6/14/26 Report - Ancient Coins Found on Shipwreck Beach. Pretty Penny. New Integrated AI Site for Detectorists.

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

Roman Coins Detected on Shipwreck Beach.
Source: See link below.

Using metal detectors, a team of archaeologists discovered these coins in March at a beach location showing evidence of ancient fireplaces.  

The coins' origins are unknown, but they could have been dropped off by Norse traders, drowned in a shipwreck, or transported there by a Roman ship that traveled as far north...

The two silver coins... are both Roman "denarii"; one is from the reign of Trajan, which lasted from A.D. 98 to 117, and the other is from Antoninus Pius, which lasted from A.D. 138 to 161.

When they were first produced, each coin would have cost around a day's wages for a worker and weighed less than an eighth of an ounce (4 grams).

The word "money" in some Latin-based languages, such as "denaro" in Italian and "dinero" in Spanish, still has the name of the denarii, the common coin of ancient Rome.

Because the silver they contained never lost its value... the coins may have been in use for a very long period. He also suggested that Norse traders... may have brought the coins there...

Although there are no records of a Roman ship traveling into the Baltic, it is still possible that the coins were transported to Gotska Sandön by Romans...

Here is the link for the entirearticle.

Archaeologists are perplexed by the Roman coins recovered on Shipwreck Island

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Speaking of coins that seem out of place, here is an petty Indian Head penny that is in too nice condition to have been on the beach very long.

Very Nice Indian Head Cent in a Pretty Copper Color
That Doesn't Show with The Microscope's Harsh Overhead Lighting.

I'd guess it would grade at maybe Very Good.  What do you think?

Here is a nice site for tips on grading Indian Head cents.

Grading Indian Head Pennies | How to Video-Images-Descriptions

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Al C. brought an interesting tool for detectorists to my attention.  The site is subterrix.com.   It advertises as a tool for detectorists that incorporates AI and other tools for evaluating different locations for detecting potential and much more.

Below is some of the site's own blurb.
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Subterrix - Luck is Optional | Subterrix

AI-powered metal detecting platform. Uncover hidden history with intelligent site analysis, historical maps, LiDAR terrain tools, and expert research for serious …

Subterrix is widely recognized as the industry’s most advanced metal detecting platform, combining AI-driven research with historical data to turn treasure hunting into an intelligence-driven discipline.

Massive Historical Database: Analyzes 77 million historical data points covering finds, soil conditions, geography, settlement patterns, land use, and recovery outcomes.

AI Cross-Validation: Uses five independent AI models that validate each other, eliminating single-model bias and reducing reliance on folklore or “gut feeling."

Intelligence-Driven Hunting: Every hunt is informed by context—permissions, site details, and detection potential—so detectorists can skip years of trial and error.

Terrain & Site Analysis: Offers iLiDAR® terrain analysis for free exploration, helping identify promising areas before visiting.

Access & Inclusivity: Free for detectorists under 25 and U.S. military veterans; includes guides, detecting laws, and resources.

Subterrix doesn’t replace detectorist skill—it multiplies it. Veterans gain strategic leverage, while newcomers can make informed decisions from day one. It’s designed to end the “luck is optional” era of metal detecting...

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1. Of course, it requires you to register to try do much of anything, but I managed to try out a little of 
2. it before registering 
   First of all, I don't consider it free if I have to give them a bunch of marketing data. 
3. User data is big business on the web and that data has value.
   
4. Obviously put together by commercial web site developer, it is too heavy on marketing for my taste.
5. I tried a couple times to register but was unsuccessful for some reason, but I was able to do some quick
6. tests of the system without registering.   
7. I found out it is more for the land site hunter than the shipwreck beach detectorist.  
8. When I targeted Frederick Douglass Beach on the map, the site told me that the location had good 
9. potential for Civil War artifacts and resident artifacts.  Way off!  

I gave it some land locations that I know, and it did a better job on those.  In one case, it told about an old home site that I had detected after it was demolished, but Subterrix didn't tell about the new house with the newly sodded and manicured lawn.  I would have been in trouble if I traveled to that site only

to see what it was now.

It did provide some history and good information on land sites.

My test was brief, and I'm not going to register just to try it out.  It does say you get a free 60 try-out

period.

If you try it out, give me your impressions so I can let others know.

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1. The surf is still flat.  Good time to be in the water. Very hot for detecting in midday sun.
2. There will be nice almost one-foot negative low tide in the early afternoon.
3. Good hunting,
4. Treasureguide@comcast.net
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. 
   
   I posted this picture of a glass a few weeks ago. I knew it was relevant but it wasn't quite time to discuss it in more detail. Now it is.
   
   
   About forty years ago, I would guess, I was watching Monday night football, when Howard Cosell said to Dandy Don Meredith, "You have a tremendous grasp of the obvious." I never forgot that.
   
   
   People are different. They process information differently. If I didn't tell you which of those two people made the comment, but you knew something about each of them, you would have no trouble attributing the comment to Howard Cosell. It just isn't the kind of thing you would expect Don Meredith or Terry Bradshaw to say.
   
   
   Some people are quite content to see the sun as coming up in the morning and going down in the evening. They are fine with a simple view of things. They see no relevance to the fact that it can be seen as anything different. They don't need Copernicus to add confusion. They would undoubtedly also be fine with saying the glass is half full or half empty and not giving it any additional consideration. Who cares anyhow? And why consider the air? You don't see it anyhow. What is the relevance, they ask.
   
   
   But then there are people who aren't content to simply accept the first or most obvious view of things. They dig a little deeper. They ask questions and consider alternatives, even if things become a little more complex.
   
   
   Those people might ask how you would know if the glass is half full anything? How would you measure half full or half empty? Would you go by the level of the surface of the water and say the glass is half full or empty if the surface of the water is half way between the bottom and top of the glass? Or would you measure the volume that the glass could hold and the volume of water in the glass to see if half the volume of the glass was taken up by water?
   
   
   But then if you are intellectually active, you might ask even more questions. For example, you might wonder if the glass can contain anything since it doesn't have a top? And since the top of the imaginary glass is even more imaginary, why would you assume that the top goes straight across the top of the glass? Could the imaginary top not be convex or concave?
   
   
   And if you are a very precise person and want to be precise in your measurements, maybe down to three or four decimal digits, it would be very unlikely to ever be half. It would be a job to get it just right. The more precise you make your measurements, the more difficult it would be to fill the glass to be exactly half.
   
   
   I could take it farther, but I won't. I'm sure some of you think this is all crazy jiberty jab. But that is my point. People are different.
   
   
   Some won't see the point of all this talk about liquefaction. They won't see the practical application or the potential. I'm not surprised at all by that. But for me, understanding sand liquefaction and the factors involved seem like something that might help me more accurately understand what goes on under the crashing waves of a good storm. Understanding how vibrations, water and air can liquefy sand, and seeing sand being sucked up into waves, can be important contributions to putting it all together. And once you understand that, you should have a better idea of where things will show up on a beach.
   
   
   Some people are not interested in figuring it all out. They rather wait for it to become common knowledge and then go with whatever people are saying at the time.
   
   
   At this point, there are still holes in my knowledge - mostly concerning exactly how things work directly under crashing waves. You add to your knowledge piece by piece. You improve your level of understanding. It is a slow and incremental process, and every once in a while, when you have enough background and understanding there are those moments of insight when it comes together for you. But before that happens, you gradually improve your understanding and add to your conceptual toolbox. Those things make that moment of insight all the more likely.
   
   
   Adding new terms and concepts to the discussion helps too. Even those that are eventually rejected.
   
   
   Those who do not see the relevance or do not agree help too. Old ideas can be stubborn, and people don't like to have to change their mind. Copernicus found that out. It is easy to find fault with what you don't understand.
   
   
   ---
   
   
   
   Source: YouTube link below.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   And for those of you who, like me, aren't tired of it yet, here is a great video showing a hot-tub of liquidized sand and how to do it.

6/13/26 Report - Silver Bar Found. Strong El Nino This Year. 10% Off Sedwick Online Store. Good Low Tide and Flat Surf.

 

Silver Bar Recently Recovered
 from Atocha Site by the crew of the Dare.

Mel Fisher's Shipwreck Expeditions has recovered a 22.5-pound silver bar from the Nuestra Señora de Atocha wreck site off the Florida Keys—the first silver bar recovered from the site since 1999. There may be more silver bars near where this one was found.

Recovered by Captain Drake and the crew of the DARE in approximately 50 feet of water, this incredible discovery is a reminder that the Atocha still holds secrets waiting to be uncovered more than 400 years after she sank in 1622.

The silver bar is now headed to our conservation lab in Key West, where experts will begin documenting and preserving this remarkable piece of history...

Here is the link.

Keys’ treasure hunters find silver bar from 400-year-old shipwreck

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This year's brewing El Niño will likely become the strongest ever recorded, a new forecast warns.

New predictions by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) suggest sea surface temperatures in a key region of the central equatorial Pacific Ocean will climb 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (3 degrees Celsius) above average by December of this year, with some scenarios showing they could go above 7.2 F (4 C).

If the forecast bears out, it means that this year's El Niño — the warm phase of a multi-year natural climate pattern that supercharges temperatures across the globe — will be significantly stronger than the previous joint record holders of 2015 to 2016 and 1997 to 1998...

For more about that.

Coming El Niño will be the strongest ever recorded, new forecast predicts | Live Science

Historically, El Niño tends to reduce the number of strong (Category 3 or higher) hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, but it does not eliminate the risk entirely.

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From Sedwick....

After a year of expanding our online inventory we're offering 10% off sitewide...

Since then, we have added hundreds of new items and continue to post fresh material between auctions, making the website a destination worth checking regularly.

For a limited time, we're offering 10% off all inventory on our website.
Use discount code 10%SUMMER26 at checkout.
Offer valid only at www.sedwickcoins.com and expires June 24, 2026, at 12:00 PM EDT.


Consign Now for Our November Auction
Our next auction will be held November 5–7, 2026, at our Florida office...

We will also be showing auction highlights at the U.S.–Mex Numismatic Convention in Scottsdale, Arizona, this October. The consignment deadline for our November auction is September 1, 2026...

Demand remains strong for quality material, and many collectors are choosing this market to sell.

Whether you have a single coin, a specialized collection, or an estate, we'd be happy to take a look and discuss the possibilities.
Call Us Today! 407-975-3325 or you can also contact us via email at office@sedwickcoins.com...

Sedwick and Associates, LLC

I looked through the online inventory, and there is a lot to see.  Over three hundred items are for sale there.

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View From Sebastain Beach Cam Saturday Morning.

The VeroBeachCam.com site, as of Saturday morning, is currently not running.

I've been asked many times why the camera at the Turtle Trail access is not available for public viewing on the web.

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

You'll never see the surf chart look any flatter than that.

I noticed a good low tide on the Indian River in the afternoon yesterday.  The afternoon low tide around the Fort Pierce area today is predicted to be a -.85.  That is a good low tide.  I've been waiting for that, but it was very hot at the same time.

You might want to get out early or late to avoid the peak heat of the day.

I've been informed of a new online AI metal detecting site research tool that combines several types of data to give you a score on how good various sites are.  I looked into it a little so far, and plan to look into it a little more.  I plan to have my impressions on that for you soon.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/12/26 Report - Investigating One Cleaning Method on A Few Corroded Coins (Part II). Object ID and Cognitive Principles.

 

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

Coin No. 4 After Two Days of Vinegar
Now Showing "LIBERTY"

Today I'm continuing with the coin cleaning illustration that I started yesterday. I soaked the three coins that remained unidentified another day to see how that would work.

I'll start with the coin that looked like it might be clad (shown above). More material was removed by the additional day of soaking, but few additional details emerged. What was revealed is the word "LIBERTY."  That is about all that I could see after two days of vinegar.  Not only has most of the corrosion been removed but perhaps also some of the outer surface that covered the copper core of the coin.  I don't think additional cleaning will help.  The surface detail does not seem to exist anymore.  And it is only a clad coin anyhow.

Now let's look what the additional cleaning did for coin number 1.  All I could see on that one after twelve hours of soaking was "TED," which was undoubtedly part of "UNITED STATES of AMERICA."  This one, unlike coin no. 2, had a good rim remaining. 

Here it is what it looked like after another day of soaking in vinegar.  

It isn't easy to see it in this photo, so I'll zoom in on the letters (below).  

So the additional day of soaking helped some, but not a huge amount.  The most of this coin's surface still shows hardly any details, but one other clue did become evident.  You can see that small but important detail in the picture below.

Look near the rim at the six o'clock position.  There is a curved line that goes to the right and up.  Do you know what that is?

Look at the Mercury dime below and see if you can see a similar line.

Look at the lower boundary of Mercury's neck.  That is the line you see on the no. 1 coin shown above.  From this small detail it looks like the no. 1 coin is a mercury dime.  The neckline on Roosevelt is different.  

So, I think no. 1 is a mercury dime, but I don't know the date or much of anything else about it, and I doubt that additional soaking in vinegar will do much more.  

I'm considering following up with either electrolysis or tumbling just to see how it would work. I don't think either would do much good at this point, but it might be a learning experience.

Now moving on to no. 2.  After the additional day of cleaning, no. 2 still shows almost nothing, and I can't tell anymore about it even after two days of vinegar.  It does appear to be silver.  Maybe I'll test one more cleaning method on it.

Coin No. 2 After Two Days of Cleaning.

My best guess on this one is that it is another mercury dime but I have very little to go on.  Again, it might be interesting to try another method of cleaning.  I don't know if any details or clues might be teased out.  

To sum it up, vinegar did a fairly good job of removing surface corrosion.  On some cases, one day was about enough, but a second day of soaking helped a little.  

On badly corroded coins, the vinegar treatment helped a little, but there was only so much you could expect.  Harder cases may require other methods, but vinegar is a fairly good method to begin with. In the future I might see how other methods work on the more difficult of these coins.

If you are using the vinegar method with multiple coins, I'd recommend putting coins made of different metals in different containers.  For example, I put those appearing to be silver in one container and the clad coin, which much more copper, in another container.  

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I find the problem-solving process interesting.  In this case the problem is object identification, which shares a lot in common with many other kinds of problems, such as recognizing coin distribution patterns on a beach, identifying beach conditions or even identifying metal detector targets.  It has a lot to do with matching patterns.

Here are some of the basic principles.

The Classical Grouping Principles

Wertheimer (1923) identified several laws of perceptual grouping that describe how elements are organized into unified percepts.

Proximity. Elements close together tend to be grouped together.

Similarity. Elements that share features (color, size, shape, orientation) tend to be grouped.

Good Continuation. Elements arranged along a smooth contour tend to be grouped.

Closure. The visual system tends to complete incomplete figures, filling in gaps to perceive closed forms.

Common Fate. Elements that move together tend to be grouped together.

Later additions to the classical set include three further principles.

Common Region. Elements within the same bounded area are grouped.

Element Connectedness. Elements that are physically connected are grouped.

Synchrony. Elements that change simultaneously are grouped.

Prägnanz: The Law of Good Form

The overarching Gestalt principle is Prägnanz (sometimes translated as "good form" or the minimum principle): perceptual organization tends toward the simplest, most regular, most symmetric interpretation consistent with the sensory input. A complex figure will be perceived as composed of simpler sub-figures; an irregular shape will be seen as a distorted version of a regular one. This principle has been formalized in information-theoretic terms as a preference for the interpretation with the shortest description length.

Maybe you realized you were using some of these as you tried to identify the coins.

Self-awareness can be fun and helpful.

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The surf is very flat this week.  Salvage season should be well underway.

There was some tropical development down by the Yucatan which is not threat to the United States.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/11/26 Report - A Coin Cleaning Experiment and Attempt to ID Four Metal Detector Finds.

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

No. 1 (top left).  No. 2 (top right). 

Today I'm going to show the results of cleaning four objects using vinegar and attempt to identify those objects after they have been cleaned to some extent.  All four objects are Treasure Coast metal detector finds, three of which are completely unidentifiable and the other only partially identifiable.  

The two shown above are completely black and heavily corroded.  They look like they've been in salt water for some time.  They look like heavily corroded silver and are about the size of a dime, however they show no details to indicate what type of coin that might be, if they are indeed coins.  They could be U.S. dimes, but they could be foreign coins or something else.

Above is object no. 1 (top left in first photo) after 12 hours of soaking I could now see what looks like "TED" just to the left of the 12 o'clock position.  That supports the idea that it might be a dime.  

No. 2 (shown top right and below) doesn't show any identifiable detail, but when turning off the overhead lighting and lighting it from the side, it appears to have a faint straight object near the middle, however that is not clear enough for me to say for certain that it is anything, and it doesn't seem to be perfectly centered.  It looks like there could also be a second smaller line just to the right of that.  But that is all very fuzzy at this time.

All four of the objects were soaked in undiluted 5% acid white vinegar.  The pictures at the top of the post show those two objects before cleaning.  

After twelve hours of soaking neither of the first two most heavily corroded coins looks a lot better, but some details may be emerging.  

Object No. 2 After About 12 Hours Soaking.

You might be able to see what looks like two vertical lines near the middle of the coin.

Maybe you can see that or maybe not.  It isn't terribly clear.

No. 1 and 2 will require additional cleaning.  I'll try 12 more hours of soaking and see what that does.

Below are the other two objects (no. 3 and 4).

These two are not so heavily corroded and aren't blackened.  No. 3 (left) seems to show Roosevelt fairly clearly despite the corrosion.

The last one (no. 4) has a green corrosion, which is commonly seen on copper or cuprous metals.  It is also about the diameter of a dime, but much thinner and lighter thana a dime - possibly because of the amount of material removed by corrosion.  This one could be a clad.

No. 3, shown after 12 hour of cleaning below, is the easiest case.  You can now see that it is a 1964 dime.

Somewhat Cleaned 1946 Dime.

Ok.  That one is clear enough.  Below is the back of that coin after cleaning.

Reverse of Same 1946 Dime.

It isn't completely cleaned, but enough for ID.  

After soaking in vinegar, I used a baking soda past on this one to neutralize the surface acid.  

As you probably know, you should never clean coins with possible numismatic value beyond the melt value.

On to object 4, which could also be a dime, but does not show any trace of identifiable detail and is much lighter than a normal dime would be.  Anothe difference with this one is the apparent copper content.  You can see the green corrosion and some copper coloring on and near the edge of the object.

Object No. 4 Before Cleaning.

I soaked this one for an additional eight hours before taking the last photos, but still no details were visible.  It seems that any surface details were worn off.

Here it is after 12 hours of soaking.

Considerable corrosion (possibly cuprous sulfate) is still on the coin.  I can't see any identifiable detail on either the front or back yet.  There seems to be something  that looks like it could be letters at the very bottom in the above photo.  I'm going to try more soaking on this one.

To sum it up, no. 3 has been identified satisfactorily for my purposes.  There is some small detail appearing on no. 2 that also suggests it might be a silver dime.  

No 1 could be also, but I can't yet see specific detail to support that.

No. 4 may be so corroded that no identifying detail remains.  Still, I'm going to do more cleaning on 1, 2 and 4 hoping to be able to see more identifying information.

Concerning using vinegar for cleaning, it worked well on no. 3, a more lightly corroded coin.  It removed corrosion on all coins, but 1 and 2 are more difficult cases.  Much of the surface detail may no longer exist.  That is certainly the case with no. 4.  I'm not sure any amount of cleaning will bring out much detail, but I'll do more soaking to see how that works on these objects.

I'm satisfied with using vinegar as a method for cleaning coins, especially with the easier case.  Of course, I wouldn't use it on coins that are in good condition or that might be valuable.

You can sometimes see some detail by adjusting the lighting, sometimes turning off the overhead lighting and lighting from an angle.  You can do with partially cleaned or uncleaned coins.

We'll see if any additional cleaning helps with identification of the other coins.

Progress was somewhat slower than expected.  I planned to have this experiment completed, but it will continue at least another day to see if I can use this procedure to reveal the objects or if I have to employ another method.

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We are well into summer beach conditions and moving into hurricane season.

Expect nothing much bigger than a one-foot surf this week.  Easy water hunting.

Aztec Calendar Beach Find.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/10/26 Report - Old Whiskey Bottle. 18th Century Porcelain Shipwreck. Kohl Bottle. More Flat Surf.

 

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

Caspers Whiskey Bottle.

This is one of my favorite bottle finds. It is the kind of bottle that you can imagine seeing in a Western bar scene, but it was actually found on the Treasure Coast. In very nice condition, it is even more attractive because of the purpling.

If you look back at some of your older finds, you might be able to find more information than you were originally able to find.  That is the case with this bottle.

Like many purchases these days, this whiskey was actually sold mail order.

At about the time of the Civil War (1860s), a man named John L. Casper (in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) was working hard to catch up with a man named Lewis Hayner of (Troy, Ohio) in a race to become the country’s biggest manufacturer, and mail order seller of whiskey...

Casper’s (John L. Casper, the founder's grandson) merchandising skills extended to the containers he used for his whiskey. Of particular note were attractive fluted-top cobalt and clear glass bottles, both types featured the famous slogan, “CASPER’S WHISKEY MADE IN NORTH CAROLINA BY HONEST NORTH CAROLINA PEOPLE.”... 

By 1913 the entire mail order whiskey business was finished. Over a Presidential veto Congress passed the Webb-Kenyon Act that forbid the transportation of alcoholic beverages into “Dry Areas.” The postman no longer could bring the booze. Although National Prohibition did not follow until seven years later, in 1920, John Casper’s high-flying career went into a tailspin...

Here is the link for much more about Casper's Whiskey.

CASPERS WHISKEY Final DRAFT.article

I had an older post on the bottle, which was published before I had all the information.  Here is that link.

TreasureGuide's Bottle Barn: Ornate Sun-Purpled Embossed Casper Whiskey Company Inc. Winston-Salem, New York, Chicago, St. Louis.

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A number of 18th-century wrecks have been found off the Norwegian coast, but most carried only a single type of cargo, such as timber, iron, or fish.

"The Porcelain Wreck is the first wreck we have found that demonstrates the breadth of interregional commercial activity in Northern Europe during the 18th century," says Kvalø. "We will gain an intimate insight into what trade systems were like in 18th-century Northern Europe."

When Kvalø first saw the footage from the seabed, it was the glass components of the chandeliers that stood out.

"They are extraordinary, truly high-status European craftsmanship,"...

Sensational shipwreck discovery off Norway: Intact Chinese porcelain and chandeliers at a depth of 600 metres

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... over 40 years ago, in 1983–4, an unassuming glass flask dated to the late 2nd century AD was excavated in York, England. The significance of the container would not be noted until decades later, when Dr. Hillary Cool, of the Barbican Research Associates, was tidying up her archive and noted that the glass flask had an uncanny resemblance to an Egyptian kohl bottle, making it the first and only kohl bottle found in Roman Britain to date...

Here is the link for more about that.

A kohl bottle from York may hint at an ancient Egyptian in Roman Britain

This is another example of how after holding onto a find for a long time you can finally discover something that transforms your understanding of what it is.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

So look for more flat surf.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/9/26 Report - New Detector Finds and Using AI. Appraisal Types & Values: Formal and Otherwise. Diamond Ring Example.

 

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

Finds and Photo by Mark G. Last Week.

Mark G. sent the above photo and following email message about his hunt and what Copilot told him about his finds.

Before I get into Mark's email, it should be a good reminder of two important things that I've said multiple times.  First, there is always something to be found and somewhere to hunt.  If you give up and don't go out, you won't find much.  As you might recall, the biggest factor in my formula for metal detecting success is the time spent detecting.  And as I often say, when conditions aren't right for one type of hunting, adjust and shift to another.  You might have to wait for beach conditions to improve if you want to find shipwreck treasures on the beach, but you can adjust.  You can also hunt other types of things, such as modern jewelry, fossils, or bottles, but you have to hunt if you want to make finds.  For everything there is a time and a season.

Now, back to Mark's email.  

I had a really good week this week getting out Monday, Thursday, Friday, and the weekend and wanted to share what I found and what I found out. I see I was mentioned in the 6/8/26 posting which inspired me to write this email (I don't need much inspiration). This week the hot find was silver earrings in pairs. The square setting I found with the backings on about 2 feet apart the fancier bow tie setting I found without backings and about 20 feet apart and the single silver stud no backing, I did not find the other, but I am going back. Also found a 10.26-gram 14k Peruvian gold chain, the how and where I found that is a whole separate subject. The crux of this story though is not what I found but what I found out using AI. Here is a photo of my week's finds tell me which of these finds is worth the most money in scrap value? If you guessed the 10.26 grams of 14K Gold, you would be wrong. The single silver stud is actually a 5.5mm diameter round cut brilliant natural diamond. I've found diamonds mounted in silver rings before I had a vintage silver ring that has 3 fairly large diamonds, I will be taking another look at that. I usually test every stone with my cheap diamond tester even if it's mounted in an obvious junk setting but this one, I did not test until later to my surprise. 

This is where I bring in my CoPilot who has helped me with determining scrap silver and gold value before, but what about diamonds? Turns out there is a small market for diamonds. 

“Scrap Diamond Market” — Does it exist?

Yes — but it’s nothing like gold.

Diamonds do not have a melt value, so there is no universal scrap price. Instead, diamonds resell for a percentage of retail, and that percentage depends on size, quality, and certification.

Real resale numbers (2026 market):

• Natural diamonds typically resell for 30–60% of retail
• Lab‑grown diamonds resell for 10–25% of retail
• Moissanite has negligible resale value (usually $0–$50)

Example from current market data:

A 1‑carat natural diamond (H color, VS2) typically resells for: 👉 $1,800–$2,600

Small diamonds (like in earrings, pendants, rings you find detecting):

• Melee diamonds (0.005–0.03ct) usually sell in bulk to jewelers
• Typical payout: $0.50–$3 per stone, depending on clarity and size
• Jewelers buy them mainly for reuse, not “scrap”

So yes — there is a market, but it’s not melt‑based and not high‑paying unless the stones are large and certified.

Diamonds , like silver and like gold selling them on the scrap market you will only get a percentage of the value (metals 70% to 90%).

Here is what my CoPilot said about the diamond in the photo:

A 5.5 mm diamond is NOT small — that’s a serious stone

A round brilliant diamond with a 5.5 mm diameter typically weighs: 0.60 to 0.70 ct.

That’s over half a carat.

That is NOT melee. That is not scrap, that is a real, individually valuable stone.

Here are the estimated scrap values of the chain and Diamond:

Bottom line

You didn’t just find a silver earring with a “maybe” stone.

You found:

✔ A 14K chain worth $300–$400

✔ A 0.60–0.70 ct. diamond worth $400–$1,000 depending on grade

That’s a monster day for a beach hunter.

Thanks for sharing Mark. Great finds. Congrats!

It is often said that something is only worth what someone will pay you. So true.

A couple years ago I had an estate appraised which involved over a hundred pieces of jewelry. I had the lot appraised by three different appraisers and the appraised values varied a lot - for larger items sometimes 2 or 3 times and thousands of dollars.

First, you should understand that there are multiple types of appraisals, each of which is for a different situation or purpose and the appraised value you get can vary by several times and thousands of dollars for each type of appraisal and from different appraisers.

One type of appraisal is the insurance or retail replacement value appraisals. Those will be high.
The insurance or replacement value is typically higher than resale value because it accounts for labor, new metals, and gemstones required to replace or remake the piece. Insurance appraisals should be updated every 3 to 5 years to reflect market fluctuations and ensure adequate coverage.

If you watch the Antiques Roadshow you know that the insurance value they give is much higher than the value they put on the item.

Then there is the fair market value appraisal. A fair market value appraisal reflects the price a willing buyer and a willing seller would agree upon under normal market conditions, without pressure to buy or sell. This type of appraisal is based on the jewelry’s current condition and the secondary market rather than replacement cost. It is often used for selling, tax purposes, or legal matters.

An estate appraisal determines the value of jewelry as of a specific date, often the date of death, for purposes such as probate or estate planning. The valuation is based on fair market conditions at that time, which can significantly impact the final value. Estate appraisals are essential for tax reporting and asset distribution.

A liquidation appraisal is used in urgent situations, such as estate sales, divorce settlements, or financial emergencies. It provides a lower valuation than fair market value, reflecting the immediate resale potential of the jewelry.

Below is an example of a formal appraisal for one specific diamond ring. I removed the top of the appraisal that had the personal data and the name and signature of the certified professional appraiser.

This estate appraisal cost $90.  I had two other appraisals done, both were done for free even though there were a hundred or more individual gold items, including this ring.  One of those appraisals was done by a well-known pawn and jewelry store in St. Lucie and the other by a Jeweler in Vero.  

The other jeweler gave me the price that he would pay for the individual items but did not provide a printed form.  He just gave me the numbers, which I wrote down.  That was the first appraisal I got.  The appraiser explained what would be involved for him to buy and sell the ring.  It involved several steps.  Among other things the larger diamond was to be recut, then rest and then he would have to send it to be recertified for weight, etc. and some other steps.  It was a lot he would do before selling it.  I believe the number he would pay for that ring was $7,500, which is obviously much much less than the replacement value, which is what you would spend to replace the ring.  To buy a ring like that, you would probably pay more like $34000.00.  A big difference.  It is not uncommon jewelers to markup diamond rings 300 - 300 percent, so of course you are not going to get anything like what you would pay for the same ring. 

The jeweler also explained that he had an large oversupply of gold in the back that was going to be sold to be melted, and he didn't need any more. I've seen pawn shops online saying that they wouldn't bother buying a lot of silver that in the past they would have bought. 

The other appraisal, the one by the pawn and jewelry store, did not value the diamonds and stones at all. Their appraisal was basically gold melt value.  As I recall, what they would pay for the ring with a replacement value of around $34,000, was something like $800, as I recall.  That appraiser put the gold in bags and priced them per bag.  Lab diamonds were becoming a popular alternative to natural diamonds. 

Bottom line is that there is a big difference in appraised values. There are different kinds of appraisals, but also very significant differences between appraisers.   

To sell an item you can expect somebody purchasing to resell to pay anything near the market value.  They have overhead, expenses and have to be able to sell for a profit.  Furthermore, the markets change.

To get a good price for your items, you might have to shop for the best buyer.  Auctions can be good if they are well advertised and draw the right type of person to appreciate your item.

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Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net