3/18/26 Report - Checking a Few Treasure Coast Metal Detecting Beaches Today. One Find. TreasureGuide's Salvage Yard.

 

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

Frederick Douglass Beach Wednesday Morning.

I decided to go out to the beach today.  I wasn't expecting much, but hoped to be surprised.  I wasn't.

This morning the Fort Pierce beach cam showed a small cut, but less than a foot, and that is what I saw when I got there.  

There has been one detectorists working that beach for hours every day.  Two detectorists were there today.

But I was more interested in checking John Brooks beach, which as I've said before, is correlated to some extent with the Fort Pierce south beach.  I expected to see small cuts at John Brooks and that is what I saw.  

I did a little detecting at John Brooks.  There were a few targets but not many.  Most targets were down about mid-slope.

Also, as I've said before, Frederick Douglass is correlated with John Brooks, but more highly than the correlation Brooks and Fort Pierce South Beach.

Frederick Douglass Beach Wednesday Morning.

The cuts at John Brooks were mostly one foot or less.  The bigger ones were between Brooks and Douglass, but at Douglass they were smaller.

John Brooks Wednesday Morning.

There was more iron on John Brooks beach.  In the distant past Douglass had really a lot of iron, a lot of which came from an old Mel Fisher salvage barge. 

The iron on Brooks made me wonder if some of that older junk might be coming up again.

The dug clad coins were all really discolored and had been out there a while.

I managed one small gold find.  I'll post that below.

Fort Pierce Wednesday Morning.

You can see one detectorist in the above photo.  

There was a lot of iron at some spots there too.

The cut south of Fort Pierce Jetty beach was small but ran for hundreds of yards.

Fort Pierce Wednesday Morning.

Here is my tiny gold find from today.  

14 K Mark on Stud Earring Post.

I don't know if the stone is good or not yet.  

I didn't detect long today.  Just wanted to check things out a little.  When I left home I mostly wanted to check Brooks and Douglass, which I did.

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Below are three old Aquasound detectors (made by Herb MacDonald who formed Florida America Electronics - FAE)  and a few extra coils now in the TreasureGuide's metal detector salvage yard.  There is a probably a working coil in there, but I know it isn't the 14 inch one.  

14 Inch Weighted Coil.

If someone can use the parts or whatever, we might be able to work out something.  I think there is probably one good coil in there or maybe a good control box - one or the other, but I don't know which.  And maybe some could be repaired.  

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Nothing exciting on the surf chart - just three to four feet for days.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/17/26 Report - Study of the Silver Coins on the 1622 Tortugas Shipwreck. Another Good Link. Current Conditions and Projects.

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

The above table come from a study of the reales of the Tortugas wreck.  Below is the introduction from the articlle.

Between 1990 and 1991 an assemblage of 1,184 silver cob coins was excavated from the 400m-deep Tortugas shipwreck off the Florida Keys, a merchant vessel from the 1622 Spanish Tierra Firme fleet most plausibly identified as the 117-ton Buen Jesús y Nuestra Señora del Rosario. A sample of 648 coins retained in the collection of Odyssey Marine Exploration in Tampa, Florida, was re-examined in 2011 to obtain optimum quantitative data about the coins’ denominations, mint origins, dates and assayer admin istrators. Silver reales coins were identified from predominantly, and unexpectedly, the mint of Mexico, followed by Potosi and a ‘Bogotá/Cartagena or Old World’ class. 

Although vast quantities of comparable silver coins have been recovered from the shallow-water wrecks of the Atocha and Margarita from the same homeward-bound 1622 Spanish fleet, this material has not been subjected to formal quantification. The value of the Tortugas collection lies in its association with a small Tierra Firme fleet merchant vessel, and as an important archaeo logical counterpoint to the more renowned large treasure-laden flota warships. The Tortugas wreck thus reflects the smaller scale maritime trade conducted between Colonial Spain and the Americas that is less conspicuous within the archaeological record...

The article shows many of the coins and discusses their identity and how they probably ended up on the wreck. It also discusses something I've talked about a few times - the lower denomination coins more likely being personal possessions rather than cargo, which could also have something to do with the disparity between the smaller denomination of beach found reales.

Here is another interesting part of the article.

What Would a Spanish Dollar Buy? While it has been widely quoted that a common worker would need to labor a month to earn one or two Spanish dollars (also called pesos and ‘pieces of eight’), each consist ing of 8 reales of silver, just like today the value of money f luctuated as a result of inflation, recession and geography. As a general indication of income, Walton (1994: xiii) has suggested that in the era of Columbus the richest aristocrat in Spain earned over 80,000 pesos a year from his estates, while a typical laborer made about 25 pesos annually. In 1622, the year of the Tortugas shipwreck sinking, and in 1623, a master carpenter could make 238 maravedís a day (34 maravedís = 1 reale), a master mason 272 maravedís, a laborer 136 maravedís, a gardener 25 maravedís and a female cook 11 maravedís a day...

Here is the link for the entire article.

be6d77_40ec0076da6b46199b40ebcc7e983141.pdf

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You might find some other articles you will want to read here.

 Publications – Florida Anthropological Society

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Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Came (South Zoom View from Surfguru.com
Around 6 PM Monday.

There is a small cut, or what I'd call a crease, on the beach Monday around 6 PM.  It didn't last long though.  Tuesday morning it was gone (as you can see below).

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Came (South Zoom View from Surfguru.com
Around 9 AM Tuesday.

Once detectorist was working the beach there Tuesday morning.

You can see the equipment going to be used to pump sand onto the beach below.

Beach Renourishment Equipment at Fort Pierce.

There will be beach and jetty closures during the renourishment project.  I think the jetty will be close on the 18th.

This seems to be the same kind of thing they are doing at Sebastian.  They have the tall metal structures there too, and I thought I could see the pipe on the beach at one point.  I think the excavator is moving the pipe down the beach.  You can see that on the Sebastian beach cam.

The renourishment project is going on during Turtle nesting and is contrary to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation plan.  

Here is the Tuesday surf chart.

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

As the surf chart is showing, there is currently a north NNW wind and a north surf.   

It is a bit chilly out today too.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/16/26 Report - Early Florida Contact Period Sites and Artifacts. Religious Symbols on Shipwreck Artifacts. Surf Prediction Fade.

 

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

Map Showing Early Contact Sites in Florida.
Source: See link below.

Here is a map showing where artifacts of early indigenous European contact sites.  It was published in a Florida Anthropological Society journal (line below).  The contents of the article is shown immediately below.

The types of artifacts at various sites for each site and period are described in the article.

Here is an excerpt just to give you an idea about what is in the article.

Here is the link so you can read the entire article.

The European and the Indian - UF Digital Collections

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Here are a few excerpts from a great article on some artifacts found on the Tortugas Wreck site.

It is Papal Plates & Propaganda on the Deep-Sea Tortugas Shipwreck, Florida (1622) by Sean Kingsley, Wreck Watch Int.

Why was such highly exalted, specific imagery painted onto Blue on White plates manufactured in Seville and why did they ultimately end up on a small merchant vessel returning from the Americas to Andalusia? Given the plates’ very specific religious iconography it seems reasonable to suggest that its owner did not simply buy the product over the counter in the open market, where it had been manufactured based on popular schemes found in a pattern book. These plates are more likely to have been commissioned specifically for the Church and conceivably for a very particular purpose. 

 When the crossed keys and triple crown are represented with a shield, the insignia is identifiable as the personal arms of the pope. When the emblem is depicted in isola tion it represents the papacy as an institution (Galbreath, 1930: 23). Since the arms of Pope Gregory XV (1621-23) – gules three bends silver retraits in chief – are not associated with the Tortugas plates, its design was clearly intended to signify the broader papal authority of the Catholic Church...

Here is the link for the entire article.

be6d77_456f80cc973a4d97befc700b2c92ea47.pdf

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Jensen Beach Monday Morning
 from the Jensen Beach Web Cam

You can see the slight south angle at the beach at Jensen as well as the dip between the beach and the bar.  

There are a lot of beachgoers.  Some things will be lost.

View of Fort Pierce South from the SurfGuru.com Web Cam.

This was earlier, but there were already people on the beach.

Surf Chart for the Fort Pierce Area from Surfguru.com.

Yesterday I said, The past couple of days I didn't take the predicted high surf too seriously.  Very often those kinds of predictions when made several days out eventually fade away.  This time the predicted high surf has been steady for three days now and has even become a little bigger - now up to nine feet.  It could still fade but be prepared.  It might happen.

I was surprised the eight or nine foot surf was holding.  Well, I was one day early on thinking the fade was not going to happen.  Today, it happened.  The surf chart is now showing nothing bigger than four feet - half of the peak predicte earlier.

That used to happen a lot.  They'd show a big surf out six or seven days, and then it would end up being much less.  That is what I came to expect, but they have improved on that.  They don't predict a disappearing big surf nearly as much as the used to, but it happened again this time.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/15/26 Report - Old Coin in Bus Fare. Modern Error Coins Gaining Popularity. Being Attuned to Treasure. High Surf Predicted.

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

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

The past couple of days I didn't take the predicted high surf too seriously.  Very often those kinds of predictions when made several days out eventually fade away.  This time the predicted high surf has been steady for three days now and has even become a little bigger - now up to nine feet.  It could still fade but be prepared.  It might happen.

Today we'll have a low tide around noon.

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Coin used as bus fare was 2,000-year-old currency...

James Edwards worked as a cashier for the Leeds Transport Company, gathering fares from bus and tram drivers in the city.

He put fake and foreign coins to one side, and this collection was passed down to his grandson, Peter Edwards.

Mr Edwards later set about investigating one of the stranger items in the collection, which has now been revealed to be a coin that was minted in the 1st century BC.

It was made by descendants of the Carthaginians, in what is now Cadiz, Spain, and features their god Melqart, ruler of the underworld...

Coin used as bus fare was 2,000-year-old currency

I always liked checking the change in coin machine.  Those have mostly disappeared, but they would kick out silver or foreign coins.  I found a good amount of silver U.S. coins in the change machine that were used on the turnpike when I was driving it daily.  A lot of U.S. silver and Canadian coins were found that way.

========

Here is an article that claims that modern error coins are becoming very popular and modern error coins are bringing high prices.  The article says that during Covid quality control fell at the mints.  That combined with high production numbers resulted in many errors.  The large variety of new designs also contributed.  

Here is the link for more about that.

Why error coins from 2021-2024 are suddenly flooding the market

By the way, that is one of those articles using illustrations that have nothing to do with the topic.  For example, they show a picture of a mid-1800s coin while talking about modern error coins.

The authors do not seem to be serious experts.  Maybe they are just using AI.  Anyhow, some of the ideas are worth consideration.  I can see how the high production numbers, and the large number of designs can add to the number of error coins, for example.  And modern error coins do seem to be popular these days.  You just have to read those things critically, which is always a good practice anyhow.

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A few days ago I found several die.  As I've said before, once you find a cob, there is an increased probability of finding another.  Part of that is due to the fact that there is more likely more there, and part of it is due to becoming more attuned to that type of item.  

When I found the first dice, I continued to look along the water's edge and I was mentally attuned to that particular type of object.  It was a small green cube with white dots.

When you search, whether it is with a metal detector or not, you are focusing on certain types of objects.  It might be coins, gold rings, cobs or something else.  You are mentally attuned.  Your senses are attuned as well.  

Your metal detector works as an extension of your senses.  You can now sense to some extent electromagnetic fields.  When you use a metal detector, your focus, or "attunement," might involve your detector settings, including perhaps discrimination.  You discriminate in multiple ways.  You might avoid digging certain tones or certain conductivity numbers.

Once you dig a cob or a gold ring, you become more attuned to that type of object.  When I recently dug a gold ring, I noticed the conductivity number.  I remember it now.  It was a thirteen.  So, after being rewarded for digging that 13, you know I'm going to dig the next 13.  Finding the first made it more likely (increased the probability) of finding another similar item.  Same thing happens with other kinds of targets.  

Attunement, as I'm calling it, can have both positive and negative impacts.  When I become attuned to one type of object I might then overlook other kinds of things that might be just as good.  There are tradeoffs - just like the tradeoffs involved with discriminating or digging everything.

Attunement operates at the sensory, neurological and psychological levels.  For more about that, see What Are Feature Detectors and How Do They Work? - Biology Insights .

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Stuart Rocks Sunday Morning
from SurfGuru.com

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/14/26 Report - Gold Coin Cache Found Under Old House. Treasure Coast Beaches. Ides of March Are Upon Us.

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

In 2025, researchers...  excavated the foundations of a historic house ahead of new construction... about 260 miles (420 kilometers) southeast of St. Petersburg... 

During this excavation, archaeologists noticed a pit in the foundation that contained the broken remains of a glazed earthenware mug, known as a candyushka, filled with 409 coins minted between 1848 and 1911. The hoard consisted of 387 gold 10-ruble coins, 10 coins each worth 5 rubles, 10 coins each worth 15 rubles and two 7.5-ruble coins...

Russian Revolution gold coin hoard worth over $500,000 discovered during house construction | Live Science

There is still plenty out there to be found.

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Here is a photo by Mark G. from Jensen Friday.

Notice the equipment being used in the renourishment project at the top of the photo.

Here is what Mark said.

Great photo of the beach in this mornings post. Last Tuesday I went out searching beaches after my mom told me Dollman was open. That is where they are staging all the equipment and pipe. I was amazed, it appears they have flattened the beaches with a steep dune wall in the back. The amazing part is the beach is still open with bulldozers and golf carts running up and down the beach. People are putting there towels down in the path of equipment or to one side or the other it’s mayhem. I broke out the detector at Dollman and got a taste of things to come. My first loud and proud target was a huge iron nut for an at least 1 or 1 and half inch bolt crusty and so was my second target, no joy. I packed it up and tried to get ahead of the equipment. It doesn’t appear they are renourishing all the beaches they are selectively moving the dredge and dozers slowly down to the south. You can see them from Jensen Beach now.

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You can also see the excavator working up at Sebastian this morning, as well as the work going on down at Jupiter.  They much have some tax dollars that have to be spent.

Jupiter Beach Cam View Saturday Morning.

Once you disrupt the natural sand flow, it never ends. Nature continues to do its thing.

I'm glad I was able to get some good detecting in at Jupiter before they ruined it.  I always remember one day when the dunes just below the jetty were eroded and I spent hour digging old U.S. coins when Dave showed up.  Dave had taken many Potosi reals out of there before the Jupiter wreck was ever discovered just off the beach by the lifeguard one morning.  He vowed to be there first the next time the beach eroded like that.  Maybe he was, but I know of one time he wasn't.  I don't know what happened to Dave, like most of the old-times of the 1980 and 90s.  

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The Ide of March is a date of historical importance due to the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE.  It was a turning point in Roman history, leading to the decline of the Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire.  The term "ides" is from "iduare," meaning to divide, which is traditionally associated with the full moon reflecting the origin of the lunar Roman calendar.  Immortalized in Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar in the phrase, "Beware the Ides of March" the phrase has since become a warning of looming bad luck.

For Florida detectorists it marks the transition between the rough winter surf and smoother surf of summer. While the Spring surf becomes less erratic and we get less beach erosion, we still get an occasional storm and some nice low tides.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

I'm surprised the surf chart is showing a possible eight-foot surf for next Friday.  I thought the prediction would be lower.  Anyhow, that is something of interest.

Otherwise, there are still some nice inland sites that have been thinned out by the drought and freezing weather.  It might be the best chance to get to some of those kinds of places for a while.

There is a rip current warning.

Description: * WHAT...Dangerous rip currents expected. * WHERE...Coastal Volusia, Indian River, Saint Lucie, Martin, and Brevard Counties. * WHEN...Through late tonight. *

 Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/13/26 Report - Rougher Surf Today. Beach Renourishment. You Otter Try This. Animal Spirits. Kennedy Halves.

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

Fort Pierce Beach Photo Published in TCPalm.

Ahhhh...  Sweet!   

The beauty of Fort Pierce Beach during the peak of tourist season.  Nothing beats the roar of bulldozers and the smell the burnt diesel fuel on an idyllic day at the beach.  You can find the same thing at other Treasure Coast beaches this time of year - just in time for the start of sea turtle nesting season.

At least it keeps the flow of tax dollars going.

Elsewhere around the Treasure Coast...

I woke up to what I call a beachy day.  You know; grey, cloudy, windy, maybe even some rain - the things that keep most beach goers off the beach, but the kind of day I usually like to metal detect.

Wabasso Friday Morning.
Indian River County FL.

  

Looks like the water on the beach is running north to south this morning.

I've been asked a couple times why the beach cam view from the camera at the entrance to Turtle Trail isn't public.

 

Sebastian Beach Cam Friday Morning.
Sebastian Inlet Surf Report and Sebastian Inlet Surf Cam - Florida Surf Cams

The surf is definitely rougher this morning.  If I was closer, I'd definitely check out that area near where they've been moving sand lately.

So we're having some rougher surf today, but I'm looking out to next Thursday.  That looks hopeful at this point, but the predictions might hold.

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

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Here is something a little more light-hearted for when you are done watching the latest episode of Hudson and Rex...

This Otter "is the latest addition to the team at Peace River K9 Search nd Rescue. They’ve traditionally used dogs to track the scent of missing people, but when investigations spill underwater, a canine’s capabilities are limited." 

 K9 Search and Rescue dogs stop at the water's edge.  Splash, the otter, is an Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus). 

Here is the link for the entire article.

Meet Splash: This Asian Small-Clawed Otter Is The World’s First Search-And-Rescue Otter, Hunting For Missing People In Florida | IFLScience

I doubt that you'll recall, but at least two or three times in the past I've mentioned my thoughts on training an otter or seal for treasure diving.  I think the otter would love to find and bring in small, and especially shiny, objects that might be exposed.

During World War II B. F. Skinner (you might remember the name if you ever had psychology 101) trained pigeons to guide devices such as missiles.  See B.F. Skinner's Nose Cone of a Pigeon-Guided Missile | National Museum of American History

Other animals have been employed as well, such as dolphins to detect mines and seals to retrieve other objects from the sea floor.

Here is a table summarizing some of the senses used by animals that could be put to use.

Just a little thinking outside the human skull today.

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I recently talked about the elusive but yet evidently common U.S. $2 dollar bills.  Their is a coin that similarly common and yet seldom encountered in circulation.  I'm talking about the Kennedy half-dollar coins.  

There is only one place where I get these.  They give them in change every time the change comes to fifty cents or more.  I don't know why that one place always gives Kennedy halves for change.  I've suspected that the owner or somebody is into search boxes or rolls of the coin for silver of other high value coins, but I don't know if that is the reason or if they just find them handy.  I don't get them anywhere else.  In fact when spending the same coins, I've encountered young cashiers who didn't know what they were and one cashier at a Winn-Dixie that refused to accept them.  I think he could find a slot in his register to put them.  I don't know what the deal was there.

Anyhow, trillions of Kennedy halves have been minted for circulation.  Hundreds of millions were produced some years in the 1960s when they were had silver content.  Here is a table showing production in more recent years.

That seems like a lot of coins for something you almost never encounter in circulation. Where do they all go.  I guess a lot of them get put away like the $2 bills.

There are some that are more valuable.  Of course, you should watch for the early ones with silver content.  Here is a link to an article giving some of the most valuable ones.

Top 11 Most Valuable Half Dollar Coins in Circulation (With Pictures) - CoinValueChecker.com

Of course, there are the ones containing silver, which carry a little premium, but there are also some error coins to look for.  They can really be worth a lot.

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Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/12/26 Report - New Finds from a Morning Bottle Hunt. Two Dollar Bills and What to Look For.

 

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

Chas. H. Fletcher CASTORIA Bottle Find.

I caught a decent low tide this morning and decided to go on another bottle hunt.  The last hunt wasn't very productive, but I thought I might find one nice loner if I kept at it long enough.  I did take a while.  I thought about turning back a few times before I finally saw this nice blue Chas. H. Fletcher Castor bottle on the sand.  It was pretty much exposed.  It is a nice bottle, but nothing really great.  The cork is still inside.

I found both Dr. Pitcher's and Chas. Fletcher castoria bottles before, so it wasn't anything new to me.  I posted those bottles in TGBottleBarn.blogspot.com.

This product started as Dr. S. Pitcher’s Castoria , the formula being patented on May 18, 1868.  Several years later the rights to that product and recipe was sold to Charles H. Fletcher, and marketed through the J. B. Rose Company and later the Centaur Company.

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I also found a nice old aqua A. B. G. M beer bottle.   A. B. G. M. CO. isembossed on the bottom and stands for the Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Co.

Adolphus Busch Glass Manufacturing Beer Bottle.

I also found a COCOA Coca Cola bottle.  It isn't in good condition and is a "patent registered" bottle rather than one of the more valuable ones.

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My wife's recently deceased aunt left three $2.00 bills.  I found a few when my dad passed away too.  

I never see the otherwise.  To me it seems they are as rare as hen's teeth, but everything says they are not rare.

Here is what I found.

$2 bills are not rare; there are over 1.4 billion in circulation in the United States, making them relatively common. While many people believe they are rare, they continue to be printed, and certain bills can be valuable to collectors. The $2 bill is considered uncommon but not rare, and it has a bit of a negative reputation due to superstitions. Overall, while they are less frequently seen in everyday transactions, they 

are still widely available.

Here are production numbers from the Bereau of Engraving and Printing (www.bep.gov)

So, in both 2022 and 2023 over 100 million were made.  Still, I don't think I've ever received one in circulation.

There are reportedly valuable bills, but it looks like the same kinds of factors are important for $2 bills as other denominations.

Here is what to look for.

Key Factors That Make $2 Bills Valuable

1. Age and Series

• 19th-century bills: Large-size $2 bills from 1862, 1869, and 1890 are highly collectible, often fetching $500 to over $20,000 depending on condition and rarity. 

  2
• 1928–1953 series: Red seal notes, particularly the 1928-B Woods-Mills star note, are extremely rare and valuable. 

  2
• 1976 and later: Most modern $2 bills are worth face value, but special features can increase value significantly. 

  2

  
  2. Seal Color
• Red seal notes are generally more valuable than green seal notes due to lower print runs and collector demand. 

  2

  
  3. Serial Numbers
• Star notes: Replacement bills marked with a star at the end of the serial number are collectible.
• Low serial numbers: Bills starting with multiple zeros or unique patterns (solid, ladder, radar) can command high prices, sometimes reaching five figures for elite patterns. 

  2

  
  4. Condition and Grading
• Uncirculated bills in pristine condition are worth more than circulated ones. Professional grading (PMG or PCGS) can significantly increase value. 

  1

  
  5. Printing Errors
• Bills with misprints, inverted overprints, or ink smears are rare and can be highly sought after by collectors. 

Here is a link to follow up on that.  $2 Bill Value Chart 2025 - Is Your Two Dollar Bill Worth Thousands?

They sell a bunch of them on eBay - of course for a premium.  Many of those are uncirculated in series bills.

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

The most interesting thing in that chart is the up to seven foot shown in the future. However, I'm not expecting it to turn out that big. It could be though.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net