Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
Workers made a surprising discovery in Poland when they pulled an early medieval sword from a muddy riverbed while dredging, and some researchers think the weapon could have a Viking connection.
The 1,000-year-old sword, which is thought to be older than Poland itself, was found cloaked in silt and in "near perfect" condition in the depths of the Vistula (also spelled Wisła) River, which runs through Włocławek, a city in northern Poland, according to Warsaw Point, a Polish magazine...
Here is the link for more about that.
Early medieval sword fished out of Polish river is in 'near perfect' condition | Live Science
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What is the oldest thing you've found on a Treasure Coast beach?
The oldest things you might find are not shipwreck coins or artifacts that can be a few centuries old, or even Native American artifacts. Some of the oldest treasures you can find on our beaches can be millions of years old.
For me, fossils have been some of my most surprising and amazing finds. And they can be seen at times laying right on the surface, mostly after big storms. But fossils are also found in the Indian River Lagoon. There are some spoil islands that have produced world famous fossils, for example.
The rhinoceros or teleoceras skull cap shown above is millions of years old. It could be as old as 19 million years old. It was identified by Fred Dengler (now deceased).
Teleoceras (Greek: "perfect" (teleos), "horn" (keratos) ) is an extinct genus of rhinocerotid. It lived in North America during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs during the Hemingfordian to the end of Hemphillian from around 17.5 to 4.9 million years.
You can also find mastadon and mammoth fossils. Back in 2020 I posted about a nearly 35pound section of a mammoth tusk that was observed sticking out of a recently eroded Treasure Coast dune.
And probably the most famous Treasure Coast fossil si the Vero Man fossil.
The mammoth tusk was discussed in my 11/12/21 post (link below).
The first fossil I ever found, and I didn't know at the time it was a fossil, was a the grinding tooth of a fish, something like a redfish. I didn't know what it was until many years later. I was digging jewelry in the ocean off Broward or Dade County and the fossil came up in the shells and sand in my scoop. I just thought it was unusual and put it aside until I learned what it was decades later.
While turtle and equine fossils are among the most common, there is a real variety. Also common are shark teeth. One of the better areas for finding shark teeth is to the north of the Seagrape Trail access near the bend.
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| A Great White and Two Meg Teeth in a Display Frame. |
The display case shown above can be purchased online in various sizes. They stand up and show on a shelf very nicely. Both sides are flexible plastic, so you can fit various types of items in them as long as they are not too thick.
Some of the most popular fossil finds are carnivore teeth. I saw a dire wolf tooth on a beach when I was metal detecting near the water line. It was the only fossil in sight that day. I saw it lying there exposed by itself about twenty feet in front of me.
If you systematically hunt fossils, you need a permit from the state. I talked about that before, but you can hunt shark teeth without a permit.
Also, as I've said before, you can pay a fee to hunt with a professional fossil guide. That is a good way to quickly learn more about fossils. I've posted about some people who have done that and had a great time. I did it once myself. It was worth the fee. I found a lot of fossils with a permitted professional and learned a lot. That won't be beach hunting though. They'll take you to a place such as the Peace River where you will be ensured of finding a good number of fossils. Beach fossils are only there in numbers when beach conditions are right.
About ten years ago, I think it was, after a storm there were tons of fossils all along the beach. That was unusual. It was the only time I saw so many. Reminds me of after the 2004 storms, when the Indian River Lagoon was lined with thousands of old bottles. Then they disappeared and haven't been seen in anything like those numbers since.
Fossils found in the Indian River Lagoon, other than on some spoil islands, are much more rare.
You can find a lot of different kinds of treasure on the Treasure Coast so there is always some place to hunt and something to find.
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| Surf Chart from Surfguru.com. |
The surf is small and the tides are moderate. That isn't all bad. When the surf is small, shallow water hunting is easier, as isr eye-balling in the water.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net
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