2/17/26 Report - Detecting A Couple Treasure Coast Beaches Today. Identifying Valuable Watch Finds. Small Cuts Continue on Some Beaches.

 

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

John Brooks Beach Tuesday Late Morning.

I stopped at John Brook this morning.  There were some interrupted cuts.  The biggest cliffs were under two feet.  

The tide was still fairly high.  There were very few targets, but I didn't low on the slope because of the tide.

Walton Rocks Tuesday Around Noon.

I then moved on to Walton Rocks. There were some small cuts and some larger ones that were not new.

Walton Rocks Tuesday.

This small cut ran to the north for a good distance.  

Walton Rocks Tuesday.

The area shown above was scooped out months ago and has never filled back very much.  Old sand is still not far under the newer sand.

Walton Rocks Tuesday.

Above is an older cut and a newer smaller one.

A little in front of that are a few rocks sticking out.  They've been visible for weeks.

My mix of finds today consisted mostly of modern coins - some older and some newer.

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Among some of the more valuable things you'll ever find are better watches.  They are out there and they are frequently passed up by many detectorists because of the complex signals that will seldom be correctly identified, even with the help of a great detector and a great target ID system.  

Many of the watches you'll find are drowned or ruined.  Others will still be good.

If you've been detecting for a good while, there is a possibility that you've found a Rolex or another fine brand.  They don't come often, but they are out there and can be found if you are not discriminating too much.  I've shown a couple Rolex finds in the past.

My first Rolex find was drowned.  

I found a good article that explains how to identify valuable watches.  Below is a little of that.

Key Takeaways: What Defines the Most Valuable Rolex Watches

Factor	Why It Matters for Value
Reference	Certain references (e.g., rare Daytona or sport models) anchor entire collecting categories.
Dial	Original dials, rare configurations, and untouched surfaces can drive dramatic premiums.
Material	Precious metals, gem-set executions, and discontinued materials elevate rarity.
Condition	Originality, unpolished cases, and matching components are critical at the top end.
Provenance	Ownership history, documentation, and notable context can transform a watch’s importance.
Production Rarity	Short production runs, transitional models, and factory anomalies create scarcity.
Market Position	Sport Rolex models with tool-watch heritage dominate collector demand.

Here is the link for more about that.

The Anatomy of the Most Valuable Rolex Watches | Watches | Sotheby’s

Like everything else, there is a knack to finding watches.  Part of it is not passing up complex signals.  One good place to find watches is in the dop in front of swimming beaches when the dip is full of shells.

When I did a lot of water hunting, I found a lot of dive equipment, including dive watches, weights, knives, etc.  Dive watches and knives sell well.

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Surf Chart from SurgGuru.com.

Looks like three to four feet for another day or so.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/16/26 Report - Various Beach Beach Cam and Photo Shots. Renourishment Projects and Erosion. Ring Find Storage Boxes.

 

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

Monday Morning Cut South of Fort Pierce.

The cut shown above developed about a day ago.  It looks still pretty fresh today  Doesn't look like it deteriorated much yet.

I've mentioned correleated beaches in recent posts.  One good example is John Brooks and Frederick Douglass.  They often look similar.  Gnerally, when one is cut, so is the other.  

This stretch of beach south of Fort Pierce seems to be correlated to some extent with John Brooks.  That doesn't mean perfect correlation.  There is some variation.

I showed the cut at this stretch yesterday and DJ sent in photos of the beach between there and John Brooks.  It was the area down by the condos.  Those are the next two photos below.

Beach Down by the Condos Between Fort Pierce South Jetty and John Brooks Sunday. Photos by DJ.

As you can see there was a remnant of an older cut there.  It was beat down.  

Checking some of the other beach cams, I didn't see much in the way of new erosion Monday morning.  Most beaches showed no cuts although some places, it is hard to tell what is going on because of ongoing beach projects.

Many beaches show nothing interesting, such as Melbourne Beach shown below.

Melbourne Beach Monday Morning.

Newly dumped sand will cause neighboring areas to erode more quickly because they'll get reflected beach energy.  For example, the new sand at Fort Pierce South Jetty will reflect waves and change the currents to hit the south more, and that is where you see the nice fresh cut shown above.  The new sand will also be eroded more quickly as it sits very exposed to the wave energy.

Sebastian Monday Afternoon South Beach View.

You can still see the excavator working at Sebastian.  

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Some of the Treasure Coast stores are now rounding prices instead of giving pennies in change.  To my surprise, they are not rounding the prices up but rounding down to the nears nickel.

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Instead of putting your metal detecting ring finds in bags or whatever, you can get these boxes fairly inexpensively.

I like the larger ones like the black one shown above, that also has a handle and zipper.  

Both the white and black ones both stack nicely.

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Afternoon, and this Fort Pierce south beach cut is till nice and crisp.  You can see the water being pushed south from the area where there is newly dumped sand.

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

I'd say we'll have some additional nice little cuts this week.  

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/15/26 Report - One Man's Recent Hunt Report. Renourishment Project. Target ID Explorations. New Beach Cut This Morning.

 

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

Fort Piere South Jetty Sand Dumping Project.
Photos byJoe D.

Joe D. sent these photo and the following report.

I have been down to the Ft. Pierce inlet a few times this week, including today. The rapid addition of sand has already affected metal detecting! A friend visiting from Virginia and I, did well on Tuesday, but today, I didn't find a single coin in an hour of searching there. However, I moved to another location and found 104 coins totaling $5.41, including a 1952 silver dime, and coins from the 70s and 80s, as well as more modern ones. Figured i wouldn't do well there, so had a backup plan ready!

I read several news articles today about the new sand, and was glad to see people questioning the cost and longevity of these projects. As both a detectorist and a taxpayer, I am tired of seeing money dumped into the water for such short-lived effects. While more permanent solutions are being discussed, it remains to be seen if or when they will materialize. Seems like the same old song and dance, as we continue to pay for the same result!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of my finds from this week. Lots of juvenile spinner sharks, and some spotted rays leaping about!
Thanks again for all you do with the blog!

Best regards,

And here are Joe's finds.

Finds by Joe D.

Thanks for sharing Joe.   Many agree with your sentiments concerning the continual dumping of sand.  

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I decided to check the Manticore reading on a variety of larger targets.  First, I used the four fake treasure coins I talked about in a post not too long ago.  

Four fake Treasure Coins Used in Target ID Test.

No. 1 (most left) is the heaviest and thickest.  No. 2 and 3 are both thin and made of what I'd call pot metal.  And no. 4 has more of a copper look.

I used the Manticore and for this test focused on the conductivity numbers but made a few additional observations.

No 1 produced a number that centered around 55.

No. 2 produced a number centering on 37.

No. 3 gave numbers around 32.

No. 4 gave numbers around 56.

No.s 2 and 3 are similar in weight and feel, but 2 is a touch bigger.  They produced fairly similar conductivity numbers.  Size has an effect on the conductivity numbers.  I think I've said that before.

No.s 1 and 4 produced fairly similar numbers although they are fairly different.  1 is thicker and heavier but 4 has a slightly larger diameter and appears to be made of a different metal.

I also tested some genuine coins that I also discussed recently.  They included no. 1, a morgan silver dollar, no. 2, the Eisenhower Bicentennial dollar, and no. 3, a 1943 Walking Liberty half dollar.  The Morgan and half dollar are silver, but not the Eisenhower.

Here are all the coins.  The fakes are on the first line and the genuine coins are on the second line.

The Morgan showed mostly 94 - 95.

The Eisenhower was ever so slightly different despite the difference in metallic composition.  94 -95.  

The walking liberty produced mostly 92 - 93.  That isn't much different than the Morgan despite the size difference.

In conclusion, the numbers for the fakes are pretty different from the numbers for the genuine coins.

It seems the numbers produced by the last three coins was not sufficiently different to distinguish between the three during field conditions.  The numbers for both the silver and Eisenhower were not very different.  

One thing that caught my attention is that as the depth increases and the signal strength decreases there is greater variance in the conductivity numbers.  For deep coins with less strong signals, you get a wider range of numbers.  You could probably draw a curve showing the greater variance as signal strength decreases.  In my younger years I might have done that.  But the main point is that you need good signal strength for to get a good narrow range of conductivity numbers.  

Here is the Manticore's ID target map for the Morgan at good signal strength.

All three of these coins produced very similar high conductivity numbers with the disc shaped object on the far right of the center line.  

As you pull the coil back, when you've increased the distance between the coil and target to the border line detectable distance, you'll see a big drop in the conductivity number.  You'll also see the disc shaped target on the ID map become very faint.  I call it a ghost signal, but the disc remains at the far right of the map.  That discrepancy (between the conductivity map and the position of the object on the map) might turn out to provide useful information.  It might be a good hint that your target is at near maximum detection depth.  I'll investigate that more in the future to see if it holds and how useful it might be.

Below you see the display for the same target.  Now it is showing 14, but the faint disc is still in about the samme position at the far right of the center line.  You can't see it in this photo, but it is there

Several things affect the conductivity numbers. Of course, there is metallic composition, but there are also other things, such as the size of the target.  And, now we see how the signal strength (and therefore depth or distance) can affect the conductivity number.  You can't expect to get a good number without good signal strength. 

Neither the differences in metallic composition or the differences in size for these particular coins made a huge difference in the target ID numbers or the target ID map.  

I noted a few other interesting things but would want to replicate those more carefully before discussing them.  I might do that in the near future.

You can not put too much emphasis on any one indicator, such as the conductivity number.   When you get deep targets and weaker signals, you can expect the numbers to jump arouond a lot.

The ID system still seems to be most accurate and helpful when you know something about the type and likelihood of different kinds of targets and trash in the ground.  You can get in trouble by overgeneralizing though.

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10:30 AM Sunday Fort Pierce South Zoom View.

Check this out.  It would have been easy to miss this one, a nice little cut developed last night or early this morning.  That can happen with south winds, even if it doesn't typically create the kinds of monster cuts associated with big nor'easters.

Surf Chart from Surfguru.com.

This morning, we have east swells and a SSE wind.  The surf isn't big, but we do see some recent cuts.

Watch for the bigger surf later this week.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/14/26 Report - Treasure Hunting Long Before Metal Detectors. Money-Digging, Remote Viewing and Stone Gazing.

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

Source: Joseph Smith Home Page: Money-Digging

In colonial times and up into the 1800s they called it money digging.  Today, of course, we call it treasure hunting.

They didn't have metal detectors or subsurface radar, so they filled the gap with other thing they thought might help them out. The technology gap was parlty filled with was superstition, magic and other mysteries.  

One of the most famous and documented money-diggers in the early 1800s was Joseph Smith, who did what might have been either fraud or a type of remote viewing.  Joseph sometimes called what he did "peeping."  Some called it hokum.

In colonial America there were plenty of treasure hunters.  Many were regular farmers or laborers while others were wealthy individuals with time and money to spare.  They dug for buried money, lost mines, Spanish coins and pirate treasure - just like today.

Money-digging was a widespread folk practice in early 19th-century America, particularly in the rural areas of New England, New York, Pennsylvania. Many believed that the buried treasures were guarded by spirits, ghosts, enchantments or curses. Diggers sometimes used divining rods, were inspired by dreams, or used incantations, rituals (sometimes involving sacrifices). Some hired "seers" or conjurers to locate the treasures.

One of the most well-known names associated with money-digging was Joseph Smith.  From what I've seen, he was more of a seer than digger.  He charged a fee for his services.

Below is a drawing of one of his dig sites.  

Below is a link that describes much more about Joes Smith's involvement with money-digging.

Smith History Vault: Blackman's 1873 History of Susquehanna Co. (excerpts)

And below are some other treasure seekers mentioned by Grok.

• Luman Walters (also known as Walters the Magician or Conjurer, ca. 1788–1860): A figure from the Palmyra/Manchester area in New York, described in contemporary accounts as a "vagabond fortune-teller" and former physician who resided in Sodus or Gorham. He was accused of being a paid conjurer (sometimes $3 per day) who led groups of money-diggers using magical books, circles drawn with swords, incantations, and even animal sacrifices (e.g., a rooster) to propitiate guardian spirits. Accounts portray him as a charismatic but dubious leader who influenced local treasure hunts, with one 1831 report calling him a constant companion to "money digging impostors."
• Groups in western New York and New England: Contemporary newspapers and folklore accounts describe widespread digs for Captain Kidd's treasure along coasts, islands, and rivers. For instance, in the 1820s, people in areas like Tunbridge, Vermont, or the Upper Connecticut River Valley excavated based on dreams or mineral rods. One 1825 account tells of a "respectable gentleman" in Tunbridge who, directed by a dream and rod, dug 7–8 feet on an island in a brook while pumping out water—only for the chest to supposedly slip away through the mud after someone spoke carelessly (violating silence rules). Holes from failed digs dotted landscapes, with reports of "acres of ground... dug three fathom deep" in pursuit of Kidd's loot.
• Daniel McGinnis, John Smith, and Anthony Vaughan (late 18th/early 19th century, Oak Island, Nova Scotia—closely tied to American treasure lore): Though in Canada, this is often linked to American maritime treasure traditions. In 1795, teenager McGinnis spotted a depression and block-and-tackle on Oak Island, suspecting pirate treasure (possibly from LaHave pirates). With friends Smith and Vaughan (farmers/settlers on the island), they dug what became the "Money Pit," finding layered platforms but facing floods. Later 19th-century syndicates (e.g., 1849 Truro company) continued, but early diggers were everyday locals motivated by folklore, not professionals.
• Benjamin Franklin's observations (earlier context, but persisting into 19th century): Franklin noted in the 18th century that money-digging was "mighty prevalent" around Philadelphia, with pits everywhere and even sensible people drawn in by the "peculiar charm" of finding hidden money—reflecting a belief that carried into the early 19th century.
• Washington Irving's fictionalized but culturally reflective account ("The Money-Diggers" in Tales of a Traveller, 1824): Describes treasure hunters using rituals, facing ghostly guardians, and dealing with "enchanted" treasure that moves or vanishes—mirroring real folk beliefs of the era.
• Other regional examples: In Pennsylvania and New York, diggers sought Spanish silver mines or Kidd's hoards using seer stones and conjuring. Accounts mention "hill-diggers" or groups led by mediums who claimed spirit guidance to chests of gold/jewels. One Vermont story from around 1800 involves a mysterious Spaniard (DeGrau) who dug with supernatural aid.

And here are a couple more from Copilot.

Josiah Stowell

• A farmer who hired Joseph Smith to help search for a supposed Spanish silver mine.

• Smith’s 1826 court appearance involved allegations that he attempted to “defraud” Stowell while acting as a “glass looker.”

Martin Harris

• A later financial backer of the Book of Mormon.

• An 1829 case accused Smith of attempting to defraud Harris in connection with treasure‑seeking claims, though the case was dismissed.

Members of the Smith family

• Contemporary newspapers and later accounts describe the Smith family as participating in treasure‑digging as part of the local culture.

On July 24, 1822, the local newspaper in Palmyra reprinted an article titled "The Money Diggers" about the wave of treasure digging going on throughout New England.  It reported that one man in Pennsylvania had discovered a treasure worth $50,000. The article explained "We could name, if we pleased, at least five hundred respectable men, who do, in the simplicity and sincerity of their hearts, verily believe that immense treasures lie concealed upon our Green Mountains; many of whom have been for a number of years, most industriously and perserveringly engaged in digging it up.

Frontier Americans often believed in the ability of some people to have supernatural sight aided by stones, crystals, minerals, or glass. "Glass-looking", scrying, and use of a 'peep-stone' or 'seer-stone' were thought to aid in finding lost items. Lore held that buried treasures might be associated with ghosts or spirits of the dead, particularly people who had, in life, been murdered in connection to the treasure. Visions or dreams, particularly thrice-repeated dreams, were seen as a way for spirits to contact the living.  

Here is that source link.  Folk magic and the Latter Day Saint movement - Wikipedia

And here are some additional links.

 Uncle Dale's Old Mormon Articles: NY, 1826-1828

Joseph Smith’s Treasure Digging In Doctrine and Covenants - wasmormon.org

Treasure Seeking

Book of Mormon Overview: Joseph Smith and Treasure Digging

As I mentioned, Joseph Smith used gazing stones.  One particular stone seemed to be a favorite and was described in several of the documents.  He would put the chosen stone in a stove top hat, press his face to the hat and gaze at the stone.  He would then report visions of treasures and locations. 

It is easy enough to see his activities as nothing more than hucksterism, and it could have been purely that, but it could be an example of "remote viewing" facilitated by meditation upon the stone 

Meditation on simple objects like stones is sometimes used to promote relaxation and assist access to the contents of the subconscious mind.  The procedure could also have been done in such a way to provide physiological effects similar to breathing into a paper bag, which changes carbon dioxide blood levels.   I have no idea if it was done that way or not.

Joseph's money-digging pursuits could be nothing more than a fraudulent money-making scheme, or showmanship, or it could have been a form of remote viewing.  There will be those who immediately see it as one way or another., just like there are both believers and skeptics of remote viewing.

I haven't seen any evidence that any of Joseph's projects ever paid off with big finds, but that is not say they never did.  

Treasure was often associated with protective guardians.  The protective guardian might be in the form of a dragon, ghost or some kind of enchantment or curse.  The challenge of the hunt is easily personified as having a character, a will and being a powerful oppositional force to be overcome.  In earlier days, those kinds of impressions were perhaps more commonly accepted as being real or material rather than simply abstract expressions of the challenge.

There have always been chance finds that make that seem like they might be something more than chance.  A farmer plowing a field and unexpectedly seeing the flash of gold or silver would be tempted to think of the surprising event as being somehow more than chance.  He might thank providence or the forces rather researching the history of the area or more thoroughly analyzing the situation.  

Times have changed and treasure seeking has changed, but the challenge, problem-solving and excitement is still the same.  

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For those of you who are interested in remoted viewing, and it seems from the blog statistics that it is a popular topic, I'd recommend once again trying different forms of relaxation and meditation along with remote viewing.   

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Surf Chart for the Fort Pierce Jetty Area From Surf Guru.com.

Looks like there is nothing exciting predicted for the near future.

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

2/12/26 Report - First Olympic Metal. Stuburn Rusty Penny. New Study on Escudos in the Florida State Collection.

 

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

Collectors rarely encounter artifacts that define the very beginning of global sport. However, such an opportunity will emerge on March 1st, when Bruun Rasmussen presents what specialists identify as the world's first Olympic metal, struck for the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896. The silver winner’s medal carries a pre-auction estimate of €26,000 to €40,000...

Here is the link for more about that.

World’s First Olympic Medal From 1896 Athens Games Heads to Auction

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1943 Steel Cent Undergoing Cleaning.

This is the same 1943 steel cent I showed a couple days ago.  I showed it after one day in white vinegar.  I soaked it for two more days, but it is still not very clean.

I think what you see on the surface of the coin is rust.  It doesn't come off easy, and vinegar might not be the best treatment.  It certainly didn't work fast.  Maybe a rust remover or something would have worked better, but I think I'm done with it, because it isn't worth much of anything anyhow.  And I have other better ones.

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There is a new book on some of escudos in the Florida State Collection, most of which came from 1715 Fleet salvors.  Here is how Sedwick describes the book.

This landmark work examines hundreds of examples to chronologically sequence the dies used to make 2 escudos gold coins (“doubloons”) at the Bogotá mint in 1692-1714, during the tenure of assayer Buenaventura de Arce Penagos, all in the name of Charles II of Spain, whose death in 1700 marked the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession and an increase in Caribbean piracy...

This work reveals several heretofore unknown aspects about these coins, including muling with 1 escudo dies, transpositions and retrograde characters, and even a secret debasement.

After a lengthy introduction, the coins are presented in three chapters representing distinct periods: Lifetime issues 1692-1699, Transitional issues 1700-1704, and Post-Transitional issues 1703-1714 (the overlap of the last two considered Half-Transitionals 1703-1704). Each chapter shows diagrams of the obverse (shield) die designs and key aspects of the reverse (cross) die designs, with summaries and photos of all the known die combinations. Two appendices do the same for Philip V Arce 2 escudos 1718-1722 and all Arce 1 escudos 1692-1722.  

You can find the book along with others on the Sedwick site.  Here is the link.

Books & Catalogs – Sedwick & Associates, LLC

The price is $49.95. 

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Tuesday they had a Minelab metal detector as a prize on the Price is Right.  By the price, I would guess it was a Manticore, although they didn't say and I couldn't see it very well.

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I saw a video of the people searching for evidence in Arizona.  I didn't like the search strategy. It seemed very random, like on Oak Island.  Hope they have better results finding evidence though.

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Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Cam.

In the above photo you can see some of the newly dumped sand and the murky water far out from the beach.  

Below you can also see the sediment from the newly dumped sand.  Otherwise, it is a beautiful day to be on the beach.

Below you can see the surf chart showing an increase in surf next week.

 

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/11/26 Report - Treasure Coast Beach Projects Going On. Ancient Roman Shipwreck. Deer Antler Head Dress Found.

 

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Park Erosion. Photo Credit: Treasure Beaches Report.

Over the weekend, county crews installed concrete barriers near two private properties along Jetty Park Beach on Hutchinson Isand after officials determined portions of the dune system were vulnerable to washing out...

“I was a little skeptical of it at first, because it does put concrete structure on the beach, but I do believe that it's a legitimate long-term solution to avoid doing the same thing over and over,” said James Clasby, St. Lucie County Commissioner and Erosion District Chairman...

Drone video from the area shows waves pushing close to the remaining dune line, which residents say once served as a buffer between the ocean and their homes. Neighbors say the shoreline has continued to retreat, leaving homeowners increasingly worried that the next round of high tides or rough surf could reach their properties...

County leaders say emergency sand deliveries are scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon, with mobilization already underway. Crews are expected to truck in approximately 10,000 cubic yards of sand as part of a short-term stabilization effort designed to shore up weakened portions of the dune before a larger federal project begins. That is about 14,000 tons of sand...

Here is the link for more of the article.

Emergency sand project underway as beach erosion threatens Fort Pierce homes on shoreline

Thanks to DJ for that link.

My opinion is that people who buy or build on the beach should take responsibility for the risk they should know exists.  

Heavy Equipment Operating Wednesdayat Fort Pierce.

I got the above shot of the bulldozer at Fort Pierce. Wednesday.

Below you can see Fort Pierce Jetty South Beach. 

Fort Pierce South Jetty Wednesday Morning.

Below you can see the excavator working south of the Sebastian jetty.

Sebastain Beach Cam (South Beach View) Wednesday Morning.

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Ancient Roman Shipwreck.
Source: Archaeology Magazine.

Italy's finance police said Tuesday that it has discovered the remains of a large ancient Roman-era ship with a cargo of amphoras on the bed of the Ionian Sea off the coast of Puglia.

    The force said it made the find in June 2025 during an inspection but was only making it public now...

Here is the link for more about that.

News - Roman Shipwreck Discovered Off Coast of Southern Italy - Archaeology Magazine

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7,500-year-old deer skull headdress discovered in Germany indicates hunter-gatherers shared sacred items and ideas with region's first farmers

The discovery of a deer skull headdress and tools made from antlers at the site of a New Stone Age farming village suggests that hunter-gatherers were sharing ideas with the newcomers...

Here is that link.

7,500-year-old deer skull headdress discovered in Germany indicates hunter-gatherers shared sacred items and ideas with region's first farmers | Live Science

I've found a fossil tine on the Treasure Coast.  Always thought it would make a nice handle for something.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

The wind is still from the west.  Saw some surfers taking advantage of the nice slow swells.  

Other than the beach projects, not a lot of sand being moved.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net.