Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
As I often do, I was thinking back over about forty years (on and off) of finds, and there are finds that stick out in my memory. Many of them are more recent - maybe not so much because they are so remarkable, but because they are recent. That is the way memory works. Things from long ago fade from memory. Anyhow, there are things that stick out in my memory because they are remarkable in some way as objects, and there are things that are highlighted in my memory because they were firsts, and then there are things that are remembered well not only because they were found recently, but also in some cases it took so long before I ever found one that when I finally did, it seemed very surprising. Some of those things that took forever to find, can then become pretty common finds.
I remember, for example, my first ring find, even though after all these years, it was not a very impressive ring. It was a silver ring. I'm not even sure which one it is now, because I found several that are very similar.
I remember my first 1715 Fleet silver. Again it wasn't a very impressive find by itself. It was a thin piece of silver about the size of a small reale but showing no marks to indicate that it was a reale. I thought it was a badly worn reale at first, but now believe it is not. Now it seems barely worth remembering. It came after many attempts, and at the time was an important find for me, because it told me not only that it was indeed possible to find shipwreck silver on the beach but that I was indeed in a place where Spanish treasure could be found.
One of the things that really bugs me is that some things only become important and memorable after a lot of study and research. You might not know what you have at first. That can lead to some big mistakes, including poor cleaning, conservation and care, and even throwing away something important simply because you did not recognize how special it was.
On the flip side of that are finds that might have been nice enough when found but become more special after the research has been done and you learn the story behind the item. The prime example of that is the red sea glass shown above. It doesn't seem very special, although a sea glass collector who would recognize the rarity and quality of the piece might have a different opinion. It took me years to learn the story of that one. I eventually discovered that it was uranium glass and was probably a reflective lens from a buoy. At least that is my conclusion after much research.
I know that isn't a find that would impress many detectorists, but for me, it is an excellent example of how it can take a long time for research to tell the story of an item.
Among the finds that stick out in my memory are some that are among the most valuable. One was a fine large solitaire diamond ring. Not only was that one special by itself, but it was accompanied by an intense sensory experience. It was a beautiful day. I described that before as follows.
The first, my largest and finest solitaire diamond, was found on a particularly beautiful day. The sky was deep blue and the water was bath-water calm. I distinctly remember when that scoop of sand was lifted from the bottom, I could see the diamond sparkling while it was still under a few feet of water. At that point I didn't know that it was a valuable diamond ring at all, but I remembered the sensory experience of that beautiful day and the diamond sparkling in the scoop under the water.
I could walk to that exact spot today even though the find was made over twenty years ago. Actually, I can't go to that spot because it has been covered by many yards of fill sand. I guess I could stand over it. And the resort was torn down and replaced by a large new resort. So the area looks totally different than how it looked then.
Another example of a memorable item compared with a memorable experience was the time I had almost no time to hunt but felt compelled to go anyhow.
I was at work and only had a about an hour before another appointment, but I kept feeling that I should go detecting at a particular location. But I didn't have hardly any time.I finally decided I would run down to the beach. By the time I got to the beach and in the water, I had about fifteen minutes to hunt. Well, I went in and in just a couple minutes had a diamond ring with over nine carats of diamonds - seven diamonds, each over one carat. I took my find and quickly left.
Normally I wouldn't have gone when I had so little time. If traffic had been bad, I would have had no time. But I felt like I should go. It kept nagging me, and it paid off with an unusually good quick find.
It was like I walked into the water, and bingo bango, walked out again with my find, and quickly drove back to work. Not only was the find a good one, but the total experience is what was really memorable.
There are days that are remembered too, even when individual finds are not remembered. Those are days when you find an unusual number of quality items.
Then there are the things that take a long time to find. There are personal firsts that took decades. Recently I posted my first case gin bottle find. Of course, I have not been bottle hunting as long as I've been metal detecting, but my first bottles were found pretty long ago. My first beach bottles were found just after hurricane Andrew, while I was metal detecting. I do, however, remember picking up an old dairy bottle some fifty or sixty years ago, and I still have it. I kept it because I found it in the weeds behind my grandparent's house. My grandfather always worked in a dairy. That find was made long before I got into metal detecting or bottle hunting. I guess it was the personal connection to where I grew up and my grandfather that made that one more memorable.
One of the great things about metal detecting and treasure hunting is the memories that last for years or even decades.
I guess one of the things I get out of doing this blog is keeping memories fresh. And even when I don't remember something very well, sometimes I can go back a decade or more in the blog and refresh my memory. Another thing I get out of it, is when I write it down for others to read, I feel obligated to try to get it right so I am forced to think things through more thoroughly and clearly.
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I hope you checked out the links to water hunting techniques I posted yesterday. My post title didn't say anything about water hunting, but it probably should.
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Here are a couple interesting links about something we were all affected by.
The Great Grift: How billions in COVID-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted | AP News
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Still nothing on the National Hurricane Center map of the Atlantic, and waves and swells remaining at around one foot.
Make new memories today.
Treasureguide@comcast.net