8/31/20 Report - Coin Lines and Bands. Bottles and Bones. Active Tropics. Help Dating Object.

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

Boyd's Canning Jar Cap Liner Find
Age Unknown.

EVERBODY knows about coin lines now.  At least they know something about them.  They know the basics that I've been talking about on the internet for around fifteen years now.  But that is very little of what there is to know about coin lines.

Actually, a coin line can be more of a band than a line.  It can be feet or yards wide.  Of course a band usually means there are more targets, and they are spread out on the slope.

A coin band (having more width than a line) has a lot of features that can provide important clues.  Coin bands (and lines) can contain more than coins.  I've said that before.  And if you know how to read the pattern of items within a band, you'll know where to look for the gold.

One important feature is the density of the coin line or coin band.  Targets can be packed more tightly in some bands and in some portions of the band.  Different types of items will tend to be found in different parts of the line or band.  I'll have to put that altogether some place other than a blog post.  It would take many pages.

But one thing that I wanted to mention today is that the same way coins are sifted, sorted and distributed over time on a beach, so are other types of items - such as glass and bottles, which get sifted, sorted and distributed according to the same physical principles too.  Sinkers, fossils and shells are some other examples.  Density and shape are two very important variables.

Bottles show up occasionally, just like coins.  And, just like with coins, there is a reason they show up when and where they do, so if you know how things work, you will know where to look.  I guess I could tell you to follow the physics.

I've often said that an item's density will have a lot to do with where the item ends up on a beach, but I also include the item's shape as an important factor.  In the past I've shown simple experiments demonstrating the effect of shape on how items of the same material are moved by water.  Some items present more surface area for the water to act against, and some are more streamlined or aeredynamic.  Coins have a very different shape from most rings, for example, and that affects how they are sifted and sorted.

The same factors act on glass and bottles too, of course.  Bottles can be a little complicated because of the variety of sizes and shapes, etc.

Below are three bottles I picked up on a short walk yesterday.  Note the similar size and shape.

From the shells attached to the bottles, it seems the bottles shared something of a similar history.

The bottles aren't worth anything, but they are older, and that provides some useful information about the area and what kinds of other things might be found there.

I also found the Boyd's porcelain cap line shown at the top of this post.  I've found a lot of canning jar cap liners in the past, but they were always milkglass rather than transparent.  So this one was a bit unusual for me.  

Here is an advertisement for Boyd's lined caps.  It dates to the 1850s.  I have a hard time believing the cap liner I just found could be that old, but haven't found any information on its age yet.

If anyone can help date that one for me I'd appreciate it.

---

Yesteday I mentioned Florida's giant ground sloths.  I have found fossil sloth teeth, but they were not of the largest species.  The ones I found probably came from a species that only got up to about 1000 pounds - still a hefty animal.

Here are pieces of some big fossil bones from the Treasure Coast.

Broken Pieces Of Large Fossil Beach Bones.

I don't know what animals those came from.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

There is a lot of action on the weather map.  I'm most concerned about the yellow ones, which are still far away from us.  The one heading towards the Yucatan is doing pretty much what Marco did.  I hope it doesn't head north the same way.

We won't have much more than a two foot surf this week.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/30/20 Report - More Tropical Waves Popping Up. Large Beasts of the Florida Scene Thousands and Millions of Years Ago.

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

There is a lot of weather to watch.  Notice the new wave over north Florida.  It is expected to move out into the ocean.  It won't do anything good for us.

Right now it looks to me like the only one that might come our way is the system that is over by Africa.  It is too soon to guess what it might do, although it very well could stay to the south or disappear altogether.  

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Tooth marks in 13-million-year-old fossil reveals 'strongest bite force ever in the animal kingdom.

When a young crocodile-like caiman chomped down on the hind leg of a ground sloth 13 million years ago near the Napo River in Peru, it left behind 46 tooth marks as evidence.

Now, researchers have been able to reconstruct the scene of the attack after analysing the unfortunate ground sloth's hind leg bone.

In fact, this ancient caiman had a bite force of seven tons, more than four times the strongest bite ever measured in the animal kingdom study author Rodolfo Salas-Gismondi said in an email...

Here is that link.

 https://www.9news.com.au/world/fossil-researchers-find-strongest-animal-bite-force-ever-13-million-year-old-caiman-sloth-attack-science-news/7a9cb4f3-6a75-463d-ac79-9105e81b1759

Although that article involved a bone found in Peru, a very similar scene could have taken place in Florida. 

Entire giant ground sloth skeletons have been found in Florida and one is on display at the Florida Museum of Natural History.  See the skeleton below.

Giant Ground Sloth Skeleton On Display.

Some pretty big fossil bones have been found on the Treasure Coast beaches.  Here are a few examples of broken pieces from some pretty big bones.

Couple Big Fossil Bone Pieces Seen On The Treasure Coast.

Of course they could be from other big animals such as mammoths or whales.  Fossils of those have been found on Treasure Coast beaches too.

And I'm pretty sure some sloth teeth have been found on Treasure Coast beaches.  

---

It looks like we'll have nothing higher than a two foot surf on the Treasure Coast this week.

There is a lot of weather to watch.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/29/20 Report - Barry Clifford's Pirate Treasure and the Disagreements, Fakes and Drama of Treasure Hunting in the Media. Flying Dutchman Movie Prop.

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

Silver Ingot With Lead Core.
Source: msn.com link below.

There are a lot of fakes these days.  Everything, including the news, is often faked.  So it is no surprised that treasure is faked too.

The above fake silver ingot has a lead core.  Here is more about that from an article on the msn.com web site.

Captain Kidd's treasure.

US explorer Barry Clifford claimed to have found a 110-pound silver bar belonging to 17th-century Scottish pirate Captain William Kidd off the coast of Madagascar back in 2015. The treasure was said to have been retrieved from what was thought to be the wreck of the Adventure Galley and was brought ashore on the island of Sainte Marie. Captain Kidd was first employed by the British authorities to tackle piracy, but later became a ruthless marauder himself.

The ingot was presented to Madagascar's president at a special ceremony on Sainte Marie. But just months later, UN cultural body UNESCO poured cold water on the claims, declaring that the "silver" bar was in fact a lead ballast and that the supposed wreck was simply rubble at the bottom of the sea. Clifford's team stood by its claims that the bar was part of a hoard of treasure looted by Captain Kidd, who was tried and executed for piracy in 1701.

That is the way MSN wrote it up.  Here is the link to a slide show that presents a number of  "fake" treasure finds.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/hoax-treasure-finds-that-fooled-the-world/ss-BBYFNca#image=16

The Washington Post, which has a credibility issue of its own, wrote a much more detailed account of Barry Clifford story.  It is a real soap opera that I think you'll find interesting even if it is difficult to know who and what to believe.

Here are some excerpts from that lengthy article.

... Clifford was literally hit over the head with his latest discovery, he claims. Days later, he announced to the world, that a silver ingot, weighing more than 110 pounds, was evidence that he had found Kidd’s ship and a treasure — though plenty of Kidd experts disagree that any such treasure exists.

The president of Madagascar and other dignitaries gathered on the sandy beach to announce the find — along with the news that Clifford and the History Channel (which plans to air a documentary on the search for the Adventure Galley) would be investing in a museum and laboratory to further investigate the wreckage.

But months later, something else struck Clifford. This time, it was a shoe dropped by UNESCO.

“There is no silver treasure,” Michel L’Hour, chief of the UNESCO mission, said in a statement this week. Clifford’s prized silver ingot was 95 percent lead, UNESCO said...

Clifford isn’t just angry at UNESCO. He also turned his attention to John de Bry, who worked with Clifford on the search for the Adventure Galley for the past 15 years — including the excavation in Madagascar this spring. Following the Captain Kidd announcement, de Bry assisted UNESCO with its report on Clifford’s findings...

In interviews, he angrily attempted to discredit de Bry’s education and experience, even referring to him as “a fraud.” When asked to provide proof of his claims, Clifford had none.

De Bry, who was born and educated in France, does not claim to have degrees in archaeology, but his resume lists a bachelor’s degree and an advanced degree in European Post-Medieval History. In its report this week, UNESCO refers to de Bry as a “historian with an archaeological background.”

Nevertheless, for the past 15 years, Clifford has held him up as an archaeologist...

Clifford’s latest explosion also comes after two devastating blows to his legacy.

UNESCO first rejected Clifford’s claim that he had found Chrisopher Columbus' long lost ship, the Santa Maria, off the coast of Haiti last year...

If you enjoy soap operas or made-for-TV treasure hunting, you might enjoy this article.

Here is the link.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/16/unesco-buried-explorer-barry-cliffords-captain-kidd-discovery-and-he-is-freaking-out

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The Flying Dutchman Ship From the Pirates of the Caribbean Movie.

The Flying Dutchman prop ship used in the movie The Pirates of the Caribbean movie was on display at Disney's Castaway Cay  until around 2010.  After then it was moved to be dismantled.

Another Flying Dutchman Movie Prop.

---

The current Atlantic weather scene reminds me very much of Marco and Laura.  The first (yellow) looks headed towards the Yucatan, very much like Marco, and the second (orange) is a few days behind and maybe just a touch to the north or the first system.

It is too soon, in my opinion, to pay much attention to these two.  Be alert and prepared though.  

And keep watching.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

https://popular-archaeology.com/article/ancient-mammoth-ivory-carving-technology-reconstructed-by-archaeologists/

8/28/20 Report - Fisher Museum Video Tour. Developing Storms? A Couple Archaeology Projects.

 

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

Still Image Clip From Space Coast Daily Video Tour.  

To view the article and the Space Coast Daily video tour of the recently reopened Fisher Treasure Museum in Sebastian, use the link immediately below.

https://spacecoastdaily.com/2020/08/watch-mel-fishers-treasure-museum-in-sebastian-is-world-class-home-of-sunken-treasure/

---

We have a couple areas to watch.  Both could develop.  The first one looks like it will stay well south of us.

Here is where one model has it next Monday.

One Model Showing The Predicted Position of the First System Next Monday.
Source: Ventusky.com.

The other one is a few days behind that one.  We'll have to keep at watch on things though.  It is too soon to tell where either will go.

MagicSeaWeed is predicting only a one to two foot surf for the next week on the Treasure Coast.

Remember those in Louisiana and surrounding areas as they recover from Laura.

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The foundations of a 5,700-year-old Neolithic house, evidence of Bronze Age burials and Iron Age smelting have been discovered by archaeologists as a result of excavations at the sites of two road realignment projects in Co. Cork.

They were unearthed in a total of eight separate excavations carried out after the county council undertook two road realignment projects on the N73 (the main road between Mallow and Mitchelstown) close to the villages of Shanballymore and Kildorrery...

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40038137.html

---

For more about the 18th century Baptist church project, here is the link.

https://www.dailypress.com/virginiagazette/va-vg-first-baptist-excavation-20200825-6qy4vbdqeffannpurgavoqkewi-story.html

---

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/27/20 Report - 425 Gold Coins Found. Calcite Crystals in Florida Fossil Sea Shells.

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

Beach Collected Sea Shell Showing Calcite Crystals.
Photo submitted by Steve D.

I did a few posts on fossil seashells showing calcite crystals. Steve D. saw one of those posts and sent me the following email.

Hi!   I saw an article you wrote from 2015 about a whelk with crystals.  We found one that has crystals and filled with sand that almost looks petrified.  I’ve found thousands of conchs and whelks and nothing that looks like this.  Any idea what causes the crystals to form?  It’s an odd color as well.  Greatly appreciate any insight you might have!!  Thanks!   Steve D.

As I said before, calcite crystals are said to be the most collected gems of Florida. You might think they are just like any other seashell, but nice examples can be sold for a good price - some for hundreds of dollars. Check out this example I found on the apalachee-minerals.com web site.

See https://www.apalachee-minerals.com/florida-calcite

[ I don't know why the annoying redirect link notices are showing up in this post today. Sorry.]

How many reales have you found worth that much? No sense passing up a more valuable treasure just because you have your mind set on something else at the time.

You have to recognize treasure when you see it. Steve D. recognized something interesting and picked it up even without knowing much about it. He recognized it as something different and interesting.

Here is another view of his find.

Another View of The Same Sea Shell
Photo submitted by Steve D.

Here is the link to the post that Steve probably saw.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/05/52815-report-unique-beach-treasures.html

I'll try to answer Steve's question to some extent. The sea shell has crystals because it has been buried beneath water for a long time and the shell started to dissolve while minerals from the water crystalized inside the void.

Here is a link to a technical article describing how this happens.

http://peabody.yale.edu/sites/default/files/documents/invertebrate-paleontology/ButtsPSP20FinalOPEN.pdf

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1100-Year-Old Gold Coins Discovered.
Source: See BBC.com link below.

Youths volunteering at an archaeological dig in central Israel have found 425 gold coins that had lain buried in a clay jar for 1,100 years.

Most of the money dates back to the early Islamic period, when the region was part of the Abbasid caliphate.

The coins weigh 845g (30oz) and would have been worth a huge sum when they were buried - enough to buy a luxurious home in one of the caliphate's cities.

Who owned the cache, and why they never returned to collect it, is a mystery.

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53889695

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Laura landed as a very strong hurricane.  Think about how you might help those folks.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Nothing that will affect the Treasure Coast real soon.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/26/20 Report - Florida Treasure Hunting History and Art McKee. One History Book of The Florida Keys.

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

Source: Hidden History of the Florida Keys by Albritton and Wilkinson.

After I mentioned the time that I met Art McKee when I was in the Keys doing some metal detecting, JamminJack sent me what appears to be a chapter from the book Hidden History of the Florida Keys, which had a picture of Art's museum and a lot of other information about Art.

The chapter also showed a picture of the postcard shown above.  Not only is a a great postcard and a nice piece of Florida treasure hunting history but I love the message:  How do you find treasure? -- You just keep looking.

The chapter Jack sent me also had photos of the both of Art's treasure museums.  If I correctly recall, it was the one that looked something like a castle that I was at.

I think this is the one.

Art McKee's Treasure Museum
Source: Hidden History of the Florida Keys by Albritton and Wilkinson.

I didn't get north of Ambersands yesterday but Jack also sent some beach cam images of that area.

Here is one.

Sebastian Beach
Web Cam Image Submitted by JamminJack.

You can also check the available beach cams.

Thanks to JamminJack.

---

As you probably know, Laura has become a very strong hurricane and is about to hit land around Lake Charles.

The Treasure Coast surf is small again.  Down around two feet or so.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/25/20 Report - Treasure Coast Beach Conditions Little Improved. Some Erosion on Beaches.

 

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

Wabasso Beach Tuesday Morning.

Yesterday I visited John Brooks and Frederick Douglass beaches, so today visited some of the beaches in Indian River County.

Above is Wabasso.  Nobody there.

I also visited Ambersands.

Ambersands Tuesday Morning.

There were people collecting shells.  No detectorists.

Ambersands Beach Tuesday Morning.

As you can see, there was seaweed in addition to shells.

The sand extended way out beyond the shell line.  I didn't really want to see all that sand in front of the beach.  

The shells weren't that good.  Mostly pieces and small shells.  I didn't notice any fossils in the shell piles.  

Ambersands Tuesday Morning.

I also stopped at Turtle Trail.  Seagrape is still closed.

There is a spot between Treasure Shores and Ambersands that has been good this year but it is a long walk and I didn't go there today.

Turtle Trail Tuesday Morning.

There was a cut running along much of the beach at Turtle Trail, but the bags weren't showing.  I think I saw some material from one bag but that is all.

Also notice the shells.  Again the shell pile wasn't a high quality.  Smaller shells and pieces.

Turtle Trail Tuesday Morning.

I didn't do a good job of capturing the cuts in these photos, but Dj sent me some photos of the cuts from yesterday when it appears the cuts were forming.

Turtle Trail Monday.
Photo by DJ.

It looks like the best might be over.

The surf was higher yesterday.  And these photos look like it was nearer high tide when the photos were taken.

Turtle Trail Monday.
Photo by DJ.

If I looked at DJ's photos before I went, I would have tried to take the same perspective.

Turtle Trail Monday.
Photo by DJ.

Turtle Trail erodes during a southeast wind more often than a lot of the beaches.  Brooks, particularly the north end, has been doing that lately too.  I think that might be because of all the renourishment sand.

Thanks much for the photos DJ.

---

It looks like the storms have passed us by.  It doesn't look like anything is headed our way right now.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

8/24/20 Report - Local Beaches and A Few Tips and Precautions For Metal Detecting in the Florida Keys.

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

John Brooks Beach Monday Morning.

When I got up this morning, it was breezy and rainy.  I decided to go out to the beach before it got hot.  I visited both John Brooks and Frederick Douglass beaches.

You can see here what John Brooks beach looked like.

John Brooks Beach Monday Morning.

By the time I got there the sun came out and it got hot.

The waves were pretty high and hitting from the southeast.  Looked like the three to five feet that was predicted.

As you can see, the front cut was still there.  I don't think it changed much since the last time I was there.

The beach front was not firm and there were few targets.

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday Morning.

As is often the case, Frederick Douglass beach looked very much like John Brooks.

Not many targets there either.

Frederick Douglass Beach Monday Morning.

I would have checked out a few more beaches, but didn't have much time.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Looks like the surf will be decreasing for a few days.

It looks like Laura will be going south, but according to MagicSeaWeed, Key West is still supposed to get up to an eight foot surf.

Yesterday I mentioned metal detecting in the Florida Keys.  I used to do that a bit when I lived farther south.  It was a bit of a drive to the Keys, but about the same as the drive to the Treasure Coast.

You are always at a bit of a disadvantage when going to new places and metal detecting areas that are new to you.

Two or three decades have passed since the days when I used to metal detect in the Keys.  I'm pretty sure that some of the places will no longer be accessible.

For example I used to detect the swimming area at John Pennekamp State Park on Key Largo.  I did well there with modern jewelry, but I doubt you can detect in the park anymore.

The last time I looked, there was a flood advisory in effect for the Keys, so you need to consider the weather and road conditions.  The highway is not very high or far from the water in some areas.

When you visit areas that are new to you, you have to be careful to not get yourself into trouble especially when there are weather advisories. 

It is up to you to observe the rules and regulations and behave safely and wisely.  

I'll always remember stopping at Art McKee's museum one day when there were no cars in the parking lot at the time.  Art came out and talked.  Art was a friendly guy, and if you were lucky he would give you a personal tour.  Of course the museum is not longer in operation, and I don't know if the building is still there or if it has been converted to something else.

As you probably know a lot of treasure has been found in the Keys.  They have a long rich history and there are many treasure stories.  There are many wrecks along the Keys and many stories of Blackbeard.

As one example, the workers at the Key West cemetery once dug up a chest along with lots of loose treasure coins and jewelry.  There are many stories of chests and bullion bars being found in the Keys.

A fellow I met on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale many years ago, Arkansas Bill, found some big silver bars in the Keys.  Bill lived in a van and traveled around metal detecting.  He would normally hit Fort Lauderdale around Spring Break.  I got to know him from there.  He was one of those characters back in the day that you would never hear about.  He initially tried to pass the bars off as lead, but they were silver.  Like I've said before, a lot of the more serious detectorists back then were very secretive. They weren't trying to get attention.  Just the opposite.

Anyhow, there were, and I suspect still are, some treasure coin beaches in the Keys where people pulled over and did some metal detecting.   They were just feet from the highway.

One of the places I always detected when down that way was good for modern jewelry instead of Spanish coins.  You could pull off the highway and walk out into the water.  I think it might have been Matacumbe Key.  If not, it was around there.  It didn't look like a good place to metal detect.  It was weedy and muddy.  The bottom was so muddy you would sink in to your ankles every step you too., but every time I was there I would find some modern gold.  It worked because if you had a ring on and stuck your hand in the mud, you would definitely lose the ring.  I could imagine people first losing their footwear to the suction, and then sticking their hand to get their footwear and losing a ring. 

I just wanted to issue some precautions.  The Keys are always interesting, even if it is a long drive, but  be sure to do some research before going.  Be sure to check the weather and road conditions first if you ever decide to try it.

---

You might know about Frank Hudson's treasure books.  He gives a lot of leads for detecting sites in the Keys.  Some say that they aren't very accurate, but I received an email from one reader who said he investigated one of the leads and found the book very accurate and helpful.

Here is the link to that post.

https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2019/05/52219-report-pirates-and-buried.html

---

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/23/20 Report - Florida Keys To Get Some Good Surf. One Way to Find More Coins. Subsurface Beach Features: Along the River This Morning.

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

Tropical Storm Laura.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov

You probably know by now that it looks like Marco and Laura are predicted to go up through the Gulf towards Louisiana.  The Keys will get some high surf though.

Key West is predicted to get up to 18 feet Monday night.

There are some nice treasure coin beaches along the highway if you are down that way.  You don't have to go all the way to Key West.

---

I didn't have time to go to the beach today, so I stopped and took a little walk on the river.

I found a painted label Royal Crown bottle and another little surprise.

First though, along the beach, there was a gravel line.  It was mostly covered and ran right along teh front of the beach just under a thin layer of sand. In areas where the beach got cut back a little, some of the gravel line was exposed.  You could track it along most of the beach with a probe.

Here is a photo where some of the gravel was exposed, and that is where I found a little surprise this morning.

Top of The Gravel Layer Slightly Exposed.

al

Alligator Scute.

Alligator Scute.

I've encountered alligators in the river and have found a few (very few) fossils down there, but this was a surprise this morning.

The gravel line was the most interesting thing for me.  It was easy to trace and was very much like the buried shell line that I followed when I found the rings at Douglass Beach back not too long ago.  

You might not know that the bunch of reales Jonah found on the beach a few months ago, was found in a gravel layer.

---

Nick A. sent me the following email and photos.

Here is what he said.

...  I think it's also an advantage hunting in the area you grew up in, you understand more of what was on the property. The Fort Pierce area and beaches are totally different now since I was born here in 58. 

One day back in February 2020 I was out for a ride and I noticed some excavation being done in a FP city park. I've detected this park before but this is a new area and a new layer uncovered. I ran home got my AT/Pro and after the city workers left, started my hunt. I returned every morning before they started and came back again after they stopped for the next 5 days. Hard work, but fun. I knew the last process of this construction would cover this area, so you gotta get it when you can.

These are my finds for 6 days of hunting. Quite a few clad coins, but did find a 1941 & 1942 quarter, 1954 dime and a 1919 wheat penny. A little bit of jewelry and other miscellaneous stuff. Who knows, maybe I lost a coin here after school in the 60's!! Happy Hunting!!

Thanks,  

Nick 

Construction at Park.
Photo by Nick A.

Nick's Finds.

---

As I've said before, no one knows a neighborhood like the kids that grew up there.

I always liked to hunt carnival or fair grounds right after a fair. I never found much gold that way, but you could always pick up a lot of coins quickly. Most were not even buried, so there was very little digging. And occasionally there was a little surprise.

---

There are surface features that you can see when you look at a beach, but there are also buried features.  You can read a beach by looking at it, but there are also buried features that can provide important information.  Everybody knows, for example, to look for the older layers of sand.  But there are other things to look for too.

---

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/22/20 Report - Tropical Storms Marco and Laura. Fla. West Coast Treasure Beaches.

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

Turtle Trail Friday Morning.
Photo by DJ

I've said this many times before, but if you want to make finds you have to put in the time.  The more time you spend in the field observing and metal detecting, the more successful you will be.  Of course, there is a skill factor, but skill is improved by time spent in observation and practice.

One of the big advantages of being in the field a lot is knowing what is going on where.  If one beach or area of a beach is better than another or if one beach starts producing, if you are out there a lot, you will be among the first to discover it.

If you improve your understanding and skill, you will improve your efficiency and be able to accomplish more in less time, but no matter how much you know, there is no substitute for actually being out there.

---

We now have two tropical storms - Marco and Laura.  Marco is down by the Yucatan and headed towards Texas, while Marco is down near Puerto Rico and looks like it will skirt the west coast of Florida on its way to Louisiana.

And don't forget what could be behind those two.

People come over to the Treasure Coast from the west coast of Florida when we have a storm, and I suppose some will go to the west coast to hunt after Laura.  They also have some treasure coin beaches.  Naples beach is one.

According to the GEM model as shown on Ventusky.com, here is Laura's position Tuesday night.

Wind Speed 11PM Tuesday
According To The GEM Model
Source: Ventusky.com.

Some guys come to the Treasure Coast from the west coast of Florida when we have a storm, but this time you might want to visit the west coast.

You probably know that they have treasure beaches for metal detecting too.  For example, Naples, Clam Pass and Venice Beach all have good treasure coin spots.

And of course you know of the Padre Island coin beaches, but you are not allowed to use a metal detector on Padre Island National Seashore anymore.

There was a time when water cannons were used on the beaches there.  Not today!

---

To sum it up, at this time it looks like the Treasure Coast will not be affected much by either Marco or Laura, but the west coast of Florida might get some action from Laura.  

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

8/21/20 Report - Most Amazing Treasure Discovery Ever Made By Three Brothers. Tropical Depressions to Watch.

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

The Panagyurishte Treasure Discovered by Three Brothers.
Source: See the ancient-origins.net link below.

The discovery of the Panagyurishte Treasure occurred in 1949. On the 8 th of December that year, three brothers, Pavel, Petko and Mihail Deikov, were digging for clay in the yard of a ceramic factory in Panagyurishte. At around a depth of 2 m (6.6 feet), the brothers encountered some yellowish objects, which they extracted from the clay.

There is disagreement regarding the sequence of events that followed. Incidentally, some doubt has been cast on the accuracy of the measurement, as it has been argued that it is not possible that “such a thick layer of clayish soil could have piled up from antiquity to present day.”

According to one version of the story, the brothers, having inspected the objects, came to the conclusion that the objects were nothing more than a bunch of brass instruments hidden away by gypsies. Therefore, they did not give the objects much attention, and put them aside without any further thought. News of the discovery, however, spread through the small town, and the factory yard was soon crowded with curious townspeople who were eager to catch a glimpse of these strange ‘gypsy brass instruments’...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/panagyurishte-treasure-0013368

The Panagyurishte gold treasure is a Thracian beverage set made of 24-karat gold with a total weight of 6.164 kg. It is dated back to the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC. The golden treasure was excavated on 08 December 1949 near the Bulgarian town of Panagyurishte by three brothers – Pavel, Michail and Petko Deikovi.

The golden treasure consists of 9 ancient wine vessels that were used in religious ceremonies and feasts (with ritual function). The exquisite vessels are beautifully decorated with figures and scenes related to the Thracian mythology...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

https://www.visitbulgaria.net/en/panagyurishte/pressreleases/20120527/panagyurishte_gold_treasure.html

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

I recently mentioned a couple of the big  events in metal detecting history.  One was the Thanksgiving Storm of 1984.  I mentioned that those types of events don't come along very often.  That is why you want to be alert and prepared.  If you are a beach hunter that wants to find old treasure, you don't want to miss the best opportunities.

Being prepared means being up to date on what the beaches have been doing.  Some beaches are more likely to produce than others if we do get some good erosion on the Treasure Coast.  It partly depends upon their current state.  Some beaches are buried under more sand than others.  Some are buried under tons of sand that has accumulated in recent years.  Some have much less overburden, and will produce with relatively little erosion.  That is one reason it is important to keep watching current beach conditions.  Not only do you want to know where you will have the best chance today if you decide to go metal detecting, but you will also want to know what beaches will produce if you get some level of erosion.  Some will produce with little erosion, others will take a lot.

As I've often said, there is always some place to hunt and something to find.  If you are aware of and interested in a variety of types of treasure, you will have a chance of finding one type when the others might be difficult to find.  

If you are aware of the various types of treasure and the different beaches and different areas of those beaches and what they produce from time to time, you won't have to wait for the ideal conditions for any one particular type of treasure.  You'll more often be able to find something of interest and value if you are familiar with more types of treasure and where they can be found.

A lot of people are not aware that both wind, rain and even construction projects can uncover some types of treasure.  You don't have to wait for big waves to produce erosion.  Rain, which we've been having a lot of while the sand has been accumulating on most beaches, will uncover things like bottles and fossils and Native American artifacts.  It helps, of course, if you know where to look.

Lately some beaches have been producing fossils.  And if you like to find things that are really old, fossils can be millions of years old.  Some beaches have been producing fossils lately.

But back to the storms.

Tropical depression thirteen seems to have the best chance of affecting the Treasure Coast beaches right now, although the morning update has it shifting a little to the south.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The Treasure coast is now out of the cone, however there is still time for it to shift again.  And we don't need a direct hit, if we just get some waves hitting from a good angle.  That doesn't look too likely right now either.

Still, you will want to have your supplies and equipment ready in case of any significant changes.

And it does look like the Keys could get some good action.  There are some good treasure beaches down there too.  I used to hunt down there a little, but haven't been down there for years.  The Miami area looks like it could possibly get some good action.  When I lived down south, Key Biscayne and Virginia Key were among my favorite hunting places.  Bear Cut is where I found my first old bottles after Hurricane Andrew.  There was a lot of old silver found not far from there too.

Any Florida treasure hunter should know the treasure lore of that area, not to mention the tons of modern beach treasure around the Miami area.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Tropical depression fourteen appears to be heading towards Texas or Louisiana.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net