2/3/26 Report - Objects Composed of Parts from Different Eras. Matching Finds Made Many Years Apart.

 

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

It’s not every day that you find a medieval wheel cross, and it’s even rarer when the find matches another centuries-old artifact discovered over four decades earlier. But wait, it gets better. A volunteer made the discovery...

Volunteer archaeological conservator Juliane Rangnow found the bronze wheel cross, dated to the 10th or 11th century, in Germany’s Havelland region. Most notably, it perfectly matches a mold that came to light over 40 years ago in the Berlin borough of Spandau.

Its correspondence to a previously discovered casting mold “is unique for an archaeological find from this period,” and “it is also exemplary of the early Christianization of Brandenburg,”... 

The wheel cross finding took place during detector surveys, and the site also revealed coins, pieces of gold-plated jewelry, and iron weapons from around the same time period. Rangnow discovered the wheel cross near wooden church remains, after which it was restored and measured. It is the only known cast of the mold in question, called the “Spandau Cross,” which archaeologists unearthed in 1983 at Spandau’s Slavic castle rampart...

Here is the link for more of that story.

1,000-Year-Old Bronze Cross Perfectly Matches Mold Found 40 Years Ago, Shocking Archaeologists

It is always fun to find something that goes with something else you found in the past.  One of my most recent examples of that was the recent find of a railroad signal lamp that matches a signal lamp lens that I found a couple years ago.

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The Gosfield seal is made of a medieval silver seal bezel surrounding an ancient Roman gemstone...

A metal detectorist discovered the medieval seal in Gosfield, in the eastern county of Essex, in the fall of 2024. But a recent analysis of the seal by experts with the U.K.'s Portable Antiquities Scheme has revealed that the 800-year-old object prominently featured a 2,000-year-old Roman gemstone at its center.

"It's not common to have an object composed from two different time periods," Lori Rogerson, ... the finds liaison officer for Essex, told the BBC ...

The silver seal is just 1 inch (27.5 millimeters) long, and the entire keepsake weighs 0.23 ounces (6.44 grams), according to the entry for the artifact in the Portable Antiquities Scheme database. A loop attached to one end of the oval seal suggests it was suspended, perhaps on a necklace, rather than being a signet ring...

Here is the link for more about that.

Rare medieval seal discovered in UK is inscribed with 'Richard's secret' and bears a Roman-period gemstone | Live Science

Things are not always one age or another.  Sometimes, like with this ring, they are made of parts from more than one age period.  That can make figuring out the age of the find difficult.  I'd consider the item to be the age of the latest or most modern component.  But that might the loss might be much more recent.  People carry around old things sometimes.  It is possible to find a very old coin that was lost and found more than once.  I once found a ring with a mounted treasure coin that I have reason to believe was lost three times before I found it.  I think it was lost in a ship that was salvaged before being put on another ship that sank.  The coin was then salvaged and mounted as jewelry in modern times, and lost and found again.  I can't definitely prove all that, but that is what my research suggested.

All of those now very popular mounted treasure coins are all something like that. On older coin is mounted in a newer piece.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

As you can see the surf will be calming down.  The wind had already changed and will be coming more from the south before the next front comes through.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net.

2/2/26 Report - A Look at Some Indian River County Beaches Today. Photos and Beach Cam Shots.

 

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

Turtle Trail South of the 2nd Flag Pole Around Early Afternoon Monday

I checked out some of the Indian River County beaches today.

First was Turtle Trail.  There were a couple detectorists returning from the south.

It was a convex beach.  Sand had been accumulating.  There were very few signals along the entire stretch.  I saw no cuts.

The swells were pushing the water pretty high on the slope for being low tide.

Here are a few more photos from Turtle Trail.  Below that are some photos from Wabasso.

Turtle Trail by the 2nd Flag Pole Looking North.

From the Turtle Trail Access Monday.

In Front of the Turtle Trail Access Monday.

From the Turtle Trail Access Early Afternoon Monday.

Here are three Wabasso photos.  No cuts were observed at Wabasso.

Wabasso Monday Afternoon.

In Front of Wabasso Access Monday.

Wabasso Monday.

Golden Sands Park was closed.

My next stop was Ambersands.  

Ambersands Monday.

Ambersands Monday Afternoon.

Ambersands was a little different.  There were small cuts near the dunes.

And there were shells along the low water line.  Still signals were very scarce.

Before going on this morning I checked a few web cams.

Here is one of those.

8 AM Monday.  Fort Pierce South Beach Zoom.

The water was high there at high tide and hitting the foot of the dunes.  Other than that no obvious erosion.

Below is the beach cam from Sebatian Inlet (South Beach View) at around the same time.  The surf was really rough around high tide but still no cuts.

Sebastian South 8 AM Monday.

Here is the same view some time after 9 AM.  Notice the excavator on the beach.  Looks like it was moving some pipes.

Below is the surf chart.   Notice that the surf will be a touch higher tomorrow.

Su

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/1/26 Report - Visiting a Couple Treasure Coast Beaches Today to Detect in the Cold. WWII Poem. Current Condition

 

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

Icy Treasure Coast Morning.

I bundled up this morning three layers deep.  I even put on my old driving gloves that I wore back one day on Christmas Eve 1984 when I stopped at John Brooks on my way up the coast.  It was freezing then, but back then I was still acclimated to northern winters, and the cold didn't bother me so much.  That time, though, the wind was coming from north.  Today it was from the West.  

The 1984 hunt was a lucky one. It was the first time that I found so many reales so quickly.  Today, however. there were no cuts and I found nothing interesting.  After all these years I remember the 1984 hunt when the wind and frigid temperature quickly chased another detectorist off the beach before giving it a try.  I remember looking back and seeing a bundled up fellow walk out onto the beach, stand for a few seconds, shake his head and turn around and leave  

My wife stayed in the car and I wanted to get to my destination before t was too late, so I didn't detect very long, but I still have those reales and know exactly which ones they are.

John Brooks Around Noon Sunday.

Today there were no cuts at John Brooks.  The swells were pushing the water high up the slope even near low tide.

Surf At John Brooks Sunday.

The slope was mushy and I just detected a little while, and didn't run across any good targets.

Walton Rocks Sunday.

Walton Rocks had some small cuts - usually a foot or less.   They were freshly sharpened.  The dips were older and the cuts had moved migrated a little since last time I was there.

I dug a couple seasoned modern coins.  They were pretty deep.  There were still many junk targets - including a lot of copper and iron.  

One other detectorist was braving the cold.

Rocks At Water Line.

I'm sure there are some good targets there for the patient detectorist.

Walton Rocks Sunday.

I didn't expect much today because I checked the web cams before going.  The Fort Pierce South Beach Zoom showed the following.

8:30 AM Sunday Fort Pierce Jetty Beach Cam (South Beach Zoon View)

That cam view was just after high tide, but you can see the water hitting the foot of the dunes.  You can also see the small swells running parallel to the beach.  No cuts.

I also checked the beach cam Saturday and during the afternoon the wind driven waves were running parallel to the beach then.  They were similar this morning.

In summary, I wasn't seeing anything on the beach cam that made me expect John Brooks to be cut, and that was right.  Walton Rocks hadn't changed much since the last time I was there.

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Extreme Cold Warning.

For the Extreme Cold Warning, dangerously cold wind chills as low as 14 to 20 degrees expected. For the Freeze Warning, hard freezing temperatures as low as 22 to 27 degrees expected. * WHERE...All counties in east central Florida, including Volusia, Lake, Seminole, Orange, Brevard, Osceola, Indian River, Okeechobee, Saint Lucie, and Martin. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 10 AM EST Monday. * IMPACTS...Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.

===

I mentioned a 98-year old relative that passed away yesterday. During World War II she worked for Scaife Company, a manufacturing company, that during the war made artillery shells.  In a Company Newsetter from 1945 was the following poem that I thought some of you might like

From Sept. 1945 Issue of Scaife News.

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Seems like we need a change in wind and surf.

But maybe some of the other beaches were better today.  I only saw two, but I did look around a couple bends and didn't see a lot of difference.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/31/26 Report - Tips for Identifying and Dating Targets. Case Study. Remote Viewing Techniques for Target ID.

 

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

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Later Saturday we might see something start to develop again.  

This morning there is a small lazy surf and a high tide.  The low tide will be around noon.

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Not too long ago I posted a fragment of what appeared to be a gold and diamond something or other, and the person who found it naturally wanted to know if it was old.  That was made more difficult by not knowing exactly what kind of object it was.  We were missing a lot of information that could have been helpful to better identify the object and its age.  First, like with many such requests, the submission was lacking basic dimensions, and there was nothing in the photo for size comparison.  That information could of been helpful.

Second, the item evidently hadn't been tested for gold content.  We don't know for sure that it was gold. That information could have been helpful too.  Modern gold is often 9, 10, 14 or 18K, although there are exceptions and some countries use more high purity gold, such as India and China.  And there are various types of plating too.  Deletion gilding is not uncommon on Spanish Colonial items from South America.  Some forms of electroplating are more modern, but gilding is an old process.  It gets complicated, but all that kind of information can help determine the source or age of an item.  

A third important thing is context.  Where was the item found?  Was it found with other items or coins that can be dated?  Was it found in area where shipwreck items have been found in the past or where some other historic event took place?  

All of these things can add to the picture.  Any one piece of information by itself probably will not determine if an item is old or not, but if you put together the whole picture you can get a better idea.

Many items have been used over the centuries without much or any change, such as simple gold or silver bands.  Claddagh rings have been used for centuries and are still being made.  Crucifixes have been used for centuries, although there are some diagnostic features or forms that might help determine the source or date range.  Many styles have lasted centuries.  

It is often difficult to determine the source or date of an item, especially from a photo.  Things can end up in strange places.  A 2020 coin can get dropped on an old shipwreck site.  Items from different dates and even shipwrecks can get intermingled.  

There can be all kinds misleading clues and tricky questions involved with determining the source or date of a mystery item and that is why it helps immensely to have all the information possible, including the things I mentioned above when submitting a mystery item to be solved.  Help us help you by providing as much information as possible, even if the information might seem obvious or unimportant to you.

If you submit a mystery item, don't be afraid to submit more information or something more you learned after the initial post.  If you were motivated to have the item tested, for example, let us know what you learned.

Sometimes it takes years to learn about an item.  I've found things that I only figured out after several years went by.  

As an example, for years I thought the item shown below was probably a finial.  It is hollow on the right end and looks like it might fit onto something.

You can't tell from the photo alone, but the material is lead and it is less than two inches long.  And the context, which you'd have no way of knowing unless I told you, was from canon emplacement on an island where there were battles during the 1700 and 1800s, which was evidenced by many artifacts of the era such as musket balls, grape shot, military buttons etc.  Furthermore, it was dug just a few feet from where there was a cannon.  In retrospect, I wonder why I didn't recognize the item as soldier art much earlier?  

The mussel of the artifact is shaped very much like that of the cannon from the island and the item shares many of the same features as the actual cannon. Below is a picture of the real cannon.  Compare the muzzle on miniature shown above.  

The actual cannon also has rings around the barrel, very like the carving.

Even though the miniature is not an exact replica, I am now pretty confident that some soldier with some lead, maybe a musket ball or two, decided to spend some idle time making a little cannon.  It took me years to come to that conclusion, I think partly because soldier art just wasn't something that I paid much attention to in the past and the miniature is much more decorative than the actual cannon. 

A reader of this blog suggested that it might be soldier art.  I am thankful for that and now feel highly confident that is what it is. Considering ALL the evidence and matching the artifact to an actual a cannon from the site, seems to make it all fit.  The lead would be available and easily formed, and a model was right in front of the bored soldier.

Beside size, material and context, the form of the object is important.  It can be functional and serve a purpose, or symbolic or decorative.  I was trying to match the lead object to something functional and decorative - a finial, but it turns out, that it was more art and recreation.  I was very fortunate to be able to match it to an item of similar form from seemingly the same location and time period.

Don't be too eager to accept the first answer you get as the end of the matter.  Keep studying.  Keep learning.  What you learn from the process can be enriching and provide valuable information that you will find helpful far into the future.

Report whatever you know about the size, material, context (history of the area and similar find), and form.  Pictures are two dimensional and don't show everything.  Any of that information can help fill out the picture and help you come to a conclusion.

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Start with a quiet time and place.  Maybe before bed or just after awakening. I feel meditation is more productive in the morning because you will be rested and awake.

Focus yourself on why you are there and what you intend to do.

Slow down your thinking and try to deeply relax. But keep your mental focus.

Many people use slow deep breathing to relax.  

Be open to random thoughts but don't try to think about anything.  Just let the thoughts go.

Place the artifact in front of you or hold it in your hand.

Record impressions.  Don't judge or evaluate at this time.

Write or sketch whatever thoughts or visions come you.   Don't write much - just one or two words at a time.  Be more in the visual realm than verbal.

Those are pretty much the steps involved with remote viewing, just adapted to target identification.  I view it as basically a type of limited brainstorming.  Be open to ideas and feelings and perhaps something will strike a chord.  It is supposed to help thinking outside the box.

Give it a try if you are so inclined.  

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Here it goes again.  I'm preparing another obituary for a newly deceased 98-year-old relative.

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Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/30/26 Report - Target ID: Experiences, Impressions, Techniques and Tips. Wind Erosion and Eye-Balling.

 

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

There has been a lot to report the past couple of days, and I know I didn't get to all of it. I tried to present what I thought would be of most immediate help. Today I'll get to some other types of issues.

DJ conducted an experiment to see what he could tell about a buried object from the Manticore's 2D ID display. Here is how he described it.

It had been months since I used the Manticore and found an iron target that seemed bigger. Hoping it was spikes (like even iron spikes), I worked the coil tip around and realized it seemed square. I drew the lines in the sand as a test then realizing it was not spikes dug it up out of curiosity.

It was only a modern door hinge but what struck me was how the detector traced the shape.

Outline of Buried Object as Determined by DJ from
the Manticore Target ID Display.

Below is the same object after DJ uncovered it.

Object Still in Ground (Left) and Dug Up (Right)

DJ was impressed by Manticore's ability provide information about the shape of the buried object. I agree. In fact, before getting DJ's email, I was planning on mentioned my own observation. The last time I went hunting, I was impressed by seeing a very good image of a lead jig head on the Manticore's display before digging. The outline of the object as shown on the display was remarkably accurate. I was really amazed.

Of course, there is a knack to using the Manticore to get the most accurate target ID, and even then the display image won't always be that perfect. I mentioned before that on the display screen a gold band looks very much like a coin. For one thing, the display image of a ring does not show an open loop. It shows something very similar to a coin. But still, I think it is pretty amazing.

To get the best input for the 2D ID map, you'll want to sweep multiple short sweeps over the target and vary the direction of the sweep. Below is what the Manticore manual says about producing a more accurate target trace. I just consulted the manual after typing the above.

Below is the ID map as shown in the Nabticore manual.

I learned the same thing in the field through experiment and experience, but I used more sweep angles than two.

During that hunt, I found an area with many small iron objects and many larger iron targets at at other areas of the beach. They were all easily identified as iron from the readout, but I dug a good many of them just to double check.

There were also a lot of small copper bits on the same beach. They showed on the Id screen very much like foil, except a bit higher on the conductivity scale. Both foil and thin copper pieces showed up on the center line, but foil was more to the left (lower conductivity). An old nickel showed up as a 25.

Another thing I noticed was that I often heard a little blip even when the coil did not go over the target. That was when the target was a little outside the diameter of the coil, maybe an inch or so. Those signals were not as strong or solid as when the coil actually passed over the target. They were just little blips. I had coils in the past that would detect out a short ways from the edge of the coil, so that was not totally new to me. It is actually useful to know that because if you get a very small blip of a signal as your walking along swinging, you might want to check back and see if it was something good that you just missed getting under the coil by a very small amount. That is how it seemed to me from a few casual instances in the field, but I'll have to investigate that more thoroughly in the future. Maybe someone can verify that observation.

To sum up this section on target ID, I still say that if you want to make sure not to miss everything, dig everything, however if you lack time, patience, or maybe physical energy, this target ID stuff is very helpful.

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The following report is from Mark G.

I had to get out tonight [Tues.] after work see how long I could last in the cold. Turns out it’s not the cold but the wind that cuts right through you. Went to the next beach on my list and was surprised to see a cut on the beach with steep walls. If the surf keeps up tomorrow it should dig deeper into the high beach. I tried the cut, tide was high and sand was soft, no hits timing was off there. I originally wanted to dry sand anyway so I went back up to beach which is much smaller than the last time I was there. Just started to swing when a golden glint hit my eye, I looked down and there lying on top of the sand is the Eiffel Tower (swung my coil over it just to make sure). My next target was an earring, it was smaller so I did find it with the detector but it was lying right on top. I started taking pictures as proof of wind erosion, see attached. I have seen this before, I have found a ring completely lying on surface last winter. Just like with a good storm and high surf moving sand, the conditions also have to be right for wind erosion to really move sand, timing is everything. Right now and maybe more tomorrow if the wind keeps up you can see the sand piling up in the dunes and entryways. I’ve seen it before during the dry times in winter right at the edge of high tide wetted sand the dry sand is picked up by the wind off the ocean and the shells and heavy debris is left behind. I would have to say that the wind today moved inches of sand from the waters edge of the beach into the dunes just to expose my first target, the Eiffel Tower. Might be a good time to hunt Emeralds on the beach mid Island.

Here are the items Mark eye-balled.

I've done several posts on eye-balling and once did an article for Lost Treasure Magazine on the subject. It is something I enjoy and find helpful.

Here is an old post about eye-balling after a strong wind.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/20/15 Report - Alternate Methods To Metal Detecting. Air Lift Dredge. Silver Rosie dimes. History of Shipwrecks Book.

===

EXTREME COLD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON... ...FREEZE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Instruction: Dress in layers including a hat, face mask, and gloves if you must go outside. Keep pets indoors to protect them from the cold. Make frequent checks on older family, friends, and neighbors. Ensure portable heaters are used correctly. Do not use generators or grills inside. To prevent water pipes from freezing; wrap or drain or allow them to drip slowly. Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.

Description: * WHAT...For the Extreme Cold Watch, dangerously cold wind chills as low as 7 degrees possible. For the Freeze Watch, a hard freeze with temperatures as low as 20 degrees possible. * WHERE...All counties in east central Florida. * WHEN...From Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon. * IMPACTS...Dangerously cold wind chills could lead to frostbite and hypothermia, even with limited exposure. Freeze conditions will likely kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Strong gusty winds are forecast on Saturday, reaching 35 to 45 mph or higher at times in the afternoon and evening. Preparations for the very cold temperatures should be complete by Saturday morning.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

You have a little time to get things recharged and your cold weather gear ready.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/29/26 Report - Treasure Coast Beach Conditions with Photos and Reports. A New Front to Come Trough Soon.

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

Walton Rocks Tuesday by Joe D.

  

I'll start out with beach photos from Tuesday and below present Wednesday photos. That will allow you to see how some of the beaches changed in the past day.

Joe D. took the Tuesday photos.  Below is Joe's report.

   The ring i found yesterday here in Melbourne; it's Sterling. Today we drove all the way to Walton Rocks and worked our way all the way back to Melbourne! Only detected at John Brooks,  and the huge cut at South Jettty Park, as they were shoring up the sand where its about to erode the roadways there! Tons of signals and junk, but we only managed a few very crusty coins there with our dueling Manticore's!😆 Erosion and cuts got progressively smaller as we went back North! Always interesting to see how different the beaches are, as you travel some distance! Ft.Pierce definitely cought the majority of erosion! The jetty cam doesn't do it justice!🤯 Hopefully more good detecting ahead with the lovely weather.

Below are more of Joe's pictures.

John Brooks Tuesday by Joe D.

It looks like the Wednesday cut at John Brook was smaller than Tuesday, for example.

Tuesday at Turtle Trail by Joe D.

Melbourne Tuesday by Joe D.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Tuesday by Joe D.

Sterling Ring Findy by Joe D.

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I went out this morning (Wed.) and did a little hunting. Below is what I saw.

John Brooks Wed. Morning.

There was a cut a Brooks, but from the previous photos submitted by readers, it looked like the cuts here were not as good.  They are smaller.  The sand at the top of the slope in front of the cuts was mushy.  Targets were very scarce there.

John Brooks Wednesday Morning

Again, the cut is diminished.

Frederck Douglass Beach Wednesday Morning.

Walton Rocks Wednesday Morning.

 The photo above doesn't show it, but there were some very small cuts to the north and below the small cuts were some dips that held a good number of targets, some good but with a LOT of junk.  

There was older orange sand just below the surface and some shell layers below that.  I spent some time picking through the junk.

At the southern end of that area was a lot of small iron - some of it splinter small.  A little farther in was lead and little bits of copper.  But there were some crusty green coins in between.

Looking South at Walton Rocks.

There were some decent sounding deep targets down there.  I regretfully left some of them because of the depth and underlying rocks.

Example of Partially Exposed Rock.

There weren't as many exposed rocks here as there was the last time I was there.  The rock shown above is about three or four feet long.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Looks like the surf will be from the east until the next front arrives.  

You can see the wind shift just before the surf increases.  That has been the usual pattern with these fronts.  

The cuts have been starting before the surf peaks.  The wind cycle is quick.  You see the cuts and then the wind surf direction changes and the filling starts again.

It will be good if we get some more erosion before the present erosion completely disappears.

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Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net