5/16/22 Report - Ages and Stages and Some Memorable Finds of My Earlier Years.

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusice use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

One Page Of My Earleist Coinshooting Records
That Survived Over Forty Years.

The most valuable thing you ever find might be information.  A good piece of information can lead to a lot of good finds.  A find is a find, but good information can lead to a lot of finds.

There are times and seasons, and there are ages and stages.  There are long term changes and short term changes.  There are predictable cyclic changes, and there are sudden sporadic changes.  Hopefully, you'll learn enough along the way to take advantage of those changes rather than being left behind.  In any case, you should always be learning, changing and adapting.

When I first began metal detecting, the term coinshooter described me well.  When I began, I was mostly trying to find coins.  I kept track of how many of each type I found on each outing.  I kept thorough records, which helped me improve.   One page of my early records is shown at the top of this post.

I remember that I paid for my Aquanaut 1280 with the face value of coins found in the first year that I had that metal detector.  That was over six hundred dollars, as I recall.  But, of course, there were other finds, such as an occasional ring or whatever.  Still, I was basically a coinshooter at that time.

Eventually I began to target gold rings instead of coins.  I began targeting gold rings and didn't care so much if I missed some clad coins.  I changed my techniques - and metal detector settings - and found more gold rings.  I remember that one year my gold find count was 120 or 130 something when I lost  track.  I don't remember if I lost my records or what, but I lost track of my gold count for the year.  At that stage, it wasn't so much that the situations changed, but I was learning.

At some point, I remember noticing that I was finding a lot of men's rings.  I told this before, but I thought it was because men lost more rings.  Eventually I discovered that if I turned down the discrimination I found more of the smaller ladies rings, which often have diamonds or other nice gem stones.  That was an important discovery for me and led to important changes in how I hunted.

Some things you learn apply to a lot of situations, but some apply to only certain locations or certain kinds of  situations.

General principles apply to a lot of situations.  For example, coin lines are formed on almost any beach.  The basic principles are the same no matter what beach you are on.

It is a lot easier to learn about coin lines on beaches that provide a lot of targets.  If you only find one or two coins, it is difficult to see a pattern.  When looking for patterns, more data points makes it easier.

In South Florida you have a lot of shallow water and on average smoother shallow water surf.  That gives you more frequent access to productive shallow water hunting.  On the Treasure Coast, a lot of the shallow water lies within salvage leases anyhow.  Near shore bottom conditions are generally different on the Treasure Coast too.

When I started metal detecting, I liked the idea that I could probably do it to provide for myself if I ever was out of a job or something, so I wanted to find out how much I could provide for myself by metal detecting.  I'm glad, I never needed to sell a single item, but I did sell a few - mostly bottles, which take up a lot of space.  I'm pleased that some of my sold items went into museums or books where they can be seen by others.  And I tried to find good homes for anything I sold.  Some were more valuable to other people than I.  One pharmacy bottle filled a place in a book on Florida pharmacy bottles.  To the owner, it was valuable because it was one of the few remaining examples he needed.  Despite his large collection, it was one example he didn't have.

Now, in the later stages, I'd have to say I am more into searching as an enjoyable activity.   I've always liked going out and picking up useful things, and one of my earliest memories is going out to get eggs.  We had chickens and one made a nest on a window ledge.  I got the egg and stuck it in my pocket and it broke, making quite a gooey mess.  I must have been like four years old or something.  I also liked picking wild strawberries, and other things like that.  Going out in nature too find nice things just seems to be a part of who I am.  It is just a part of who I am and what I do - when I get a chance.

But things do change.  The circumstances change and you as a person will change.  The finds that  impressed me when I began detecting would not impress me as much today.  

Some of the things I found when I first began detecting, I still remember well even though they don't seem very impressive today.  They were firsts - for me.

One example is the Isle of Man silver coin that I found on Hollywood Beach.  That was probably the first silver bullion coin I ever found. 

See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 5/29/18 Report - Silver Coin Find. Long Ater the Find. Recommendations for the Coin Collecting Community.

 

Isle of Man Silver Jubilee Coin.

The coin is in mint condition except for one scratch that I probably made during recovery.  There are a number of things that make it memorable, I suppose.  It was a first for me in several ways.  I still wonder why it was on the beach.

Back around the same time I found a couple big numismatic tokens in the shallow water at Hollywood Beach.  When I found them there were some kids following me around who yelled out to the entire crowded beach, "He found some kind of big coin."  I remember that distinctly.

Numimatic Token Found At Hollywood Beach

See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 5/11/11 Report - Token & Hunting the Water's Edge

I didn't know much about the token when I found it, but I distinctly remember the event.  I remember the weather, the people around, the kids yelling, etc.  Perhaps they were more memorable, because of the mystique.  I didn't know what they were at the time.

If you made your best ever find on your first day out, you'd probably spend years trying to match or beat it and get very frustrated in the process - maybe even quit before long.

I think it is better if your best finds don't come too soon.  You appreciate them more after hunting for a few decades and then finally finding something truly remarkable.  Being so hard to find, makes you appreciate them all the more when you finally find the thing you hunted for many years.

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The surf will be just two or three feet for the next several days.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net