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Monday, July 19, 2021

7/19/21 Report - Local Museum As Research Resource. My First 1715 Fleet Find and Another First Find Remembered.

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

St. Lucie County Regional History Center Display.
Photo submitted by Jammin Jack.

Jammin Jack sent some photos and information about the St. Lucie County Regional History Center, which is on the north side of Seaway Drive just after you go over the bridge from Fort Pierce.  He sent photos of displays on the 1715 wrecks as well as a diorama of Fort Pierce, including the train station.


Fort Pierce Diorama At The St. Lucie County Regional History Center.
Photo submitted by JamminJack.


Fort Pierce Diorama At The St. Lucie County Regional History Center.
Photo submitted by JamminJack.


Jack said - Be sure to call. Since it is volunteers, I think they are only open Wednesday thru Weekends.

Also, if you have not seen the room dedicated to the Douglas and 1715 wrecks worth the visit.

They have a lot of stuff stored away. If you tell them who you are they may show some railroad and shipwreck artifacts a lot of people do not know about.


They also have some good books including a couple of early Fort Pierce phone books which I once discovered hidden away at the Indian River State College library. They locked in a special collections room and were donated to the museum when they were deaccessed probably around fifteen years ago.A

The admission fee is only $3, so it is well worth it for what you will learn.

They are also looking for volunteers.  You can learn a lot that way.  It is something to consider.  

Here is their link.


Displays change from time to time, so if you are interested in something specific you might want to give them a call before visiting.

Thanks Jack.

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Some finds stand out in your memory.  Some of those that I remember were firsts for me.  As the years go by it takes more to impress me.  Things that I've found before don't impress me as much as my firsts.  

I remember my first cob - or what I thought was my first cob.  It had no details on it.  I thought it was my first cob, but maybe it isn't a cob at all.  But even if it isn't a cob, it is my first silver from the 1715 Fleet.

When I found it, I wasn't even sure it was silver.  In fact I remember the exact spot I found it, and my wife looked at it and was about to toss it when I yelled, "Hey, hey, hey, don't throw that away."  

When I got home I acid tested it and it was silver.  It was about the size of a one-reale, which is something I probably wouldn't have realized in those days without doing some research.  I still have it and don't think it is a reale, although it possibly could be a very worn reale that some people might call a razor.


My First Shipwreck Silver Find From The Treasure Coast.

I talked about that in an old post.  Here is the link.


But what I started to talk about was another first.  It was a few decades ago when I was hunting coins down in South Florida.  It was early in my metal detecting days, and I hadn't yet started targeting gold jewelry instead of coins.

I was reminded of that find by my Saturday post, which featured a big find made on the Isle of Man.  I was reminded of an Isle of Man Silver Jubilee coin that I found long ago.  It was found on Hollywood Beach, which is where I did a lot of detecting back then because it was the closest beach for me.  If you know Hollywood Beach, north of the bandshell just before you get to the handball courts, there was a pizza shop, and in front and just south of the pizza shop there was a shower.  The coin was found just a few yards southeast of the shower.  Amazing how that stuck in my mind.


One Crown Silver Jubilee Coin
Found On Hollywood Beach Years Ago.




These coins are .925 silver and are sold today for around 26 British pounds with a box and COA.  I still wonder why and how a non-circulating coin like that, in near mint condition, was in the sand on Hollywood Beach.

It is one of those finds that I remember like it was yesterday.   I don't think I had been detecting even a year when I found it, and it was a first for me.  I still wonder how and why coins like the end up in the sand on a beach.

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Telecommunications networks and the internet open up new intrusive techniques for spying on citizens.

Here is a single example.


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Nothing new in the weather.  The surf will be like one or two feet this week.

Happy Hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net