10/26/20 Report - Analysis of One Metal Detecting Hunt. Calico Numismatic Book and Juana y Carlos Examples Relevant To Recent Finds.

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

Here is an analysis of the recent hunt that I discussed in a previous post.

First a long cut in renouishment sand was discovered.  It started out in the renourishment sand a short distance in front of the dunes.  The cut rounded a bend and got closer and eventually merged with the old natural dunes.

I tried to show that in illustration above.  The cut ran out in front of the dunes for a long distance, but after it rounded the bend, got closer to the old dunes until it cut into the old dunes.

The first targer recovered was a heavily corroded silver coin found a good distance before the heavy coin line that was located around the bend near where the cut merged with the old dune cliff.

This coin line had a width that varied, being wider in the middle and narrowing at the ends.  It is difficult to decide whether it should be called a coin line or a coin hole, but at the beginning it was hunted like a coin line that ran along the face of the cut.  It wasn't until a follow-up hunt determined the shape and thickness of what was originally hunted as a coin line.  

The most dense concentration of coins was near the middle of the coin hole (area in red).  

Hole Showing A Couple Inches of
Light Renourishment Sand Over Beige Sand.

Renourishment sand covered the entire beach, both in front of the cut and the old dunes, however in some places it was deeper than in others.  The most coins were found where there was less renourishment sand covering the surface.  There was a definite relationship between the depth of renourishment sand and the number of coins found in the area.

Some people are not interested in modern coins and do not bother with coin lines that contain a lot of modern coins, however, older things and better items can be found in coin lines like that.  In this case, the area in question has produced many very old items before, including some very old items. Maybe I'll expand on that some time in the future.

I won't get into the various ways that can happen now.

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Here is a scan from the Calico et al book, Mondedas Espanolas desde Juana y Carlos a Isabel II 1504 a 1868, showing a coin that is very similar to the newly found coin.

Sorry for the quality of the scan.  It was difficult to capture a good image of the small illustration witht the scanner.  It was made more difficult because the illustration was close to the inside page edge.

 

The Calico book shows 99 illustrations of different Juana Y Carlos coins, and for each type he lists several variations.   That does not include those categorized as Carlos I coins, which date from 1516 - 1556. 

To give an idea of the many coins shown and variations listed in the Calico book, here is a scan of one of three pages of the Juana y Carlos (1500 - 1555) Mexico two-reales.  

Type 73 on this page is very much like type 74.  One difference between type 73 and type 74 is the assayer.  Another is what you might call a banner surrounding the Plus Ultra on type 74.

The recent find matches Terry Shannon's well.  I think I once said Terry's looked like type 74 in the Calico book, but I just noticed that Terry's does not have the banner and has a G assayer mark, which would make it more like the type 69 listed in the Calico book.

It is difficult to see the banner on the new find, and I'm not sure if it is there, and the assayer mark is not clear, if visible at all.  There is something in that area that might be interpreted as the rounded top of a letter, as a G would have. 

I know you can't see the amount of detail in these scans that you could if you were looking at the book, but that is the best I could make them.  And photos, of course, do not show everything you can see if you have the item in hand.  

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The high tides are fairly high still, but the surf is decreasing.  Today it is listed as 3 - 5 feet by MagicSeaWeed.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net