Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Three Small Lead Finds. Found on Treasure Coast Beaches. |
The above three lead objectss were found with a metal detector. Although I don't remember where each was found, I do remember that at least one was found on a 1715 Fleet beach, and I am pretty sure I found another on another Treasure Coast beach. I don't remember which came from where though.
The smallest weighs about 1.25 oz., and the largest weights just under 2 oz.
Two have a patina and show a lot of oxidation and aging, while the other does not.
There are two common theories on these items. Some people think they would be melted to make lead shot. Others, such as Timothy McGuire, who in An Identification Guide to Recovered Colonial and Revolutionary War Artifacts, shows four similar lead rolls that he refers to as lead pencils. See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 3/11/16 Report - Lead Stylus From Treasure Coast Beach. Good Negative Tides Today.
Although the size of lead shot varies widely, one study found the average musket ball to weigh around 1.2 oz., which is slightly more than the smallest of the three lead objects shown above. How would the elongated form be more convenient in any way if the lead is to be made into a ball of nearly the same size? The largest of the three shown above would only make about two average-size musket balls, if we take 1.2 oz. as being average. Of course, you could make more smaller shot, but to me, that just doesn't seem to make a lot of sense.
At this point, I'm not sure. They could be styli or for making lead shot, although, I'm leaning toward styli, but I could also see them as being handy general-purpose material that could be used for a variety of things, something like duct tape. You might use it to make lead shot, a fishing sinker or net weight, patch a hole, tally recovered coins, or make a gaming piece or create some soldier art.
And if the one is modern, as it appears it might be, who would have it and why?
What do you think?
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It has been at least twelve years since I described the basic spiral search pattern in my blog. I later described a linked spiral pattern, but I noticed that a lot of metal detectorists are now using the spiral search pattern I described in a post in 2010, and maybe earlier. I see it being used on TV and on YouTube videos all the time now.
Here is the link.
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769 people broke the St. Lucie county skinny dipping record at Blind Creek Sunday. Now you know why it is called Blind Creek. You would wish you were.
Skinny dippers break record in St. Lucie County (msn.com)
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One web site ranked the top five coin auctions as follows.
1. Heritage Auctions is the top auction site in the world with the most successful auctions resulting in over $1.4 billion in sales, Heritage is the industry standard for selling currency online.
2. Stack’s Bowers specializes in rare U.S. coins and has been the intermediary for some of the largest coin auctions in the world.
3. Daniel Frank Sedwick is the world’s foremost expert on Spanish colonial and shipwreck coin collections, and its live auction site is dedicated to these artifacts.
Best Online Coin Auctions of 2022 (thesprucecrafts.com)
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There is one tropical disturbance down in the Gulf, but at this time it isn't very significant.
The surf will remain small for another week, but we are having some good low tides.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net