Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| 10th Known Free Slave Badge Found by Detectorist. |
Veteran South Carolina relic hunter Ralph Fields’ metal detecting prowess paid off Feb. 28 when he unearthed what is now identified as only the 10th known example of a copper Charleston Free Slave badge, one of only five in private hands.
Fields pinpointed the find on a construction site in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, seven miles southwest of Charleston...
Krainik says Fields is one of only four relic hunters to have dug a Free Slave badge — Pete Ellis found Free Badge Number 259 in Beaufort County during the winter of 2005; Hal McGirt recovered Free Badge Number 320 on a plantation site near Charleston in February 2012; and Free Badge Number 258 was dug on the banks of the Black River in the Low Country by Dr. Cantey Haile Jr. on Nov. 21, 2013.
One of the main reasons for the rarity of the 1.5-inch copper Free Slave badge, according to Krainik, is the number of people that would have been required to wear them to identify their free status. “According to the United States Census, no more than six hundred free persons of color were living in Charleston in 1790,” ...
Here is the link for more about that.Metal detectorist finds 10th known 1800s ‘Free Slave’ badge (coinworld.com)
Thanks to SuperRick for that link.
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Lot 62 in the current Sedwick auction is a silver bar described as follows:
Silver contraband ingot, 550 grams, ex-Maravillas (1656). 5" x 1" x 3/4". Typically shaped "finger" ingot with no markings, 95% pure silver (XRF tested) lightly corroded surfaces, neatly cast but clearly contraband in nature. From the Maravillas (1656), with original Marex certificate # CHS-124. *^
With an auctoin estimate of $700 - $1000, the roughly 1.2 pound unmarked silver bar already has a bid of $1600 - a very great bid which might be expected to go much higher before the auction is over.
In 2017 I looked at some of the lots from the 1977 auction. That was forty years ago, and I was interested in how 1715 Fleet treasure seemed to be doing as an investment.
Here is that link.
In the 1977 Bowers and Ruddy Galleries auction there were eight 1715 Fleet unmarked silver bars listed, ranging from 1 lb. 6. oz to 1 lb. 13.5 oz. (considerably heavier than lot 62 from the current auction).
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| 1715 Fleet Silver Bar Listing From the 1977 Bowers and Ruddy Auction Catalog. |
The realized prices for those bars ranged from $240 to $130. There are too many differences to consider those bars as comparables, but it is interesting to consider the prices. $1 in 1977 had roughly the same buying power as $4.43 does in 2021. It looks to me like the current Sedwick bar is doing extremely well.
The 1 lb. 6 oz. bar sold in 1977 for a price that would be roughly equivalent to $575 in today's dollars.
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I recently discovered a paper that you might want to read. It looks like it was presented in 2014 or 2015. I don't know where it was presented or where it originally appeared.
It is Awash in Tales of Treasure: Modern Perceptions of Florida’s Colonial Spanish Shipwrecks by Nicole Grinnan.
Below is the stated purpose of the paper.
To explore modern misconceptions about colonial Spanish shipwrecks in Florida, this paper will first provide background on colonial Spanish presence in the state and the subsequent role of Spanish ships and shipping to support the management of Spain’s colonies in the New World. A brief history of the potential origin of romanticized conceptions about colonial Spanish shipwrecks in Florida will also provide the basis for examining examples of these conceptions from popular culture, mass and social media, and published materials. To narrow the scope of this paper, only examples from the last ten years (2004-2014) will be utilized to illustrate the most recent ways in which the public perceives colonial Spanish shipwrecks. Analysis of each example will include a consideration of cultural context, the quality of information on colonial Spanish history, and historical “myths,” if any, put forward...
The paper takes the typical academic view of treasure salvage and treasure hunting. You might find certain parts of it interesting or informative and other parts inaccurate or misleading.
Here is the conclusing paragraph.
Whether compelled by a cultural need for escapist activities or, more simply, greed, false perceptions of Florida’s colonial Spanish history do injustice to the state’s historical significance. This exploration of modern perspectives on colonial Spanish shipwrecks and, more broadly, colonial Spanish history in Florida is significant in that it may help historians, archaeologists, and educators better tailor programs to the public audiences with which they speak. While a better-informed public is beneficial for perpetuating education in general, it may ultimately also be more willing to advocate for the preservation of Florida’s culturally valuable historical and archaeological resources.
You can use the following if you want to download the article.
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| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com |
We're having a slight off-shore wind. A decreasing surf is predicted.
We are getting well into summer beach conditions. As much as I hate to think about it, we'll be watching for hurricanes soon.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net