Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use if the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Silver Wedge from 1715 Fleet in Current Sedwick Auction No. 36 as Lot 86. |
Below is the lot description.
Silver "wedge" ingot marked with V or monogram thereof, 1160 grams, ex-1715 Fleet. 1154 grams. Roughly 4" x 3½" x 2". Wedge-shaped ingots like this are known from the 1715 Fleet and other wrecks as contraband, supposedly placed together like slices of a pie in false bottoms of barrels to avoid tax. This example is somewhat crude, with curious pits and encrustation (as uncleaned, still dark) but atypically marked on top with a V (or monogram including a V) to indicate its secret owner, the bottom bearing two small holes where we believe this ingot rested on small posts for display in some bygone museum. From the 1715 Fleet, with 1990s-era generic certificate.
And here is the link to the auction listing.
You've probably heard of the "Wedge Wreck" off Pepper Park. This is the kind of like the wedges that gave the wreck its name. although The location is not specified in the lot description though, and may not be that wreck.
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Some time ago I posted about a free Excalibur metal detector. John H. is lucky reader who responded to my notice and now has the detector.
Here is what he said.
Thanks for your help getting an idle detector put in the hands of a person who can put it to good use.
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A metal detectorist in Germany has discovered a rare hoard of almost 3,000 Roman-era coins outside of the Roman Empire's ancient borders and far from any known Germanic tribe settlements of the time. Experts don't know how or why the huge hoard ended up there.
The licensed metal detectorist immediately reported the findings to government archaeologists in Koblenz, a city on the Rhine River. The subsequent excavation uncovered about 2,940 coins as well as more than 200 thin silver fragments decorated with geometric designs buried in a now-broken ceramic pot hidden between two rocks...
Here is the link for more of that article.
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Recently the current administration advanced a directive that for the first time in US history makes it legal for the US military to kill US citizens on American soil. Although it is supposed to be only for purposes of emergency, such as domestic terrorism, we have seen how definitions such as "domestic terrorism" can easily be expanded to include questionable situations. You can see where this is going. Below is a brief excerpt from one article.
Imagine waking up to discover that the U.S. military has quietly been granted the authority to assist in domestic law enforcement activities—including the use of lethal force against U.S. citizens in certain circumstances. Now consider that this change was enacted just weeks before an election, already surrounded by concerns about unrest, civil liberties, and potential government overreach. This is the reality of DoD Directive 5240.01, reissued on September 27, 2024.
And here is the link for more about that.
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