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Friday, July 10, 2026

7/10/26 Report - Representative Token Finds: Some of My Firsts and Favorites. Very Still Treasure Coast Beaches.

 

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


Circus World Token.


After recently doing a few posts on tokens, I decided I should do something of a wrap-up on the topic before moving on.  

First, there are many kinds of tokens that I'll categorize as follows.


Amusement, arcade and gaming

Anniversary events

Automobile Company

Gasoline and Oil Company 

Good luck 

Hotel, resort and bar

Las Arras

Mardi Gras

Prayer and recovery

Product

Retail estabishment

Tax tokens

Transportation

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I probably left out something, but I think that list includes most of them.  From my experience, the most common finds by far are the arcade or amusement tokens.

Tokens, as I mentioned before, document a lot of history that has disappeared.

At the top of this post is a token from Circus World.  It once existed just down I-4, not far from Disney World, which helped put Circus World out of business.  Circus World operated in the 1970s and 1980s.  

I don't remember exactly where I dug that token but do know it was from a Florida beach.

Going back a little farther into history is this Alabama tax token, which I dug along with another tax token and other miscellaneous finds in Milton Alabama at an old burned down hotel site.


Alabama sales tax tokens were issued by the state in the late 1930s to make change in fractions of a cent when the new two-percent retail sales tax produced amounts too small for regular U.S. coins.

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Here is a Pontiac token.  My father usually had Pontiacs when I was a kid, but I dug this token somewhere in Florida.  Too bad it isn't in better condition.  The Indian image would be about as nice as the Circus World tiger.


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Anniversary Event.

This token commemorates the 1954 Diamond Jubilee of electricity (1859 - 1954).K and features on one side the Reddy Kilowatt character.




Here is one of my older token finds.  It is a Standard Oil Company token from the 20s or 30s and in nice condition.


Standard Oil Company Token.


Here is hotel "good for" token.


Sonesta Beach Hotel Token.

I dug a few of those.  I wonder what would have happened if I walked up out of the water and asked for my drink?

Those were found right in front of the hotel.

The next one was one of my first token finds.  It is for a Cafeteria on North Miami Beach.  It was found near Arch Creek at the site where there was previously an old trailer park that 


Cafeteria Advertising Token.


The old bronze/copper tokens stayed in better condition.

Below is a much older token found by reader Russ P.


Tokens Found by Russ P.

Russ P. found these two great tokens along with some US silver coins.

The token on the left is a 1793 John Wilkinson Iron Master half penny token.

That is a famous token.  Around 1775 the British government stopped minting all copper coins, which was a problem for poor folk who needed low denomination money.

John Wilkinson responded to that problem by producing the John Wilkinson Trade Token, with which he paid his workers.  The tokens could be redeemed at his own shop.


Regina Coin Club Token.

This was one of my first and also one of my favorites.  I'm not sure now if it was before or after the cafeteria one.  But this one was found off Hollywood Beach, which at the time was frequented by many Canadian snowbirds.  It could possibly have some connection with other seemingly out of place coins found on the same beach, including some that were not coins you would find in circulation.  It is definitely one of my more intricately designed and colorful token finds.

The first side reads: TRADE DOLLAR DE COMMERCE - MONNAIES COINS - SERGE HUARD- C. P. 402 POINNTE AUX TREMBLES QUEBEC HIB 5K3 CANADA.

The other side reads: REGINA COIN CLUB - CNA ANA.

The diameter is 1.5 inches.

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Of course, there ar a lot more I could show, but that is enough to give something of an idea about the tokens that are out there and can be found and how they document history - sometimes recent but still forgotten history.

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I look at all objects as manifestations of spirit.  It started with the book of Genesis.  God spoke; the Spirit moved; and it was.  

The Spirit of God still moves, as does the spirit of man.  The world we see is an expression of that in its various forms and ways.

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NHC.NOAA.GOV.




Fort Pierce South Beach  Friday Morning from Surfguru.com
  .

Not a creature was stirring.

Everything very quiet on the Treasure Coast beaches and nothing in the forecast to change it real soon.

Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
at

Thursday, July 9, 2026

7/9/26 Report - 1715 Fleet and Queen Isabella Las Arras Coin Speculation. More Token Finds. Prayer Tokens.

 

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


Token Finds by Mark G.

I did some posts in which I showed some of my token finds.  Mark G. is sharing his today.  Here is what he said.


I have been watching your posts on Token finds and decided I had found enough tokens to share. They are not as old as some of your tokens, but I have been surprised by how many I have found. The photo has all the tokens I have found some require explanation. Let's start with the definition of token, I found 3 definitions, 2 of which apply here.
  1. A thing serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact, quality, feeling, etc.
  2. A voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services, typically one given as a gift or forming part of a promotional offer
For the first definition, I have in the top left corner only 6 of 13 token marriage coins. The “13 token coins” refer to Las Arras, a traditional wedding ritual in Hispanic, Spanish, Latin American, and Filipino Catholic ceremonies.
In the middle is a large token I believe is a sobriety token the XLIV in the middle represents 44 days?
On the right-side row half way down, there is a token with just an angel on both sides IDK?
And the nickel with NRA stamped I think also falls into definition #1.
For definition number 2 it includes all the tokens the say no cash value and the NY subway token I did not find on the beach. I do have 1 for a car wash the rest are arcades I assume.
The token in the far left bottom corner interesting enough is from South Korea, I found it on a volley ball court in Stuart.
And finally, the Namco tokens, I find them around here and there but one day I found a honey hole coming home with 10 or more each time. There was a spot on the Intracoastal where I was just digging and digging in this one spot so much I had to stop digging them and move on. 

Thanks for sharing Mark.  Interesting bunch of finds.


A few decades ago I found an Alcoholics Anonymous token similar to the "sobriety token" Mark found.  It, however, has a Roman numeral III in the middle and "To thine own self be true" motto around the rim.  Here it is.



On the back is the well known serenity prayer.



This one, like Mark's, has a hole for suspension.

After finding that one in a lake I wondered about the story behind it.  Why was it in the lake?  Maybe just an accidental drop.  

These objects provide emotional support.  They help the bearer refocus, remember and reset.

Another "prayer" token I found is the one below bearing a firefighter's prayer. 




Moving on to Las Arras.  In a 2015 TreasureBeachesReport post, I speculated about the possible connection between a group of Royals found on a 1715 wreck and the Las Arras for Queen Isabella. 

Below is that part of the 2015 post.

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You've heard of the Queen's Jewels I'm sure, but have you heard of Isabella Farnese?  Sometimes she is referred to as Elizabeth, which is an anglicized version of Isabella.  Isabella married Philip V and became the real mover behind the throne.

One book about Isabella was written by Edward Armstrong in 1892.  The title of the book is Termagant of Spain.  Termagant' is defined as a harsh-tempered or over-bearing woman.  That is NOT how Isabella was advertised to Philip, who married her by proxy after Queen Maria Luisa passed away.

Here is the link to Armstrong's book. It provides a lot of history - mostly after 1715.

https://archive.org/details/elisabethfarnes00armsgoog

And here is what Wikipedia says about the marriage of Isabella to Philip V.

Shortly after the death of Queen Maria Luisa in 1714, the King decided to marry again. His second wife was Elisabeth of Parma, daughter of Odoardo Farnese, hereditary Prince of Parma, and Dorothea Sophie of the Palatinate.  At the age of twenty-one, on 24 December 1714, she was married by proxy in Parma.  The marriage was arranged by Cardinal Alberoni with the concurrence of the Princesse des Ursins, the Camarera Mayor ("chief of the household") of the king of Spain.

Lost Histories, a book by Joel Levy written in 2006, says the following.



Did you catch that?  She was married on Dec. 24,  1714, but refused to consummate the marriage until she received her dowry, which was being sent in eight chests on the Capitana.

I was thinking about the nine eight-escudo royals that were found this summer, and I wondered about their purpose and why so many were found together.  Then I learned about the Spanish marriage tradition of las arras.
,
Here is what wikipedia says about that.

Las arras, or Las arras matrimoniales (English: arrhae, wedding tokens, or unity coins, are wedding paraphernalia used in Christian wedding ceremonies in Spain, Latin American countries, and the Philippines. The tradition is also followed, with varying names and customs, in countries and communities bearing degrees of Hispanic influence. Traditionally, in Spain and Latin America, it is made up of thirteen gold coins presented in an ornate box or chest; in the Philippines, it is in an ornate basket or pouch. After being blessed by a priest, they are given or presented by the groom to the bride.  (Links in this paragraph are not active.)

Marriage Customes of the World: An Encyclopedia of Dating Customs and Wedding Traditions, by George Monger, 2013, says the following.




If the nine royals were part of las arras, then there should be four more of them.  Or maybe those royals had nothing to do with Isabella Farnese at all.

Fine gold coins were also sometimes given as earnest money in business relationships too.

It is nothing more than wild speculation without any convincing evidence to support it, but I can't think of any better reason for so many remarkable royals being together than a queen's dowry. I'm sure that Isabella would have demanded and received only the very finest.

If her dowry went down with the 1715 Fleet, was it salvaged and returned to her, or was there a substitute?  There is a lot more research to do, but I feel pretty sure that Isabella received an impressive dowry of some sort before consummating the marriage.

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Here is the link to that original post.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 10/10/15 Report - Queen's Jewels And The 1715 Plate Fleet. Queen Isabella. Las Arras.

For obvious reasons, many Las Arras coins today are symbolic plated coins.

I knew I had done that post but couldn't find it until I queried Copilot on the subject of Queen Isabella and Las Arras, which gave me the Treasure Beaches Report link as the only documented online source for that connection.

I've often complained that one of the problems with my blogs is the difficulty of finding specific posts.  Maybe I'll find that AI provides a solution for that.

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Nothing new with the weather or beach conditions.

Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
at

Wednesday, July 8, 2026

7/8/26 Report - A Failed Spanish New World Colony Marked by Metal Detector Coin Find. Fun Show Tomorrow.

 

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


Sometimes, the finding of a single coin can be of more significance than that of a treasure ship. Such happened with the discovery of an undated real de a ocho of Philip II of Spain that features the Jerusalem cross on the obverse and the monarch’s coat of arms on the reverse.

At the time this article was written, the coin’s mint was identified as from Potosi, and the estimated year issued had not yet been determined. Potosí, the town whose mint struck the recently discovered coin, was at one time the richest city in South America. Between 1573 and 1773, the Potosi mint supported the local silver mines in what is today Bolivia. The minting facility was built on the site of the Casa de Jusicia in 1572...

The coin was recently discovered at an archaeological dig site meant to identify the location of a failed Spanish colonial American colony at what English navigator Thomas Cavendish named Puerto del Hambre or Port Famine. Cavendish made up the name following his rescue of the only survivor of the ill-fated colony in March 1584.

Port Famine goes by the name Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe today. The former settlement is on the north shore of the Strait of Magellan...


Despite Potosí being more than 2,700 miles north of the site at which the coin was found, it makes sense that the coin could have circulated that far away from the place of its origin. The mint at Lima, established in 1568, was closer....


Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Around the World: Coin Evidence of Port Famine Location - Numismatic News


In case you can't read it, the text under the illustration reads: "A real de ocho of Phillip II silver cob coin, similar to this example, tells the tale of the ill-fated Port Famine settlement. Image courtesy of the author.


They do that a lot, and I've complained about it before. Many internet articles use images of objects that are not the actual objects talked about in the article.  While some people may not know and may not care, it can be important to others who look for details and are misled by the incorrect details. 

Why isn't the actual coin shown? And when it isn't the actual coin discussed, they should make it clear in what ways it is and isn't accurate to the story.  More knowledgeable people who spot the inaccuracies or inconsistencies may not be able to read the very small and faint text, which in some cases seems intentionally difficult to read.  And this is from a site that I'd expect to care about minute details, but yet they go for an easy attention-grabbing image rather than being totally accurate.

If you go to an article on the same topic in the Smithsonian Magazine, you'll find the picture shown below.   That looks like a different coin.  But is the one actually found at Point \Famine?   It seems to be.




Beside the picture, the Smithsonian Magazine article provides additional information, including the following.


In order to preserve as much of the historical site in Chile as possible, the research team working at Ciudad del Rey Don Felipe relied on noninvasive technology. They used metal detectors and geolocation tools to identify the underground stone where the coin was eventually found, making sure they had as much information as possible before they started digging.

“We detected a strong signal, but we didn’t know what it was until we carried out targeted excavations,” Garrido says, per Heritage Daily.


Here is that link to the Smithsonian article.


There is so much internet content these days that is stolen or copied, but there is also a lot that is produced directly by AI.  I looked at one internet site on metal detecting the other day that looked good.  It was pretty, well organized and basically correct, but I'm pretty sure it was all information picked up by AI from other sites and then nicely produced.  I doubt the "author" knew much of anything, but the site wasn't bad for the average beginner.


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Here is a chance to inspect a lot of treasure coins firsthand.  Of course, you can also buy or sell.  Sedwick and many others will be at the FUN Show in Orlando, beginning tomorrow.

From Sedwick...


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There is a big blast of Saharan dust coming.  Here is a link for more about that.

Massive Saharan dust plume heads toward US as hurricane season heats up


Nothing new with the surf or beach conditions, and no developments on the NHC hurricane map.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

at

Tuesday, July 7, 2026

7/7/26 Report - Good Luck Token and Penny Metall Detector Finds. Wheaties and the Fugio Cent Symbols and Rhymes.

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


A "Lucky" Token Find.

Herer is another token find.  It is an unusual one for me.  It is simply stated with nothing added to take away from the message.  I'd call tt a good luck token.

The numbers seven and eleven have meanings deeper than the fortunate outcome in craps.  Seven is the number of days of creation and represents completion and perfection, while eleven, in numerology is considered the mater number and represents spiritual insight.  But you don't have to know that to see this as a good luck token.

Same Token.

Not surprisingly, it has a hole for suspension.  The hole is now filled with corrosion or dirt, but it is there.

Good luck pieces are not uncommon.  Here is a more graphic one.

"Tails you lose" Side of Another Token.

I've found more than one of these "lady" tokens.  The other side reads, "Heads I win" and shows more than the ladies head on the other side, which I would take to be the obverse.

Of course, coins also are used as good luck pieces.  Of the holed coins I've found and not counting the 18th century reales, most are wheat pennies.  Below are two.


Two Wheat Pennies That Could be Worn as Pendants.

I have a few holed wheat pennies, but I'm not sure I have any holed memorial cents at all.

So why is it that good luck pennies are so often wheat cents?  I can think of a a few reasons wheaties might be the choice.

Wheat has been depicted on coins for centuries and is a common symbol for prosperity, abundance, and agricultural heritage.  It symbolized fertility, survival and economic well be.  But it might be simplier than that. It symbolizes fertility, survival and economic well-being.  

It could be that the idea of a lucky penny is simply not in fashion anymore or that the penny has so little regard that it now makes a poor symbol of good fortune.

But back to the idea of heads and tails, which is so graphically illustrated on the token above.  

I think everybody my age knows the rhyme "Find a penny pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck."  But it gets more specific.  Some traditions see it differently depending upon whether the penny is heads up or tails up.

The belief tht the heads-up side facing heaven collects divine favor and carries good luck, however a penny facing tails up is taken by some as a sign of bad luck and shouldn't be picked up. but others take it farther.  Tails side up indicates the penny is for someone else, so the proper thing is to turn it over and leave it for someone else.  I like that idea.  (See   Unlock Good Fortune: The Complete Guide to the Lucky Penny Lore - WonderLearning.blog)

Coinage has long featured kings or rulers or powerful people or people to be admired, such as on the Lincoln penny.  

The first cent of the colonies is different.  Designed by Benjamin Franklin, on one side it reads "Mind Your Business" and on the other side it reads "We Are One" and shows thirteen interlinked rings.

Fugio Cent.


No king or ruler there, and that says a lot.  The colonies were linked but independent.

Franklin used the coin as a billboard and made a clear statement.

Here is a link for much more about the Fugio Cent.  The Fugio Cent: History, Value, and Franklin's Design

I'll wind this up by saying that I've seen a good number reales with holes from the 1715 Fleet included small denomination coins.  Maybe someday I'll explore that a little more.  Much has been written about the heart cobs, which I wrote about before.  (See for example, Th.e Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 11/9/15 Report - Dug Silver Christ Figure. Sacred Heart Confraternities In Colonial Potosi. 

A Fugio Cent can be very valuable, but there are many forgeries and counterfeits, both modern and other.  You might want to read that interesting article.


Fort Pierce South Beach Tuesay Morning.

Here is a familiar scene.  The crowds are enjoying the millions of dollars of new sand on Fort Pierce South Beach this Tuesday morning.  

The surf remains flat as we get deeper into hurricane season.  The surf chart shows no change coming soon.


Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

 There is undoubtedly some firecracker junk still out there to be picked up and hopefully a few nicer finds from the 4th of July crowds.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net


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Sunday, July 5, 2026

7/5/26 Report - Local Treasure Coast History Revealed by a Metal Detector Find. Early Shipwreck Salvage on the Frontier. Lightning Threat. Nature.


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


McKee Jungle Gardens, Vero Beach Souvenir.


Al C. sent the above photo and following text about this metal detector find.

I was going through some of my dad’s old finds from around here and thought this was pretty cool. I remember going there when I was little...

Al also said that Subterrix will be adding additional beach info by the end of this month.

I recently did posts about some souvenir and token finds. This McKee Jungle Gardens souvenir pin is a very cool find and also a piece of local history.

Thanks for sharing Al.


The garden opened in 1932 as McKee Jungle Gardens and quickly became one of Florida’s top tourist attractions, drawing over 100,000 visitors annually by the 1940s

In 1922 land developers Arthur McKee and Waldo Sexton purchased an 80-acre tropical hammock along the Indian River in Vero Beach with the intention of growing citrus but realized the land’s natural beauty was too special to disturb. They hired landscape architect William Lyman Phillips to design streams, ponds, and trails, and consulted famed plant explorer Dr. David Fairchild to enrich the site with tropical plants from around the world. Its award-winning orchid collection, rare plants like pelican flowers, and native wildlife such as monkeys and an alligator named Ole Mac made it a draw for nature lovers. (Source: Mission and History - Mckee Garden)

The botanical gardens is still there but is now smaller and not what it once was.

There has been a lot of construction and earth moving around there lately.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of it was on the original 80 acres.

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Here is some interesting shipwreck salvage history that I just learned about yesterday.


James B. Eads (born May 23, 1820, Lawrenceburg, Ind., U.S.—died March 8, 1887, Nassau, Bahamas) was an American engineer best known for his triple-arch steel bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Mo. (1874). Another project provided a year-round navigation channel for New Orleans by means of jetties (1879).

James Eads educated himself by reading the library of his first employer, a St. Louis dry-goods merchant. At 18 he became purser on a Mississippi riverboat. Not long after, he began to consider means to recover by salvage the heavy losses from the frequent riverboat disasters. When he was 22, he invented a salvage boat, which he called a submarine; actually, it was a surface vessel from which he could descend in a diving bell he had also designed and walk the river bottom. He recovered lead and iron pigs and other valuable freight; on one occasion he retrieved a cargo that included a large crock of butter in a good state of preservation. So successful was his equipment that in 12 years of operations on the Mississippi and its tributaries he made his fortune.

Retiring from the river to marry and settle down, Eads set himself up briefly as a glass manufacturer, but the promising enterprise, the first glass factory in the West, was ruined by the Mexican War; by 1848 he was back in the salvage business. He built three new submarines, the third of which was capable of pumping out and raising a sunken hull from the bottom. Within a few years he had 10 boats in his fleet.


I'd like to read more about how he designed his diving bell from a beer barrel and his salvage career if I can locate that information.

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With this hot weather, thunderstorms are not uncommon.  Of course, the lightning can be a danger.

A Florida beach lightning strike killed one dead and injured three ahead of this July 4th weekend.

Here is that link.

Florida beach lightning strike leaves one dead, three injured ahead of July 4th weekend

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Did you know that seashells are no only collected by many tourists but can also sometimes be sold for good money?  That is another type of treasure that you can walk by while metal detecting, and I'm not talking just about those old, crystalized fossil shells.

Here are some examples

Top 100 Shell Auction | rare large shells for collectors


Like most types of collectibles, to be worth good money, they should be in good shape, but it doesn't hurt to notice shells you pass by and know something about which might be worth picking up.

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If you are out in nature metal detecting this time of year and know your Florida flora and fauna, you might notice a Monarch butterfly laying eggs on milkweed plants.  Here is what bigger plan is unfolding.

July Is all about Raising the Next Generation.

Right now, female Monarchs are busy laying eggs on milkweed.  Tiny caterpillars are eating around the clock, growing bigger every day, and transforming into butterflies that will continue the cycle. Each generation born in July helps produce the amazing "Super Generation" that will migrate this fall.
Without healthy milkweed and nectar plants available now, there are fewer butterflies ready to make that incredible journey.

The Monarch Butterfly “Super Generation”

The super generation of monarch butterflies is the fourth and final generation of the year, born in late summer (August–September) and responsible for the entire fall migration to Mexico Country Living+1. Unlike the first three generations, which live only 2–6 weeks and focus on breeding and moving north, the super generation lives 6–8 months — up to eight times longer than their parents Country Living+1.

Why They’re Called “Super”

  • Longevity: They enter a state of reproductive diapause, delaying mating until spring in Mexico butterfly-lady.com.

  • Distance: They must fly up to 3,000 miles from the northern U.S. and southern Canada to the overwintering sites in the Sierra Madre mountains of Michoacán, Mexico Country Living+1.

  • Speed: They travel about 50 miles per day, often riding thermal air currents to conserve energy Country Living+1.


How is the information and for this plan of nature preserved and passed from generation to generation, through the various phases from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly to egg, etc.?  You decide.

One day a few years ago when I stopped to detect at John Brooks, the field was covered with hundreds of migrating Monarchs.  That is something I've only seen once.

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Nothing new with the weather or beach conditions. Nothing new on the National Hurricane Center map either.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

at
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