that were displayed in a maritime museum.  Here is the link to the 7/12 post.

Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 7/12/26 Report - Most Amazing Early Shipwreck Beach Finds Made by Long-Time Detectorist and Reader of This Blog..

I asked Peter if he would share some additional find photos, and he was kind enough to send some great photos of great finds along with all the details. Each example is a super find in its own right and will get your hunting juices going.  

Here is what Peter said about them.  

I have tried to give a flavour of the major coin types, along with some beach photos taken on the day. 

Whenever I need motivation, I review my photo albums, and it spurs me on!!

The Spanish reales of Ferdinand & Isabella are the forerunners of the famous cobs produced later in the 16th century, and the Double Excellente is said to be the forerunner of the famous  Doubloons of the later period.

I will send more photos in future.

Thanks much for sharing Peter. 

 I'll start by showing one group of Peters coin finds and get into some individual examples with details below that.

The first coin example that I'll show today from Peter's finds is the following mid-16th century 1000 REIS.  I've only seen a few examples of those in books.  Here are both sides followed by the details.

 SAO VICENTE  1000 REIS ; John lll of Portugal  ; Decreed  1555 produced to 1560 ;

Obverse ;    IOANNES lll REX :PORTV: ET : AL (John lll king of Portugal and the  Algarve).

Reverse ;  ZELATOR :FIDEI:VSQVEAD MORTEM: (Defender of the faith to death).                                   Sao Vicente Weight = 7.6g ;  Diameter =  31 mm   ; Friedberg -31; Gomes 181.01 ⁽¹²⁾

Imagine seeing that in your scoop and then finding out the date being in the range of 1555 to 1560. 

Here is the second of Peter's collection that I'll share with you today.

Spain Ferdinand & Isabella 1479-1504; 4 reales, SEVILLE , S - llll , C.C&T  179 (type 152) assayer  P in the form of a square.

Most single most prolific coin found ; 86% of all the  F&I 4R , 50% of all the silver from Spain;  42% of all the identified  silver coin finds from Spain & Spanish America.

That one is even older.  And it is another beautiful example.

Here is another.

Spanish American; Mexico city       1536 -38; 4 reales, Gothic m with dots above and below on either side of shield.  KAROLVS ET IOHANA

Reverse; assayer R, round banner PLVSVT between two pillars 4 above; HISPANIE ET 

That one is a similar type to some of the earlies Mexico minted coins found on the Treasure Coast.  Amazing condition and detail on that coin.

Below is number four for today.

Double Excellente; Ferdinand & Isabella from 1497 ;  C.C&T 57 (TYPE 54)

Obverse ; FERNANDVS:ET :ELIZABET:DEI :GRATIA: REX:ET:REGINA  (abbreviated forms)

Reverse : SVB:VNM:BRA:ALARVN:TVARVM:PROTÉGÉ   ( abbreviated forms)  ,the Latin for the inscription “in the shadow of the wings take us under your protection” On the bottom of the shield was included the pomegranate symbolising the conquest of Granada in 1492 .

I (TG) believe the wings could have something to do with reference to Psalm 91:4: "He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart"  

The tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) has four corners also referred to as "wings."  Protective wings are a basic symbol with deep roots in human cognition and religion and the significance could continue long after the original reference is not made.

Again, simply beautiful coin.  It could well have been used by royalty to suggest protection and authority of the royal family or government.  (just speculation on my part).

Here is coin five for today.

Mexico city, Three reales; 1536 -37 ,  M with dots above and below either side of the shield .

Reverse , oval banner  PLVSVT between pillars, gothic R below , three dots value above.

C.C&T 104(Type 64)  extremely rare. Wt  =9.96 g, d= 31mm

That is another early Mexico mint pillar style coin.  Again, look at how crisp that coin is.

Thanks to Peter for taking the time to share some additional photos of really great coins. 

Great example of what a dedicated beach detectorist can do.

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On the Treasure Coast we've been getting some afternoon and evening showers or storms.  Be careful of the lightning.

There is still a near flat surf and no tropical development to watch.

I was late in getting this post done because I had to get a new computer and I haven't figured out how to do some things I used a lot on my old detector.  It took me way too long to learn how to do some simple things that I use a lot.

Hopefully, I'll get it figured out before long.   Some of this stuff is intuitive if you left hand is on your right and your head is on upside down, but otherwise, I'm not so sure.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

7/31