5/31/22 Report - Finds. Silver Pistol Sideplate, Rove(?) and Shard. Agatha First Tropical Storm or Year.

 

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

Silver Artifact Found On A 1715 Wreck Beach.

In my 5/29 post I showed some beach finds that could be artifacts from 1715 wrecks.  As I explained, I am pretty confident about the bracelet, but less confident about the ring.  In any case, I was reminded of some other artifacts from the same beach.  The example, the one above, which I believe is a sideplate to an old pistol.   It is silver. 

When researching that item, I found an example, of an 18th century sideplate that matches thsy one almost exactly.  Unfortunately, I can not find that illustration now.  If you can find an illustration of a sideplate that matches this one, I hope you'll share it with me.

Below is another artifact that I believe could be an 18th century, or perhaps early 19th century, find.  It was found with other items of that approximate age.  

There were several, and they were all very similar.  They are nearly square pieces of lead, slightly concave, and have apparently been punched through with a nail of something.

I was pretty sure they were used like washers, and were called roves, or rooves.  Now I can't find such that information on the internet, so am once again hoping somebody can help me re-research them.    Again, I should have written all that down.

Below is a photo of a recently found pot shard.

LargeTerracotta Pot Shard Under Water.

Here are some other photos of the same item.

I don't have any idea how old this one is yet.  I haven't studied it at all but suspect it may not be very old, but I don't know that for sure yet.

The diameter of the mouth would be over a foot.  

Always something to study.

---

Agatha, the first tropical storm of 2022, could reform in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane Agatha makes landfall in southern Mexico; storm could redevelop in Atlantic (msn.com)

Here is the five-day tropical forecast from nhc.noaa.gov.

We'll get a little surf action from the remnants of Agatha in a few days.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

It is that time of year.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/29/22 Report - Friendship Bracelet and Rings from 1715 Fleet Shipwreck Beaches. Chemists Bottle Find.

 

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

Silver Bracelet Believed To Be a 1715 Fleet Artifact.

Going back over old finds and memories, one thing that impresses me is the importance of initial impression of finds.  In some cases, I thought items were good, got excited, and later found out that the item was nothing exciting, In a few cases, I failed to recognize items that were good and either discarded them or didn't treat them carefully enough.  In some cases I kept items I wasn't sure about, and over time realized that they were something special.

Here is an example that I made years ago.  As time goes by (probably 20 years or so), I become more and more confident that it is actually a 1715 artifact, although I don't have what I would call proof.  We usually don't have proof, even though we might have convincing evidence.

Being found on a 1715 shipwreck beach provides some context, but the most convincing thing to me after having studied a good bit, is the form of the item.  The features strongly suggest to me that the bracelet is from an 18th century or other similarly early source.

The hands and cuffs on the ends of the bracelet seem to me to be of the proper age and style.

Two Views of Hand on End of Silver Bracelet.

Each hand is only about 3/8 inches long from beginning of the cuff to the end of the knuckles.

At the top of the post is the entire bracelet, which is what I think it is.

The hands on both ends are very similar, the one of the left is just at an angle that doesn't show well in the first photo.

It is about the right size for a bracelet.  It would fit around most wrists if it was not stretched open as it is now.  

Notice how the cuffs match the cuffs shown in the image below.

Ruffled Cuffs.

Hands are not unusual on pieces of 18th century jewelry, which include Claddagh rings, which were popular during the 18th century.

Below is a 18th century Claddagh ring.  Notice the ruffled cuffs.

18th Century Claddagh Ring From Pinterest.

The MelFisher store shows a ring with clasped hands that is a replica of a friendship ring found on a 1715 wreck, and Deagan, in her book on Spanish colonial artifacts shows a silver Claddagh ring attributed to a 1715 Fleet shipwreck.

The clasped hands symbolize friendship or a love relationship.

Here is one I found on a 1715 wreck beach.

Claddagh Ring From 1715 Wreck Beach.

In summary, as the years go by, it seems I become more and more convinced the bracelet is a 1715 Fleet artifact, although I can't be 100% certain.  At this point, my degree of certainty is something like 98%.  Along with the location of the find, the style is very similar to other 18th century items.

The bracelet and ring together make a nice set.

---

I took a little walk the other day and came up with a bottle embossed Eddy & Eddy, Chemists, St. Louis.  I found one of those before.  Here is a quick video of the find.

Walk Along Indian River Lagoon.

I also found some other things, which I'll study and post some other time.

---

I posted some more bottles on TreasureGuide's Bottle Barn (tgbottlebarn.blogspot.com)

I'm trying to get bottles documented.

---

Expect nothing more than a two or three foot surf on the Treasure Coast this week.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/28/22 Report - Illegal Gold Panning. Rolex Watch Find. Serial Number Lookup. Medical Bottle.

 

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

Dug Drowned Rolex.

I was looking for some old finds and found this Rolex, which was my first.  Unfortunately it was drowned.  I hadn't thought of it for a long time, but when I found it with my metal detector years ago, it was an exciting find.  Some early finds are replaced by more recent better finds.

The serial number, which you might be able to see in the photo is 6604893.

Back of Same Rolex Case.

6604893 is a serial number from 1981, so it wasn't real old when found, but it was drowned at the time.

Here is the link for a Rolex serial number lookup site.

Rolex Model Year Calculator Tool from Bob's Watches (bobswatches.com)

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A man has been found guilty of illegally panning for Welsh gold during a trip to Snowdonia.

Brian Wright, from Oxfordshire, was found with a jar of gold dust near Dolgellau, Gwynedd, which he had collected on his trip last August.

The 65-year-old, who had denied the offences, claimed he had been showing an enforcement officer how to pan for gold.

He was fined £600 at Llandudno Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Welsh gold has been used in royal wedding rings including those of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

The so-called "Dolgellau gold-belt" is said to stretch almost to Trawsfynydd from Cardigan Bay....

Wright was found guilty of three offences of digging up or removing gravel, sands or minerals at Afon Wen, and operating a metal detector on NRW land.

Wright, who the court heard was on benefits, was fined £600 and ordered to pay £2,400 costs.

After the case, Dylan Williams, from NRW said: "Illegal gold panning has the potential to adversely impact the river ecosystem.


"The process of digging up of the riverbed and bank can result in direct damage to plants or invertebrates and fish spawning grounds can be damaged. The flow of the river can also be altered.

Here is the link for more about that.

Snowdonia: Man guilty of panning for gold in Afon Wen - BBC News

Thanks to Norbert B. for that link.

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Below is an embossed medical bottle used for administering intravenous fluids.  The bottle would be hung upside down.

Embossed Hospital Liquids Inc. Bottle.

---

Fort Pierce Surf Predictions.
MagicSeasWeed.ccom.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

Snowdonia: Man guilty of panning for gold in Afon Wen - BBC News

5/27/22 Report - Date Profiling Beaches and Detecting Sites. Embossed Red Rock Bottle.

 

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

Hypothetical Detecting Site Date Profile.

If you detect a site long enough, you'll collect finds from a range of dates.  And if you plot the frequency of finds from various dates, you'll develop a date profile for the site.  A date profile can provide some helpful insights.

Above is a hypothetical date profile for a beach.  It is not based upon real data.  It is just a quick illustration.  

Anyhow, this profile what could be interpreted as a site showing two big find producing events (red and blue), as well as a gradual increase in finds from more recent times (green).  Maybe there was a shipwreck sometime around 1600 and one around 1800 and then a gradual but significant increase in recent use of the site.  The two big events produced finds increasing in date up to the time of the events. 

If you developed a profile for finds from the beach just south of the Jupiter Inlet, for example, you might find coins dated prior to 1659 (the date of the Jupiter wreck) and an increase in modern coins from sometime in the 1900s up to the present.  Unless you are salvaging the wreck site,  the modern coins will highly out-number the old coin finds, but if you were able to hunt both, the date profile for that beach would show one big event corresponding to the wreck and an increase in coins in modern times from around 1900 up to the present.

One thing you have to remember when developing a date profile, is that your sample will not be complete.  Your sample will be affected by a variety of factors.  For example, the beach conditions will affect the age of coins you find.  There might be a lot of older coins present, but too deeply buried to recover unless you catch the beach during some good erosion, but as you continue to detect the site, your date profile will become more complete.

There is also likely to be some degree of observer bias.  It is natural to interpret the dates of any uncertain items according to what you believe.  

Just another quick and dirty example.  Viginia Key was very popular back in the 1950s and 1960s.  Then the island was not used much for a period of time, but in recent years was improved, and I understand, is popular once again.  My date profile for Virginia Key shows some finds from the 1800s and earlier spread around the island, and a good number of coins from the 1950s and 1960s along one area, and a good number of items from the 1980s and 1990s in another area.   Until there was some erosion, I did not discover the area that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s.    I'm sure that if you hunted there in recent years, you'd find more of the more modern coins that were lost since the area became more popular once again.

Date profiling a beach or detecting site can be useful, but remember that there will be sampling errors due to various factors.  Over time you will be able to develop a more accurate and complete date profile of a site.  Keeping good records will help too.

---

Embossed Red Rock Soda Bottle.

This bottle is embossed RED ROCK CO., JACKONSVILLE,, FLA.

It is approximately 7.5 inches tall and has a bottom diameter of about 2 inches.

Bottom of Red Rock Embossed Bottle.

According ot my research, the Jacksonville Red Rock bottling company was started in 1938.  The brand seemed to disappear by 1950.

Mr. G. T. Dodd, a wholesale grocer, joined the bottling business, forming the company of Hagan and Dodd. They in turn founded the Red Rock Company in 1885 with Dodd as president. It was Dodd who first introduced Red Rock Ginger Ale to the wholesale grocery trade for distribution, making it well-known in the south. The ginger ale had a spicy flavor from capsicum, an ingredient derived from hot peppers. Mothers also used it to calm their family's upset stomachs and to clear stuffy noses...

Beginning in 1938 the franchises that were granted quickly established Red Rock as a leader in the 12oz field with over 200 bottlers and by 1947, was bottled in 47 states. But by 1958, there were 107 bottlers throughout the country using Red Rock Cola concentrate. Sixty-six of there were under The Red Rock franchise, while another 41 bottlers were marketing the product under their own private brand...

Here is the link for more about that.

Red Rock Cola (angelfire.com)

---

Looks like there could be some increasing surf on the Treasure Coast in a few days, but not a lot.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/26/22 Report - Millions Spent on Treasure Coast Beaches. Two Mystery Bottle Finds.

 

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

Helping beaches recover from hurricanes, other impacts costs governments millions of dollars...

“Folks decide to start petitioning their local government for assistance because they chronically find themselves in a position of being fearful for the impacts of the upcoming hurricane season,” Revord said. “If there was no need or want from the community, I would suspect that projects would not come up, because they're quite expensive.”

In contrast, Indian Riverkeeper Mike Conner disputes the value of this practice. It's no more than a “temporary Band-Aid” that sends taxpayer money “out to sea,” he said.

“They do it again and again and again with material that doesn’t stay there,” Conner said. “The beach will come back given the chance … It’s a high-energy, dynamic ecosystem.”

In the past decade, Indian River and Martin counties combined have spent about $91.4 million in federal, state and county funds on these projects — about $42.7 million and $48.7 million, respectively. St. Lucie County did not provide data requested by TCPalm...

Treasure Coast beach renourishment from hurricanes, erosion costs millions (tcpalm.com)

Thanks to SuperRick for that link.

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Below are two mystery bottle finds.  I am not sure what they held or much of anything else about tham.

First is a bottle embossed Long Distance.

Two Views of the Same Embossed Long Distance Bottle.

And around the bottom it is embossed A.M.DODGE INC.

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The next bottle is embossed Beaufont.   I have found a little information on this one, but not enough to date or say for sure what it held.

Embossed BEAUFONT
Trade Mark Registered Bottle

This is a mystery bottle.  I've seen it described as a beer bottle and a soda bottle.  I haven't been able to positively identify it, though,  From what I've read, it could be a soda water bottle.

BEAUFONT COMPANY INC., RICHMOND VA

It seems the springs in the area were first used for brewing and then could have been used for other purposes.  Below is what I found.

Home Brewing, under the guidance of Fred "Fritz" Sitterding Sr., survived the national prohibition of alcohol by producing soft drinks and bottling drinking water in pre-filtration Richmond. By 1916, Sitterding purchased the Beaufont Lithia Springs company that produced water from springs at Beaufont (approximately where the Chesterfield Towne Center is today).

Sitterding used the verdant acreage as a family gathering place and for public rental. In 1926, he renamed the water division the Beaufont, but by 1932, public water treatment lessened the demand for bottled water. Instead, a different thirst required quenching...

Source: A Sign of Pleasure - richmondmagazine.com

If you have additional information on the bottle, I'd be pleased to receive it.

---

While attempting to find information on some dug items, I learned one thing: the archaeological reports that you will find on the internet may or may not present much information on sites or artifacts, but they will almost always present the photos and names of the archaeologists.  From that, it might see that the primary purpose of those reports is to promote the archaeologists.  I suspect self-promotion and advancement is an unavoidable motive of most any profession or career, especially those in which publication is seen as a measure of success, and may not always be at complete odds with the more altruistic stated objectives of the profession.  It also seems that social media has magnified the impact of publicity and diminished the 

---

Surf Predictions.
Source: magicseaweed.com.

With the low tide, it looks like a decent time for shallow water hunting, where that is permitted.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/25/22 Report - More From A Revolutionary War Period Hunt and A Mystery Find Solved. Also Memorable Fails.

 

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

Cannon Emplacement On One of the Peaks of Pigeon Island.
Personal Vacation Photo.

Yesterday I mentioned a memorable hunt on Pigeon Island, St. Lucia.  I showed some British military buttons and also mentioned a memorable fail.  By memorable fail, I mean a mistake that was very memorable.  That memorable fail was a failure to recognize a dug flint and musket cock when it was dug.  Now I'm sure I would recognize those items.  

Another memorable fail in the same area was digging some kind of lead or pewter item that looked like some type of insignia or hat badge or something like that, which crumbled when dug.  I'll long remember that one too.  Maybe there was not way to save that one, but maybe I could have done something better.  You might make some memorable fails when you make finds before you have the experience or knowledge level handle a find well.  You can and should always learn something from memorable fails.

Anyhow, one of the other memorable finds I made on the St. Lucia outing was the following item.  

Dug Item That Remained a
Mystery Item For Years.

When I dug this item, I thought it went on rod or something.  I thought it might be a finial.  It appears I was mistaken about that for years.  I'm pretty sure now that it is soldier art.  It is hand carved lead in the shape of a cannon.

It was found within ten yards of a cannon that still stood on the spot.  The actual cannon was at an emplacement very much like the one shown at the top of this post, although it was on a different part of the island.

Back years ago, someone in this blog sent an email suggesting it was soldier art in the shape of a cannon, and after additional inspection, I now feel pretty sure that is right.

Closer View of Miniature Lead Cannon

Taking a closer view, you can see the many individual strokes impressed in the lead.

Carvings On Patinated Lead Item.

I think it was probably made by an 18th or early 19th century British soldier stationed on Pigeon Island.

Many of the features, including the end of the miniature lead cannon very much resembles the cannon that was still nearby.  Those features have convinced that the miniature lead cannon was copied after the actual cannon near where the miniature was dug.

Cannon On Pigeon Island.

Here is a minuature cannon that sold in a Sedwick treasure auction.

Miniature Cannon Sold At Auction.
Source: Sedwick Auction Catalog.

The more I observed the similarities between the carved lead cannon and the real cannon, the more convinced I was that there was a relationship.

Pigeon Island Photo From Pinterest
With Arrow and Star Added To Show Cannon Emplacements.

The red arrow in the above photo points to the cannon emplacement shown in the photo at the top of this post.  The red star shows the approximate position of the cannon emplacement where the miniature lead cannon was found.

I did a post on detecting steep areas like that.  See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 9/22/16 Report - Pigeon Island. How To Metal Detect a Steep Hillside. Spys In The American Revolution.

You should strive to learn something from every outing.  Despite differences in locations, it is often a good idea to hunt areas that won't be hit by other detectorists.  It is also a good idea to check areas of erosion, whether you are talking about a beach or an island or some other type of site.

Finds were generally made on steeper areas of the island that eroded rather than on the nice flat easy to detect areas where most detectorist would probably spend their time.

I don't know how many years it was before I determined the identity of the mystery item, but I know it was a few.  I didn't have access to all the research resources provided by the internet back when I found the item, which made a big difference.

In any case, to me it was a memorable find, perhaps made more memorable by the prolonged mystery of the item and the eventual solution.

I couldn't find some of my better photos from Pigeon Island but maybe I'll post more of them in the future when I find them.

I also found some rings back at the resort where I was staying, but they weren't nearly as memorable as the first old military finds.

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The surf on the Treasure Coast will be running two to three feet for a few days.

---

More sadness with the elementary school shooting.

Some will try to use the tragedy to progress the same kind of misguided objectives that got us here.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/4/22 Report - A Trip to Pigeon Island, St. Lucia and Some Metal Detecting Memories.

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

Pigeon Island, St. Lucie
Personal Vacation Photo.

I've been posting some of my old finds that stick out in my memory.  Many do, but there are many more that I've almost completely forgotten.  Some are remembered because of some quality of the item itself, some because of the situation or conditions of the find, and some are remembered for other reasons.

British Military Buttons:  54th and 76th Regiments.

Above are two buttons found on Pigeon Island, St. Lucia.  There are several reasons that I remember them so well.  They were the first old military buttons I ever found.  I also remember them because they were found at a beautiful and historic West Indies site that I was hunting for the first time.

It was generally a memorable hunt, which I've described before.  For part of that hunt, I was hanging on a steep hillside.  One thing I remember about that was the crabs, which, when I scared them, pulled into their shells and rolled a hundred or so yards down a steep hillside.

While I haven't found documentation of when the 54th regiment of foot was on Pigeon Island, the regiment was raised in 1774 and disbanded in 1881.  I did find the following in Wikipedia.

In June 1794 the regiment embarked for Flanders for service in the French Revolutionary Wars.  The regiment returned to England in 1795 but then embarked for the West Indies.   A second battalion was raised in May 1800 to increase the strength of the regiment...

As for the 76th...

In 1814, it deployed to Canada for the closing stages of the War of 1812 (1812-15). It stayed there on garrison duties for 12 years, followed by seven years in the West Indies from 1834...

I'm not sure that the documentation above accounts for the finds, which were found in close proximity to each other and some other old artifacts, including a musket flint and cock, musket balls, and grapeshot. 

 It appeared to me that there was action on the hillside that I was detecting, but the musket parts, etc. could have been discarded or otherwise lost, but I doubt that the musket cock would have been discarded with the flint, which I would think would be reusable.

Pigeon Island had a long and colorful history.  

And more to the time period of the buttons...

Here is a link for more about Pigeon Island.

History of Pigeon Island in St Lucia - 5 Thing To Do At Pigeon Island National Landmark | Caribbean & Co. (caribbeanandco.com)

On the same trip I found a variety of other items.  I saw grapeshot, but left them.  One I saw on a second visit a few years later exactly where I left it nestled in the roots at the base of a tree.  

There are other stories to tell about that trip, but for now I'll tell only one.  I mentioned the musket cock and flint.  I first found the flint.  Then I saw a twisted piece of rusted metal.  I didn't recognize it at the time.  It was still very early in my metal detecting days and I hadn't found those kinds of items before.  It was too early.  I didn't recognize what they were when I first saw them.  I regret that to this day.  I often say, "I wish I knew then what I know now," and that was one of those cases.  I wish I recognized those items when I first saw them, and I don't know when I finally realized they were from a musket, but not too much later it hit me.  It would have been a good clue if I recognized them immediately.  I would have searched that area even better.

I doubt that metal detecting is allowed on Pigeon Island today, but I'm also sure if you have any skill in eyeballing, you could still find some neat surface finds.  There are steep hillsides where things would be uncovered as the hillside erodes and a shoreline where things will occasionally be uncovered.

There were many pieces of blue and white dinnerware scattered along the paths.  There are probably still remains of old stone buildings to inspect.  And some shallow water areas to scuba.  That might include a quick peak inside a cave which you can enter at low tide.

I'm pretty sure that you would not be allowed to metal detect Pigeon Island today, but I'd bet there are still cannons in place.  I understand that there are restaurants and a probably museum there today too.  When I was there, many years ago, it was abandoned and in disrepair.  I've learned a lot since then and would undoubtedly still be able to find some interesting things with or without a metal detector.  Again, I wish I knew then what I know today.

I'll have a few more stories of Pigeon Island to post someday soon.

---

Nothing but a one to three foot surf on the Treasure Coast for a few days.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/22/22 Report - Memorable Old Class Ring Find, Antique Embossed Brewery Company Bottle Find.

 

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

1946 Follansbee, W. Va., High School Class Ring

I've been posting some of my memorable finds.  Here is one of those.  It is a 1946 hich school class ring, but that isn't what made it memorable  

I found this class ring on an old overgrown wooded path in West Virginia where everybody told me there was nothing to be found.  I found it on my first detecting outing on the path.   It is the same path where I since found old horseshoes, crotal bells and other old items.  Back then I was still mostly hunting gold rings and was doing well at it, but this was a different kind of place.  I was usually hunting Florida beaches.  I was amazed that even on this old path I was able to find a gold ring.  I don't know how it got there, but it was off the path some and I always imagined some kids before or after school throwing snowballs, and off it came.  Of course, I don't know how it happened, but that image seems to be what I think of.  The thing that makes this find stand out so much in my memory, is the unlikely looking location where the item was found, along with the assurances of many that there was nothing to be found there.  

I was able to search that path several times since and continued to make interesting finds, including a couple more rings.

I've found other old class rings, including older ones than this, but this is the most memorable for me.

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Embossed Consumers Brewing Co. Bottle.

This is not one of my memoriable finds, but it is a Treasure Coast find that I've researched.  Below is what I found.

Consumers Brewing Co. opened in 1890 and closed in 1902 it was open for 12 years. Items from breweries of this age tend to be more common and less valuable than some breweries. Early items can still be valuable as can rarer types of items. As a Pre-Prohibition Brewery, any advertising items or collectibles are likely to be valuable and desirable to collectors as they tend to be hard to find. Our information indicates that Consumers Brewing Co. was the only brewery that was located in Rosslyn, VA sometimes this means that items from a brewery will have extra value in the area it comes from because there are not other sources for local breweriana.

Source: Consumers Brewing Co. – VA 21a | Old Breweries Information | Brewer Iana Values

Another View of the Same
Consumers Brewing Co. Bottle From
Rosslyn, Va.

Consumers Brewery Company also had a bottling works in New York.

This and other bottles will be going into TGBottleBarn.blogspot.com.

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If you keep up with those who support the Great Reset, which includes the transformation of the US as well as the rest of the world, here are some videos.  Some world leaders say that the masses, bored with their useless lives can be kept on drugs and videogames and state very clearly that the pandemic provides opportunities for the great reset, including total surveillance and control.

Yuval Hariri, for example says, "Covid is critical because this is what convinces people to accept to legitimize total biometric surveillance. We need to not just monitor people, we need to monitor what’s happening under their skin”

Here is a link if you are interested in how some see the future.

Maajid أبو عمّار on Twitter: "World Economic Forum shill, Yuval Noah Hariri: "Covid is critical because this is what convinces people to accept to legitimize total biometric surveillance. We need to not just monitor people, we need to monitor what’s happening under their skin” https://t.co/qoPKVGxR7d" / Twitter

The Ukraine war is a demonstration project for how countries can be erased and restarted, even though it is going rather badly.

---

Surf Predictions.
Source: MagicSeaweed.com.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/22/22 Report - A Couple of My Early Metal Detecting Finds That I Still Remember.

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

Heavy 14K Hinged Gold Bracelet.

I've been posting somme of my memorable finds.  Above is one.  It is from something like 40 years ago.  As you might expect, early finds tend to be more memorable.  Often they were firsts of some kind.

This one is a heavy hinged gold bracelet.  I've never since found another exactly like it.  Round ones are not uncommon, and I have found those, but they aren't as big or as distinctive.  I remember when and where I found this one.  At the time it was probably my biggest piece of gold.

Just feet from where I found the bracelet, I had ound the coin shown below.  I found the coin before I found the bracelet, and the coin was one reason I continued to hunt the area as well as I did.  At the time I found the coin, I didn't know what it was or if it was something good.  It is as large as a silver dollar, had some evident age, and is from Mexican.  You can imagine the excitement upon seeing a coin like that in the scoop as the sand cleared away. 

Forty years ago, it wasn't so easy to find information on things like that..  The internet wasn't available, and I didn't know much about Spanish coins, and it wasn't easy to read, so it took longer than it would today to figure it out.

1957 Mexico One-Peso Coin Find.

See 1957 Mexican Silver Peso (Morelos) - Silveragecoins

If it was in better shape, it would look like this.

Source: SilverAgeCoins web site.

Why I remember the bracelet is easy to answer.  At the time, it was one of my better finds.  Stamped 14K on the hinge, it was quickly identified.

Why I remember the one-peso coin is a little more complex, but also depends somewhat upon being found in the early days of my metal detecting involvement.   It was the first find of its type, and the closest thing to a tresure coin I had found at that time.  I thought it might be good, but turned out to not be worth much, even though it does have some silver content (1.6 grams),  

The fact that I wasn't able to find much about it when it was found, left me wondering for a while, and probably made it more memorable.  If I found it today, it would be quickly identified as not having much value, and probably would be quickly forgotten.  I hadn't at that time found any silver reales, and hadn't been to the Treasure Coast to hunt.  The first impression upon seeing it was excitement.  The rush of excitement can leave an indelible impression on your memory, even if you eventually find out that the object isn't as good as you originally hoped.  Even though it isn't anything valuable, I have never found another like it, and it still holds a place in my metal detector memories.

Some finds stick in my memory because of the mistakes I made.  One I can think of, I unfortunately even got left behind because I didn't recognize what it was.

I'll have more on that some other time.  The biggest thing you get out of those kinds of mistakes, is what you learn from them.

It still amazes me that after forty years, I could still walk to the exact spot where so many finds were made.

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Yesterday I mentioned people getting killed by big beach holes.  SuperRick sent me this photo of a couple guys he saw digging a big hole.

Couple Diggers.
Photo by Superrick.

I could use some energetic people like that on occasion.  I'd put their random energy to work when I don't feel like digging.

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We are getting those warm south winds, and it looks like summer conditions have begun.

Source; MagicSeaweed.com.

Good huntng,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/21/22 Report - Holes On Beaches Kill People. Bronze Spear Point Found.

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

Recently there have been several stories of people being killed by big beach holes - none dug by detectorists. Below are a couple.

A town on North Carolina's Outer Banks issued a public plea to beachgoers about the dangers of digging holes on the oceanfront just hours before a man died at a New Jersey beach when a hole collapsed on him.

Officials from Kill Devil Hills posted a picture Tuesday on Facebook showing rescue supervisor David Elder standing in a large hole that he said was as much as 7 feet deep (2 meters) in some places. Elder said he is 6 feet, 4 inches (193 centimeters) tall.

Elder said ocean rescue staff had warned the people digging the hole about the dangers and they promised to fill it in before they left. It was still there when he went by after work, he said...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

Deep beach holes are dangerous, Outer Banks town warns (yahoo.com)

TOMS RIVER -- A day after 18-year-old Maine resident Levi Caverly died in a sand hole that collapsed, authorities in beachfront towns are again warning visitors of the potential dangers of digging deep pits on the beach.

"Stay away from the water line as much as possible. The sand is like sugar," said Ocean Beach Fire Chief Drew Calvo, who responded to the scene Monday afternoon on the beach at Ocean Beach III, a private community on barrier island. "It's so unstable, with all these storms we’ve had recently. Mother Nature takes the sand out and brings it back in."

Calvo said first responders were shaken by the Tuesday's sand collapse, and hope that by warning parents of the dangers of digging in the sand, they can prevent another tragedy...

And here is that link.

'The sand is like sugar.' Authorities warn of sand hole dangers after death of Maine man, 18 (yahoo.com)

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Bronze Age Spear Head.
Source: See BBC News link below. 

A rare Bronze Age spearhead has been found by workers while developing a wetland in Gloucestershire.

Experts discovered it at Cirencester Sewage Works, near South Cerney, earlier this year and on 10 May estimated it is about 3,500 years old.

Archaeologists said it appeared to be a family heirloom that was placed into a pit for a reason unknown.

Other items unearthed include a selection of prehistoric pottery fragments and flint tools..

And here is that link.

Bronze Age spearhead found at Cirencester sewage works - BBC News

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Surf Predictions.
Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

I suppose we are into summer beach conditions, and not much will change unless we have a storm.

Goosd hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.ent

5/20/22 Report - A Couple Mounted Old Gold Coin Finds. One Remembered: One Not.

 

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

1853 Diamond and Gold Coin Pendant.

I've been posting some memorable finds.  I noticed that a lot of them were not made of metal, and thought about why so many of the finds that stuck out in my mind were not metallic.  I'm pretty sure that part of it is the age of the items. They were old items, but they weren't the type of items that I was targeting, and therefore they were unexpected and surprising.  I suppose that has something to do with why they stick out in my memory so well.  They aren't the most valuable things, and might not be the kind of things you are most interested in finding, but to me, they are memorable finds.  To be surprising and memorable to me, they really have to stick out in some way, and finding what I expect to find just isn't that surprising.  I'm still pondering that.

Above is a pendant that was found many years ago.  I just happened to notice it when I was looking through some things.  It is an 1853 one-dollar gold coin mounted in a pendant with a few diamonds.  When I saw it, I remembered exactly where it was found.  And that was about forty years ago.

It was a stormy day and the wind was blowing and the beach was ripped.  It was found near the base of a palm tree.

Mounted 1853 One-Dollar Gold Coin.

It isn't really a top find, but I do remember when I found it.  There are times when the environment seems add to the memory.  

I saw an 1874 one-dollar gold coin ring (shown below), which I do not remember at all.  

1874 One-Dollar Gold Coin Ring.

I no longer have any idea when or where it was found.  Again, good records can be handy.

I don't know why I remember finding the one and not the other, but a lot of memorable finds are early finds.  Often they are the first of a kind.

When trying to recall a list of items, the first items in the list and the last items in the list are recalled easily, while items in the middle of the list are most likely to be forgotten.  Not surprisingly, there is a recency effect in free recall learning, but some things just seem more memorable, sometimes for reasons that are easy to figure out.  If you've been hunting something, such as a gold escudo, for years and finally find your first, it will undoubtedly be long remembered.  If you are lucky enough to find a lot of them, many will fade from memory (if your memory is like mine) while a few others may continue to be remembered for a long time.  Still, some of the early ones will remain fresh in memory.  The 1853 coin ring was an early one, but I don't know what other factors make it so memorable to me.  I would guess it might have to do with the stormy conditions on that day, but I don't remember any other finds that day, but they were undoubtedly not so interesting.

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It is nice to have mounted coins so you can wear them, but it can cause a little damage to the coin where it is held.

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The surf is down around one or two feet, and we are still having a decent low tide.  Should be decent water hunting,

Good hunting,

Treasurguide@comcast.net

5/19/22 Report - More Native American or Indigenous Artifact finds.

 

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

I showed a couple spear points found on Treasure Coast beaches the past couple of days.  Just following up on that, here are some other indiginous artifacts found on Treasure Coast beaches.  Above, on the left is a celt, along with an arrow head and two game pieces.  The arrow head is agatized coral.

I've long been skeptical of the rounds being game pieces, but that seems to be the widely accepted conclusion.  Here are a variety of them from the Peach State Archaeological Society web site, which has a great artifact database.

Round Game Pieces Made of Stone and Ceramics.

See Artifact Identification (peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org)

One time I was at Wabasso and a tourist came up to me and showed me an arrowhead she had found.  The dunes had eroded.

Below are some different kinds of artifacts from South Florida.

2 bone points, one shell punch, and one shell scraper.

Those weren't beach finds.

Below are some important copper ceremonial artifacts found by my friend Larry.  They were evaluated by the Smithsonian.

Copper Ceremonial Artifacts Found by Larry Perina (deceased).

So besides silver artifacts there are also copper and other indigenous artifacts made of metal that could be detected by a metal detector. 

It is believed the above small pieces were used on a ceremonial necklace and the copper arrowhead, a pendant.  This was not a beach find.

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The surf is small now.  And the low tides make shallow water hunting easy.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide#@comcast.net