6/30/24 Report - Old Rings and Other Artifacts. Colonial, Silver, Brass, Jesuit. Trade Goods.

 

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

The 66th season of excavation at Michilimackinac has started with a bang. Team members at Mackinac State Historic Parks announced they found a brass trade ring while digging Tuesday morning.

“We had a nice find this morning, a brass trade ring,” a social media post read. “Although these rings are sometimes referred to as ‘Jesuit rings,’ by the 18th century they were strictly secular trade goods.”

The ongoing dig at Colonial Michilimackinac started in 1959, making it one of the longest ongoing projects of its kind...

Here is the link for more of that article.

Archaeologists find brass ring at Michilimackinac site (msn.com)

Interesting that they started the dig in 1959.  Seems like if they find anything they lost in 1959 it would almost be an artifact.  

Anyhow it shows once again that there is always more to be found.

I was out on a bottle hunt where I've hunted it seems like 100 times, but I'm still finding old things that get uncovered in those same places. 

---

There is a great web site showing quite a variety of artifacts from colonial Maichilimackinac.   Below are just a few of the many examples of artifacts shown on that site.  First here is an excerpt.

Jesuit missionaries encouraged Native Americans to learn Bible verses and sections of catechism with rewards of beads, rings and other tokens. Early Jesuit rings were cast and had religious symbols. Over the course of the eighteenth century these brass rings lost their religious symbolism and became cheaply made trade items. The ring faces shown are examples of these later designs. The heart with arrows probably comes from Sacred Heart designs. The “LV” may come from an early L-heart design representing devotion to Louis, king of France or Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The “IXXI” design appears to have evolved from a double M design, for Mater Misericordia, Mother of Mercy. MS2.58.9, MS2.1217.2, MS2.1655.19.

Rings and Pendant.

Brass religious medallions had a personal, rather than trade meaning. Medals depicting many saints have been found at Michilimackinac. This medal shows Saint Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. Jesuit missionaries were a vital part of the community. The letters surrounding Ignatius are “S IGAC FVI DA SOC” for “Saint Ignatius founder of the Society.” Saint Ignatius is shown holding a tablet with the letters “AD MAIO.” These are the first letters of “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” which means to the greater glory of God, a Jesuit motto. The Virgin Mary is pictured on the reverse side. MS2.1

Here are some trade goods shown in the same article.

I highly recommend taking a look at this site for a good variety of colonial artifacts.

Here is the link.

Colonial Michilimackinac Artifacts - Mackinac State Historic Parks | Mackinac State Historic Parks (mackinacparks.com)

And of course you'll want to consult Deagan's book Artifacts of the Spanish Colonies of Florida and the Carribean, 1500 - 1800. 

I've posted trade good and religious rings from that book before.

Here is one of those links.  

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/29/19 Report - More On Finger Rings Including Those From Florida and Caribbean Spanish Colonial Sites. Weather in Caribbean To Watch.

Numerous rings have been found on Treasure Coast beaches.  I've commented several times on a statement made by one of the most accomplished treasure salvors that silver rings have never been found on 1715 Fleet wrecks.  I've pondered the many old corroded silver rings found on the Treasure Coast beaches and where they came from.  

There have also been a number of old brass or cuprous rings found on our beaches. I've discussed some of those that might be considered trade goods.  It is difficult to tell the difference between some early 20th century rings and older rings because of the corrosion caused by saltwater.  

---
Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/29/24 Report - Key Finds: Railroad, Skeleton, Margarita, 1715 Fleet, Mystery.

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

MPCO Barrel Key.

Here is an old brass barrel key that was sitting around and never identified.  While I've found barrels of keys over the years, I've found very few barrel keys.  

Currently, barrel keys can only be made a select locksmiths with a specialy tubular key machine. These types of keys are commonly used for vending machines although they are becoming more popular with bicycle locks and motorcycle locks especially for Harley Davidsons.

Below is a large bucket that contains a few gallons of found keys.

Gallons of Found Keys.

In South Florida I used to find tons of brass hotel keys, some of which had nice graphics.  I showed some of them before.  It could have been a bit of a security issue for the hotels.  You don't find those big brass keys much anymore.  

Most of use fin the older keys more interesting.  The old skeleton keys which are not real uncommon. The one below was sitting with the barrel key, but I don't know why.

Old Skeleton Key Find.

Below are some keys from the Margarita shown in the Mel Fisher artifact database.

Keys from the Margarita
Shown in the Mel Fisher Artifact Database.

Here is a really interesting key find which I posted.  

Key Find by DB
Photo by Terry S.

Laura Strolia, author and researcher, gave her thoughts on that one.  Here is the link.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 1/26/18 Report - Holocaust Remembrance Day. Thoughts on Key Find. Erosion Beginning on Treasure Coast.

The Barrel Key shown at the top of this post has the letters MPCO on the bow.

If you research barrel keys, you'll find that many, perhaps most, are described as railroad keys and used on

Antique railroad keys can bring a good price - often hundreds of dollars.  See Western Railroad Americana Antiques - Catalog - Antique Railroad Keys - For Sale.

The letters on those often end with RR or RY, which tells you it is from a railroad, but others do not.  The letters on some railroad keys end with the letters "CO", for "company."

T & G Railroad Key.

 

Penn Central Railroad Key.

So far, I have not learned what the MPCO letters indicate on my find.  A search of the railroad names database (RR Names Database - Railroadiana Online) gave four MP railroad names, but I don't have any reason to believe it would be any of the four.

 If anyone can help with the mystery key please do.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/28/24 Report - Detectorists Find Ship Rivets and Gold Figure. More Bottle Finds. Henry White & Co.

Written by the Treasure Guide for the exlusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

It all began when rivets were found with a metal detector in a field...

It is the rivets that reveal what kind of ship it is.

“The size of the rivets indicate that it was a large ship. Their similarity to those found at Gokstad and Oseberg leaves no doubt,” says Rødsrud.

The result of two weeks of digging was around 70 rivets. The dimensions suggest that they were used to hold together thick planks up to 2.5 centimetres thick...

He explains that when metal searches are conducted on the site, it beeps everywhere. They are picking up signals from hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of rivets in the ground, remnants of a Viking ship plowed through over a thousand years ago...

Here is the link for more about that.

New Viking ship discovered in Norway (sciencenorway.no)

---

The signal in the metal detector was so weak that Mikkel Killingmoe Christensen almost overlooked it.

“In many cases, I would have just moved on,” he writes on Østfold cultural heritage's Facebook page (link in Norwegian).

Fortunately, he didn't.

Just below the surface of the soil lay a small, crumpled piece of metal...

“When I looked more closely at the metal foil, I could make out two figures. I eventually realised that I was holding a gold foil figure in my hand. Imagine being the first person to hold something like this in over 1,000 years!” he says...

Here is the link for more about that.

"Imagine being the first person to hold something like this in over 1,000 years" (sciencenorway.no)

---

Below is what I think is a mid-century root beer bottle.  You can see the icy design on it.  I haven't researched it much, but I think that is probably what it is.  I think I already had one of those.

Mid-Century Soda Bottle.

Henry White & Co. Liquor Bottle.

Here is another bottle I found the other day.  It has a high kick-up and some nice embossing, which reads as follows.

BOTTLE MADE IN ENGLAND.

HENRY WHITE & CO.,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

Embossing on Henry White & Co. Bottle.

I haven't found much on the Henry White and Company.  Here is what I have found.

Henry White is another name that eventually figured in the founding of URM. In 1888, he registered the brand red Heart rum and in 1981 was honoured by becoming Master of the Vintners Company.

On Monday, February 25, 1889, a trademark application was filed for HENRY WHITE AND CO.'S RED HEART RUM LONDON with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. 

Please let me know if you can date this bottle or find more information on the company.

---

Think about it.

It isn't a by accident when the puppet masters put an incompetent puppet in the top position.  That way the puppet masters can accomplish the indefensible while enjoying the cover and letting the puppet take the blame.

---

Treasure Coast surf remains flat or the rest of the week.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Watch 95L which is developing and heading west.  

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/27/24 Report - Some Recent Finds. Some HIstory and Some Mystery. Whiskey, Rat Poison and Other Stuff.

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

Group of Bottle Finds From a Recent Hunt.

I went out for a bottle hunt.  I found the bottles shown above  .I didn't think I did very well, but after getting back and cleaning them some I could see there were some that were kind of interesting.  As you can see in the above photo, the bottles still have dirt on them and some shells, but I could see them much better than before.

The broken green bottle on the top shelf is an unusual green color that I've never seen on old glass.  One edge is embossed ...ZELTINE & CO.  I think it was a Piso's Hazeltine bottle, which would have been nice if not broken.  The green color was so striking that I picked it up.  You usually don't see glass that color.

This next bottle (below) is an old blown bottle with numerous bubbles.  You can see how the bottom has an uneven thickness.  

Old blown bottles are generally thicker and not of uniform thickness.  That is one way you can tell an old bottle even if it has no embossing or other clues.

Old Blue Jar.

This is a common color for old bottle glass.

The bottle, or jar, has COSTAR embossed across the bottom in big but faint letters.  One person on a bottle forum thought a similar bottle was an ink bottle, and another person thought it was rat or pest poison, which I don't think is likely because of the lack of any other markings typical of poison bottles. 

COSTAR is not a maker's mark listed on SHA.  I think it might be the company or product name.  There are some other faint letters on the bottom, which I think might be TAE or TAR.  Not all of the last letter is clear. 

Digging deeper into this one, it is possible this jar held a rat poison.  Here is an 1850s newspaper article someone on antique-bottles.net found.

"ARRESTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER; OFFICERS OF THE COSTAR COMPANY IN JAIL IN YONKERS. Two Children Died After Eating Rat Exterminator

YONKERS, N.Y., Nov. 15 -- Gilbert L. Richardson. President, and Michael Kelley, Vice President, of the Costar Company, 34 Clinton Place, New-York City, were arrested to-night and locked up on a charge of manslaughter. They are held without bail. The arrests were made by order of Coroner Miles."

Mary Linehan, 4 years of age, fed her 2 year old brother Michael Linehan a spoonful of rat exterminator and then took some herself. The Coroner's report cited that "The label on the box read Costar's Rat and Roach Exterminator. Non-poisonous. No danger in using."

That bottle looks old and is probably the oldest I picked up that day.

The HERBEX bottle (shown below) is a screw-top bottle and not very interesting other than the embossing.

HERBEX Bottle.

On the bottom is embossed "6 OZ CAP."  So the cap could have been for dosage.  Also, it has an elongated diamond mark on the bottom that was indicates the Diamond Glass Co.

Herbex is a product name you can still find all over the internet.

The tall aqua bottle (middle bottle, bottom row) has no marks on it.  It is obviously an older bottle, but I don't know what it held.

Now for the clear whiskey bottle (far left, top row).  Below is a bigger picture of a that bottle after a little cleaning.

Embossed on the shoulder: FEDERAL LAW FORBIDS RESALE OR RE-USE OF THIS BOTTLE.

On the heal: BOTTLE MADE IN UNITED KINGDOM.

On the bottom: WM TEAHER & SONS LTD.

This is not a really old bottle, but for me an interesting one. 

(The oldest bottle I saw on that hunt, I didn't keep because the blob top lip on the beer bottle was badly damaged.  Too bad.)

Below is what I found about the Wm. Teacher & Sons company.

A family-owned company until its takeover in 1976, William Teacher & Sons started out as a large chain of ‘dram shops’ in Glasgow before becoming a distiller and blender supplying whiskies worldwide...

In 1851 the company moved into the wholesale wine and spirits market, opening a warehouse in Argyll Street in Glasgow, and started creating bespoke blends to its customers’ individual requirements.

Teacher died in 1876, the same year his youngest daughter Agnes married Walter Bergius, bringing the other controlling family name into the company. In 1884, the company registered a brand name for its most popular whisky blend, Teacher’s Highland Cream, and also opened an office in London. A second office in Manchester followed in 1886. A year later, the company expanded its export markets and also began shipping mature barrels of whisky to Australia and back, believing the long sea voyage added complexity to the ‘Australian bonded’ brand. This practice continued until sea freight costs became prohibitively expensive in the 1920s...

Here is the link for more about that company.

William Teacher & Sons | Scotch Whisky

If you can date it for me, let me know.

I just posted the Wm. Teacher bottle on my tgbottlebarn.blogspot.com site.

I haven't done much research on these bottles yet.  

There are a couple more I'll photograph some other time.

---

Looks like the system coming off of Africa will go into the Gulf, but it bears watching.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The tropics are becoming more active, but the Treasure Coast surf is almost flat.

Good hunting,

TreausreGuide@comcast.net

6/26/24 Report - Ancient Artifacts Found: Canoe and Worked Femurs. Must-Have Tool for Any Detectorist. Using a Magnet to Separate Coins.

 

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

Among the impressive finds on the island was a collection of human bones in an excellent state of conservation with manmade grooves etched into them. (INAH/X)

T

he remains of a Purépecha boat called a tepari and other ancient artifacts have been uncovered during a massive cleanup operation to help save Lake Pátzcuaro, in the state of Michoacán, from extinction.

The traditional canoe — which stands out for its considerable length of 14.8 meters (48.5 feet) — was found in the vicinity of the island of Janitzio, located in Lake Pátzcuaro, which has been inhabited by the Purépecha people for centuries.

Here is the link for more about that.

Ancient artifacts found on island in Michoacan's Lake Pátzcuaro (mexiconewsdaily.com)

---

A magnet is one of the must-have tools for any detectorist.  A magnet can be useful in a variety of ways.  I often use a magnet to separate coins.  

I haven't studied a lot of my foreign coin finds.  After a quick inspection, I just put some of them aside for a later time.  

At one time it wasn't as easy as to research foreign coins as it is now.  I found a lot of foreign coins before the internet was so common, and before the internet you needed a coin book that covered the many different world coins.  As a result, I put many foreign coin finds aside rather than taking the time to look them up.  

I once used a magnet to separate a group of Canadian coins.  I reported on that once before.  The magnet quickly separated many of the Canadian coins from the older silver coins, which weren't attracted to the magnet.  It was much quicker to separate them that way.  I reported on how I did that in this post.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 9/10/18 Report - Three Hurricanes Now In The Atlantic. Little to No T. C. Erosion. More Silver Coins Found by Using a Magnet.

If you have a bunch of US pennies, you can use a magnet to  quickly pick out any steel cents. That is another example. 

Tonight I decided to look through some German coin finds I hadn't really looked at very much before.  Many German coins are ferrous, but some are aluminum, which do not stick to the magnet at all, and then there are some that are 75% copper and 25% nickel.  So the iron coins are strongly attracted to the magnet.  The copper/nickel coins were slightly attracted (they stuck but not nearly so strongly).  And the aluminum coins did not stick at all.

Of course, coins from various countries will differ in composition and magnetic attraction but using a magnet can help you separate coins of many different types.

One caution: put a paper on the surface of the magnet so that coins attracted to the magnet will not be marked by the magnet when there is a strong attraction.

Below are three of the German that were easily separated by using the magnet.

Three German Coins. 
One Ferrous, One Aluminum, and One Copper/Nickel.

Also use a magnet to check artifacts when you are not sure of the artifacts composition.

---

Like I said the other day it is the time of year to keep checking the National Hurricane Center map for tropical activity.  There is one area out there now that is expected to develop, although it won't affect us.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/24/24 Report - Big News! New 1715 Fleet Finds Shown as Salvage Season Going Very Well. Twenty Years Ago.

 

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

Fox News is breaking this story of 1715 Fleet finds.

A group of Florida-based treasure hunters recently recovered hundreds of coins from a fleet of 300-year-old shipwrecks off the Atlantic coast this week.

One of the divers called the find late last month "almost numbing."

"You don’t expect that," boat captain Grant Gitschlag told FOX 35 on Friday. "You always hope for it, but you never expect it."

Below is the link for more photos and information.

Florida treasure hunters amazed by discovery in 300-year-old shipwrecks: 'You don't expect that' | Fox News

While the calm surf has not been good for beach hunters, it is good for shallow water hunters and the salvage crews.

And some people every year keep saying it has all been found!

---

For the beach hunter, there is no substitute for being there.  But if you are trying to decide where to go, you might take a look at the Surfline reports and forecasts.  The image below came from Surfline.  It shows a number of beaches in a line so you can compare.   Notice that they also show the beach cam for Jensen Beach.

If you don't see anything interesting there or want to make some more comparisons, you can do that too.  Moving a little more south, we see the following.

Nothing very different.  Everyplace is running one to two feet.

Again, though, there is no substitute for taking a look.  At least you start out knowing having some information before you go.

Here is the link if you want to check out that site.

Walton Rocks Surf report and forecast - Surfline

---

Remember this?  Hard to believe it has been twenty years since the Treasure Coast got ripped by Frances and Jeanne.  Yes, twenty years.  Seems not so long ago to me.  

I returned home.  What I don't remember is where I was.  Maybe at my parent's house.  I could see from a distance that where there were huge hickory trees, everything was flat.  I didn't think the second hurricane would do so much damage.  I mistakenly thought that the first one probably leveled everything that was going to be leveled.  I was wrong.  The power lines were on the ground, as were the trees.  I couldn't pull into my driveway. Several huge hickories were laying across it., and the roof had been pretty well stripped.

Some fellows came along with a chain saw and I paid them to help me clear away some of the fallen trees.

I didn't get out to hunt then so I just got reports on the beaches.  The beaches were cut way back..  I had too much to do at my home and helping others.

That was a hard year.  It was also the year my wife's father passed.  

Just can't believe it has been twenty years.  Time flies.

---

Thanks to Mark G. for reporting the Fox News link.

---

Nothing on the NHC map today.  It is still early in the season.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/23/24 Report - Underwater Drone Developments. Rip Currents: The Danger and Sad News. Brainstorming and Openness to Ideas.

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

An animal-like uncrewed underwater vehicle dubbed Manta Ray can be seen maneuvering off the California coast in new footage captured during testing.

Sea drones are reshaping naval combat — especially in Eastern Europe, where Ukrainian forces are sinking prized Russian ships using far smaller and cheaper tech.

The Manta Ray's almond-shaped body, rounded nose, horizontal fins and vertical tail can be spotted in the 360-degree video shared by maker Northrop Grumman...

Here is the link for more about that.

Massive underwater drone skates off California coast (msn.com)

---

Maybe you heard this tragic story.

A Pennsylvania couple vacationing in Florida with their six children drowned Thursday afternoon after getting caught in a rip current, local authorities reported.

The family of eight was visiting Stuart Beach on Hutchinson Island – a barrier island located on Florida's southeastern coast – when the parents and two teenage children were swept out by a rip current while swimming, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office....

Here is the link for more about that sad incident.

Pennsylvania parents vacationing with children in Florida drown after getting caught in rip current (msn.com)

Rip currents are for real, and they are a real danger, especially if you don't know how to get out of them.

I remember getting caught in a rip current three times while metal detecting  The first time came as a real surprise.  I didn't know anything about rip currents yet and suddently getting caught in a very strong current was a little frightening.  Not only did I not know how to react, but it was not a guarded beach and no one was around. Fortunately, I got through it.

Having a metal detector and scoop in hand along with other equipment doesn't help when you wonder into a rip current. 

If you are not a strong swimmer, be especially careful.  If you are at a guarded beach, pay attention to the warning flags.  

Red flags indicate high hazard including rough conditions such as strong surf and/or currents being present. All swimmers are discouraged from entering the water. Those entering the water should take great care.

Rip currents will pull you out and the natural tendency is to try to go against the current, which is not the right thing to do.  Swim parallel to the beach and out of the current.  Rip currents are normally fairly narrow so when you move parallel to the beach, you will get out of it before long.  

Instead of fighting the current, NOAA advises swimmers to flip onto their back and float to conserve energy. Then, swim parallel to the shore until out of the current's pull. Rip currents are generally less than 80 feet wide, so swimming a short distance parallel to the shore can help escape the current. Once free, swim at an angle back to shore.

If you do metal detect in the water, be sure you can handle the conditions.  

Rip currents wash sand away leaving a dip that might be attractive to a detectorist.

---

Recently I posted a lapel pin with the name "GENTRYS" on it.  I always thought it must be a family name, but Gaylen C. said there is a Miami area high school that had a fraternity that used that name.  Maybe that is why I never found much on the Gentrys name, with the "s."   But I haven't found anyting on the fraternity yet either.

---

Brainstorming is a process often used for problem solving.  It involves coming up with as many ideas as possible no matter how poor or ridiculous they might seem.  Judgment is suspended until later.  The goal of brainstorming is to come up with a large quantity of ideas. The last thing you need when trying to come up with new ideas is someone discounting possibilities when all you are trying to do is generate new ideas.  An idea doesn't have to be the correct of final solution to be a good one because even a bad idea (if there is such a thing) can lead to or be developed into a good idea.  There will be time later for eliminating ideas and working out the details

See Brainstorming: Definition, Ground Rules, and Techniques (atlassian.com)

When trying to identify a mystery object, don't be afraid to suggest ideas. Even if an idea isn't the final solution, it might lead to the solution.  If you are trying to identify a mystery object, you need to come up with all the ideas you can.

Creativity isn't a common skill.  Few people are very creative and productive, while many people are afraid of big ideas that might originally sound too wild or ridiculous.  

Many today can't stand ho even hear competing ideas.  They religiously follow dogma.  They have" fact checkers," and even when they are terribly wrong, they find comfort in a community of others who are equally wrong.  They believe in absolute truths, while also believing in a "personal" or "lived" when that is convenient.  No matter how much evidence emerges they never seem to realize or admit they were wrong.  

---

Stephen Hawking said, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

I'm not a big fan of Hawking, but that is an interesting quote to ponder.

---

Not much activity on the National Hurricane Center map now.

The surf will be pretty flat the rest of the week.

Look for a negative tide this afternoon.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/22/24 Report - Using More of Your Subconscious Mind For Treasure Hunting. Apple, Lighthouse, CCL, Lisa, and American Legion Pins.

 

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

I once did a post on the math of metal detecting.  In fact, I did several posts that addressed that topic to some extent.  Below is a link to one of those.   You can find others if you use the search box in the blog.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/10/14 Report - The Math of Metal Detecting and How It Can Assist Decisions and Strategies

As you might expect, over the years I've changed.  My circumstances have changed, the place of metal detecting in my life has changed and the way I approach metal detecting has changed.

One of the few times I did some beach metal detecting this year, I found a gold ring, but I didn't remember a thing about it.  It isn't that my memory is that bad, and it isn't that I found so many gold rings.  I haven't detected much at all this year, and it has been some weeks since that find, but I was surprised that I didn't remember the ring even though it was a decent piece of gold.  I guess I didn't remember much about it because I've been so busy with other things, but there is another reason. I'm not so impressed by gold finds anymore.  They just aren't that impressive to me anymore unless they are really something special.  I think you'll find that as you accumulate larger numbers of good finds, the more common ones impress you less.

I look at metal detecting a lot differently than I did when I began.  There was a time when I really pushed.  I put in a lot of time and effort and even got upset when I wasn't finding anything good.  I told the story before, but I remember one morning when I started at sunrise and was determined to find a gold ring before I quit, and that didn't happen until around sunset.  I hunted all day.  I was determined.  That was my state of mind in those days.  

In the past few years, I've seldom put in a session of more than two hours at a time.  I still like hunting, but I haven't had the time, and it hasn't been such a priority in my life.  I expect and hope to do more hunting in the future when I get over this hump in my life.

You might look at things differently as the years go by, but different people look at metal detecting differently from the very beginning.  Some have realistic expectations and others do not.  Most people don't know a lot about it until they spend a lot of time at it, so their attitudes and approaches change.

When it comes to treasure hunting, most of the time, I am a very empirical and data-driven person.  That is true of my metal detecting.  Some people are like that, but other people are more intuitive.  They don't get so much into the math of metal detecting.  

I think most detectorists take more of an empirical rather than an intuitive approach.  After all, metal detecting is named after a piece of technology, so it draws people who like, or at least have nothing against technology.  It seems to me that most detectorists like to read the conductivity numbers and pay more out of those numbers than is really warranted or productive.  I think it is safe to say that most detectorists are attracted by the technology, and enjoy playing with metal detectors.

Treasure hunting, the way I use the term, is a more general term than metal detecting.  You can be a treasure hunter without using a metal detector.  There are other methods and approaches.  I've described some of those in the past.  If you are hunting lithic artifacts or bottles, for example, you might not use a metal detector, although one could possibly be useful at times.  And you can sift, dredge or use other methods for finding coins or other metal treasures.  

Most detectorists are more comfortable in the sensing/thinking modes.  Most tend to be more into sensing than more intuitive modes.  But there are other methods of finding treasure and some people use use them.  Some people use dowsing, and believe they can find treasure that way  They believe in and use methods that are not as scientific or technical in nature.  They might believe in instinct or intuition or what some might describe as subconscious or even mystical processes. 

My primary approach to treasure hunting is more of a sensing/thinking modes.  I make a lot of observations and test hypotheses, but I'm also interested in the intuitive/feeling modes.  

Some people like to go out and follow their feelings.  They go more by instinct or intuition.  And that is fine.  Although that is not my predominant or most natural mode, I like to explore that side of things too.  It isn't as easy to explain or prove the more intuitive approaches but those approaches have an appeal to some people and I personally enjoy exploring occasionally.  They do add something. 
They can be used to improve creativity.  I highly recommend at least exploring your more intuitive side even it it does not come natural to you. I find some of those techniques helpful and enjoyable. 

You might try a little dowsing for example.  At least look into it even if it doesn't seem to work for you.  You just might find it beneficial - if not directly in some indirect way.  It might get you into maps more for example.  Some people do it and think it works.  I've received some maps from dowsers.  No matter what you think of dowsing, when you look at a map with a big X on it, you might at least consider an area or something that you might otherwise never consider. 

At some level I believe most detectorist find some magic in metal detecting.  They feel some level of intuition in their hunts.  They might read a beach but be drawn to an area that by everything they know, doesn't promising at all on the surface.  Many people believe in things like beginners' luck or will pay attention to that "feeling" they get to look here or there for no other apparent reason.  

I'd recommend trying meditation.  Meditation can take many forms and is different things to different people, but in the end involves little more than quieting your mind and being open.  It can take some practice.  It will be difficult or next to impossible for some people.

I spent a year doing biofeedback research on the postdoctoral level in a university lab and found out that I produce very little alpha activity.  I tend to go into theta and produce mental imagery, which I personally like and find somewhat helpful at times.  

Quieting your mind can help you in a number of ways.  One is getting rid of preconceptions when encountering objects or situations.  That helps you take a fresh look at things.  It helps with creativity.

You might try quieting your mind and listening to a beach or an object you found.  If you are so inclined it might feel to you like the beach or object will tell its story.  You might look at it as listening to your subconscious mind.  

---

I'll just quickly add a few more lapel pin today.

Carnival Cruise Line (left) and Lighthouse Lapel Pin (right.

From the little I've read, I think the green Carnival Cruise Line pin was given to first time CCL customers, but I'm not sure about what, if anything, the Captain's Circle means.

The lighthouse pin has no words or clues on it.  Do you know where it comes from?

American Legion School Award Lapel Pin.

I posted and talked about the American Legion School Award before.  That is a very nice antique or vintage pin.

The American Legion School Award Medal Program has been recognizing students since 1926. It was established by the Department of Pennsylvania in 1921 to instill character and promote American ideals among youth...

Apple On Books Lapel Pin.

I assume this apple pin above is for educators.

Apple Lisa Lapel Pin.

Keeping with the apple theme, above is a Lisa pin.  

Released by Apple on January 19, 1983, the Lisa was the first computer with the Graphic User Interface that has become the standard for personal computers.

People made a big deal out of the Apple/;s innovative graphic user interface, which many people found more friendly than the DOS command line interface.

I was unimpressed then and am still.  Every icon is accompanied by a label, so it is a textual as graphic even though the icons are more eye-catching.

---

We'll have a bit of a negative tide this afternoon.  The surf has decreased to two or three feet and will get smaller.  The National Hurricane Map isn't showing much of interest.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/21/24 Report = Tropics Heating Up. Decreasing Surf. More Pin Finds. Reader Email. Object Recognition.

 

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

nhc.noaa.gov.

It's that time of year. The Atlantic is heating up and we already have our first names tropical storm. I haven't been checking for tropical activity but now that has changed. We will be hearing more about tropical activity. The past years have taught us a lot. Things can change quickly. You have to be ready.

You can see a little system going into north Florida/Gergia.

Going back to surfguru, you can see that Thursday we had more waves, but it will be decreasing for a while.  

SurfGuru.com.

Keep watching for developments in the Gulf and Atlantic.

---

I've been trying to organize my metal detecting finds better.  A few days ago I came across several lapel pins and gathered them with some other lapel pins I had around. Same thing with Indian Head pennies yesterday.  I don't know what I'll do with the lapel pins, but this is the first time I've paid them any attention.  As a group they make a decent collection, but individually nothing very good so far.

Anyhow. here are some that are church or religious pins.  The first three have no specific words or letters.  They are common symbols of a religious nature.

White Dove Lapel Pin.

White doves are symbols of purity, hope, properity, peace, and connection to the divine. Because they mate for life, white doves also represent love, faithfulness, and everlasting partnership.  In a Christian context, they signify the Holy Spirit.

Cross Lapel Pin.

Here are two different cross pins.

Cross Lapel Pin.

The next is a vintage Sunday School perfect one-year attendance pin.  There were add-ons for additional years.

Sunday School Perfect Attendance Pin.

And the next one says it all.  

Presbyterian Church National Missions Pin.

The last two weren't metal detector finds.  They were in with my mom's stuff.

---

In response to my yesterday's post on Indian Head pennies, Norbert B. sent the following email.

In my long detecting career, I always thought the rare coin I would find would be a 42 over 1 Merc dime. I dug so many of them back in the 1970’s and 80’s. I found a 1921 Walking Lib Half but it was only a Good/Very Good and an “S”. If you know your Walking Lib Halves, you know in the lower grades the “P” and the “D” are more valuable. The “S” mint mark passes them up by the time you get to Extra Fine. The two rare coins I did find were both of the tough Indians. I found the 1877, a terrible, green, corroded, but unmistakeable, About Good, that I sold to my dad for $25. He traded it to a coin dealer in Elgin Illinois. I found the 1909S in the yard of the apartment I lived in in 1985. The house was a 3 flat and had been built in 1899. The 1909S was a Very Fine and I traded it at a coin show for a 1911S $10 Indian probably 30 years ago now. It worked out. That 1909S Indian hasn’t really moved but the $10 Indian has more than doubled.

 

---

There were some good beach areas that produced good numbers of older US coins.  Not so much lately though.  Jupiter used to be great before they put in the concrete parking lots and stuff.  The old blind creek area and down through Walton Rocks was good for that at one time.  I suspect another storm might open up some good US coin areas in the future.  

---

The link below would seemingly take you to an article on object recognition, but they talked a lot about learning styles.  It was done by a stie that attempts to provide academic information in non-academic terms.  I hoped to learn more about object recognition, something we often attempt.  The article wasn't very good, but it wasn't a total waste.

The main point was that in education they make a big deal of different learning styles, but according to the article, allowing students to learn by their "preferred style" had no beneficial effect.  Taht isn't vey surprising because intelligence is generally defined as a general trait and not specific to the specific sensory modality involved.  Educational theory and practice is predominately false science. 

Closer to the subject of "object recognition," they did report that people who were good at identifying things visually were also good at identifying things auditorily, by touch, etc.  Skill at object recognition, according to the article, is not specific to the sensory modality.    That is not surprising if you consider that the involvement of the central processing system in the task.  Of course the relationship is far from perfect. The central processing system does more of the processing for that kind of task than the sensory systems.

Here is the link to that article.

The same people excel at object recognition through vision, hearing and touch – another reason to let go of the learning styles myth (msn.com)

---