4/11/26 Report - Future of Metal Detecting and Treasure Hunting to Change with New Technologies. Horse Tack Finds.

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

Above is a mystery find from years ago that it took me years to finally learn that it is probably horse tack.  And just a day or two ago, a newer mystery item was found to be a horse hame.  I've said this before, but I believe a good number of mystery items are probably horse tack.  

For more about that see The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 11/25/19 Report - Horse Tack and Related Finds. Gold Coin Counterfeits and Cautions. High Tides and Flat Surf.

The silver item in the middle of the harness below is very much like my old mystery find.  I think it is the same thing.

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If you have been paying attention to the news reports recently, you might have heard something about Ghost Mumur - a long-range magnetometry system, which it was said was used to find the downed airman behind enemy lines in Iran.  

A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of the magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, one that measures the direction of an ambient magnetic field.

You are probably familiar with the magnetometers used by salvage crews to locate shipwrecks or used by utility workers to locate underground cables.  See Magnetometer - Wikipedia

Ghost Murmur was by some reports capable of sensing from long distances the heart=beat of the lost airman, which seems very remarkable due partly to all the other sources of interference that would have to be filtered or averaged out. 

It caught my attention, so I looked into it bit.  Here is summary or compilation of what Copilot and Zork said.  They were agreed on the following.

Long range quantum magnetometry is a specialized field of quantum technology that utilizes quantum magnetometers to detect magnetic fields at extraordinary sensitivity. These devices exploit the behavior of atoms or nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond to measure magnetic fields with precision, often exceeding the capabilities of conventional sensors. The technology is particularly useful in remote, low-clutter environments where traditional detection methods, such as being inches away from shielded sensors in a hospital, are impractical. The system's ability to detect faint signals, like the heartbeat, from vast distances is a significant advancement in the field of quantum sensing.

According to multiple news reports (primarily originating from a New York Post exclusive), yes — the CIA's "Ghost Murmur" system was reportedly used to help detect and locate the downed US airman in southern Iran.

What the reports claim.

• The incident: This refers to the recent rescue of a US F-15E weapons systems officer (publicly referred to as "Dude 44 Bravo") after his jet was shot down. He hid for about two days in a mountain crevice while Iranian forces searched the area. His survival beacon provided a general signal, but precise location was challenging.
• Ghost Murmur's role: The system allegedly used long-range quantum magnetometry (sensors based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in synthetic diamonds) to detect the faint electromagnetic signature of his heartbeat. AI filtered out background noise (e.g., environmental interference, other biological signals). It reportedly helped confirm he was alive and narrow his position in a low-clutter desert/mountain environment, enabling a successful special forces rescue.
• Details: Developed by Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works. First operational use. Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe alluded to advanced tech in briefings (e.g., spotting him from ~40 miles away in ideal conditions). Sources described it as effective in remote, low-electromagnetic-interference areas but not "omniscient."

This story has been echoed across outlets like NDTV, Daily Mail, The Independent, Newsweek, and others, often citing the Post's anonymous sources "close to the breakthrough."

Important caveats and skepticism

• It's based on anonymous sources with no public declassification, raw data, or independent verification. The CIA/Lockheed have not officially confirmed the tech or its use.
• Scientific plausibility: Lab demonstrations of diamond-based quantum magnetometers (NV centers) can detect human cardiac magnetic fields non-contact at short ranges (e.g., centimeters to perhaps a meter or so in controlled settings, with averaging). Extending this reliably to kilometers (let alone 40 miles / ~64 km) through terrain, with real-time AI isolation amid noise, pushes well beyond most publicly known capabilities. Experts have noted it may overstate current tech or serve as strategic exaggeration/psychological operations.
• Context: US forces used deception (false rumors of rescue), beacons, and massive air support in the operation. The heartbeat detection claim adds a dramatic "if your heart is beating, we will find you" element, but traditional methods (beacons, thermal, signals intelligence) likely played major roles too.

In short, per the prevailing media narrative from US sources, Ghost Murmur did detect the airman's heart and contributed to the rescue — marking a touted breakthrough in remote biometric sensing. However, treat the extraordinary range and details with caution, as they could involve classification, hype, or disinformation elements common in such operations. No definitive public proof exists beyond the reporting.

It gets very interesting and suggests new technologies that I would assume could be used to detect metals at long distances in the future.

The technology is based upon quantum physics and quantum computing and sensors that employ lab made diamond sensors.  I won't get into that now, or possibly ever again, but personally find it very interesting.  

You might imagine how these technologies might be used for locating treasures.  Regardless of any possible misinformation concerning Ghost Murmur, here are a couple links if you want to read more about that.

Ghost Murmur: The Quantum Technology That Found a Missing Pilot in Iran — Glitchwire

CIA Deploys ‘Ghost Murmur’ Quantum Sensor to Track Airman’s Heartbeat in Iran Rescue – SOFX

I found it interesting that just a a few days before the word that was sticking in my mind was "murmurers."  You might remember my post mentioned how the Jews murmured after being freed to to the wilderness.  

On the subject of technologies.  I always remember when Apple came out with their graphic user interface and that was greeted with a lot of fanfare.  I mentioned that before.  We went from DOS prompts, in which the user used communicated with the computer by using a computer language, to the graphic user interface and now we are in the process of switching to a human language interface.  

Very interesting times.  

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Here is interesting an article from BENZINGA about Odyssey Marine, which was once a great deep sea shipwreck salvage company that shifted its business model after a devastating court ruling on the Black Swan (if I correctly recall) which made them turn over millions in recovered treasure to a foreign country.  

11:46 AM ET Apr-08-2026

Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc (OMEX.NaE) shares rose on Wednesday by over 100% following a merger agreement to create a deep-sea critical minerals platform.

Merger To Form $1 Billion Minerals Platform

Odyssey Marine entered a definitive merger agreement with American Ocean Minerals Corporation (AOMC). The deal will create a deep-sea critical-minerals platform valued at about $1 billion.

The all-stock transaction includes more than $230 million in equity capital. This includes over $150 million from a private placement and $75 million in pre-public financing.

The combined company is expected to have around $175 million in cash at closing and plans to list on Nasdaq under the ticker "AOMC," subject to approvals.

So they are now going after rare earth minerals now rather than shipwreck gold and silver.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

So the surf will be decreasing for several days.  The recent high surf created almost no cuts on the Treasure Coast but did a erode a few banks.  With the decreasing surf, you will be able to get out a little farther at low tide.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

4/10/26 - Salvage Records and the Proportion of Reales of Different Denominations Salvaged. Mystery Item Solved.

 

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

One Page of Salvage Report from 2001 Along with Personal Notes.

I was looking at some old salvage reports while I was through some old papers, and I noticed one thing that surprised me. As a result, I have to correct something I've mentioned in the past.

I've referred to the large number of small reales found on the beaches as compared to the seemingly much smaller number of eight reales found by metal detecting the beaches.  And I thought the proportion of eight reales found on salvage sites was greater in relation to the smaller denomination reales.  That was not supported by these records.  The number of small denomination reales found on salvage sites was large in comparison to the number of eight reales for the years and sites in these reports.  My previous generalization about small numbers of half reales being found on salvage sites is at best an overgeneralization.  These records for 2000 - 2002 shows many more half reales found on these sites.  

You can see one sample page of those records above.  You can also some of my own notes and calculations on that page. And below is a table from one of the reports along with some of my tabulations.

In 2002, for example, the combined totals for five salvage sites is 28 fragments, 28-half reales, 50-one reales, 5 two-reales, 37 four-reales, and only 9 eight-reales.  That sample clearly fails to support my previous thoughts and seems very much in line with the proportion of reported beach finds.

2001 was similar.  For the same sites, there were a total of 192 halves compared to only 18 eight-reales.

Page from 2001 Site Review with Some of My Personal Notes.

In both 2001 and 2002 the majority of coins came from the Douglass site.  I don't remember the exact years, but I remember somewhere around there, Mo Molinar and the Virgalona working very close to shore just shore.  Many half reales were found on the beach along the same stretch of beach back in those years.

I suppose that eight reale finds, like gold coin finds, just get a lot more media and press attention, which could give skew impressions about the actual numbers found.

Of course, details of finds will vary from year to year, and between salvage crews and sites.  The same thing holds for beach finds.  Some years some spots will be good and other years not so.  And some years one type of find will predominate while other types will predominate other years.  Still, in my mind, one discrepancy between beach and salvage finds remains.  I'm talking about the large number of silver ring beach finds compared to the total absence of silver rings reported found on Treasure Coast wreck sites.  That is to me still a quandary.

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Good news on the mystery item.  JD correctly identified it.  Jim M. also came up with it.  I had no idea.  

Here it is.

And here is the answer.  It is an end cap for a horse hame.   Horse hames are used to distribute the the force of heavy lodes around the neck.  Joe sent the following example.

Jim said his grandparents grew up on a farm and had them.  He sent these pictures.

That is definitely it, and it makes even more sense when paired with other finds from the site (shown below).

Rustee Horseshoe Finds Each with Some Nails Remaining.

Thanks Joe and Jim.  I really appreciate it.

This type of hame would probably date to 1880 - 1930.  The were often repurposed later for use as walking stick or cane handles.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

The surf is still pretty high but the beaches remain pretty much the same.  It is another example of what I say about it taking more than a big waves to cause erosion.  It also takes good angles.  

They did have a lot of erosion in the Palm Beaches.  The shoreline is angled different there and they had already reduced beaches and sea walls and other structures that actually can increase erosion.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/9/26 Report: Part II - Indian River County Beaches Thursday Morning.

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

Turtle Trail Thursday Morning.

I posted my reports from some Hutchinson Island beaches earlier Thursday.  Then DJ sent in these views of the Indian River County beaches.  I decided to go ahead and post it now rather (Thurs. afternoon) than waiting until tomorrow.

All these photos are from DJ.  Thanks to DJ from all of us.

The Indian River County beaches aren't very different from the Hutchinson Island beaches.  The water got high on all the beaches but hit straight on for the last three days, so there are very few if any cuts to be found.  Seaweed is washing up on some beaches too.

DJ did say that it felt like the beach at Seagrape was lower.  

Turtle Trail Thursday Morning.

Seagrape Trail Thursday Morning.

Seagrape Trail Thursday Morning.

Seagrape Thursday Morning.

Wabasso Thursday Morning.

Wabasso Thursday Morning.

Wabasso Thursday Morning.

That's all for now.  Just wanted to get this to you.

If you missed the Thursday morning post, it is still there.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/9/26 Report - Checking Some Treasure Coast Beaches This Morning. Few Cuts but Eroded Dunes. Mystery Item.

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

Beach South of Fort Pierce Thursday Morning.

I visited several Hutchinson Island beaches this morning.  It was dark and raining with thunder and lightning.  I took few photos because of the rain and lightning, and I lightened up the ones I posted here just so you could see the beach better.  Visibility wasn't really that good.  

First I visited John Brooks and Frederick Douglass. There were no cuts at John Brooks except in the distance.  At Douglass thee were some superficial cuts at the top of the slope.  Nothing significant.

South of Fort Pierce Thursday Morning.

I took a quick look at Walton Rocks.  It was really raining there and there was a lot of lightning, but again there were no cuts near the main access and there was a good bit of seaweed.

Blind Creek was finally open and nicely paved and landscaped.  Even toilets.

Blind Creek Thursday Morning.

Back up to the Fort Pierce South beaches.  Again no cuts, but as you can see above the water had been up to the foot of the dunes, which eroded out, but the sand in front of the dunes was mushy.

I only did a very quick scan and hunt with the metal detector when the lightning slowed for a while, but it didn't stop until I gave up and went home.  At least I was able to check out a few beaches.  

I don't know what the Indian River County beaches are like other than what I've seen on the beach cams.  Maybe someone can send in a report from up there.

I had a huge old hickory tree fall down and have to do a lot of work clearing that.  

Mystery Item.

This mystery item seems to be brass or something like that.  It is heavy, but hollow and has to screw holes, which you can see in the top view.

Any ideas.  It appears to be a handle for something, but what.

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Here is a video on restoring old coins.  Don't do this on valuable coins.  I wouldn't use it for reales or escudos either.  Still, if you have some routine coins you want to make look better, you might try it.

Bing Videos

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

The surf is predicted to be decreasing.  The recent high water didn't cut a lot of the beaches, but I'm sure if you spent enough time, you could find a good spot or two for some profitable metal detecting.  

There were probably some spots were the dunes dropped out some nice old finds, or maybe some slopes that got moved back.  

My timing was poor today.  In the old days I would have stuck with it until I found a hot spot.

I've got some exciting stuff to post in the future.  There are some real interesting things going on.  For example, long range magnetometry.  

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net  

4/8/26 Report - A Look at Some Beaches Today. Predicted Higher Surf for Tomorrow. To Die for.

 

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty 8:30 AM Wednesday from Surfguru.com.

I looked at a variety of beach cams from the Treasure Coast this morning, including those shown here as well as some others, and saw no cuts anywhere yet.  Low tide as a bit earlier this morning, but still the water is pretty high.

Wabasso Beach Cam 8:10 AM Wednesday.

Reef Ocean Resort Beach Cam in Vero.  Around 8:35 AM.

Surf Chart from Surfguru.com.

The high surf didn't show up as early as expected.  Looks like it is supposed to increase tonight.

As of 11:40 AM the beaches haven't shown any real change.

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Native Americans invented dice and games of chance more than 12,000 years ago, archaeological study reveals.

A new study shows that dice and games of chance date back thousands of years earlier than experts previously thought...

Here is the link for more about that.

Native Americans invented dice and games of chance more than 12,000 years ago, archaeological study reveals | Live Science

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Last night a big old hickory tree fell over, so I'll be spending a lot of time removing it today.

I might get back to give an update later.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

4/7/26 Report - Surf to Build to 12 Feet. River and Ocean Waves. Gold Helmet Found. Ft. Pierce Renourishment.

 

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

Monday Morning on the River.

There has been some very nice days on the River lately.  Some mornings the water has been smooth as glass.  

When I was doing a lot of water metal detecting I liked to get out early.  The wind would often pick up shortly after sunrise and then the water would get rougher.  When the river is smooth you can often see dolphins or occasionally manatees.

When the river is rough, the waves will be coming the same direction as the wind.  Waves on the river are wind driven waves.  

On the ocean, the wind can be coming from one direction and the swells from another. They aren't all wind driven waves.  Some of them are coming from very long distances.

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Dutch authorities on Thursday showed off a recovered priceless gold 2,500-year-old helmet from Romania that was stolen last year during a brazen heist in the Netherlands.

Flanked by balaclava-clad police officers, a spokesman for Dutch prosecutors unveiled the 5th-century BC golden Helmet of Cotofenesti and two of the three gold bracelets stolen in January 2025.


Dutch police officer Corien Fahner said: "the Cotofenesti helmet and two Dacian gold bracelets have been returned and we are delighted to be able to announce this."

The search for the third bracelet is ongoing, said Fahner.

Here is the link for more about that.

Ancient golden helmet found year after it was stolen from museum

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Easter Bunny Relaxing Day After Easter.

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Clip (not video) Showing Work on Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Monday Afternoon.

Looks like the new sand box is nearing completion.

WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM TUESDAY TO 8 AM EDT WEDNESDAY

Instruction: Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Description: * WHAT...Northeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph expected. * WHERE...Coastal Indian River, Coastal Martin, Coastal Saint Lucie, Inland Indian River, Inland Martin, and Inland Saint Lucie. * WHEN...From 5 PM Tuesday to 8 AM EDT Wednesday. * IMPACTS...Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Winds will increase from north to south on the Treasure Coast on Tuesday evening.

Now to the big news of the day.

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Look at that.  The surf is predicted to build to 10 or 12 feet.  That could be good.  Don't see that ver often.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

4/6/26 Report - Hundreds-Years-Old Shipwreck and Artifacts Discovered. Finds and Sites from Going Over Old Metal Detecting Records.

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

In April 1801, Nelson’s British fleet attacked Denmark’s navy as it formed a defensive blockade outside Copenhagen Harbour. The clash lasted hours and left thousands dead or wounded, becoming one of Nelson’s most famous victories. The assault aimed to break Denmark’s alliance with northern European powers including Russia, Prussia and Sweden.

In the Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson and the British fleet attacked and defeated Denmark’s navy as it formed a protective blockade outside the harbour.

Thousands were killed and wounded during the brutal hours-long naval clash, considered one of Nelson’s "great battles." The intention was to force Denmark out of an alliance of Northern European powers, including Russia, Prussia and Sweden.

At the centre of the fighting was the Danish flagship, the Dannebroge, commanded by Commodore Olfert Fischer. The 48-metre (157-foot) Dannebroge was Nelson’s main target. Cannon fire tore through its upper deck before incendiary shells sparked a fire aboard.

Here is the link for more about that.

Marine archaeologists discover Danish warship destroyed by Nelson’s fleet 225 years ago

That badge at the top is what I call a really neat artifact.  It could be a regimental insignia or someting else, but some research should clear it up.

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In the past I've shown some of my earliest find records.  That was when I was recording my coin finds.  Those were my very first finds and records.  I recently found some that were later.  These new ones are from the later 1980s.  At that time I was no longer recording regular coin finds but had switched to recording mostly gold finds.  I was now targeting gold and wasn't much interested in keeping track of coin finds.

Here are my some of my newly found old records.  There are fourteen pages in total.

Metal Detecting Find Records.

I was cleaning out some old papers when I found these.  I hadn't seen them for many years.  They are from the 1980s when I was hunting a lot.  A few hundred finds are described in these notes along with the date, location and the metal detector used.  I wanted to know where the hot spots were and wanted to keep track of both the quantity and quality of finds.

I find it pretty amazing how many finds I remember so well after so many years.  It's been over 35 years. For many I remember exactly where and what it was like that day.

I noticed that for the vast majority of those finds I was using one of my Nautilus 571 metal detector.  I actually had two of them. I had those before I got my MacDonald Aquasound metal detectors that I showed a few days ago in this blog. The Fisher 1280 was used a good bit and even a Tesoro metal detector was used a few times.

I couldn't figure out at first why I was using the 1280 so much when I had the 571s but eventually remembered that I took my 1280 a lot when I flew.  

The sites of these finds ranged from Lower Matecumbe Key to Key Biscayne to Dade County and Broward County, Jupiter and Pensacola, where I traveled a lot for work at the NARF (Naval Rework Facility).  I just browsed the list so I could have missed some sites.  I did notice some finds from West Viriginia.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were some from Minnesota, but I didn't notice them yet.

I've often recommended keeping good, detailed find records.  Besides being fun to look at decades later, records give you good information that will help you decide where to hunt on any given day.  As I've said before, the Hollywood Beach area, for example, produced a lot of finds in those days, but they weren't the most valuable finds.  

I was hoping to see some Treasure Coast finds on the list, but it seems that was before I started traveling to the Treasure Coast.  Jupiter is a close to the Treasure Coast as I got in those days, unless I overlooked something.

Several really good days stuck out as I browsed these records. For example, on 7/4 of 89 a 10K diamond man's ring, 10K High School class ring, 14K diamond baguette ring, 14K nugget ring with 3 diamonds and one 18K medallion was found on one hunt.  That is a good hunt.  I remember it well.  Most of the finds that day were in a deep dip but the diamond baguette ring was in very shallow water very close to a seaweed line.  Like I said, I remember it well.

However, another very good day a couple months later (9/15/89) I don't remember at all, even after reading my records.  That day included a 18K garnet ring, a 14K blue sapphire ring, a small 18K medallion, and a 18K ruby ring was found about away.  Those finds came from one or two miles from the site above.

Then there was the super birthday weekend.  I remember those finds for sure. A couple of my all-time favorites were found that weekend, but while I remember the two standout finds, I only remember the approximate location and I forgot some of the lesser finds. 

There were some even better hunts, for example a 15-ring four-hour hunt and two other sequential days of great hunting at one hot spot that then closeup up on the third day.

Overall, it was fun browsing through these records and I recommend keeping your own records.  Make sure to keep detailed records.  In some cases, I can't make out what I was saying.  I used abbreviations and was a bit sloppy at times, so there are some things I can't decipher now.

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Surf Chart from Surfguru.com.

Looks like we'll be gettig a higher surf in a few days.  Nine feet could be interesting if it actually happens. 

Notice the surf ddiretoin change right before the increase.