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Friday, July 31, 2020

7/31/20 Report: Part II. Cone Shows Isaias To Be Over The Treasure Coast As a Level One Hurricane Now. Keep Tuned.

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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov


Since the morning NHC predictions for Isaias, there has been some change to the cone but not much.

The track is almost the same, but the track might be a just a little more to the west and over land, but you'll notice that the biggest change is that it now is over the Treasure Coast as a hurricane.  Before it was just a tropical storm.  So it appears that the prediction is for a slightly stronger storm and perhaps just a touch more west.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to that though.  There is still plenty of time for things to change.

The surf is supposed to begin increasing tomorrow morning and gradually work up to maximum size by tomorrow night.

Keep watching,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net


7/31/20 Report - Isais Looks To Be Heading In Direction Of Treasure Coast. Bigger Surf For Saturday. Remnants of Calcited Shell in Rock?

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

Isais This Morning.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Not a lot has changed, but there is a lot to watch.  Besides Isais, there are two more areas that could develop.  One is just coming off of Africa, and is not in the above image.


Cone For Isais
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see, we are in the cone, but the center of the cone is just off-shore.

I looked at some of the models, and some models have Isais hitting land down south and going west.  It doesn't look like we would get much of anything, if that is the way it goes.  One model has it moving quickly and being a level one hurricane as it passes us just off-shore.  That model shows it being a stronger storm and moving more quickly.

The image above shows the storm getting here by early Sunday AM.  Some models have it moving more quickly than others.



Surf Predictions.
Source: MagicSeaweed.com.

Magicseaweed is showing the biggest surf for the Ft. Pierce area to be around 9PM Saturday.

The outgoing tide will be around 12 PM.

It looks like the wind will be north only for a short while.

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Here is a summary of what you need to know from the weather forecast office.


Thanks to DJ.



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Joe D. took a shot at finding the ring that was reported lost on instagram.

   I happened to catch today's post early enough this morning to attempt a low tide hunt for the lost ring at Palm Beach Shores! It was quite a hike, and the beach was packed! So i stuck to wet sand, and shallow water! I had about a good hour before the water was to deep to function! The large amount of Sargassum weed was the biggest hinderence to hunting; along with the boat wakes! 
    In the end, i found several lead weights, fish hooks, trash,  and a few coins! I wish i could have gotten there about an hour earlier, as the tide was falling!  But locating the approximate site area took more time than i anticipated, and was father away than i thought!
  There was one other detectorist in the water, as i was leaving! He had a dedicated water detector! Hope he had better luck! He was later than me to arrive; and i didn't get a chance to speak with him! So i don't know if he was also hunting for the ring, as he was a few hundred feet North of the estimated loss location! 
   The incoming storm will probably alter the ring's location dramatically! But who knows, hopefully someone will get lucky, find, and be able to return it!
   Depending on the damage we receive, or hopefully lack of!!🤞 I may attempt another another try or two!


Thanks for trying Joe.  And thanks for sharing.


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Stone with Calcite Crystals Surrounding Hole.


I picked up this rock with calcite crystals when I picked up some fossils a week or two ago.

Notice the calcite crystals surrounding the hole in the rock.  I don't know how that happened, but my guess is that the rock once surrounded a shell that now only remains as calcite crystals.

That is my wild guess.   Let me know what you think happened.

Below is a closer view of the calcite crystals formed around and appearing to emanate from the hole.


Closeup yView of Small Hole 
Showing Structure of Calcite Crystals.


As I mentioned before, calcite crystals are the most collected Florida gem.  I've talked about calcite crystals and fossilized shells in the past, including in the following very popular post.



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Bernell Trammell 
Independent Thinker and Champion of Free Speech Murdered.


I saw the story and wanted to pay respects to Trammell as a representative of the many lives being lost to the moral disease running rampant in our country.



I was reminded of a famous psychological study that I read several decades ago: The Three Christs of Ypsilanti.   Each of three patients in a particular mental institution thought they were Christ.  They were put together.   They argued for a while, but eventually found the discussion futile, so discontinued.

That is very much like our country now.  One big difference is that anybody can find a forum or group that supports their position and helps them, without the necessity of independent thought, become more fossilized and radical in their position.  All the answers can be found online repeated ad nauseum for the susceptible who then go out like automatons to police any divergent thought or speech.

Many, including much of the media, seem incapable of reading or hearing a sentence as given.  Words are ignored or added as suits the position.  Then they attack what they thought they saw or heard, or what they felt was meant or implied, whether it was or not.  Very often the argument they attack has little relationship to the idea that was actually presented, which leaves the attacker with the feeling of success, even when the mark was completely missed.  The original thought was neither heard nor understood, yet it is believed to be successfully addressed or refuted, while the other side sees the issue as remaining unaddressed.

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Keep watching for developments.

I'll be back when I learn more.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net




Thursday, July 30, 2020

7/30/20 Report - Tropical Storm Headed Right At Us. Lost Ring. Shark Bite Tooth. Plantation Archaeology.


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

Tropical Storm Isaias.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov


The big news iys that we now have a tropical storm named Isaias, which has a predicted track coming right at us.  According to the current predictions is should be on or very near the Treasure Coast by Sunday.  We should get bigger waves by Saturday.


Cone for Isaias.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The direction and expected winds could change at any time.

===




DNA from tooth in Florida man’s foot solves 25-year-old shark bite mystery

When Jeff Weakley tweezed open a blister-like bulge on his foot, he was not expecting to find a piece of tooth from a shark that bit him while he was surfing off Flagler Beach in 1994.

He also did not imagine that a DNA test of the tooth, conducted by scientists at the Florida Museum of Natural History, would reveal the kind of shark that had nabbed his foot nearly a quarter century ago: a blacktip...

Here is the link for more about that.


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Here is an instagram posting showing a ring that was recently lost as well as the location.  Maybe you can help find it if it hasn't already been found.


Thanks to Alberto S. for that.

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Plantation Archaeology at Rivière aux Chiens, ca. 1725-1848 is the title of a good lengthy article on the archaeology of the Mobile Bay area, extending from the indigenous populations up through 1848. Along with many other things, it presents a good sample of various artifacts.

I enjoyed browsing it and think you will too.
That must be his 4th position on masks.  And you wonder why they don't retire before age 100.

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Predicted Fort Pierce Surf.
Source: MagicSeaWeed.conm


The surf is still one to two feet on the Treasure Coast but it looks like it will get much bigger Saturday.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

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Wednesday, July 29, 2020

7/29/20 Report - Watching Potential Cyclone Nine. Upcoming Auction. Gold and Silver Prices Up.


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


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Source: nhc.noaa.gov




The big news for me today is potential cyclone Nine, which, according to the models, could be heading for Florida.

Since the storm does not yet have a well-defined center, the direction and track is still very uncertain.  

This is something we need to keep watching.

The ICON model has it coming towards us while the GEM model has it passing closer to Cuba and being weaker by that point.  

Position Saturday Morning According to ICON Model
Source: Vyentusky.com


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Price of Gold For Year.


Gold has been moving higher, especially in recent days.   Yesterday it reached $1965 per oz., which is a new high for the past year.   

We are in an inflationary trend.  The dollar is moving lower while gold and silver is moving higher.

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The main things is to keep an eye on developing storms.  Get your equipment ready just in case.

Also, I expect to be seeing some big 2020 treasure finds before long.  They have been made.  I'm just waiting to be able to show them.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net


Tuesday, July 28, 2020

7/28/20 Report - Storm Appears To Be Headed Right At Treasure Coast Now. Dangers of Over-Generalizing.


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

Bottle Photo With Inset Showing Enlarged Spec.



There are a lot of good things being found.  Photos will be posted when permitted.  I don't think it will be too long from now.

You know how when the kids and dogs are making a ruckus in the other room, and all of a sudden it gets real quiet?  You know from the quiet that something is going on.  I thought it was too quiet in some quarters, and it turns out I was right.

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I was taking photos of the bottle shown above one day and noticed a strange black speck that appeared in one photo.  I did my best to enlarge the speck to see if I could tell what caused it.  You can see that in the photo.

My brother-in-law thought I was the luckiest person in the world to have captured a photo of a UFO.  I thought it could possibly be some sort of reflection from dust on the camera lens or something, although it did not appear in the photos I took just seconds before with the same bottle and background, and it did not appear in photos I took just after that.  An excellent photographer thought that might be a bug caught flying by, but he also pointed out how similar it looked to an object shown in a video  recently released by the Pentagon.  Here is that link.


I don't know what I caught in my photo.  I don't jump to conclusions without compelling evidence, but what I do know is that people look at things differently.  My brother-in-law was sure I captured a UFO.  Other people had other ideas.   

When you look at the world, you see a part of yourself.  Your brain affects your perceptions and how you interpret things.  

There are differences in how people process information.  You've probably heard the expression about not being able to see the forest for the trees, but it works the other way too.  Sometimes people can't see the trees for the forest.  By that I mean that they look at the general and don't see the specifics.  And sometimes they distort the specifics to fit their preconceptions.  That is one way to avoid learning.

In metal detecting, there are those old generalizations we've all heard, such as heavy objects sink deeper, or big waves create erosion and improve beach conditions.  Those generalizations are true to some extent, at least some of the time, but they aren't always true and they aren't completely true.  Life is usually more complex, and there are multiple factors.

If you believe that big waves result in good beach hunting, you would have been very disappointed if you visited South Beach Miami right after Hurricane Andrew.  There were high waves and the water washed up over the beach, but it created almost no erosion along a very long stretch.  I think most of us now acknowledge that the direction of the waves have something to do with it, as does the angle of the beach - not to mention even more factors.  Andrew did erode and open up some good hunting in other nearby areas, such as Key Biscayne.

There are different kinds of beaches.  The easy contrast is a beach like John Brooks that can be contrasted with a beach such as Turtle Trail.  One is wide and low.  The other is narrower and has a sharp dune cliff at the back.  They work differently in some respects.

What is true of one beach may not be true of another.  The way eight foot waves change a beach when the waves come straight from the east might be different than how eight foot waves change a beach when they come from the north.  

What I'm saying is that things are usually fairly complex and many of the generalities that we hear repeated, while they might be useful to some extent, do not tell the entire story.  Things might seem simple on the surface, but when you are curious and dig a little deeper, you find out there is more to the story.

It is often said that heavy objects sink faster and are found deeper.  That is sometimes true, but you'd be more accurate if you talked about density and other factors such as the shape of the object.  Sometimes you'll find lead sinkers near the surface and above much lighter objects.  It happens.  It could be that the sinkers were recently dropped and haven't had time to sink, but if you just attribute the difference to time, you ignore the forces at work that actually causes things to end up where they do.

My main point today is that simplistic generalizations can be helpful, even when they are not entirely accurate, but there are usually additional factors that need to be considered if you want to be more accurate and precise.

Some people keep it simple.  They like broad sweeping generalizations, but others like to be more specific and precise.  Some people like to make things fit into a few big categories, while other people like to pay attention to the specifics, the details and the exceptions to the big generalizations.  That is the big reason we have so much division in our country.  Did you notice, for example, that BLM is completely antithetical to the dream of Martin Luther King. The dream of considering people as individuals instead of judging them by their skin color is the exact opposite of making everything about skin color.  BLM puts people into big categories (black and white), while MLK was trying to break people out of those categories.  That just shows that the differences in how people process information applies to all kinds of things - not just treasure hunting.

There are those that can't, or won't, see the trees for the forest, as well as those who can't see the forest for the trees.  The first group sees the generalities and tries to make everything fit into their broad categories, and the other group pays a lot of attention to specifics, including the exceptions to the general rule.  

The general application to treasure hunting that I want to bring out today is use your generalities, but realize that there are usually more factors to be taken into account.  Test your generalities though.  And when you find cases that don't fit, instead of explaining them away or forcing them to fit your  preconceptions, consider changing your mind.  One of the biggest obstacles to learning is mistaken confidence.  Learning requires an open attitude and is facilitated by a humble questioning mind.  You can easily avoid it.

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William Shakespeare wrote, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.  

In Corinthians 13:12 St.. Paul says, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

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Cone For Tropical Cyclone Nine.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The cone for tropical cyclone Nine is headed directly at us now.  The prediction is for it to hit near us as a tropical storm around Sunday morning, but it is too early to tell for sure.

Keep watching,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net











Monday, July 27, 2020

7/27/20 Report - Latest Storm Heading Our Way. 2015 Salvage Season More Than Two Great Days.


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

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see, the remnants of Hanna is now in Mexico and Gonzalo is gone, but there is a new kid on the block.  That one has an 80% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

I took a look to see what the models are predicting for that one.  I thought it might follow in the tracks of Gonzalo, but it looks like it might take a more northerly track and go just east of the Bahamas.  

It is still too far out there to know what it is going to do, but here is what the GFS model shows.


Center Down by Danto Domingo on July 31. (GFS Model)
Source: Ventusky.com.


Center East of the Bahamas on Aug. 2. (GFS Model)
Source: Ventusky.com


The winds are not strong by the time it gets up near the Bahamas and the model has it staying well east of us.  Nonetheless, that is just a prediction, and could be way off.

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I wanted to finish the topic of the 300th anniversary find today by giving some context.  2015 was a good salvage season overall.  There were a lot of other good finds that year, which got over-shadowed, or should I say out shined, by the 350 gold coins.  There was a stream of finds reported that year leading up to the big find.

The 300th anniversary of the sinking of the 1715 Fleet was much anticipated.  The Rainbow Chasers Tricentennial Yearbook by T. L. Armstrong and Tommy Gore was copyrighted in 2015, and the Limited Color edition came out in January of that year.  

The Capitana was tweaked for working in close and the crew was tuned in.  Reales and escudos were being found, along with some great artifacts.

One day diver Grant picked up 90 musket balls.  Another day a huge hook.

I took those musket balls as a good sign.  I've talked about that before.  And I kept thinking they were getting close.  It wasn't only the musket balls, but after the musket balls, I thought they were really getting close.

I know you can't tell when the next hole might be the big one, but people get feelings.  Sometimes those feelings prove good and sometimes not.  But I don't take the many musket balls and other finds before the big find as being purely coincidental.

Here are just a few more of the images leading up to the big find.  These photos were submitted to the blog in 2015 by Captain Jonah.



Cannon Ball Found by Jonah and Capitana Crew
Posted on 6/8/15





Escudo Found Along With Reales
Posted 6/21/15





Capitana Working In Close With Detectorist in Background.
Posted 6/29/15




Big Hook Found along With Cobs.
Posted 7/8/15



Some of the 90 Musket Balls
Posted 7/17/15



That was a great year, but I don't believe it will be the last.  In fact, something big could happen again real soon.



Not everybody was following this blog five years ago, and I know of some who weren't even into metal detecting or treasure hunting back then, so this might be new news to them.

Somebody just asked me what the value of the 300th anniversary find would be.  The most quoted estimate I saw was $4.5 million.  Many of the coins were so rare that there would be no way to tell the value collectors might put on them.  Only time and the auction block would tell.

The link to the video I posted yesterday was the link I originally posted back in 2015, and it no longer worked.  I went back and substituted this link that does still work.


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The Treasure Coast surf will be only one or two feet for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

















Sunday, July 26, 2020

7/26/20 Report - More On 5th Anniversary of the Amazing 1715 Fleet 300th Anniversary Find. Bass Pro Metal Detectors. Storm Scene.

Yesterday I thought it was a good time to celebrate and remember the amazing 300th Anniversary find of 300 gold coins made in 2015 by Captain Jonah Martinez and the crew of the Capitana.  In just a few days it will be the 5th anniversary of that find.

Yesterday I posted a flashback to the first post I made after the news became public.

There were a few beach detectorists nearby when the finds were being made.  Fred B. caught the historic photo of the celebration (shown below), which shows Jonah and the Capitana crew as well as Brent and a few others.

Captain Jonah called Brent to come down and see what they were finding.

Here is how I posted it in 2015 after the find had been made public.


Friday, August 21, 2015

8/21/15 - More On The Capitana's 4.5 Million Dollar Treasure Coast Finds...


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

Capitana Celebration
Photo taken and submitted by Fred B.
I have a lot more to post about the Captiana's recent finds.  There were about 300 2-escudos alone. Then there are all those beautiful royals, or as I now prefer to call them, rounds.  There is a lot to see and talk about.

I'll have a series of posts on these recent finds.  This is the third already, so there will be a few more. Maybe I'll spread them over a few days. I didn't plan to do so many posts on the finds, but it is the 300th Anniversary of the sinking of the 1715 Fleet, and the finds on that anniversary makes it a very auspicious occasion.  On top of that, I couldn't tell about the finds as soon as they were made, so I accumulated pictures and information.  Now I can tell more about it.

I heard Brent say it wasn't just coincidence.  He said the wreck wanted more of the story to be told on the 300th Anniversary.

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be down there with your metal detector and you find a pile of gold cobs.  You're about to get some idea.

Captain Jonah sent me the following video clip.  It is a lot of fun.

One Frame From Following Video Clip.

Be sure your sound is on and click this link to see the video. 

https://www.floridatoday.com/videos/news/local/2015/08/19/31979083/

I love the sound of the detector and of the guys hooting and hollering under water.

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Lima 8-escudos Found By The Capitana Guys
Photo by Fred B.
Fred B. was out where the Capitana was working one day and got some great pictures.  They let him hold this escudo, and took the photo with it in his hand.  He said he was excited to hold something like that.

Come to think of it, these guys remind me a little of the late and great Art McKee.  He was a friendly guy too.  He would give you a personal tour of his museum if you happened to come by when the was there.  He was even known to take people out to dive on a wreck site.

Back to the coin.  As you can see, it is an 8-escudo minted in Lima in 1711.  The mint mark is M. That is a common date I've been seeing in a lot of the pictures.  You might remember that 9 or 11 of the royals were of that date.

M is the mint mark of Felix Cristobal Cano Melgarejo, who was the assayer for gold coins in Lima from 1709 - 1729.

As is typical of cobs of this period in Lima, the legend is incomplete.  It would read ET YNDIARVM REX ANO 1711 if you could see it all.

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That is the way it was back in 2015.

JamminJack said he was just talking about that find with friends the other day and how that it brings to mind the "carpet of gold" and Mel, Mo and Real 8. 

Jack also said, I was at Bass Pro looking for some shoes for fishing, metal detecting, etc. Bought a pair on sale. As I was looking around, I was surprised to see all the detectors, gear, etc. What really caught my eye at the bottom of the rack was the famous Garrett AT Pro. It was only 2 dollars more then KellyCo. I am hoping they will put it on sale soon. I can get 5% off as a veteran, but not enough to buy one. I think they are overpriced, but considered one of the better pinpointer.

Correction offered by Jack: I meant to say Garrett All Terrain Pinpointer. The metal detector has the same name AT Pro, which is shown on top shelf...



Metal Detectors at Bass Pro
Photo by JamminJack.


So if you don't want to buy mail order, there is an option.  You might want to check the latest prices.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov


As you can see, now there are two.  Gonzalo disappeared.  

Hurricane Hanna hit Texas and weakened to a tropical storm.

And, the system out in the Atlantic is organizing and has a 60% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours.

Too soon to tell where it will go.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net


Saturday, July 25, 2020

7/25/20 Report - 5th Anniversary of 300th Anniversary Find of 350 1715 Fleet Gold Coins. Hurricanes and Tropical Storms.


I'm doing a flashback today to remember a historic find that was made nearly five years ago.  

We are nearing the fifth anniversary of the amazing 300th Anniversary 1715 Fleet find of 350 gold coins. The 350 coins were found on July 30 and 31 of 2015 by Captain Jonah Martinez and the crew of the Capitana on the 300th Anniversary of the sinking of the 1715 Fleet.

Since we are quickly approaching the 5th anniversary of that historic find, I thought it would be a good time to review and celebrate that historic find once again.

I knew of the find long before it was posted, but was asked to hold the news until it was made public. It was first announced to the world by Brent Brisbane on the CBS This Morning show with Charlie Rose. After it was made public I posted the news in Treasure Beaches Report as follows.  After the flashback you'll find new information on the current storm situation and a few additional comments.


Wednesday, August 19, 2015

8/19/15 Report - YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS! New Treasure Finds From The Treasure Coast - Just Released.


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


New Treasure Found On The Treasure Coast This Year
Photo provided by Captain Jonah Martinez of the Capitana.
I think I mentioned in one post recently that the salvage crews on the Treasure Coast were doing better than any year going way back to the eighties. Here is what I was talking about.

I had to hold onto the pictures until they were released. Now I'm able to show them.

Brent Brisben, co-founder of 1715 Fleet Queens Jewels LLC, showed some of the finds on CBS News this morning.  Congratulations Brent!

Here's the link.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/spanish-gold-coins-worth-millions-found-off-florida-coast/

Can you imagine how excited the divers were when they saw the glitter of gold on the bottom.

I remember when I got the picture of all the musket balls.  I thought, they are close.  I was right.

You'll undoubtedly see more on the news in the coming days.


Another Picture Of The New Treasure Coast Finds.
Picture provided by Captain Jonah Martinez.
You can see all denominations in there.  And look at the big 8-escudos and Royals.

These are just the first of the pictures that I will post.  There will be more.  I'll have some bigger closeups and other nice views and details.

Captain Jonah picked the hot spot.  Way to go Captain!

Thanks to Captain Martinez for sharing the pictures, and congratulations to the crew and all who were lucky enough to play a part in this great find!
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That is the way it was almost five years ago.

The find included 9 Royal Mexico Eight Escudos with dates of 1711 and 1712.  It was the biggest recovery of gold coins (both in number and value) in the past 30 years. Included were one, two, four and eight escudos. The three major mints of Mexico City, Santa Fe de Bogota, and Lima along with three Cuzco two-escudos were included.

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Dan B., as a crew member of the Capitana on the day of the find, wrote a book of his experiences leading up to and including that historic find, but as far as I know never published it.  I have a copy of the draft, and provided some editorial suggestions, but for some reason Dan didn't want the book publicized. 

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In Allan Craig's Colonial Gold Coins in the Florida Collection  (copyrighted in 2000), Craig stated the following.

Eventually there may be still be more additions to the state holdings from future divisions, but the great bulk of specie believed to be on board (based upon manifests) has already been recovered. The actual number of gold coins remaining to be recovered from the 1715 wrecks is probably not great....

That was 15 years before the 300th Anniversary find of 350 gold coins.  Nobody knows how much more is out there, but it could be big.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov


Hanna is now a hurricane and is just off the coast of Texas.  

Gonzalo is a tropical storm and looks like it will stay down around South America.

The other system coming off Africa is still too far away to say much about.

Happy hunting,
Treasure Guide@comcast.net

Friday, July 24, 2020

7/24/20 Report - Shortage of Coins in Circulation. When Humans Arrived in America. Two Named Storms Now.


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


It might be a good time to put some of those dug coins into circulation.  The US mint is asking people to spend their coins due to a coin shortage.

Here is that link.


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Artefacts, including 1,900 stone tools, showed human occupation of the high-altitude Chiquihuite Cave over a roughly 20,000 year period, they reported in two studies, published in Nature.

"Our results provide new evidence for the antiquity of humans in the Americas," Ciprian Ardelean, an archeologist at the Universidad Autonoma de Zacatecas and lead author of one of the studies, told AFP.

"There are only a few artefacts and a couple of dates from that range," he said, referring to radiocarbon dating results putting the oldest samples at 33,000 to 31,000 years ago.


Here is the link for more about that.




People make too many broad generalizations from too little evidence for my liking.  That is not science, in my opinion.  

The way the term "science" has been abused misused so much lately, especially in regard to COVID, that I almost want to quit using the term altogether.  "Data" is another term that is being thrown around in a way that makes it nearly meaningless.

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Yesterday I mentioned the number one most-read post of the Treasure Beaches Report.  The second most read was a 2013 post about two hurricanes and the most searched collectible categories.  

Here is the link.


I can't tell why it was so popular.  Maybe it was the hurricanes and maybe it was the collectibles or something else.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We have two named storms now -  Hanna and Gonzalo.  

Hanna is heading towards Texas and Gonzalo is predicted to stay well south of Florida.

The Treasure Coast surf will remain in the two to three foot range for at least a few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Thursday, July 23, 2020

7/23/20 Report - 16th Century Pendant Found by Four-Year-Old: Most Read Post. Fossil Spots Pinpointed. Tropical Storm Gonzalo.



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


16th Century Gold Pendant Found by
4 Year-Old With A Metal Detector.
Source: See link below.


Looking back over the years, some posts got more attention than others. I decided to see which posts were read by the most people, and decided to review some of those, not only because they were popular, but also because some did not stand alone.  They were the subject of continuing posts as more was learned.

I can't tell for sure why a post gets a lot of attention, because most posts touch on a number os subjects.  And links are sometimes posted on other sites, so they get more attention.  Anyhow, a post can get attention for a variety of reasons.  Nonetheless some get more attention than others, so today I picked out the all-time most read post of Treasure Beaches Report to review.  As you might expect it was posted a long time ago.  Old posts continue to get attention even after years have elapsed and there have been many new posts.

The main story of the most read post is about a four-year old boy who found a 16th century gold pendant while playing with a metal detector with his father.  That story certainly has a lot to catch a person's interest.  Not only is the find extremely nice, but the idea of playing around with a metal detector and stumbling onto such a nice find shows that it can happen to anyone.

Here is the original story as I found it in the source article.  

James Hyatt, a four-year-old boy from Essex, found a 16th century old gold pendant, according to international news. Using a metal detector, Hyatt unearthed the treasure with his father in May last year in a field in Hockley from about six to eight inches deep in the ground. The 16th century old treasure has an image of the Virgin Mary engraved on it.

The money that will be generated when the pendant is sold that is reportedly worth £2.5m, will be divided between the Hyatt family and the landowner.

Examination by England‘s British Museum revealed that the pendant contains 73% gold and weighs one-third of an ounce (8.68g).

The  pendant was first thought to show the Virgin Mary, but as is often the case, the first thought wasn't correct.  People were soon wondering if the picture was St. Helena rather than Mary.

St Helena was the mother of Constantine I The Great who made her an empress. She visited the Holy Land in search of the missing Cross.

Here is the link that tells more about that.


But that wasn't the end of it either.  The British Museum studied the pendant, and described it as a locket that was once enameled.

Another View of the Pendant
Previously Not Posted In This Blog.

Source: See TheGuardian,com link below.


Here is the story as it was presented in TheGuardian.com web site (link below) after being studied by the British Museum.  

A 500-year-old gold reliquary, beautifully engraved with the names of the Magi and images of Christ and St Helena, which was found by a four-year-old playing with his father's metal detector, has gone on display for the first time at the British Museum.

It would once have been brilliantly coloured, with enamel work filling in the letters and decoration, and may once have contained a relic of the cross. It probably dropped from the neck of some wealthy and pious person, and lay undiscovered in the field for half a millennium.

James Hyatt, from Billericay, was four when he found the pendant two years ago one Sunday afternoon in Hockley, Essex, while he was out with his father Jason. He was fortunately probably too young to understand the excited speculation at the time that his discovery could be worth millions, but may get a superior Christmas stocking from the £70,000 paid with grants from the Art Fund charity and the Friends of the museum, shared between the Hyatts and the landowner.

The little locket was jammed shut when found. After conservation work by Marilyn Hockey at the museum, the back panel slid open again for the first time in centuries – but there was nothing inside except some fibres of flax, probably once grown locally.

James's find was genuine buried treasure though. It was officially declared treasure by a coroner's inquest, and has now become one of the permanent treasures of the British Museum's medieval gallery.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/dec/21/medieval-pendant-british-museum

So it is a great find and a great story that continued to develop beyond the original post.  I'm not sure how many times I mentioned it, but I know it is three or more.

From time to time I will mention some of the top posts from the past along with additions or comments.  

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I recently posted some fossil finds and had some readers comment thank me for that.  JamminJack mentioned a couple areas where fossils have been found.  Below is what he said.

Nice picture. I took some really nice photos of a sunset from McLarty Museum with a dock in the foreground, Indian River, and Sebastian in the background. I miss those sunsets!

Many years ago, some of my best fossils along the Treasure Coast were found north of Treasure Shore Park. Just past the house with the shoring was a very deep trench. When the surf was rough, I would find large shark teeth, native american artifacts, etc. Some of the few emeralds I found were at this location. Golden Sand also had some deep trenches, but were filled by the nourishment.

Your photo reminded me how I missed being down there.

Jammin Jack 

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Yesterday I was watching TV when I saw one of those alerts come on the screen.  It was a coastal hazard alert for the counties in the Treasure Coast area as well as maybe one or two more counties.  I then found the alert online also, which mentioned rip currents and a south to north running longshore current.  Too bad I didn't copy it at the time, but I hooked the link up to my blog (on the front page ) under the title Beach Hazard Alerts.  It does not keep old alerts, but new alerts will show up from time to time.  There is also a lot of other weather information you will find there if you explore the site.

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Gold continues to increase in price.  It began the year around $1550 per ounce and is now around $1860.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Now we have tropical depression Eight and tropical storm Gonzalo.

Eight looks like it will be nothing other than a tropical storm hitting Texas.

Gonzalo still has a long way to go.

Gonzalo
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

It looks like Gonzalo will become a hurricane before long, but perhaps weaken after that.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

7/22/20 Report - Around the Treasure Coast: Beaches Conditions and Metal Detecting. Reader Comments. Immokalee Florida Article.

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


Turtle Trail Tuesday A Little After Noon Tuesday.
Photo by DJ.



Turtle Trail Tuesday.
Photo by DJ.

Above are a couple of photos from Turtle Trail taken Tuesday a little after noon.  Compare those with the following photo of John Brooks taken Tuesday just a little later.

John Brooks Beach Tuesday Afternoon.


Both beaches have a lot of seaweed, and a small cut and similar slope.

At John Brooks the cut was smaller and the first step had moved back towards the dunes since I was there Saturday.

I saw one fellow detecting the flat above the first step when I stopped at Brooks.  I think he sent the following photo and email.

John Brooks Tuesday
Photo by Frank B.


Good evening! I came across your website a couple of weeks ago as I was planning a visit to the Florida treasure coast area to do some detecting. I wish I would have discovered your website years ago! I have learned so much about the treasure coast and the 1715 Fleet wrecks from your information. Based on your last couple of entries I visited John Brooks Beach today (Tuesday). My wife, Lili, used my Equinox while I used my CZ-21. Neither of us had much luck, however, the cut that was apparent in your photo on Saturday has seriously deteriorated already. I found 2 pennies, some sort of MLB token that is vaguely yellow (and really got my heart pumping for about 10 seconds!), and many fishing sinkers and bits of aluminum. I have attached a photo of John Brooks Beach as of 5 hours ago (see attached).

Although I am American from the Chicago area, I usually detect in Latin America (Panama and Colombia specifically) and have had some success finding cobs and even some gold in those countries. It's not nearly as easy to find lost colonial Spanish treasure in the U.S., though.

Thanks again for the great information on your website and I look forward to your future entries!

Kind regards,


Thanks for sharing Frank.

I noticed the red car with out-of-state license and saw someone detecting around where you are shown in the photo.

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Tim M. said, I appreciate the continuing posts about fossils. Very interesting and educational. I am now much more aware of their presence and actively search them out.


Thanks Tim.  That was my intent.  Fossils will be some of the oldest treasures you can find and can also be worth money.  Like other types of treasure, rarity and condition help determine value.  And like other types of Treasure, sometimes you can find them and sometimes not.

They can be found all along the Treasure Coast but some spots are better than others.  I've mentioned some of the better spots before.


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Here is an article from the New York times focused on a little known area of Florida - Immokalee.  


I was surprised the Times would do an article on Immokalee, but the article explains the vulnerability of migrant workers, how the virus spreads and some of the statistics you are seeing.

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Tropical Storm Seven
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

We have one system in the Gulf that could develop.  It looks like it will go towards Texas.  It is causing our southerly winds.

Below is the cone for Seven.


Source: nhc.noaa.gov



Keep watching Seven.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net