6/1/24 Report - Some Cool Coin Finds. World Coins from Florida. The Narrative of Finds. Bigger Surf.

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

Australian One Penny Coin (1927 & 1934) Finds
Find and photos by Garry M.

I thought I would share this with you. I find it very interesting that I would find these in the ocean water detecting in Florida. Yesterday I spent about 8 hours in the water. I found some rings and some other jewelry but this was a real surprise to me. I found these two Australian pennies while working the trough. I guess it is possible that someone could have thrown their coin collection in the water. I will never know the reason why they were there but nevertheless I find it to be a pretty cool find. Here are some photos. I buffed them up some to take some of the tarnish off from being in the ocean. Everyday metal detecting is like having a birthday. You never know what your present is going to be. 

Have a great weekend. 

Australian One Penny Coins (1927 & 1934) Finds.
Find and photos by Gary M.

Thanks for sharing Gary.  It isn't uncommon to find foreign coins in Florida.  I've done posts on foreign coin finds before.  An Australian coin wouldn't be so hard to explain, but older coins like these are more to difficult to explain.  As Gary said, maybe someone was carrying some old coins around for some reason.  They don't look like they've been out there for so many decades, but they are bronze, which holds up a lot better than a lot of other coins.  One of those little metal detecting mysteries.

Here is a post showing some similarly old foreign coins found in Florida.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 8/8/18 Report - Older World Coins Found in Florida. Tropical Storm Debby.

Below is a nice display of world coins found by Keith and Barbara Ann S.

Display Showing Foreign Coins and a Bill Found on Florida Beaches.

By Keith and Barbara Ann S.

I posted it in my 4/9/20 treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com post.

It shows how finds can be enhanced by being displayed well.  They can also be repurposed in a variety of ways

In the same post I provided this list of foreign coin finds reported by readers of the blog. Here is that list.  I'm not sure it is the latest or most complete.  Probably not.

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Haiti, European Union, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands. 

One thing to remember about foreign or world coins is that many have a different composition than most US coins and some are ferrous or even aluminum and can be missed if you discriminate.   Being ferrous, some are attracted to a magnet.  I've used a magnet to separate normal and mostly magnetic Canadian coins from silver Canadian coins.  See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/4/18 Report - Super Quick Way to Scan Coins. Applied Lip 19th Century Bottles.

How often have you heard someone say about a find something like, "If it could only speak?"  We might wish our finds could tell their story.  We'd like to know where objects have been and how they got to where they were found.  That is part of the mystery and fun of metal detecting.

Some finds do speak fairly clearly, but they only tell you part of the story.  Coins can tell you a lot.  They often plainly tell you the date and place they were made and some things about that time and era, perhaps who was king or queen and maybe they show you some of the cultural icons.  Maybe they show you some of the materials they've encountered while waiting on you. 

Coins have their language, but so does the beach, the water and your metal detector.   Learning a little of each can be beneficial.

Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist who is very popular on the internet these days, referred to objects as micro-narratives.  I've talked a little about them that way but avoided getting into the psychology and phenomenology of it all. 

"Narrative" is a currently a much-used word in science and pop-science.  See for example "Trends in Neuroscience" (Narratives for Neuroscience: Trends in Neurosciences (cell.com))  Among other things, the article talks about how science needs to learn to use narrative to better communicate with the general population.  I touched on that topic in my post entitled "The Trouble with Archaeology," although I didn't use the now popular word, "narrative."  In a general sense, I don't think it means much more than story-telling.

One interesting story-telling technique is to take the perspective of an object.  One good example, follows the journey's of a bank note.  See The adventures of a bank-note : Bridges, Thomas, fl. 1759-1775 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

One of the most interesting POV switches I've seen in a short story (or sketch) by Ring Lardner.  A couple ladies were vacationing at the Grand Canyon when he suddenly presents the perspective of a mule watching all the "goings on."  He made quite a few unexpected changes in POV.  That was one of the best and, to me, most humorous stories I've ever read. 

You might try taking the point of view of a find as you imagine its journey.  Take some time to meditate on the object, whether it is a coin or something else.  If you have the right personality for it, you might enjoy and benefit from the exercise. 

---

Surf Chart from Surfguru.com.

So the surf Saturday will be a bit bigger.  I'm sure there will be a little stirring.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

T 

5/31/24 Report - Hermit's Coin Hoard Found. Ancient Armor Tested. Dugout Canoes Dug Up. Surf News.

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

The Świętokrzyska Exploration Group found a treasure of coins from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. The coins most likely belonged to the hermit Antoni Jaczewicz. According to legend, the 18th-century preacher made a fortune by convincing the local population of his supernatural healing abilities.

... one of the most interesting finds was a Hamburg gold ducat from 1648, with an image of Madonna and Child, pierced at the edge of the coin, which suggests that it could have been used as a medallion.

... The coins were hidden in several locations underground.

'The coins we recovered may be part of the legendary treasure collected by Jaczewicz,’...

Here is the link.

Legendary hermit conman’s treasure discovered in Świętokrzyskie Mountains | Science in Poland

----

Dendra Armor.

Bronze Age dendra armor, once thought to be only ceremonial, was tested and found battle worthy and gave Mycenean warriors a distinct advantage. 

All 13 soldiers were able to complete the protocol. They found it exhausting but doable. Their heart rates remained normal; their blood glucose concentration, blood lactate levels, reaction times to visual and auditory stimuli, core body temperatures, and other metrics all turned out okay. The armor did not hinder their performance too much, and it did a good job of protecting vital body parts. The research team also did numerical modeling that simulated heat dissipation at fighting intensities that were impossible to do with human participants due to safety reasons; this also confirmed the Dendra armor worked.

“We demonstrated that armor of this type was suitable for use in battle, not just purely ceremonial. The efficacy and variety of Mycenaean swords and spears have long been recognized. The addition of heavy armor [would have] given elite Mycenaean warriors considerable advantage over those with a shield only for defense or with the lighter scale armor in use in the Middle East,” Flouris says. Moreover, the elite fighting force wearing Dendra-style armor would have been brought to the front lines on chariots, which meant they were coming in well-rested.

Here is the link for more detail.

Bizarre armor from Mycenaean Greece turns out to have been effective | Ars Technica

---

Archeologists find at least 8 more canoes on bottom of Lake Mendota, one 4,500 years old.

The researchers who raised two ancient dugout canoes submerged in Madison's Lake Mendota announced Thursday they had discovered fragments or chunks of at least eight more canoes in the lake, an astonishing finding that promised to shed light on millennia of Native history in Wisconsin.

The oldest is from approximately 4,500 years ago, the oldest ever discovered in the Great Lakes region. The prior two canoes, lifted from the lake in 2021 and 2022, were 1200 years old and 3000 years old. The latter was previously touted as the oldest in the region.

Here is that link.

Researchers find at least 8 ancient Native canoes in Lake Mendota (jsonline.com)

---

Surf Chart From Surfguru.com.

Looks like there will be a little bump-tup in the surf for a day or so.  That is something but not much.  Moderate tides.

Good hunting,

Treasueguide@comcast.net

5/30/24 Report - Gold Star Families and Final Disposition of WWII Remains Project. What Can You Find on the Treasure Coast.

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

The History of the Gold Star Family Designation

The phrase “Gold Star Family,” dates back to World War I, when military families displayed service flags featuring a blue star for every immediate family member serving in the Armed Forces. The star’s color would be changed to gold if the family lost a loved one in the war, hence the term, “Gold Star Family.”...

Here is the link for more about gold star families.

What is a Gold Star Family? · United Service Organizations (uso.org)

I should have posted this on Memorial Day but hadn't found it yet.

My wife compiled a list of WWII deceased service men for a particular small town and included where they were buried.  A little over half of them were buried permanently overseas or elsewhere instead of being brought home to be buried in their hometown area.  Many that were brought home to be buried were not brought home until 1948 and some even later.  It was a huge project.  More on that later

The report that I am about to reference includes this quote from Harry Truman.

My wife quickly found out that many people did not know anything about the Gold Star designation or even that Memorial Day was for remembering those that gave their lives in service.  

There is a fascinating free online book about the immense project to recover and honor the bodies of every person who lost their lives in service during World War II.  I'm sure many of you will want to read it.  It is  Final disposition of World War II dead, 1945-51 / by Edward Steere and M. Boardman v.2:4.  And here is the link.

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Final_Disposition_of_World_War_II_Dead_1/KGBeu7cXhekC?q=&gbpv=1#f=false

Here is an excerpt from the Preface of the above linked book.

The Quartermaster's Division was involved in the project, from estimating deaths at various battles and making plans and taking care of the bodies, searching for the deceased, creating temporary cemeteries, and finally implementing the final disposition of the bodies according to the wishes of the kin.

Good information on a little-known part of WWII history.  Too bad I didn't get it posted a few days earlier.

---

I'm often impressed by the skill and accomplishments of some people.  I don't care if it is a musician, weightlifter, sportsman, philosopher or scientist.  To reach those levels of accomplishment requires many years of development, training and practice. 

You can be a generalist or a specialist but becoming a top-level specialist requires a lot of dedicaton to that one thing.  I can't describe myself as a specialist.  I've never stuck to one thing that long.  That is true of my treasure hunting.  I've done a good amount of metal detecting, but also did a lot of different kinds of hunting.  As you'll see below, I've hunted a lot of different kinds of things.  It was often a matter of location or opportunity.  Fossils and bottles presented themselves, or so it seemed , and so I started collecting them.  I never liked the idea that I might pass up something good simply because I didn't recognize it so I tried to learn a little about a lot of different things.  My curiosity kind of led me that way.

Fortunately for the generalist there some kinds of knowledge and skill can be common to a variety of different areas or specializations.  There is much in common between hunting coins and relics, for example.  There are some differences, but there are commonalities.  Fortunately, there is often "transfer of training," which is when learning one thing applies to, or helps you learn something else.  Unfortunately, there is sometimes negative transfer.  That is when learning one thing interferes, or makes it harder, to learn how to do something else.  

The general principles of reading a beach are very similar no matter where you go, but some things will be different. The generalization that northeast winds are best won't apply in other locations.  

If you learned that one particular spot or beach is a good place to detect, that can help you out, but if you understand the underlying reasons the beach or spot is good (the beach dynamics) you'll have more transferable knowledge that will apply to most any beach.  Enough of that little detour.

I've tried a few times to develop a taxonomy of treasures that applies to my own experience.  Below is one such imperfect attempt.  

                                                                                                                                        Pre     Pre    Pre

                                                21st C.    20th C.    19th C. 18th C. 17th C.   16th C.    16th     1000    1AD

Coins: Modern                        X            X

Coins: Silver and Gold US    X            X                X

Coins: Colonial                                                                    X            X            X

Coins: Other

Jewelry: Rings Etc.                X            X                X          X

Watches:                                X            X                X

Fossils                                                                                                                                              X        X

Military                                                X       X      X                                                                                     

Indigenous                                                                X          X           X              ?

Glass, Stoneware &: Bottles  X           X       X

Glass: Insulators                                  X

Glass: Marbles                        X          X

Glass: Seaglass                       X           X

That is just a rough sketch, and I'm sure it is not perfectly accurate.  I'll have to go back and check the details some other time, but this is about the best classification system I've come up with so far.  If you have any recommendations, let me know.  I left out things that I haven't hunted or found such as meteorites and things such as seashells, which can have value to collectors, but which I didn't include.  I could also include toys such as doll parts or action figures. 

When you find your first of a type, let's say meteorite, it can set off a whole new interest area.

As imperfect and inaccurate as it is, the taxonomy gives some idea of the large variety of types of treasures that I've found and that are available to treasure hunters in Florida and on the Treasure Coast.

---

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

So you can see that the peak surf is a little later coming than originally predicted.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/29/24 Report - Notes, Bills, Fancy Serial Numbers, Birthday Bills, Coolness and Values.

 

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

I've talked before about what are called fancy serial numbers.  You can get a premium for some serial numbers, such as 

Here are eight bills.  Check the serial numbers to see which serial numbers are the most interesting.  Those include very low serial numbers, very high serial numbers , ladders, binaries, radars, repeaters, and a few others.

Here are a few examples. 

First, low values.

• 0000XXXX: sometimes slightly over face
• 00000XXX: $30 - $75
• 000000XX: $100 - $300
• 0000000X: $500 - $1000

Ladder.

• 12345678: $900 - $1900
• 00234567: $95
• 00112233: $100

True binary (all ones and zeros) up to $1500.

Seven of a kind or seven in a row, such as 77777771, $50 0 $150.

If you want to learn more about that, here is a link.

Types And Values Of Fancy Serial Numbers (mycurrencycollection.com)

Try to rank the eight bills shown above in order of "coolness" (probability of occurrence).   Which would be the most interesting serial numbers and least which would be the least interesting of those serial numbers. 

I'll give you the answer below.  But you can use the following fancy number lookup app to check them.

Here is that link.

Fancy Serial Number Checker | My Currency Collection

The above has something to do with value in some cases, but there are other considerations.  For example, the condition of the bills is important too.

Here are a few other bills.  See if you see anything different or valuable about them.

The first one is a relatively low serial number.  00008935.  It is low enough to get some interest from some collectors IF it were in better condition.  The condition is not great.

The second, you probably recognized is a two dollar bill.  You seldom see those, but they are still made, often hoarded, and seldom have any special value.  You probably also noticed the red seal and serial number.  You might look out for those if you collect bills, but this one was printed in 1953 - an older bill for being in circulation.  Older, but nothing real special.

I bet you don't see what makes the fifty stand out.  It is a Birthday Bill.  It is about the only one I've found.  You'd think it would be easy, but it is more difficul to find a date serial number.  The first two digits must be under 13.  The next wo digits must be under 32.  And the last four digits must make a yeat.  Consider 0731175.  That is the date of the sinking of the 1715 Fleet.  I think some people might like that.

But the fifty-dollar bill above is birthday bill for October, 18, 1956.  That bill would be a nice gift for someone having that birthday.  

Now, back to the eight bills shown at the top of the post.  The ones on the top left decrease in "coolness" as you go from the top left o the bottom and then the top right to the bottom.  You can check that with the link given.

The first bill gets a rating of "extremely cool" with a score of 99.25% for the following reasons.

• 82882228 contains 2 4-of-a-kinds. Only 0.0032% of 8-digit numbers have this combination.
• 82882228 has 2 unique digits. In 0.011% of 8-digit numbers, there are 2 or fewer unique digits.
• All of the digits in 82882228 are powers of 2. Only 0.070% of 8-digit numbers have this property.
• All of the digits in 82882228 are even! Only 0.39% of 8-digit numbers have this property.
• 82882228 contains 1 triple and 1 pair together. Only 1.5% of 8-digit numbers have this combination.

You can check the other bills if you wish.

Actually, they are all pretty similar in "coolness."  They are all between 92.5 and 99.5.  They are all right up there, but no homeruns.

This is something you can do by checking circulating money at no extra cost and there is the chance of finding bills worth more than face and maybe even something more valuable.  

I enjoy checking serial numbers, but you can also look for valuable error bills just like you look for error coins.

---

It is looking like this weekend we'll have higher surf - something like three to four feet.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/28/24 Report - Glowing Reports of Bioluminescent Indian River Lagoon. Eau Sublime Bottle. Things Hard To Scoop.

 

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

Here is something about the Indian River Lagoon I haven't seen for myself but sounds very interesting.  Maybe I did hear something of it before but forgot about.  According to this National Geographic article, some kids seem to think it is better than Disney World.  Below are a couple excerpts from that article.

In this bioluminescent Florida lagoon, glowing waters can be a warning

On a nighttime kayak tour, you can dip your hands into glowing water and learn why this ecosystem hangs in the balance...

A number of kayaking companies in Titusville and Fort Pierce take tourists out to paddle through bioluminescent waters during the summer months, when dark moonless nights present the best conditions for seeing it.

“I always tell people that the peak time to see bioluminescence, when it usually has the greatest intensity in the water, is when it’s most miserable to be outside in Florida,” says Austin Mahan, co-owner of A Day Away Kayak Tours in Titusville. He adds that the most rewarding feedback he gets comes from kids, who tell him they like the experience even better than the theme parks...

Here is the link for more about that.

In this bioluminescent Florida lagoon, glowing waters can be a warning (nationalgeographic.com)

===

Green Guilmard Eau Sublime Bottle.

Here is what I found on that bottle.

Guilmard's Eau Sublime

Mrs Hyppolyte Guilmard, of New York City, registered a label for "Eau Sublime French Vegetable Hair Coloring" in 1899. According to  Devner, this product was sold as late as 1912. I found Mrs Guilmard listed as a Hairdresser from 1867 through 1919. From 1885 until 1895, the business was called "H. Guilmard & Son." Devner said the product was "for removing dandruff and prevention of falling hair. This bottle was also listed in the 7th Edition of Kovell's Bottle Price Guide.  In connection with it, they indicated that it was from "Coral Gables, Florida." Source:  HAIR RAISING STORIES The bottle shown above has a P in a circle on the bottom along with "45." The circled P indicates it was made by the Pierce Glass Company, which operated from 1905 - 1987.  I think the "45" IS probably the date code.  To me, it doesn't look like an older BIM bottle.   --- I was thinking of things that are difficult to get in your scoop when metal detecting in the water. Gold chains are one of those.  That is especially true when you have no visibility.  You have to get the entire chain, or at least a big part of it in your scoop or it will slither off the front of the scoop as you attempt to raise it.  I remember one in particular I struggled switch for a long time before finally getting it.  It was a long charm and had a heavy medallion on it.   Small items that slip through the scoop can waste a lot of time too.  I remember a miniature copper tea kettle that kept slipping through the holes in my scoop before I could see it.  I worked on that one so long I still remember it all these years later. Then there are the things that are so light that they fly away with the currents as you lift the scoop.  One good example is the little aluminum flap that covers the aperture in front of a stay-tab on a beverage can. They also disappear quickly if you use the DDKS (dig, dump, kick and spread) method where the waves are coming and going.  Then there are the things that are so encrusted they look just like the shells and other stuff you have in your scoop so you can't see them. --- Surf Chart From SurfGuru.com. We've not been having any big high tides, but have been getting some slightly negative lows. It looks like we could get a little more surf in about a week.  Keep watching to see how that develops. Good hunting, Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/27/24 Report - Memorial Day 2024

 

Remembering!

5/26/24 Report - Watch This. One Way to Make the Most of Your Metal Detecting Time: Finding Watches. Hurricane Season Forecast.

 

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

Four Older Lady's Watch Finds.

Watches are surprisingly common metal detector finds.  I say "surprisingly" because it seems to me that watches are so big that once lost, they'd be quickly recovered, but judging from the number I've found, that isn't always the case.  Of course, water is one reason they are lost and not recovered.  I've dug a quite a few from shallow water.  Some were still working and others weren't.  And some found on the front beach show obvious signs of having been in the water for some period of time.  

I've been going through finds that I put away and haven't looked at for a long time.  I kept a lot of junk finds and am trying to get rid of those and am researching those that I never researched before or just didn't know enough about before.

I selected a few small lady's watches that looked like they might be early 1900s, They have a bit of an Art Deco look to me.

I'll take a closer look at all four of those now.  Maybe you can help me identify and date them.  Even when I find isn't worth much of anything, knowing how to date items helps you evaluate the site they came from.  It helps to be able to date items, even if not perfectly, when you dig them.

First the one on the far left bears the brand name of Monarch.  I never heard of that kind of watch before.  Fortunately, he band connector shows the patent number, which should be helpful.

Watch Latch Showing Patent Number 2,549,410.

So looking up the patent number using this link, Issue Years and Patent Numbers (uspto.gov), gives the date of 1951.  That is reasonable, although not what I expected.  Seems like I judged that watch to be older than it really is.

I'll move to the next watch (moving left to right in the photo above.)

  

Ladies Benrus Swiss Watch

It is marked Benrus and Swiss on the face.  Getting out my loop shows the mark 1/20 12k GF on the band.  So it is gold-filled.  It matches the case and definitely looks like the original band.

The next one (below) with the longer more rectangular case, says SEELAND on the face, and on the band, Bruner Quality.  Couldn't find a patent number on this one.  It was difficult to see the SEELAND because of the crack in the crystal.

SEELAND Watch With Broken Crystal.

I never heard of Seeland watches, but found four examples of SEELAND watches in the Complete Price Guide to Watches # 17 (1997).  Prices ranged from a few dollars to around $150 for those examples.

At some point I picked up the price guide in a thrift store, probably for a dollar, and it is outdated, but still provides useful information even if it doesn't give current prices.  I always pick up price guides to collectibles, no matter what type, when I find them cheap.

Hampton Watch with Broken Crystal.

Moving on, is another watch with a broken crystal.  This one is a Hampton.  That is not a name I found in my book, and know nothing about.  If you can help by identifying or providing a date for any of these, please do.

Like I said, watches are very common finds.  Often, they are not working or in poor condition, but they can provide clues to a site even if they don't work or are not valuable.

I like finding watches and have posted a few in the past.  Sometimes I end up wearing them.  Sometimes they have gold or silver cases or bands.

The last one shown above is missing nearly the entire band but has a couple stones on the case.  I don't know what the stones are yet.  I could not find the name Hampton in my book and there is nothing on the back of the case.  Usually you'll find some information there.  Often it will say something like "stainless steel" or whatever, and sometimes you'll find a patent number there, but I found no information on the back of this case.  So I need any help I can get on this one.

I once did some videos on metal detecting watches and the signals you'll get when you pass over a watch.

Paul Guide - YouTube

https://youtu.be/lqZ9XJiKy7o

https://youtu.be/BtIVumXmtyU

It is easy to miss watches if you discriminate or are digging only coins.  I never want to miss a good watch.  Some of my most valuable finds have been watches.

I really appreciate older watches and love some of the designs.  I've found a lot of Gucci watches.  I think the bands on those were not very secure.

I've done several old posts on watches (The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 6/7/19 Report - Metal Detecting Watches.) but I never researched the ones shown above before.

Even reined watches can be repurposed or reused to some extent.   When I found my first Rolex, which was drowned, Jerry of the Pot-O-Gold, who I mentioned in a recent post, proposed putting a new caliber in the old case.  With the old case and face you'd have a watch that looked like a Rolex.  But even the case or other parts can be worth something to the right person.

The price guide I mentioned above provides a lot of information about watches other than prices.  It tells about the history of watches, including colonial era watches going back to the 1700s, early watch makers, and a lot of other helpful information.  

I wish I had the knowledge to be able to fix or restore some of these watches, I hate to see old things go to waste.  Metal detecting is a very green hobby in this modern wasteful world.

---

We've been having hot weather and summer beach conditions.  Maybe we'll have a storm to shake things up but I'm hoping no destructive hurricanes.  The forecast is not good.

The 2024 NOAA hurricane season forecast is unlike any other. See the record predictions.

Here is the link for more about that.

 24 NOAA hurricane season forecast is unlike any other. See the record predictions. (aol.com)

Stay cool.  Stay safe.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/25/24 Report - Metal Detecting and a Few Observations On One Cent Coin Finds. Heat Risk.

 

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

Selection of Onc Cent Coins.
Finds and Photo by Mark G.

Mark G. sent the above photo and following email message.  Below is what Mark said.

I wasn’t going to make a big deal of this.  I’m sure all detectorist who dig a lot of coins are familiar with pennies but your post on coins I thought would be a good segway.

I finally had enough coins to start cleaning and tumbling them. First, I had to sort out the pennies and clean them separately from the silver.  I am still trying different techniques, solutions and gravel but that is not what this email is about.

Sorting through the pennies I had to start a pile I labeled “will never be currency again,” and it turned out to be the biggest pile. 

New pennies or what I call new pennies with the Union Shield on the tales side from 2010 to present are for sure copper-plated zinc and they do not last in salt surf for very long.  So as I sorted the Union Shields from the Lincoln Memorial pennies, I noticed they were really eroded as well.  What’s going on here I though Lincoln Memorial pennies were all copper, nope. I hit the computer to look this up and it turns out the year is what matters, from 1962 to 1982 pennies were (95% copper, 5% zinc) from 1982 to present they are (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) however what’s wrong with this scenario? That’s right 1982 can be both, there is a *trick to discerning which 1982 penny you have.  I will add that at the end.

So as I’m sorting pennies I get an epiphany, I suddenly remembered my father sitting at the kitchen table sorting wheat pennies from roles when I was a kid hoping they would be worth something someday. Am I doing the same thing decades later? Wheat pennies are gone, solid silver coins are all grabbed up, so is the solid copper penny over 40 years old the new wheat penny?

Also found an odd penny that sent me back to the computer, apparently in 2009 there was a Lincoln Bicentennial penny which depicted 4 separate scenes (4 separate striking’s) of Lincoln’s early years for his 200^th birthday. Unfortunately they are (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) so they do not hold up well, they have to be uncirculated MS67 or MS69 condition to be worth anything above a penny.  Pre 1982 copper pennies have a value in uncirculated condition as well or a melt value of $0.032 for copper which wasn’t covered in your 5/16/2024 post on silver melt value.

 

*trick: The bronze and copper cents can be distinguished from the newer zinc cents by dropping the coins on a solid surface, or by flipping them in the air with your thumb. The predominantly zinc coins make a lower-pitched "clunk" when hitting the surface, and make no sound when flipped in the air; while the copper coins produce a higher-pitched ringing sound.[8] In addition, a full 50-cent roll of pre-1982/3 coins weighs 5.4 oz (150 g) compared to a post-1982–83 roll which weighs 4.4 oz (120 g).

 

Thank You

Mark G.

Thanks Mark.

There is money in pennies - even new ones.  I personally hate zinc cents, which can rot doing nothing other than sitting in a drawer.

That reminds me of reading about Karl von Mueller hoarding barrels of copper cents back in the 60s or 70s

Here are some interesting tid-bits.  I just randomly picked out 2001.

• The typical uncirculated 2001-D penny is worth 10 to 30 cents.
• The all-time record price for a 2001-D penny is $1,150, which is the amount paid in 2008 for an especially nice specimen graded MS69RD by Professional Coin Grading Service.

• The typical uncirculated 2001-D penny is worth 10 to 30 cents.
• The all-time record price for a 2001-D penny is $1,150, which is the amount paid in 2008 for an especially nice specimen graded MS69RD by Professional Coin Grading Service.

Source: How Much Is A 2001 Penny Worth? See The Value Of Your 2001 Pennies Here! | U.S. Coins Guide (thefuntimesguide.com)

Some dealers and collectors will go through rolls of new (and I do mean new this time) pennies and pick out the highest-grade examples that will bring a premium.

And here is info on the Lincoln Bicentennial Series cents.

Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program | U.S. Mint (usmint.gov)

Don't clean different kinds of coins together.  Copper coins shouldn't be tumbled with silver, for example.

I don't like coin collecting as a hobby, but have spent a lot of time search through older ones while looking for error coins.  The huge number of coins of all types is too much for me.  Then there are millions of variations.  I don't like all the different types of quarters.  It becomes impossible to remember all the things to look for.  And to top it off, the coin collecting community puts what I feel is an absurd amount of emphasis on coin condition.  While I guess I do it to a certain extent, coin collecting is not something I really enjoy.  I feel differently about what I'd call treasure coins, which are more rare and a little different.  I do enjoy studying those I find and those that are related.

---

It has been hot.  Below you can see the heat risk for the next few days.

Heat Risk.

Source:  https://www.weather.gov/mlb/

Thanks to DJ for that link.

Stay hydrated and don't get overheated.  Getting in the water can make that easier.

We had an afternoon negative tide Friday.  The surf remains small.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/24/24 Report - Thirty-Two Hoards Found My Detectorists Described. History of Characteristics of Insulators. Clubs.

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

LiveScience.com provides this overview of 32 different centuries-old hoards unearthed by metal detectorists. Each hoard is pictured and described.  A really good list.

Above is a photo of one of the hoards.

And here is the link for the entire article.

 https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/stunning-centuries-old-hoards-unearthed-by-metal-detectorists 

Thanks to Mark G. for the link.

---

Have you found any old insulators?  Some can be pretty valuable. 

I like glass, whether it is in marbles, bottles or insulators.  I've found quite a few insulators while bottle hunting, but don' think I've posted many of them or got into the subject hardly at all.  

Most found insulators are common, of course, just like bottles, but occasionally you find one that is nicer or can be worth a little more.  

I did show a few of my insulator finds before. Here is a nice one that I posted in the psat. 

Blue Hemingray-19 Insulator.

I posted that one in The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 4/29/19 Report - Incidental Sight Finds: Insulators. $30 Billion Dollar Treasure Story. Cookout Huge Success.

I just saw one on eBay that had a bid of $299.00. 

The Hemingray-19 RDP was one of the last American insulators made in a range of colors. Produced into the 1930s, it combines a clean, modern design with the high quality of later production, but with the fancy colors of yore. The best of both worlds to some,,,  Hemingray-19 Insulator Colors

Source: Hemingray-19 RDP Gallery | glassian

I found a nice article on insulators today.  Here is the link.

Ian Macky Explains the Colors and History of Insulators | Collectors Weekly

----

I found an old list of Florida metal detecting clubs.  I don't know how long ago it was published but from the other stuff in the box I'd guess it was at least a couple decades.  I thought I'd list them and see if any of them still exists.  If you know if they do or don't exist anymore, let me know.

S. E. Council of Fort Lauderdale, listed contact Don and Mary Cavanagh.

W.S.A.S. Club of Tampa, contact Charles and Sue Bodishbaugh.

Treasure Coast Club of Stuart, contact Mike Busalacchi.

Daytona Club of Orange City, contact Doug Melvin.

Jacksonville Club, of Jacksonville, contact Billy Pippin.

Suncoast Reseach and Recovery Club of Clearwater, contact Jill and Tony Quattrocki.

Central Florida Metal Detecting Club of Orlando contact Ted Smith.

Imperial Treasure Hunters of Lakeland contact Ralph Tanner.

Weeki Wachee Club of New Port Richie contact John Winterbottom.

If you have any news or info on any of these, let me know.  I'm not sure where the list came from. I just found it on a loose page.  Some of the clubs may still exist and others not.  Let me know.

---

We'll have a small surf of one to two feet all week.  There is a big full moon, but the high tides are nothing special.  We will however have a nice negative low in the afternoon.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/23/24 Report - Metal Detecting Newsletters and Clubs of The Past. 10,000 Artifacts Unearthed.

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

Tesoro Newsletter.

It wasn't always this way.  People used to get their information by reading papers.  And a lot of came in the mail.  Thar is how we got a lot of our metal detecting information.  For one thing, metal detector manufacturers produced newsletters that you could subscribe to for a price

Last night i just happened to open a box of containing a bunch of newsletters and other old metal detecting information as well as personal research.

Above you see the Tesoro newsletter.  I found a stack of those in my box.  

Tesoro, as you probably know, went out of business not too long ago.  They produced some good detectors.  I liked Tesoro metal detectors for specific situations, and I liked the lifetime warranty they offered.  I won't get into the details of different detectors now, but my first Tesoro was a Royal Sabre that, at the time, offered some advanced functions including notch discrimination and surface blanking.  Their Silver Sabre was known for quick target response, which allowed a fast sweep speed, and was used a lot in competition hunts. 

Garrett Newsletter Searcher.

Garrett was a leading manufacturer of metal detectors and still produces some good machines.  There was a time when it was probably the most used metal detector on Treasure Coast beaches and probably most of the United States..  I will still use my ATX at times.  They aren't as strong as they once were in the metal detecting hobby these days, but they also produce walk-through metal detectors and military detectors. 

Fisher Newsletter.

The Fisher Aquanaut 1280 was a breakthrough metal detector for me.  It was my first waterproof detector.  I did well with that detector and also bought a Fisher two-box detector for bigger targets.   I used it several years ago to locate my septic tank.  

Garrett, Fisher and Whites were probably the top three for hobby metal detecting a few decades ago. 

Besides the manufacturer newsletters, there were also club newsletters, which, of course, were snaller, often only a few pages.  Below is one of those.

The Pull-Tab Express.

The Pull-Tab express was sponsored by a metal detector shop in North Hollywood Florida.  I'm not sure of the name of the shop right now, but I think it was the Pot-O-Gold.  It was located in Dania very close to the Fort Lauderdale airport.  The owner's name was Jerry.  I've talked a little about him before, but he sold me an Aquanaut 1280, which paid for itself in face value dug coins alone the first year.  I believe the purchase price was around $650.  I know it was something over $600.  I kept breaking the plastic armrest until they got me a metal one.  They plastic ones just weren't strong enough, but the rest of the detector was very durable.  The battery compartment was separated from the electronics by a plastic wall so if you had a leak in the battery compartment, it didn't get to the circuitry.  That was a great feature that saved me on one occasion.

Not all metal detecting clubs were local.  There were national and even international groups for detectorists and treasure hunters.

TH'ERS Express,

One large group of treasure hunters was Land Sea Explorations.  It was an international group that participated in some pretty big projects.  Some members got shares in a Mexico silver mine, for example.  

Land Sea Explorations Newsletter.

So those are some of the examples I found in that box.  If those things were on a computer, floppy disk, or some electronic media, I probably wouldn't have them today.  Paper seems to last longer than digital media which quickly goes out of date and becomes obsolete.  The same thing goes for old photos.

If I got any of the names or details wrong, please let me know.

---

• An archaeologically rich area of England’s Cotswold region yielded another find during a highway construction project.
• Some of the over 10,000 artifacts located date back more than 12,000 years.
• A deposit of Roman-era artifacts is one of the highlights of the discovery.

In a modern-day effort to expand England’s A417 highway through a three-mile stretch in Gloucestershire County, archaeologists found something far from modern: an ancient trove of Roman-era treasures and artifacts dating from the Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Archaeologists Found 10,000 Treasures That Suggest They Dug Up an Ancient Roman Pit Stop (msn.com)

---

Full moon last night, but not much has changed.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net