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Tuesday, April 28, 2020

4/26/20 Report - Carlos and Johanna Reales. Paleovirology. Beach Openings.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Johanna and Carlos 2-Reale
Lot 71 in Current Sedwick Auction.




You might remember my posts on the Carlos and Johanna two-reale found by Terry S.  There are several listed in the current Sedwick auction.  Here is one that is similar to Terry's.   

Here is the lot description.

Mexico City, Mexico, 2 reales, Charles-Joanna, "Late Series," assayer G to right, mintmark M to left (M-G). Nesmith-49e type; Cal-93; S-M5. 6.70 grams. Low-contrast AU with bold full details including legends, steel-gray color all over. Recovered from: "Golden Fleece wreck," sunk ca. 1550 in the northern Caribbean 

Here is the one found by Terry for comparison.

Charles and Johanna Two-Reale Found by Terry S.
Photos by Terry S.
The auction lists other Carlos and Johanna coins, including a 3-reale, and a two-reales with another assayer's mark.

 This Sedwick two-reale that I'm showing seems to be very similar to Terry's, though there are others in the auction that you might want to view.

 The assayer and mint mark sometimes change sides.  Sometimes the assayer mark is on the left and sometimes on the right.

 Besides this group of lots, there is a lot consisting of three (or four) Carlos and Johanna cobs listed as lot 1471.

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SebastianDaily says Indian River County beaches will reopen April 28, 2020, 7 AM to 7 PM.

Wabasso Beach, Golden Sands, Tracking Station Beach, Round Island Beach, the east end of Beachcomber Lane, South Beach, Humiston Beach, Sexton Plaza Beach, Conn Beach and Jaycee Beach will all be reopened. All other public beach access points will remain closed.

Walking, running, swimming, wading, floating, surfing, paddle boarding, and kayaking, and exercising will be permitted,  No sitting or laying.  
Here is the link.

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I said that the data we have on COVID-19 cases is dirty.  By that I mean that it is not it includes a variety of sources of error, one of the most important, in my opinion, is the use of inconsistent coding and reporting procedures.  Without getting into great detail, here is a just a brief part of what CDC says about their data.

CDC does not know the exact number of COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths for a variety of reasons. COVID-19 can cause mild illness, symptoms might not appear immediately, there are delays in reporting and testing, not everyone who is infected gets tested or seeks medical care, and there may be differences in how states and territories confirm numbers in their jurisdictions...

I could provide a lot more, but you can go to the site for yourself if you are interested.

If you have ever dealt with a death certificate, you might know that a cause of death can be described in various ways and is subject to a number of influences. Again, I won't comment any more on that,  but you are free to do your own research.


Here are a few more articles that you might want to check.

An article in ScienceDaily suggests bears the title, Ultraviolet LEDs prove effective in eliminating coronavirus from surfaces and, potentially, air and water.

Here is the link to that.


I've previously discussed the use of ultraviolet light for inspecting artifacts.  My favorite example had to do with a piece of red sea glass treated to be luminescent.   Ultraviolet light can be helpful for inspecting fossils too and other things.

Talking about fossils - did you know about the field of paleovirology?  Scientific American published an article entitled Ancient "Fossil" Virus Shows Infection to Be Millions of Years Old


I've talked before about the benefits of opening archaeological information up for the public, and I've talked more generally about the benefits of open access science.  Here is an article about how doctors are pooling data to help understand COVID-19.  


The same attitudes and techniques can be effectively applied to a wide variety of types of problems.    It is no surprise to me that many of the same attitudes and approaches are useful in a wide variety of fields.

I always encourage  creativity and problem solving.   For me, that is what makes metal detecting so much fun.  I also believe you can get some good ideas from the most unexpected places if you are open and think about how you can apply the information.



You'll be able to visit some beaches next week and people won't be allowed to come up to you and ask if you found anything, but I guess they can yell it from a safe distance.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

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4/25/20 Report - Oldest Spanish Fort San Anton de Carlos Found on Mound Key. Calusa Indians.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.


Site of Fort San Anton de Carlos
Source: See links below.

In 1566, Pedro Menéndez de Avilés arrived at the capital of the Calusa kingdom. During that same year Menéndez issued the order to construct Fort San Antón de Carlos, which was occupied until 1569. This fort was also the location of one of the first Jesuit missions (1567) in what is now the United States. We now can confirm what archaeologists and historians have long suspected: the location of the fort and the capital of the Calusa was Mound Key (8LL2), located in Estero Bay in southwestern Florida. In this article, we present the first archaeological evidence of structures and fortifications associated with the 16th-century Spanish fort and mission of San Antón de Carlos. We conducted this work, which includes both remote sensing and excavation, in an effort to better document the history of the Calusa capital up to and including the colonial period.

 That is an abstract of an article published in Historical Archaeology.  Here is the link to the site where you can purchase the entire article.



FloridaMuseum.ufl.edu provides the following information on the same topic.


Florida and Georgia archaeologists have discovered the location of Fort San Antón de Carlos, home of one of the first Jesuit missions in North America. The Spanish fort was built in 1566 in the capital of the Calusa, the most powerful Native American tribe in the region, on present-day Mound Key in the center of Estero Bay on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Archaeologists and historians have long suspected that the fort, named for the Catholic patron saint of lost things, was located on Mound Key. Researchers have been searching for concrete evidence in the area since 2013....
Artifacts From the Site
Photo credit: Amanda Thompson.
Researchers continue to question how the Spanish survived on Mound Key and met their daily needs despite unreliable shipments of minimal supplies from the Caribbean and strained relations with the Calusa – whose surplus supplies they needed for survival. The only Spanish fort known to be built on a shell mound, Fort San Antón de Carlos was abandoned by 1569 after the Spaniards’ brief alliance with the Calusa deteriorated, causing the Calusa to leave the island and the Spanish to follow shortly after...
Here is that link.
Additional information can be found in the newsletter by using this link.
Mound Key is a state archaeological park located in Estero Bay accessible only by watercraft. You can launch from nearby Koreshan State Park, which has its on unique history.

Here is what FloridaStateParks.org says about that.

 Koreshan State Park offers a window into the lives of a unique and eccentric pioneer group that made its home under towering oaks on the banks of the Estero River.

In 1893, the Koreshans, a religious sect founded by Dr. Cyrus R. Teed, moved here and built a settlement based on a commitment to communal living and a belief that the universe existed on the inside of the Earth. Living celibate lives, the enterprising Koreshans established a farm, nursery and botanical gardens.

The park is home to 11 immaculately restored and nationally registered historic buildings erected by the Koreshans between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A quiet and peaceful refuge amid busy Fort Myers, the park's interpretative and natural resources provide great opportunities to learn and and to enjoy nature. 
Here is a little more history on that.

Following the 1908 death of Dr. Teed, who had renamed himself “Koresh,” Hebrew for “Cyrus,” the Unity went into decline. Several groups split to form other groups. One, The Order of Theocracy, left in 1910, moved to nearby Fort Myers and lasted until 1931. The fact the Unity was celibate did not help, although celibacy was not the real problem; there was a married status within the Unity. However, celibates were the highest order and held the most important positions. With members leaving and no new members joining, the Unity slowly dwindled.
In 1961, Hedwig Michel, one of the few surviving members, and president of the Koreshans’ religious community, deeded the property to the State of Florida, which then became Koreshan State Park. In 1967, after restoration of eleven buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places, the park was renamed Koreshan State Historic Site. In 2017, shortly after Hurricane Irma, the site again became Koreshan State Park.

That reminds me of the 1993 Waco siege of the Branch Davidians by federal agents that lasted 51 days and ended in a fire that killed 80 men, women and children.  David Koresh, the leader of the cult, was born Vernon Wayne Howell.  Maybe he got the idea for his name from the Koreshans or maybe it was a Bible thing.
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I saw a fellow from the Bureau of Land Management on TV.  He seemed to be encouraging people to visit and enjoy BLM lands. He suggested a visit to the blm.org web site.  They don't seem to have any land in Florida, unless I missed it.

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I just received more news on the Indian River County beach openings from DJ.  Here it is.

S: Some IRC Beaches to open 4-28-20 at 7am
The public beach access points at Golden Sands, Wabasso Beach, Tracking Station Beach, Round Island Beach, the east end of Beachcomber Lane, South Beach, Humiston Beach, Sexton Plaza Beach, Conn Beach and Jaycee Beach will open to the public on 4-28 with conditions. Click on this link to read IRC Executive Order #2020-005: 

 https://www.ircgov.com/Public_Notices/COVID-19/Beach_Re-opening.pdf

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If you've been wondering about your stimulus check, JamminJack Just got his.  Here is what he said.

I just checked my mail this evening, and there was the check for $1200. I went online immediately to compare to a legitimate one and looks real. I had just earlier that day checked "Get My Payment", and said should receive by 24th. Hmm, today!

If anyone needs info to check online here is what to expect;

Social Security 
Birth Date
Address used for filing
Zip Code.

Take Care, JamminJack

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On the Treasure Coast we'll be having nothing but one and two foot surf for another week.

Getting real close to 2.5 million page views.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

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Friday, April 24, 2020

4/24/20 Report - $70,000 Atocha Gold Finger Bar. Glass Ring, Revolutionary War Shipwreck.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Gold Finger Bar.
Source: Current Sedwick Auction (See link below)



The finger bar shown above is one of the lots in the current Sedwick auction.  Below is the lot description. The finger bar has an auction estimate of $35,000 to $70,000.

Long, cut gold "finger" bar #63, 669 grams, marked with fineness XX and three dots (20.75K), tax stamps and foundry/assayer SARGOSA / PECARTA, ex-Atocha (1622), ex-Christie's. 8-1/4" long, 1" wide and 1/4" thick. Veritably tattooed with markings on one side, including a full SARGOSA / PECARTA near the cut end, three bold incuse XX fineness marks, each next to an incuse three-dot mark (missed by the Christie's catalogers) to make it 20.75K, plus at least ten partial tax stamps of Philip III, also with cylindrical assayer's "bite" in lightly shaved part at rounded end, curious light scratch along the length of the marked side, traces of encrustation in crevices, stippled Fisher number on unmarked side, great provenance and impressive in length and markings. From the Atocha (1622), with photo-certificate #85A-1202A (TSI #GB063), and pedigreed to the Christie's (New York) auction of June 1988 (lot #95).


And here is another lot - a glass ring.

Spanish Colonial Glass Ring.
Source: Current Sedwick Treasure Auction.


Deagan's Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 - 1800, shows that over 11,000 glass rings being shipped to the New World from1590 to 1692.  

Detectorists haven't found any that I know of, which is not surprising, but archaeologists have.  They might not survive in shipwreck environments.

The one shown above is listed in the current Sedwick auction.  Here is the lot description.

Intact black-glass ring (size 1-3/4) with Maltese cross design, Spanish colonial (1500s-1600s), rare. 1.41 grams. Very thick black glass, rather light but not too delicate and small for modern fingers. Found in a Spanish colonial area of the southern Caribbean.

And here is the link to the online catalog.


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A woman found a Revolutionary War shipwreck in a New Jersey creek.

… "I decided to look at New Jersey shipwrecks for my graduate thesis, so I went to our state historic preservation office, looked through some files and found this one," said Urmey, who is also a social worker at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst when she's not in school.

"I thought of this as a challenge, because the documentation said there's only 10% or 15% of the vessel left. I thought, 'Sounds like something I'll just dive into.' "

There has been knowledge of Revolutionary War-era vessels at the bottom of Crosswicks Creek and elsewhere in the Delaware River for a long time, but even during low tide they are rarely visible, and not much of the ships remain...

Here is the link for more about that.   Thanks to Douglas.

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Recently I mentioned my concern about the challenge of having a population stressed by the recent COVID pandemic while the hurricane season rapidly approaches and other risks could be on the horizon.  I received an email from one person who contributes often to this blog.  That person was a County Emergency Manager.  (I've said before that you might be surprised to learn who metal detects and reads this blog.  They are intelligent accomplished people.)  Below is what he said in response.


This is a real concern and one I was very familiar with as my tenure as county Emergency Manager. My team worked very hard in trying to get the public to prepare for every hurricane season without much success. Some resistance was due to apathy and the “it won’t happen” mindset. A lot of it was due to “emergency fatigue”; where repeated warnings that do not result in an emergency just wears people out. People may just start to ignore the messages simply because they are tired of hearing about them.

And this is during a ‘normal' (non-pandemic) hurricane season.

As far as economics, each year we published a 12-week plan to assemble emergency supplies - supplies that would be consumed anyway in a year. We suggested using the BOGO sales and cleaning one gallon milk containers for use during an approaching storm event. Doing this meant one could prepare with zero or little cost.

One thing many may have learned the hard way due to COVID is it is foolish to trust a just-in-time or 3-day inventory system for critical food and other supplies. I hope this prompts more people to plan ahead.
So you are very correct in thinking this may be a challenge with simultaneous COVID and hurricane preparation. 

While hurricane season is still over a month away, a strong hurricane hit the Florida panhandle in May of 1863.

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Bill Bryan, Under Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, reported some important findings.  They found that sunlight, heat and humidity dramatically reduces the half-life of the Coronavirus.  I love it when they get past the generalizations and starting talking real science with real numbers. 

Weeks ago when I started using a facemask, whenever I was alone in the car I always left my facemasks on the dashboard of my car with the theory that the heat and sunlight would help.  Seemed like a good idea.

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On the Lighter Side.

Eight out of ten dogs surveyed liked the company they've had since the stay-at-home order went into effect.  Ten percent were not in favor because it cramped their style.  And ten percent were concerned that their owners not going to work might affect their regular supply of food and treats.

Facial beauty is no longer seen as an asset by women who wear facemasks.  Lipstick sales have dropped dramatically.

Online dating is now much preferred because that is the only way you can see the face of your hook-ups.  

Safe sex now means wearing a mask.

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One thing you can do while waiting to get out to get some sun is browse the auction listings.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

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