Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
 |
| 25 Yuan Panda Coin in Plastic. |
Coin collecting to me is fascinating and enjoyable but also frustrating. There are so many types of coins that it is impossible to remain informed about all off them, and the obsession with condition issues, extending down to microscopic details, is very tedious to me. It seems impossible to remain informed about more than a relatively small subset of coin types, but but as a detectorist, you can find almost anything, and a lot of study is required just to learn about the coins you find.
One thing I just learned very recently, for example, is that bullion coins like the Panda and American Eagle can include varieties and even errors that can really affect their value. I just thought about bullion coins being worth the value of the precious metals. It makes sense that there would be varieties and condition issues that would affect their value just like other coins, but I never thought much about that. Now I find out that bullion coins also are produced with varieties that can affect their value, as does the coin's condition. There are also significant varieties, just like with other coins.
Here is what I found online at Panda Varieties (pandaamerica.com.
Collectors of United States coins are very aware that small variations can make big differences in values. For example, an 1864 Two Cent coin with Large Motto catalogs for $85 in uncirculated condition—but the Small Motto variety is valued ten times greater ($800). Similarly, an 1820 Half Dollar with serifs on every “E” in the inscription catalogs for $1,600 in brilliant uncirculated condition—but coins with no serifs are valued at $5,000 in the same quality. More recently, the 1979 Susan B. Anthony Dollar with Wide Date catalogs for $3 in choice brilliant uncirculated—but is valued at nearly seven times greater ($20) for the Narrow Date.
Similarly, serious collectors are now carefully examining their gold Panda coins—and are discovering new (and potentially very valuable) coins in their own collections and in new offerings from dealers.
The following varieties are listed in “Gold and Silver Panda Coin Buyer’s Guide” by Peter Anthony...
Then the article goes on to list some of the varieties.
As is usually the case, I learned that determining the value of bullion coins can be more complicated than I originally thought. Things can seem simple when you don't know a lot about them, but as you dig deeper, you find out that they are marvelously complex and wonderful.
The more you know, the more you realize how much there is that you don't know.
----
I received the following email from Anthony M.
I am a long time follower of your posts and your blog. I cannot exactly remember when I began following you, but perhaps around ten years (since I entered the hobby). I want to thank you for your time, insight, and commitment to your blog. I greatly appreciate all the material which you share and the knowledge you disseminate. I can attribute much of my finds to the theories you formulated.
It's been a long goal of mine to find a Spanish coin. I am relatively young, 27, yet this goal has been on my mind on-and-off for a long time. I first entered the hobby through an older friend, maybe he's an acquaintance of yours - Larry Friedel. I live in Jupiter, so naturally the allure of Spanish treasure became imminent. However, I did not have the opportunity to hunt for all this time, but now that I'm settled back here, I am eager to find anything Spanish. Which leads me to my rather naive question - do you still believe there is a probable chance of finding a spanish coin? I understand looking at the manifests of each ship, that they carried millions upon millions of coins - but what was the actual percentage found. Surely there is no definite answer, but I feel a little hopeless in accomplishing my goals...Nonetheless I won't stop until I attain my target. Another tactless question, could you recommend a certain beach site that would be more productive? I understand the irony of my question - if a site is more productive, everyone would put pressure on that site causing it to be less productive. However, I would like to find just one Spanish coin and that would suffice my goals (at least temporarily haha). Surely, likelihood is dependent on the weather and beach conditions, yet, would you say one site would have a greater chance of producing if all conditions were uniform?
Anyhow, I wanted to write to you for a long time and thank you for your commitment and knowledge. On a separate note, I enjoy your insights on the current trends in society/politics. Personally, as someone who has much time remaining, I'm not excited to see the outcome of today's "progress".
Thank you,
Anthony
Anthony presents a couple common questions. Every once in a while you hear someone say that it has all been found. They think that after all these years there is little remaining to be found and the chances of finding a Spanish treasure coin on the beach is becoming very slim. Obviously some of the treasure has been found over the decades since people started metal detecting the beaches, but if you will recall, some very nice finds were made in 2020 and 2021. After all the years I've been metal detecting, I personally made a couple of firsts last year, and so did others.
I can certainly remember times when it seemed easier. This summer it was not easy at all.
It can take a lot of time to find your first Spanish reale. The reason I started this blog is that the chances of finding treasure on the beach depends a lot upon beach conditions, and if you do not keep up with beach developments, it is a long shot that you will be at the right place at the right time. It took me a number of trips to the Treasure Coast before I found my first. I was getting frustrated. I thought I was never going to find a treasure coin. I lived in South Florida and didn't know what the Treasure Coast beaches were doing, so I made some trips to the Treasure Coast that were a waste of time.
For a few years I gave a Treasure Coast beach metal detecting conditions rating so people would have an idea when the chances were good or poor. I got tired of giving poor ratings day after day, especially during the long summers and stopped giving numerical beach conditions ratings. I still let you know when beach conditions improve and when they are not good, but I don't do it the same way. If you have been reading this blog very long you undoubtedly know some of the factors that affect beach conditions, and I believe that because of this blog, people have a much better understanding of how beach conditions change and what makes for good beach conditions. There was a time when people talked about little more than the size of the waves. Now it is common for people to talk about other things, including, for example, the direction of the wind and waves. As was recently demonstrated, it takes more than a higher surf and big tides to create beaches that produce Spanish treasure. I've talked about many details and described how sand moves relative to coins and other objects.
Now getting back to core of Anthony's first questions, sometimes conditions for finding Spanish treasure are good and sometimes not so good. It is not so much that less treasure remains, the bigger factor now is the amount of sand dumped on the beaches by renourishment projects, along with the long-term and short-term weather cycles.
There is still a lot of treasure out there. There is just a lot of sand covering it up. It doesn't come quick or easy. That is probably the way it should be.
Finding treasure shouldn't be easy. It wouldn't be treasure if it was too easy and too common.
And what is the treasure after all? The older you get, the more you realize that no matter what you get, it isn't going to last forever.
When it comes down to it, treasure isn't a coin or even a bunch of coins. Life is short. The real treasure is the process. It is a way of living authentically.
When you start metal detecting your goal might be coins or gold, but as the years go by you might find that those things are less and less important. You learn things. You look back at your experiences and see things differently. You wonder where the time went, and think about how you spent your time.
I seriously doubt that your last thoughts will be about a coin or a bunch of coins. You will probably think about your loved ones. Those who went before you and those that came after. You might face some regrets, and wish you had done some things differently. May those be few.
The treasure isn't the things. The treasure is Life, and the experiences, learning and growing, and most of all, loving.
---
 |
| Source: MagicSeaWeed.com |
So this week we'll have a calm surf.
Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
