`1/31/21 Report - Happy New Year. Mystery Item Identified. Some of the Past's Most Popular Posts.

 

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

Park and Tilford Vintage Lipstick Advertisement.
Source: Etsy.

Mitch King provided the answer to my recent mystery object.  The object is a lipstick holder from the Park and Tilford company from the 1940s.  You can see the advertisement above.  The case was originally painted, but none of the paint remained.

Here is a link ome history on the company.

Park & Tilford was founded in 1840 as a retail shop and importer of luxury goods. Founders Joseph Park (1823-1905) and John Mason Tilford (1815-1891) had met while serving as clerks with the grocery firm of Benjamin Albro. The company was founded with capital from their pooled savings. Financial caution continued to be their theme during their lifetimes.

In addition to being exclusive importers of luxury French perfumes, Park & Tilford became active in the distillation and sale of whiskey, owning or having shares in several U.S. distilleries. Later in its history, Park & Tilford was purchased by David A. Schulte who operated a large chain of cigar stores....

Park & Tilford (perfumeprojects.com)

You can get a good idea of what the people along the Treasure Coast were doing and what they were like from the things that were left along the river.  This is one more example.

Thanks Mitch!

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At the end of a year, it is common to look back.  First, I looked to see which of this year's posts were read the most.  Older posts have a big advantage because they've been out there longer and people coni posted earlier in the year, because people continue to read them as long as they are out there.  It is rare for a new post to be able to be read as much as an older post.

I was a little surprised to learn which post of this year was read the most.  It wasn't one of the posts from early in the year.  It was posted in August.   The most read post of the year was the post providing an introduction to signal detection theory as it applies to metal detecting.  Here is the link.

Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond): 8/8/20 Report - Intro To Signal Detection Theory for Detectorists and Treasure Hunters. One Huge Meg Tooth. (tbr2020.blogspot.com)

When I made that post I was afraid that it might be a little too academic, so I'm glad the post was appreciated, and I might do a little more of that sort of thing.

When I looked back another year to include 2020, it was obvious that November of 2020 was an active time for detectorists on the Treasure Coast.   Eta came came through in November and there were a lot of good finds made in that month.  Metal detecting conditions were good and a lot of good finds were made. Good conditions and good finds creates a lot of interest and activity.

The top post of 2020 was the following post.

ta Brings More Wind and Surf to The Treasure Coast. People Making More Finds Even Before Peak Surf Arrives. (tbr2020.blogspot.com)

In fact, 8 of 10 of the most read posts of the last two years came from November of 2020.  The finds included some that are pretty rare, such as silver splash ingots and coins from the 1500s.  

The most read Treasure Beaches post of all time, with many thousands of reads, goes back to 2010.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 11/20 Report - 16th Century Gold Pendant Found by Metal Detector   I'm sure it was helped along by a CNN Travel section article that mentioned the blog so it had a big advantage in attracting viewers.

The original TreasureBeachesReport.blogspot.com site got way too big, and I can't get all the stats that I'd like to get.  It takes forever to go back and check the early years of the blog.

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Happy New Year Wishes to all.

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/30/21 Report - Phenomenology of Metal Detecting Study. What Kind of Sites Detectorists Like Most. Detectorists TV Sitcom.

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

I found a reprint of a very interesting article about metal detecting and archaeology; The Phenomenology of Metal Detecting: Insights from a Unique Type of Landscape Experience by Felicity Winkley, originally published by the Papers from the Institute of Archaeology (Papers from the Institute of Archaeology (ucl.ac.uk)).

Among other things, the article investigated the features that British detectorists like in a metal detecting site. Those detectorists are not beach detectorists, but the survey results are still pretty applicable to us. 

First, like my own polls, the study found that detectorists in England and Wales are generally middle age to older with very few youth. 

Immediately below is the abstract for that article.

Metal detecting is a unique way of experiencing the historic landscape, allowing many amateurs to access heritage hands-on in a way that would otherwise be impossible, locating and unearthing their own fragment of the archaeological record. With a conservative estimate of 15,000 people currently detecting in the UK, and 1,122,998 objects recorded to date (October 2015) on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database since its inception in 1997, England’s historic places are being walked, searched and mapped by a significantly-sized population whose enthusiasm would be better off integrated into heritage programming, than rebuffed by it and misdirected elsewhere. Achieving this would not only have potential financial benefits for the sector, where cuts are prevalent, but also see the kind of community engagement that is regularly discussed but not often arrived at. Research by the author has shown that the majority of metal detectorists operating in the UK are members of clubs or societies with a local focus; 86% of detectorists (club members, or independent) report that they detect close to home. With a strong attachment to their home area and a good understanding of local history, the conscientious amongst them have been searching the same area for decades, building up a unique resource of artefactual and spatial data that informs a complex milieu of perception. These detectorists generate a unique attachment to the landscape on which they search – producing links between their own experienced version of the landscape and their perceived version of how it was experienced in the past, thus creating a very particular type of place-making. This paper begins by setting out the phenomenological method and the implications of this for studying the perception of landscape, before using qualitative and quantitative data from the author’s research into the attitudes of metal detectorists to consider what this means for metal detecting within a perceived landscape and, by association, how heritage professionals might best approach the issue.

Below is a brief excerpt from the paper.

Twenty-five years on, it has become clear to most that rather than targeting detectorists with polemic campaigns, the country’s archaeological resource would be better served if treasure legislation was improved and the metal detecting community was better engaged through outreach and education into best practice for recording, handling and conserving found objects.

And here is a table showing the factors that British detectorists want in a good metal detecting site.

Some of you detect on private land but most of us detect on public beaches, so the government is the landowner.  

The study found that the relationship with the landowners is very important, followed by the quality of finds, having exclusive hunting permission, easy access, attractive landscape and privacy.  I'm sure that most of you appreciate the same things.

And here is the first paragraph of the conclusion.

The purpose of this paper was to demonstrate that the metal detecting experience is incontrovertibly bound up in landscape – an artefact findspot is a special place, and 70 per cent of detectorists reported feeling attached to the areas where they detect regularly. Just as metal detecting is about more than simply finding buried treasure, so too is the detectorists’ attachment to landscape about more than just the potential for this. Instead, both are about the meeting of past experience and potential action, aesthetic preferences combined with local knowledge, and lastly, as our mudlark interview revealed, the acquisition of years worth of experience, environmental instinct, and getting ‘hooked’. As Ingold (1993: 155) asserts, ‘a place in the landscape is not “cut out” from the whole, either on the plane of ideas or on that of material substance’, but is rather an embodiment of the whole multi-sensory, perceptive experience of a particular locale. Consequently, by seeking to better understand the sense of place of metal detectorists, we can hope to gain a better understanding of their attitudes to the portable antiquities they find, and their heritage in general.

There is a lot more of interest in this paper and you might want to read all of it.  Here is the link.

The Phenomenology of Metal Detecting: Insights from a Unique Type of Landscape Experience by Felicity Winkley  - The Archaeology and Metal Detecting Magazine (archmdmag.com)

This study shows an appreciation for detectorists and the need for archaeology to better work with instead of against detectorists.  There are still many archaeologists in the US that are not as enlightened.

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The British have a metal detecting TV sitcom too.  It is called Detectorists. I found a few clips of the show on YouTube and think you might enjoy watching a few yourself.  I get more laughs from Oak Island though.  Even with my dry wit coming from a heavy dose of British ancestry, Oak Island is funnier.  

Here is one short clip of the Detectorists TV show.  

If you can get through the commercials, watch the first segment of this one.

Watch Detectorists Online Free - Crackle

There are a number of short clips of the show on YouTube.  Here is one example to get you started.

Detectorists - What you found - The best joke from the show - Bing video

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A recent study found that discontinued Lego sets have appreciated in value faster than gold.

Study finds discontinued LEGO sets better investment than gold (nypost.com)

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Here we go again.  Very soon we'll be in a new year.  Doesn't seem like its been a year since we did this.  

I'll probably be going back over the year and some previous years.  This year wasn't one of the most productive for the Treasure Coast beaches, but like always, there were some nice things found.

The surf is still small, and it seems like we'll have a warm end of the year.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/29/21 Report - Another Mounted Gold Coin. A New Mystery Item. Finding Valuable Bills In Circulation.

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

Gold 1/10th Oz. American Eagle Mounted In A Pendant.

Yesterday I showed a 1945 two-peso Mexican coin mounted in a pendant.  The two-peso coins seem to be among the most common coins used in jewelry, but there are plenty of others.

It is always nice to find a gold coin, and as I've said b efore, hunting modern jewelry is one of the easiest ways to find a gold coin.  Here is a 1/10th oz. American gold eagle coin.  American gold eagles are also fairly common in jewelry.  This is a small denomination at one tenth of an oz.

Other Side of Same American Gold Eagle Coin.

 

It wasn't easy to find the mark on the pendant, but below you can see that it is marked inside the bail.

14k Inside Bail.

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You don't always need a metal detector to find metal.  I haven't done a lot of searching over the holidays, but I decided to take a walk along the river Tuesday.  

The water was flat, and the visibility was good except in a few spots.  Good visibility is almost as good as a big low tide for eye-balling.

Conditions were good for mudlarking.  The river has been very calm lately and old eroded areas that might expose things were scarce.  I decided to just take a walk and enjoy the quiet of nature.  I might describe it as meditative detecting.  

Eventually I did find a couple areas that were scattered with broken glass and junk.  I did see a few older bottles, but nothing worth keeping.  If I was like some of the characters I"ve seen on Youtube or Oak Island, I would have breathlessly drooled, made some outlandish claims and asked questions like "Could this piece of glass been formed by sand made eons ago."  

Before coming to one of those more promising spots, I spotted the arm of an antique porcelain doll.  I was glad to see it.   I've had a number of those before, and antique doll collectors are always glad to have them.  Unfortunately, this one had a broken hand and is worthless.

Couple Sight Finds.

Later, in one of those spots where a lot of junk was visible, I spotted a sparkly small object.  The sun made the wet object sparkle as if it was covered by glitter.  I couldn't capture that in the photo.

The little metal tube (shown above) with a removable top or bottom appears to be a cosmetic container of some sort.  I found the marks shown below on that object.  I cannot completely read it.  The beginning and end might be PARK  FORD.  It looks mid-century to me.

Two Views of Markings on The Found Metal Tube With Top.

I haven't found any helpful information on it yet and would like some help. It looks something like a lipstick case, but it is smaller than any I've seen. What do you think it says?

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I enjoy looking for interesting serial numbers on my paper money.  I seldom find much good, but occasionally find something that might be worth a few dollars to a collector.  Some of you will enjoy using a web site I use to check the coolness rating of the numbers.  Coolness does not perfectly correlate with value although there is some relationship.

Here is an example rating for the serial number 93428888, which I found on one bill.  I figured it would have some coolness because of the four eights on the end of the number.

Not bad, but not real valuable either.  As I said, coolness doesn't perfectly correlate with value although there is some relationship.  

  

As you see, although the quad number is the main thing that contributes to the rating of this serial number, it is not the only thing.  The total of the eight digits adds up to a less than 50, which is a little unusual.  A quad is more unusual than the low total of the numbers.

Here is the link if you want to check out some of your own serial numbers.

Fancy Serial Number Checker | My Currency Collection

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No change in Treasure Coast beach conditions.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/28/21 Report - Time Capsule Found. Gold Coin and Chain Find. Art of Receiving Is Giving.

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

1945 Dos Peso Coin Mounted in 14K Gold Pendant.

I've said several times that probably the easiest way to find a gold coin is to hunt modern gold jewelry.  Here are a couple example.

Above is a 1945 Dos Peso Merico coin mounted in a pendant hung on a gold chain..  Dos peso coins were minted from 1919 to 1848.  A dos peso coin contains .048 troy oz. of gold, which makes the coin worth about $87 dollars.  That of course does not include the value of the chain and pendant.  A few dates because of rarity are worth about $30 more.  Those dates are 1944, 1947 and 1948. 

The dos peso coin is small and inexpensive, which is undoubtedly why it is used so much for jewelry, and I think 1945, for some reason, is among the most commonly used. 
 

Same 1945 Dos Peso Coin Mounted in Pendant.

It isn't a rare coin or valuable coin, but nice. 

Notice that the second photo does not show the nice yellow color.  Lighting has a huge affect on coin photos.  Photos can easily be misleading.

The latch is marked 14K.  I don't know what the MD-39 means.

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Virginia officials believe they've found a 19th century time capsule long rumored to be at the former site of a Robert E. Lee statue in Richmond.

This time, they think it's the one they were looking for.

Last week, preservation experts meticulously opened a box they believed to be a chest left in the plot in 1887, but the contents weren't what they were expecting.

It now appears they may have had the wrong one, and a new find at the site could be what authorities had been seeking all along...

Workers found a second time capsule at the Robert E. Lee statue site in Richmond : NPR

And here is a link to a site that includes a copy of an 1887 newspaper article describing the contents of the time capsule.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam - Time Capsule

Thanks to DJ for the lead on that story.

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I mentioned the other day that I gave some of my old dug world coins to a young detectorist.  I was glad he appreciated the items.  By giving them to someone who appreciated them, value was added by the simple act of giving.  Not only was the recipient pleased, but so was I.  

The coins were a small gift, and the small act was nothing worth noticing except for the important principle that was illustrated.

What I will, for lack of a better term, call "proper giving," goes both ways.  Both parties received.  Both parties gave.

It is said that it is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35).   Receiving, when done well, can turn into giving, as the recipient shares his joy with the original giver.  

Some people are better at receiving (giving) than others.   It is as important to joyfully receive as it is to joyfully give without reservation or expectation.  Receiving well multiplies the gift and provides a gift to the giver.

Those who receive well, do not wish for gifts, but attract more gifts.

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Expect several more days of almost no surf.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/27/25 Report - Prototype Coin Worth $850,000. Pattern Coins and Working Prototypes. More on Lapel Pins.

 

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

Prototype Eisenhower Dollar Valued At $850,000
Source: Heritage Auction web site (link below)

This prototype coin valued at $850,000 will be auctioned in the Jan. 7 Heritage auction in Orlando.

 

The same web site provides a good description of pattern and prototype coins.  First a pattern or concept coin that is used to develop the general design.  Then comes the working prototype.  

Here is how the Heritage web site describes it.

Pattern vs. Prototype
For centuries, no working prototype of any American coin destined for circulation in its actual metal of issue was known in private hands. That all changed when the three Eisenhower dollar prototypes first appeared via this discovery coin in 2008, followed by the second in 2010, and a final example in 2013. Unfortunately, the terms "pattern" and "prototype" are often used interchangeably and inappropriately. What, then, is a "pattern" coin, and how does it differ from a "prototype"?

A pattern coin is generally thought to be a concept coin, struck to evaluate a purely conceptual design never officially approved for circulation. Likewise, many pattern coins were struck in unrelated metals to that of any approved and issued coin series. Often they are nothing more than fantasy pieces, deliberately struck for sale or trade to collectors by mint officials. A vast number of pattern coins remain in collector hands, and many were actually traded by the Mint to collectors in exchange for items that it wanted. A famous example of this would be the fabulous 1877 Half Union gold patterns, traded by William Woodin to the Mint for, ironically, vast quantities of pattern coins. Pattern coins are specifically identified as patterns by their Judd catalog numbers, drawn from the Judd pattern reference. An excellent website we often recommend for studying pattern coins is uspatterns.com.

Prototypes, by contrast, are coins produced within the Mint for the chief engraver's actual day-to-day working use (hence, our term "working prototype"). They are a tool to perfect an officially approved coin design for circulation. There is nothing fanciful with a prototype as with most patterns; rather, prototypes are among the tools required to evolve a circulating coin from inception to production. One would also expect a true working prototype to be struck in its proper metal of issue. As, in turn, are the three known 1971-S Eisenhower dollar prototypes on their 40% silver planchets.

It would be interesting to see the various stages as a coin evolves from the initial concept to the final product.

If you think about it, the even cobs we pick up on the beach went through various design and development stage too.

Here are a couple links on the Eisenhower prototype coin you can check for additional information.

1971-S $1 Eisenhower Dollar Prototype, Specimen 67 PCGS. R.8.... | Lot #4650 | Heritage Auctions (ha.com)

Eisenhower Dollar Prototype Featured in the Upcoming January 2022 FUN Heritage Auction (minterrornews.com)

Thanks to JamminJack for prividing the lead on this topic.

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Yesterday I posted a picture of a VFW lapel pin.  That pin was a "lifetime member" pin.  I didn't mention that yesterday.

I was also surprised to learn that there are companies that make "custom" VFW pins.  That surprised me.

Here is the link.

Custom VFW Lapel Pins | 4Heros

And here are some examples from that company.

There are a lot of ways that a find might not match up with what you expect.  

I've seen ruptured duck pins listed for sale that were described as gold.  I don't know if they are really gold, but I guess it might be a possibility.  I'll have to research that more.  Generally they are not.

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Section of Florida Mammoth Tusk Wrapped As One Stage in Conservation Process.

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Very little surf for several days more.

Happy hunting,

Trasuireuide@comcast.net

12/26/21 Report - Mystery Item Solved. Another Lapel Pin Find. A Gold Cross Find. Finds Become Gifts.

 

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

Veterans of Foreign Wars Lapel Pin.

Sometimes things that I intend to post never get posted.  Sometimes I have other things I want to post on a particular day and put an item off for another time.  Sometimes an item might need some cleaning or I need to take a better photo, so I put it off.  And sometimes I'll forget, and an item gets lost in the shuffle.

At the end of the year, I tend to look back, and then I find some incomplete posts or items that were skipped or forgotten.  Here is one that goes nicely with the mystery item I posted yesterday.  (I'll have more on the mystery item below.)

The item shown above is a Veterans of Foreign Wars Of The US lapel pin.  I think most people know of the VFW.

Here is the history on it as presented in Wikipeida.

The VFW resulted from the amalgamation of several societies formed immediately following the Spanish-American War In 1899, little groups of veterans returning from campaigning in Cuba and the Philippian Islands, founded local societies upon a spirit of comradeship known only to those who faced the dangers of that war side by side. Similar experiences and a common language drew them together.  The American Veterans of Foreign Service (predecessor to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States) was established in Columbus, Ohio, September 29, 1899, by Spanish‑American War veteran James C. Putnam.  The Colorado Society, Army of the Philippines, was organized in Denver, Colorado, on December 12, 1899. Shortly thereafter, a society known as the Foreign Service Veterans was born in Pennsylvania.  These three veterans' organizations grew up side by side, increasing in scope and membership until August 1913, when at an encampment held at Denver, they merged their interests and identities in a national organization now known as the VFW.

And here is the back of the pin.

 Back Of Same VFW Pin
Showing Gold-Filled Mark.

Now to yesterday's mystery item.  It is an Honorable Servie Lapel Button, often referred to as the ruptured duck.

It seems I was the only one that didn't recognize the mystery item.  I received a lot of replies on that one, and all of them are correct.  Even my wife, who is now up north. read the blog and called me to tell me what it is.  

I was surprised so many people were reading the blog on Christmas day.  

Now I'm pretty sure I posted a ruptured duck pin before and forgot about it.  It could have been years ago.  I've been doing this over a decade now and forget some of the things that were posted in the past.  

Here is the wikipedia description.

The Honorable Service Lapel Button, sometimes called the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, was awarded to United States military service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during Wolrd War II..  The award is sometimes colloquially called the Ruptured Duck.  Sculptor Anthoney de Francisi designed the award.

The Department of Defense awarded the button between September 1939 and December 1946, and it was made of gilt brass, except during metal shortages during which it was made of gilt plastic. Service members who received the plastic version were later allowed to trade it in for the brass version.

Looks like I need to double check the acid test.

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Here is one more item that got skipped over in the past.  It needs some cleaning and I didn't look at it good at the time.  I still didn't get around to cleaning it, but I did take another look at it.  

Cross Pendant With Clear Stones.

Maybe you can see that it appears to have some melted red wax or something on it.  It looks pretty cruddy, so I was surprised when I saw the marking.

Close-up View of the Back of the Same Cross.

It is marked 14K twice.  That surprised me.  Now I'll have to verify that and see what the stones are. 

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I once did a series of posts on world coins.  You don't expect to dig up a coin from a place like Bora Bora, but it happens from time to time.  A cousin of my wife has a 15 year-old son who is very much into metal detecting.  He lives in West Virginia and doesn't dig many coins from foreign countries. - certainly not like we do in the tourist state of Florida.  So this year we gave him a nice sample of foreign coins that I dug up in the past.  He was delighted.  

You don't see many young people metal detecting. and my poll results from the past show that.  I'm happy to see a young fellow so much into metal detecting and am glad I was able to give the coins to some one that really appreciated them.

===

I did a series of posts on world coins found in Florida and made a list of the countries included.  You can find those posts in treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Here is one post on some of the older foreign coins found in Florida, not including the shipwreck treasure coins.

Here is that link.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 9/2/18 Report - Finding Silver Among World Coins Using a Magnet. Hidden Medieval Doorway Under Castle Found. Tropical Storm Seven.

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The surf is supposed to be down around one foot for several days.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/25/21 Report - Gold Mystery Object. Ancient Good Shepherd Ring Found. Christmas Card and Check Found on Beach. Merry Christmas.

 

Written by the TreasureGuide for the Exclusive Use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Here is one more thing to unwrap this morning - the identification of this mystery find.

It is one piece and the base has a diameter of 9/32 inches.  I was surprised to find that it is gold, but should have known from how well it cleaned up.  It came from an area where I have found hints of an unidentified shipwreck, but don't know that it has anything to do with that.  Is the front design familiar?  Could just be a generic eagle design, but I don't know.

Let me know if you have any ideas on this one.

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Thought to be 600 - 1700 years old, here is an ancient Good Shepherd's ring found by the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Carved Gem On Ancient Good Shepherd Ring
Source: BBC News.

Archaeologists of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced the discovery on Wednesday.

They found a Roman-era golden ring with an early Christian symbol for Jesus inscribed in its gemstone in one of the shipwrecks.

The green gemstone on the thick octagonal ring bears the figure of the “Good Shepherd” and shows a young shepherd boy in a tunic with a ram or sheep across his shoulders.

The image is supposed to represent Jesus as a caring shepherd, something archaeologists said was rare to have been inscribed on a ring as the image existed in early Christian symbolism...

Ancient Good Shepherd Ring.
Source: See link below.

Here is the link.

Israeli archeologists find octagonal ‘Good Shepherd’ gold ring in Roman-era ship wreck (msn.com)

And here is another link with a video.

Ancient 'Good Shepherd' Gold Ring Found Off Israeli Coast (yahoo.com)

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Did all your Christmas cards get delivered.  One with a check inside did not.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A local man says he has made what is an unusual discovery on the beach. A holiday card.

Chris Noack was walking with his dog along the intercoastal beach something he does from time-to-time, when he tells 3News he saw something in the sand that grabbed his attention.

"When I opened it up, it was a Christmas card,” Noack said. And it had a check in it from Florida to somebody here.

Here is the link.

Man wants to return lost card he found on beach | kiiitv.com

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Looks like there is going to be very little surf for a week or so.  The tides are small now too.

Hope you are having a blessed Christmas,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/24/25 The Christmas Village Under The Tree.

 

Some of The Old Items From My Christmas Village.

\

To most people my Christmas village is a bunch of old busted broken no-good trash.  There are some cheap seventy-year-old cardboard houses with cellophane windows punched out by little fingers.  The windows were made to show the light of a little bulb inside the house but were too tempting for children who just couldn't resist poking them.  

There are also three-legged plastic reindeers - some with one antler.  And dogs, sheep, camels, are interspersed with ice skaters and skiers of various unmatched scales and sizes resting or frolicking on a blanket of cotton snow.  And you'll see Santa and his sleigh, a nativity scene and a model train running around the entire village

Like many of my family members, some of the characters and items that populated my Christmas village in years past got lost somewhere along the way.  They are not forgotten though.

The train might be the only thing that moves, but the village is bustling with life and decades of memories.  When I look at it, I can see grandma, who would pick up a new item for the village at the Five-and-Dime whenever she got a chance.  I can see her sewing the dress and gluing glitter on the cardboard crown to make a Christmas princess out of a plastic doll. No one put more joy into the Christmas village than she.  She would often have more than one in her house.

The Christmas village old and worn but vibrates with more life every year.  When I look at it, I can see a young new dad and mother setting up the Christmas tree when their baby boy was too young to appreciate it.  The mother that urged the child to walk with a supporting hand, now needs a steady hand to hold hers while she walks with a cane.

My dad bought a extensive prewar Lionel set including two trains and many accessories even though it might have meant he wouldn't get a new pair of work boots for another year.  I don't know how many months of salary it cost him. I don't know how he did it.  The model train still circles the Christmas village even though my dad is now only there in spirit.

The newest building in the village is a reproduction "putz" that my wife made to look like the house my dad built when I was five or six.  That was a special gift that I cherish.

The village also contains a small model truck of the year and make that my parents bounced in as they drove the country roads when my mother was pregnant and awaiting my arrival.

My wife added her childhood putz houses with broken windows and reindeers and various other figures to my village.  Our village came together as we did.  

This year I'm in Florida with my 95-year-old mother, and my wife is up north with her 96-year-old mother.   Even though we are a distance apart for Christmas this year we are more together than ever as we try to help our elderly parents knowing that we won't have many more chances. As time runs short and become more difficult, it actually becomes more precious.  Like the Christmas village under the tree, we have been through the years and show the wear.  

My Christmas village might look like a bunch of worthless trash, but for me it is more precious than diamonds and gold.  Despite it's looks, the village is packed with memories, and special times and events.  When I look at it , the times and people of Christmases past come alive once again.  It might be old and broken, but it bustles with condensed life and love accumulated over the precious years.

Poor Old Santa.

Merry Christmas.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/23/21 Report - Heavy Gold Ring Find. Mammoth Discoveries. Bacteria Hardened Sand.

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

18K Ring Find.

This find is an unusual ring.  It is marked 18K and has three sets of blue stones and two sets of clear stones, which haven't been tested yet.   Weighs 13.5 grams.

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Experts who unearthed a 200,000-year-old mammoth graveyard say it is "one of Britain's biggest Ice Age discoveries in recent years"...

Ms Hollingworth said: "We were originally hoping to find marine fossils, and finding something so significant instead has been a real thrill...

'Exceptional' mammoth graveyard discovered near Swindon - BBC News

You might not see thre relevance of this article, but mamoth bones and tusks have been found on the Treasure Coast beaches.  I've personally seen two big pieces of tusk years apart.  I showed one tusk section found on the Treasure Coast a few months ago.  

The ones above are much older than some.  Odd thinking of some mammoth bones as being much older and more rare than others, but some can be as recent as 10,000 years ago - still a good long time.

You might want to check out this post for more information on mammoth bones and a very important  discovery made in the Vero area.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 1/21/20 Report - Vero Man and Treasure Coast Fossils. Kang Hsi Notes. Big Surf Coming.

Also on mammoth discoveries, here is an excerpt from another article.

Scientists find a 25,000-year-old circular structure made of hundreds of mammoth bones

In Russia, an unusually large structure from the last ice age has been uncovered, built from the bones of dozens of woolly mammoths. It’s the oldest known structure of its kind, dating back some 25,000 years, but its purpose is not entirely clear.

In the geological record, circular structures constructed from mammoth bones are remarkably common, dating to about 22,000 years ago and occurring during most of Eastern Europe’s ice age...

And here is the link for more of that article.

Scientists find a 25,000-year-old circular structure made of hundreds of mammoth bones (archaeologynewsnetwork.com)

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The University of North Florida (I think it was) is experimenting with bacteria to make beach sand more cohesive and less subject to erosion.  What could go wrong with that?  Is harder beach sand really a good idea?

Here is the video on that.

Research helping to develop new types of sand that could fight erosion - YouTube

Thankis to DJ for the link.

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The surf will be small the next few days.  That is like getting coal in your stocking.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/22/21 Report - Beaches Around The Treasure Coast. Big Gold Chain Find. Silver From Spain Used For Roman Coins.

 

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

Turntle Trail Yesterday Early Afternoon

DJ sent me some beach photos he took yesterday.  I wanted to go out but didn't get a chance. 

Above is how Dj saw Turtle Trail just after noon.  DJ said some bag tops were just beginning to show.

I noticed the wind was different this morning.  Wanted to go out but have other things I have to do.  Justs can't seem to get out there lately.  

Earlier Tuesday, Dj was at Wabasso and Tracking Station in the morning. 

Tracking Station Tuesday Morning.

And below is Wabasso.

Wabasso Tuesday Morning.

You can see how the sand was building at Wabasso.  Notice the where the water washed up over and behind the newly accumulated sand.

Wabasso Tuesday Morning.

Again you can see where the sand was accumulating.

Thanks DJ.

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I've been talking about thin gold chain finds lately, and James H. sent in this photo of a nice heavy gold chain find.

Heavy Gold Chain Found by James H.

Over 31 penny weight. 

Thanks for sharing James.

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The Iberian Peninsula, which includes modern Spain and Portugal, is host to world-class silver deposits, especially in the southern region. These deposits contain galena, which is the main ore of lead and an important source of silver. To extract silver, the galena ore is smelted and purified, with refined silver for coin minting able to reach a purity of over 95%.

To track the source of Roman silver, the team of researchers analyzed the silver and lead compositions of galena samples from ore deposits across the Iberian Peninsula and compared the results to the chemical signatures of silver Roman coins.

They identified two different types of galena deposits based on the silver elemental composition of the samples: silver-rich galena that would have been a likely source for Roman coinage, and silver-poor galena that would have been exploited for lead only and would have been of lower economic importance...

Based on the lead elemental signatures of the galena samples, the ore deposits from southeastern Spain best fit the composition of Roman coins, suggesting that these deposits were a major source of Roman silver. Both silver-rich and silver-poor galena deposits were likely exploited here, with the extracted lead from silver-poor galena able to be mixed with other ores to extract silver...

Here is the link for more about that.

GSA News Release 21-74 (geosociety.org)

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Nothing more than a two or three foot surf is expected for the next few days.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/21/21 Report - More Tests on Detecting Thin Gold Chains. Conductivity Numbers On A Lot of Different Objects.

 

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

Four 14K Chains and One 14K GP.

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to do some tests with thin gold chains.  I did a little of that yesterday using the five chains shown above.  The first four are marked 14K and the last one is marked 14K GP (gold plated).  From additional observations, I'd say those markings are correct.

Here is a closer view of four of those plus another beach find.  Number four from the top photo is left out of the picture below for no particular reason other than sloppiness on my part.  And top chain in the photo below is another `14K beach find.

Five Chains.  (Units on Left are 1/32 inch.)

The units shown on the left side of this photo are 1/32 inch.

I only did a quick check with an Equinox 600 in the first mode (park).  I reduced the sensitivity down to 18 because of electrical interference in the area.  You normally don't have to do that on the beach, so you will probably get slightly better signals in many cases.

I stretched each of the chains out straight and first swept across the narrow width of each chain.

The chain on the left of the top photo, (with the larger rectangular links) produced conductance numbers of two to four.  The second chain (with the coin) produced a twelve consistently, but that had more to do with the pendant and coin rather than the chain.  The third and fourth chains (top photo) were not detected reliably with the chains stretched out and sweeping across the width of the chains.  And the fifth chain (gold plated) produced a signal very similar to the chain with the coin.

If the coil was swept the other way (from one end of the chain to the other end), chains one and five sounded like you'd expect a long thin object to sound 

See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 5/30/11 Report - Memorial Day Issue - Signal Nulling & Glass Detective Work for more about signals produced by long thin objects.

You might get better signals on the beach than I got in my test.  Nonetheless, other than the one with the coin and the plated one, they could very well be missed.  Thin gold chains can easily be missed.  I remember commenting that I was following two very good detectorists with good detectors when I found the top chain in the second photo.

If chains are balled up rather than stretched out, they can produce a louder signal than when stretched out.  Of course, a large pendant or hook will often cause a better signal.

Chains can be very difficult to get in your scoop if you are detecting in the water.  I've talked about that before too.  If you don't get all the chain in the scoop, the part hanging out can pull the chain out as you lift the scoop - in some cases over and over again. 

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While on the subject, DJ sent me a link to a YouTube video showing a guy that got conductivity numbers for a Larve variety of objects.  Here is a clip from his video.  You can see the variety of objects tested.

Conductivity Numbers for Objects Tested with Equinox Air Test.
Source: See link below.

The Minelab Equinox Target ID Bible: Everything You Need To Know - YouTube

There are a few comments that I'd add.  In his video of the air tests, it appeared the objects were being moved back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the way the coil would move over the object when you are swinging in the field. That will make a difference, as will other factors, such as depth and orientation of objects, both round and irregular.

His overall summary is - dig everything.

It appeared that both good and junk objects produced almost every conductivity number.  That isn't new advice and I've seen previous videos that showed the same thing and came to the same conclusion.  I remember showing in one post a test on gold rings that showed them producng a wide variety of conductivity numbers.

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We're having strong winds from the SW today.  Seems like that happens every year around this time.  

I've heard of some good finds, but haven't had a chance to verify or get details.

I haven't had a chance to get out much lately.  My mother has been having medical issues and I made an airport shuttle trip today and some other things, so I just haven't had a chance to get out lately.  Hope to soon.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/20/21 Report - Some Modern Finds That Were Not Real Easy To Figure Out.

 

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

Watch Find.

Some finds are tricky.  Even modern items can be tricky.  Sometimes they look like one thing and turn out to be something else.  Sometimes the markings don't seem to be right.  And sometimes you just don't know what to make of an item.

Above is what I'd consider an odd watch.  It has a stretch band marked stainless steel.  The watch itself is marked stainless steel.  The ornate part of it looks like 1970s silver, however that part is not marked and an acid test shows very low silver content.  

The name on the face of the watch appears to be Austim.  I can't see if there is another letter under the hand of the watch.  It could possibly be Austime or something like that.  i don't know of any watches that go by that name.

Chain.

Here is another one that isn't what I intially thought it was.  I couldn't find any markings on the above chain.  I figured it was either junk, or at best, silver, but acid testing gave a 14K reading.  It hangs very nicely.  I'll have to research that a little more.

Sometimes things need more cleaning and sometimes they require more research so I put off posting them for a while.

Bracelet.

This bracelet feels very light.  I therefore thought it was junk.  Although there are no markings it tests as gold.  It looks like the rectangular links are hollow, which might explains why it feels so light.  Closer inspection seems to verify that the square links are hollow.

Charm Bracelet.

Here is an item that I wouldn't pay much attention to.  It is a charm bracelet, that I'd take to be nothing special.  A mark was found on it though.  Not gold - but Walt Disney Productions, which in some cases can be almost as good.

Walt Disney Productions was used from 1929 until 1986. The older items in that range could be valuable while others are relatively worthless.

I found what looks like the same bracelet offered on eBay for $49.99, but that doesn't mean much. From the picture on that listing, The one shown above appears to be missing a small metal tag (far left in the eBay photo shown below).

The charms are heavy, but I don't think precious metals, although I haven't tested them yet.  

It can take some research to evaluate even modern items. 

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I said I was going to do some tests on some gold chains, and I did a little of that, but haven't completed those tests yet.

Other things have been keeping me very busy lately.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

The wind was from the north this morning and created some small waves on the lagoon.  You can see the wind direction shown as being from the north on the above chart.

The surf will increase a little tonight, but not a lot.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/19/21 Report - Modern Finds: Gold Chains and Gold Coin.

 

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

Variety of Chains Found This Year.

I was thinking back over the year and realized I had not posted much about modern finds this year.  It just wasn't my primary interest, so I decided to go back and catch up on some of the things I intended to post but didn't post at the time.

The year hasn't been the best year for finding shipwreck coins on the beach, even though a few have been found, but one thing you can do when old stuff isn't readily available, is hunt for modern items.  

When I started metal detecting I lived down south and started out hunting mostly modern coins.  I quickly switched to targeting modern jewelry, which required some changes in strategy and technique.

In the early days I didn't find many chains, and those that I did find were not very good.  Small gold chains are not the easiest things to find.  Some detectors do a better job on thin gold chains and some do not do well with thin chains.  Of course your detector and the settings you use make a difference.  You can't use much discrimination if you want to find thin gold chains.  

Many gold chains are found because they have a larger pendant, and some are found because of the catch, which can be one of the largest single parts.

Maybe one of your first gold coin finds was found as a pendant.  Among the most common coin pendants (according to my experience) are the Mexican dos pesos coins.

Dos Peso Coin Pendant
Found Mounted on Small Chain

You can find gold coins, such as the common and relatively inexpensive dos peso coins mounted on rings and earrings too.  They are very common on jewelry.

Anyhow, when you can't find much old stuff on the beach, you might hunt change beaches and go for modern items.  At the top of this post are a variety of chains found this year.  

Chains tend to break or fly off and get lost in the dry fluffy sand or get lost in the water when someone decides to dive in or do a handstand.  Many found chains will be broken - often at the catch.

If a chain does not have a pendant, the second easiest part to detect is often the catch.

The catch will often provide a good hint to the quality of the chain.  A quality catch will often have some sort of safety.

Surprising how easily chains become invisible in fluffy dry sand.

The catch will many times be where you will find any markings.

The chain bearing the dos peso coin has the catch shown immediately below.

Chains can be very small and thin and be a real challenge to detect.  Below is one very small thin chain that was detected.

Thin Gold Chain.

Here are some other marked catches.

The last of those three chains is broken in the middle.

I should do a test on the relative detectability of chains of different types.  I've never done that.

Gold chains can be a challenge to detect, but they can also be difficult to test.  If you use test acid, it is not easy to get a good rubbing from small chains.  

When a chain is very thin, it is also difficult to tell much from the weight.  

You have to be careful about the marks you find on chains too.  It is not uncommon for a catch to be replaced or not be of the same quality as the rest of the chain.  It is easy to put a catch with a high karat mark on a lesser quality chain.  

Of course you'll find a lot of silver chains and junk chains too, but I'll save that for another time.

When conditions are not right for finding old things on the beach, you might want to adapt and go after other kinds of things.  That is a message I've repeated many times, but it is an important one.  There is always some place to hunt and something to find, but you will have to change and adapt.

You might even be surprised to find something old when targeting something new. 

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Nothing real exciting in the forecast, but at least there is some surf and the tourists are here.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net