Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
Yesterday I addressed the pendant Gary B. recently found at John Brooks. Consensus, judging from the photos alone, is that it is not old or valuable. When I post finds I don't do it just to show what was found. I am interested in what was found, but I am just as interested in what can be learned from the finds and about the finds.
They always say, if you want to detect a counterfeit, you should study the real thing, so I wanted to show some old shipwreck medallion finds today can be compared to the mystery pendant and any other pendant you might find.
Above is a medallion, that like Gary's, was also found at John Brooks beach. It was not identified right away. In fact, it was encrusted and mistaken as a coin until it was partially cleaned with coins that were being tumbled. Then the actual shape began to appear. Too bad it wasn't identified and treated more carefully to begin with.
Below are some examples from Spanish Colonial sites dating from 1650 to 1700. They can be found on page 51 of Deagan's book, Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Caribbean, 1500 - 1800.
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Illustration From
Artifacts of the Spanish Coloniies of Florida and the Caribbean,
1500 - 1800, by Kathleen Deagan. |
The same book shows many more examples of medallions, but one characteristic sticks out to me. Notice the bail. The hole is positioned facing left to right rather than front to back. There are exceptions. Sometimes there is only a hole in the medallion, for example.
Here are a couple medallioins I found in the Mel Fisher artifact database. There aren't many.
Medallion Listed in
The Mel Fisher Artifact Database..
Notice the bail again.
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1715 Fleet Medallion Shown in the
Mel Fisher Artifact Database. |
Here are a couple more from the treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com site.
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Broken Medallion
Photo by John C. |
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Found Medallion
Phoot by Bart S. |
Of course there are many more I could have posted. They can be found in the old Treasure Beaches Report site and in other sources, such as the ones I mentioned today.
Most of the old pendants found on the Treasure Coast have a similar look. They will typically be made of copper, or a copper alloy or a precious metal.
As for Aztec or Mayan artifacts from the shipwrecks, they are very rare. We've heard of some that were actually hoaxes. Most of the gold found in the New World was unfortunately melted down before being shipped. Aztec jewelry designs are still popular today though.
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Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) returned 277 pre-Columbian artifacts to Mexican officials Tuesday during a repatriation ceremony in the Mexican Consulate in Nogales.
The pieces were recovered after two separate investigations by HSI special agents assigned to Phoenix and Nogales, Arizona. Scott Brown, special agent in charge of HSI Phoenix, presented the relics to Mexican Consul General Ambassador Ricardo Santana and Jose Luis Perea, director of the Mexican Institute for Anthropology and History (INAH) in Sonora, Mexico. The Mexican officials accepted the relics on behalf of the people of Mexico...
The HSI Phoenix case began Oct. 8, 2013, when special agents were contacted by a representative of the Chandler Historical Society regarding multiple suspected pre-Columbian Chinesco-Western pottery figures with origins as far back as 100 B.C., which were in the possession of the City of Chandler Museum. HSI special agents promptly met with the museum’s director who turned over 10 Shaft Tomb artifacts for further review and investigation. Through an archeological expert analysis, the authenticity of these artifacts was confirmed as being more than 1,500 years old and originating from Mexico...
Here is the link for more about that.
HSI Arizona Returns Hundreds of Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Mexico – Homeland Security Today (hstoday.us)
So add artifacts to the drugs, humans and viruses that are being smuggled across the border.
While Americans are supposed to be in lockdown, verified Covid conatagious immigrants are being bussed around the country to keep the pandemic going.
If you don't have a crises to take advantage of, create one - or at least drag it out as long as possible. That seems to be the way things are done.
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| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com. |
We are losing the rough surf.
Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 14.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
