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Thursday, August 27, 2020

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.




[ 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.



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

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