Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 10/3/24 Report - Variety of Lead Finds by One Reader From the Treasure Coast. More About Cannon Aprons. Increasing Surf and High Tides.

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

Various Lead Finds Made by John C.

John C. sent the following email along with photos of some great lead finds. Take a good look at the various pieces shown in the photos.

Below is what John said.

Sorry, I know i'm a couple of posts behind. But I never heard of a cannon apron, which I guess is pretty sad after thirty years, swinging detectors, so I decided to go through some of my bigger pieces of lead, So I assume they would be more square or a rectangle in shape, so the big checkerboard pattern piece in the middle, it's about a foot long or so and looks like it might have been square in shape? But it looks like its probably for wood leak repair, from the staining on the lead? But then I guess the question is, how did they secure the lead to a cannon,? The piece on the top right, was one of my early finds, and was the first and only time, I found a lead piece with the square spikes still attached, some may recognize it, as it was featured in one of Terry Shannons books, and the lead roll was a somewhat recent first for me, found after the storms of 2022, and the big heavy chunk, possibly, a sounding weight? Not sure.

But thanks again for all the hard work and research, you do almost daily, your articles are very informative and i've learned a lot from them, and also had some of my mystery items solved.through your blog, like my crushed World War 1, Battle of Bellawood, Devil dogs Ring.

Thanks again,

Thank you, John. Definitely no need for apologies. I'm not timely with my own posts. I put things off, get off on other subjects, and forget until sometime later.

I already sent John this answer to his question regarding how cannon aprons were attached. I already sent it to John, but others will want to know the same thing. It is from the QAR web site.

Sheets of lead with “fingers” were used to cover the touch hole of a cannon, protecting the powder and the fuse from water spraying into the gun ports. Lead is malleable and could be formed to the shape of the cannon barrel, while the fingers could be bent to create a tight fit around the breech of the cannon. A hole on either edge of the apron would fit a lash to keep the apron tied in place.

Here are more of John's photos.