2/6/25 Report - Spot Gold Prices. Dollar Purchasing Power. Charts and Patterns to Consider. Old Mountain Path and Artifacts Discovered After Ice Melt.

 

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

I always liked the name of this bear. It stuck in my mind from the first time I saw it and I never forgot it.   I think the book was my sister's rather than mine and I don't know if I ever read it. I don't think I did. It was just the name that stuck with me. Being made of up multiple words, it is something like those long German words such as Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake). The Germans just smash words together to make bigger words rather than hyphenating - and so you have World War II. That's a leap. But think about it.

Anyhow, Mr. Bear initially lacks the quality of empathy and went around flattening the houses of other little animals, but in the end he realizes the harm he caused them and is sorry. It is a story about empathy.

Some people lack empathy, which is very problematic by itself, but empathy seems to be part a more general ability to see things from various perspectives. That is a very useful ability for detectorists as well as problem solvers in general. It is also entertaining.

Microsoft Bing told me the book was first published in 2000. I knew better than that, and when I did a little additional research, I found it was actually published as early as 1950.

The cover image of the book I found on the internet says it is the 65th anniversary edition, so it had to be produced decades earlier.

The world is a wonderful place with little treasures to be found everywhere by the alert and joyful seeker.

One thing that isn't flat is the gold price chart.  Gold is now near record high prices.   It is off a little this morning. 

Below is a one-year price chart in dollars/oz.

If you've been holding gold for the price to increase, you've been rewarded.  Look at that accelerating upward slope.  That is getting steep.  Now if that doesn't get your attention, look at the following chart for a longer time span.

Wuueeee!  There have been some big drops, but in comparison, small in comparison.  Of course, a lot of that is due to inflation and decrease in the value of the dollar.

How about the following chart that shows the steadily declining purchasing power of the dollar.

Source: Visualizing the Purchasing Power of the U.S. Dollar Over Time

Obviously going the purchasing owner of the dollar is going opposite direction of gold spot prices.  There is an obvious inverse correlation between the price of gold and the purchasing power of the dollar.

Look at this.

First look at the dramatic rise in the period highlighted by box B, which takes the price to record highs.

Now look at the chart in box A.  Very similar rate of increase and amount.  If you overlay the chart in box B over the chart in box A, they would overlap to a very large extent.

In the period between 2000 and 2014, after the peak, prices quickly dropped.  It might not happen again, but it would not be shocking if it did.  

Also note that the drop in the price of gold after the peak was followed by another and much large increase.

---

Can you figure out what this artifact is?  I would have never guessed.

Archaeologists recently documented a rare treasure trove of Viking Age objects littering a long-forgotten mountain pass, including the remains of a dog wearing its collar and leash.

As climate change melts Norway's glaciers, pockets of history hidden for centuries or millennia are finally seeing the light of day. Melting along a high-altitude trail in the Lendbreen glacier has revealed hundreds of artifacts dating to the Viking Age, the Roman Iron Age and even the Bronze Age.

Remarkably well-preserved items littered the winding path, including clothing and shoes, a variety of tools and riding gear, and animal bones and dung. They offer clues about daily life, and hint at the challenges and importance of mountain travel in this region, according to a new study published online April 16 in the journal Antiquity...

Here are the links for more about that.

Viking 'treasure' of rare artifacts revealed on a long-lost mountain trail | Live Science

Melting Norwegian Ice Uncovers a Treasure Trove of Viking Artifacts | Watch

---

Source: Surfguru.com.

So we have a continuing small surf, and this evening a negative low tide.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/5/25 Report - Treasure Hunter Still in Jail Over Missing Gold. Bathtub Beach Resilience Program. Useful Web Sites and A Few Problems.

 

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

Tommy Thompson with Gold Coin from S. S. Republic.

Treasure hunter jailed for refusing to turn over gold coins scores legal win.
Tommy Thompson's case dates to his discovery of the S.S. Central America, known as the Ship of Gold, in 1988.

A former deep-sea treasure hunter who has served nearly a decade in jail for refusing to disclose the whereabouts of missing gold coins has had that term ended by a federal judge in Ohio, but he will remain behind bars for now...

Thompson has been held in contempt of court since Dec. 15, 2015, and also incurred a daily fine of $1,000. In his ruling, Marbley assessed Thompson's total civil contempt fine at $3,335,000.

Thompson's case, dates to his discovery of the S.S. Central America, known as the Ship of Gold, in 1988. The ship sand in December 1857 along with 425 passengers and crewmembers and 30,000 pounds of federal gold from the new San Francisco Mint to create a reserve for banks in the eastern U.S. The ship was located by Thompson and his team more than 7,000 feet below the...

Here is the link to that story.

 https://apple.news/ApaHFj_tWSf-KihuuyceUMg

Thanks to DJ for the lead.

---

I found a website about the MacArthur Blvd. Resilience project.  The web site shows the elevations of the dunes, parking lot and highway (above) and then the elevations and other changes after the project (below). 

You can also see the water height during calm conditions and during a big storm.  

The project involves increasing the elevation of the highway as well as a seawall buried under the dunes.

Very good web site.

Here is the link about the project.

MacArthur Boulevard Resilience Project | Martin County Florida

The site that actually led me to the above site is the Bathtub Beach web site (link below)  

That site provides a the following timeline.

If it is too small to read, you can go use the following link to visity the site.

Bathtub Beach | Martin County Florida

Bathtub Beach is open again.  That caused me some confusion because on the site above there is a notice saying the parking lot is closed.  Maybe they missed updating that part of the site, but Mark G. sent this link from a news agency saying the park is open.

Here is that link.  https://www.wptv.com/news/treasure-coast/region-martin-county/bathtub-beach-in-martin-county-back-open-after-18-month-restoration-project.

The headline of that article reads Bathtub Beach in Martin County back open after 18-month restoration project.

Thanks to Mark G. for that link.

Here is the web cam site.

Bathtub Beach Webcam

Besides the web cam view, that site has a lot of other useful information.

===

I recently discussed talked AI as a useful research tool.  I used Copilot and ChatGPT as examples of AI systems that are available to many people.

I continued to test those systems out from time to time and haven't always found them accurate. They are useful but need to be used cautiously.  I've received a few responses that were contradictory.  

In another case, the system was just factually wrong, and in others, the AI system just didn't find the answer even though I thought it should have been able to easily answer the question.

The point is that you can't just assume that the response you get is correct even though the systems do in many cases come up with a good answer.

Another problem I keep running into is the lack of dates on web sites.  Since the internet is constantly changing, it is often important to know when something was posted.  You will find things that are contradictory and be left wondering which is right.  For example, I looked one beach web cam and saw a pretty picture of a beautiful beach and blue sky.  The trouble is that it was in the middle of the night, but I found nothing obvious that told me when the image was captured.

In another case, I saw a notice on a site that I would presume is correct and up to date, but the notice conflicted with other news reports.  The notice had no date on it, so I presume it was an old notice that was not updated in a timely fashion.  When publishing stuff on the internet, no matter if it is a authoritative site of a hobby blog, publication dates can be very helpful if not necessary for correct interpretation.

Things get published or posted on the internet and can remain for a long time. It can be important to know when it was published.

One problem I have with my older posts is that some of the links no longer work.  In many cases that is because the original site has deleted.  That is an inconvenience you will run into particularly when browsing older posts.

---

Source: Surfguru.com.

It is beautiful weather to be out metal detecting.  You don't have to stick to the ocean beaches.  There are alternatives.  It is good to explore new areas and detecting sites occasionally, especially when your old standbys don't seem to be producing anymore.

I've had a lot of good hunts at swimming holes and inland beaches and waterways.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net 

2/4/25 Report - Facts About Fort Pierce. Treasure Books and Book Treasures Compared To Digital Sources. Bottles in the Water.

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

©STATE ARCHIVES OF FLORIDA

The dock in front of P.P. Cobb's General store with bandstand on left, First Bank behind the car and Newbitts dry goods store in Fort Pierce in 1909.

Fort Pierce was incorporated as a city 124 years ago. Here are five facts about Fort Pierce.

• Started as a new wilderness outpost on Jan. 2, 1838, for U.S. Army soldiers during the Second Seminole War
• Named for the first commander, Lt. Col. Benjamin Kendrick Pierce, whose brother became President Franklin Pierce
• Remained active until 1842 when U.S. forces ended their campaign against the Seminoles, and later was destroyed by fire in 1843
• Incorporated on Feb. 2, 1901, as the seat of St. Lucie County
• Nicknamed the “Sunrise City” as its sister city, San Francisco, is nicknamed the “Sunset City”

Here is the link for more.

5 facts about Fort Pierce, a 124-year-old city on the Treasure Coast

---

Looking Through the Water.

Can you see the bottle in the above photo?

It isn't easy, but here it is.

The bottle is the smaller blob to the southwest of the bigger dark spot in the picture.  It isn't easy to see because of the water and seaweed, yet to the practiced eye it looks like something that might be a bottle, which it was. 

With practice you can get better at picking out things like that.  

---

I received the following email from Warren D.

I've never expressed much interest in "Celtic" history, pretty ignorant of the subject like most Americans, but I just happened to have acquired this book and was in the process of transferring it to a friend who owns a used bookstore. When I saw yesterday's blog about the Celtic coin hoard, I pulled out the book (published in 1975) and reviewed the Table of Contents.

After a few minutes of reading, I learn that Cunobelinus was a Celtic king who the Romans defeated near Dover, around 47 AD, Subsequently the Romans continued to advance. With the aid of a Celtic tribunal leader's wife, Cartimandua, who wanted to betray her husband to continue an affair with her husband's much younger weapon's bearer, the Roman's secured the tribunal area as a protectorate. She was thus protected by the Romans against her vindictive husband and her affair could con tinue.

After securing the foothold in Britain, the Roman conquest of Britain and northern Europe conquest could continue. Amazing how a used book could add interest to the news of a treasure find.

My friend says some visitors to her bookstore say they don't see any research value here.

The store has 150,000 books?

Maybe the ability to "research" requires some imagination, the ability to make correlations, make suppositions as necessary and be willing to go down various rabbit holes to learn what we don't already know.

Warren D.

Thanks Warren.   I agree.  

Going through books is very much like a treasure hunt.  You never know when you'll find something useful or interesting or perhaps even mind changing.  Years ago, I wrote an article entitled Treasure Books and Book Treasure that was published in a treasure magazine. 

Books can be real treasures in another way.  There are valuable rare or antique collectible books.  Some have fine bindings of tooled leather.  Some are prized literary works.  

You can occasionally find valuable books in bookstores or thrift stores.  Sometimes they are signed by famous authors or celebrities.  Occasionally you can find money or valuables secreted between the pages.

People often say, "If only that coin or artifact could speak."  Well books do speak.  

Books are durable three-dimensional objects.  I like the physical nature of books.  You always have a sense of location when using a book.  You can see where you are in the book and where things are on the page.  That is not as trivial as it sounds.  Digital sources may provide page numbers, but you don't get the same feel of where you are in the document.   Digital documents are more amorphous and less stable.

Being physical objects, you can go back to a book after many years and find the thing you were looking for.  It hasn't disappeared or been modified.  It stays the same.  There are times when that is a real benefit.  

Of course, there are benefits to digital media, but there are also some ways in which books are better.  There are times when you just want to type in a quick query and get a quick response and you might not have the book you need.

Books have a personality.  Besides the physical characteristics, you can see the thought process of an author or authors.  There is much more to a book than simple text.

You can probably tell that I like books and would like to say a lot more about why, but I'll stop there for now with the exception of showing a few examples.

The first example below is my oldest book find.  It is an 18th century book.  The photo shows a couple things I'd like to point out.  Notice the bookplate.  There are people who collect book plates.  See A Bookplate Junkie on the Basics of Collecting Ex Libris | Collectors Weekly

 Books were prized personal possessions and proud owners would add their bookplate or write their name in the book.  This one has a bookplate and also a pen and ink name and date along with a few additional scribbles.

Sometimes you'll find the names of people who you can research and find out more about.

Travel logs are popular in the book market.  The one above has nice gilt decorative binding.

A Couple Books on the History of New Orleans and Boston.

All of the books above were found in thrift stores or library sales and purchased for next to nothing.  That is just a sampling.  You can also find atlases, maps and books on the Civil War or whatever your interest might be.

These books all contain nice illustrations.  Some contain old maps. 

---

Expect a one to two foot surf for at least the next week.  

The weather remains beautiful for being out on the beach,

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/2/25 Report - Comparison of Two Salvage Techniques. Story of Red Painted Coins. Answers For Two Mystery Items.

 

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

Quarter With Red Paint.

Have you ever found a quarter that had red paint on it.  I've found a few.  I never paid much attention to them. K just figured that some kid decided to paint his change, but I just found out there could be a more interesting story behind the red quarters.  Here is what I learned from an article I just found.

Firstly, let me point out that there are a few alternative origins that are possible – but, not as neat as the arcade connection. Red quarters are also used for free laundromats and the occasional jukebox at the local tavern,..

Red quarters are known as “shills” or “house coins.”...

When a customer complained about not receiving credit for their coin, an attendant would use a red-painted quarter in the slot to make the game work. If it did, the customer could then play their game and smile. If the game still did not work, an “Out of Order” sign would be placed over the screen until a repair technician could render first aid.

When it came time to count the game’s coin box each week, the red quarters would be sorted out from the silver ones and returned to the attendants to use again. They wouldn’t be counted as income, and the arcade owner’s accountant would celebrate and rejoice at the reduction of paperwork...

Here is the link for more of that article.

The Mystery Of The Red Quarters…Solved! - The Retroist

Isn't it nice how knowing more about something makes everything more interesting.  A curious person is never bored but a dull person is often bored.

---

I received some answers to the mystery items I recently posted.  First, this one.

Mystery Item.

DJ said this one reminded him of one of disc shaped padlocks used for more secure locations, such as the following one.

High SecurityPadlock.

Next, this mystery item.

Mystery Item Two.

Mark G. said the following.

I think your right about the mystery object that looks like a bullet, it is a bullet but. Most bullets are lead with copper jackets this bullet is missing the lead because it was filled with tracer compound. My theory is it’s a tracer round, looks like a 50 caliber.

He added that the white could be paint since tracer bullets would be painted for identification.

Thanks guys.  Great answers.

---

Here is part of the abstract of a paper describing a couple deep-sea salvage and recovery systems.

The recovery and salvage of objects involves accurately obtaining their underwater positions. Depending on whether or not the salvage object carries an acoustic beacon, two methods are available: onboard acoustic signal search and near-bottom sweep search and search. Once the underwater position of a salvage object is known, it can be recovered and salvaged with a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) and/or human-occupied vehicle (HOV). However, there are many difficulties with the practical application of existing deep-sea recovery systems that are based on the deep-sea operation of ROVs and HOVs. Based on the design idea and working mode of TV-grab in oceanography, this paper proposes a new type of deep-sea recovery system that does not rely on operating underwater vehicles and presents its recovery process. The new deep-sea recovery system combines underwater optical imaging, mechanical docking/grasping, acoustic imaging and positioning, and propeller operating to provide low-cost and rapid deep-sea recovery. Compared to the deep-sea recovery system with a ROV and/or HOV, the new deep-sea recovery system without an operating underwater vehicle described in this paper is proposed to be used, but not tested yet.

Here is an illustration from the paper.

And here is the link.

(PDF) Deep-sea search and recovery: with and without operating an underwater vehicle

---

The small surf will continue for a week or so.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/1/25 Report - Metal Detectorists Find Gold Lock. Some Mystery Objects for ID. Fort Pierce Boardwalk. Treasure Trove and Deep Sea Mining.

 

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

Source: See LiveScience link below.

A miniature gold lock dated to the third to fourth centuries was found by a metal detectorist in Germany.

A metal detectorist in Germany has discovered a 1,600-year-old miniature gold lock that's one of a kind.

An analysis of the tiny lock with CT scans revealed the artifact's inner workings, showcasing its high level of Roman craftsmanship and hinting at trade between northern Germany and Rome in the third century.

"The golden miniature box lock is completely unique in Europe,"...

Measuring just under half an inch (1.2 centimeters) in diameter, the tiny lock was identified by metal detector in a field in Westphalia, a region of northwestern Germany, in 2023.

Here is the link to that article.

1,600-year-old Roman padlock with spring mechanism discovered in Germany — and it's tiny | Live Science

Scan of Gold Same Gold Lock.

The iron interior of the miniature lock was examined by archaeologist Michael Rind of the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association and his colleagues with 3-D neutron computed tomography, which revealed a spring, guide rail, bolt, baseplate, and pin. Some of the lock’s inner workings had been damaged, perhaps in an attempt to break open the device...

Here is that link.

News - Roman Miniature Gold Lock Discovered in Germany - Archaeology Magazine

You've probably found a lot of padlocks if you've been detecting very long.  Below are a few I've found;  Some are older and some new.  I don't know why you find so many padlocks in the water.

Random Sampling of Dug Padlocks.

I'm not sure what the one below is, but one possibility is a lock.  What do you think?

Mystery Object.
Lock?

I think of doing electrolysis on this one, but haven/t yet.

---

Here is another mystery object.  Looks kinda like a bullet, but...

Mystery Object.

It has a little white encrustation.  What do you think it is?

---

I never received any thoughts on Mark's nickle with "NRA" on it.

Nickle Stamped "NRA" On One Side and "8" On The Other.
Mystery Object Found by Mark G.

Any thoughts?

---

A Boardwalk will be constructed at Fort Pierce South Beach.

Will Boardwalk on the Inlet make Fort Pierce South Beach parking better or worse?

Here is the link for more about that.

Will Boardwalk on the Inlet make Fort Pierce South Beach parking better or worse?

---

Treasure Trove Worth $26B Found in Japan—And The Economic Impact Is Destabilizing The East.

In a discovery that has sent ripples through global markets, Japanese researchers supported by the Nippon Foundation have uncovered an astonishing $26 billion worth of rare materials on the seabed. The treasure trove, located off the coast of Japan, contains over 230 million tons of minerals such as manganese, cobalt, and nickel, all critical for high-tech industries and renewable energy production. With the deposits spanning 10,000 square kilometers and some reaching depths of 5,200 meters, this find has the potential to redefine Japan’s resource economy and destabilize the geopolitical landscape of East Asia....

Here is that link.

Treasure Trove Worth $26B Found in Japan—And The Economic Impact Is Destabilizing The East

That reminds me of Odyssey Marine Exploration company that now does mostly ocean mining rather than wreck salvage.  You might remember their Black Swan Project, which was when they were salvaging the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, worth something like $500 million.  Afet a court ruled they had to turn the recovered treasure over to Spain, they changed their business model.

I wrote about that Black Swan Project and Odyssey Marine Exploration in several posts years ago in treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

---

Source: SurfGuru.com.

Now that is a flat surf chart.  Almost no surf for the next week.

Can you believe the first month of 2025 is already over.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

1/31/25 Report - How Metal Detectorists Can Use Artificial Intelligence (AI): Promise and Hype.

 

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

There is a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence. If you pay attention to the news, you probably heard or read about Deepseek this week, which in my opinion, is not as revolutionary or world-changing as suggested by many sources.

But before getting too far into this, it might be helpful to start with a definition of artificial intelligence.  Here is the definition provided by Copilot (Microsoft's AI "companion").

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the development of computer systems that can perform tasks typically requiring human intelligence. These tasks include learning from experience, recognizing patterns, understanding natural language, and making decisions. Here are some key aspects of AI:

1. Machine Learning (ML): This is a subset of AI where systems learn from data to improve their performance over time without being explicitly programmed.

2. Natural Language Processing (NLP): This enables computers to understand, interpret, and respond to human language in a valuable way. Examples include chatbots and voice assistants.

3. Computer Vision: This allows machines to interpret and make decisions based on visual information from the world, like recognizing faces or objects in images.

4. Robotics: This involves designing and programming robots to carry out tasks, which could range from manufacturing to surgery.

AI is applied in various fields including healthcare, finance, transportation, entertainment, and many more, constantly evolving to find new ways to assist and enhance our lives

Having an M.A. in clinical psychology and being trained to administer intelligence tests, the subject of intelligence is one that I've studied and thought about.  When referring to Artificial Intelligence, it seems that the first word, "artificial," does not receive enough attention.  There are differences between human intelligence and "artificial" intelligence other than where the intelligence resides.  There are significant qualitative differences.  It is my opinion that many so called "artificial intelligence" applications, do not deserve to be described as "intelligent," even with the "artificial" designation.

Anyhow, looking at the definition provided by Copilot, machine learning is one thing you would expect of AI, but only very limited machine learning is present in many systems described as AI.  

Natural language processing is another feature that is often not found on some systems that are described as AI.   

The term "AI" is often misused and thrown around to grab attention or to generate excitement.  It is often used and misused for marketing purposes.

Now I'll get down to some real-world metal detecting related applications.

In a fairly recent post, I mentioned how Mark G. used Copilot.  He asked the system about the wind and sand and when to detect.  For specifics about that see Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 1/16/25 Report - Win an Eight-Reale. Millions of People Taking a Dip Wearing Very High Karat Gold. Detectorists Using AI and a Few Examples.  You can see his queries and the AI responses in that post.

He received some decent answers, but nothing shocking or really advanced.  It was basic information that would be useful to a relative beginner or someone who wanted some food for thought.  Don't expect anything really leading-edge from querying systems like Copilot of ChatGPT.  Those systems simply go around a gather information that is already available and assimilate it to some extent.  I don't see much more than that, but some larger systems might do more with the data collected.

If you heard all he buzz about Deepseek this week, it is not as revolutionary or world-changing as was implied.  It is a big copycat that extensively queried other more mature AI systems, and in essence, stole their knowledge database.

Detectorists will find basic AI systems like Copilot and ChatGPT useful to some extent.  They will provide helpful answers to many queries.  They will not provide the most advanced thinking on the subject.

Here is Copilot response to a query concerning AI and metal detecting. 

AI is revolutionizing the field of metal detecting in several exciting ways! By integrating advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities, AI-powered metal detectors are becoming more precise, efficient, and reliable. Here are some key advancements:

1. Enhanced Accuracy: AI algorithms can analyze complex data patterns, reducing false alarms and improving the detection of metallic objects.

2. Adaptability: AI can adapt to different terrains and soil compositions, making it easier to detect metals in various environments.

3. Real-Time Analysis: AI-powered detectors provide real-time data analysis, helping users make quicker and more informed decisions.

4. Proactive Identification: These systems can identify potential risks and anomalies, enhancing security protocols and quality control measures.

5. Multispectral Imaging: Some AI metal detectors use multispectral imaging to differentiate between various metal types, offering valuable insights for archaeologists and historians.

These advancements are making metal detecting more accessible and effective for a wide range of applications, from treasure hunting to security and environmental cleanup.

Are you interested in using AI for metal detecting, or just curious about the technology?

The claim that AI is revolutionizing the field of metal detecting is, at best, an overstatement, which is not unusual for statements about AI.

There are many possible applications for AI in metal detecting as well as other fields, but new technologies seldom deliver the revolutionary impacts advertised.  That can be for many different reasons, but much of it is hype, and real revolutionary change is not something that happens all the time.  There are more advanced systems that the public does not generally have common access to.  The term unfortunately too often used to describe applications that do not deserve to be called AI.

If you look at the footnotes in Copilot's response, you will see where the Copilot system got the information it provided to the query about AI and metal detecting.  There are two sources.  Both sources are sites that sell metal detectors and are benefited by big claims.  As you know, you won't find a lot of public discussion, but little that is deeply thoughtful or insightful.  

You will also see that Copilot's responses are nearly word-for-word what was published on the source sites.  AI, in this form, simply takes information it finds elsewhere and gives it to you when queried, and often without adequate attribution.  Yes, there are the footnotes, but how many people check those.

When asked, "When would be a good time this week to metal detect Fort Pierce beach," Copilot responded as follows.

A good time to metal detect at Fort Pierce Beach would be during low tide, which typically occurs in the early morning or late afternoon. This allows you to cover more ground as the beach is more exposed. Additionally, weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends, giving you more space to search without too many distractions.

Not a bad response.  It might be useful for the beginner, but it is nothing revolutionary, or even informative for someone that is experienced in the field. 

I didn't look up the footnotes for this response.  You can do that if you want to.

Freely available public AI systems like this can and will provide useful information for the detectorists, but don't expect anything shockingly new or advanced.  You might find it useful to query such systems about numismatics, treasure sites, artifacts, shipwrecks, leads and many other helpful topics.

Concerning AI being employed in metal detectors, my opinion is there are advances in the technology and their capabilities, but for me, it seems to fall way short of qualifying as being "intelligent," even when used with the term "artificial."

A calculator, for example, gives answers for math problems, but does not qualify, in my mind, as being intelligent.  Many applications are like that.  For marketing purposes, they might be called AI to give the perception of advanced capabilities.  

 The same goes for "AI" in metal detectors.  There may be very limited, if any, machine learning involved even when the AI term is thrown around.   There is typically no natural language processing.  There is no computer vision despite the decades of claims that metal detectors will show you what is in the ground before you dig it.  In short, most claims fall short of what I would comfortably call AI.  

I agree that improvements in the detector's hardware and software will be made, and that will make detector's more useful and effective, but for me, the improvement in the technology is simply not of the type or scale necessary to qualify as "AI."

To sum it up, AI systems such as Copilot and ChatGPT will be useful for obtaining information on a wide variety of subjects, many of which will be useful to the detectorist.

When it comes to the technology, there have been advances and improvements, but for me, I think the use of the term AI for many, if not all, of those is misuse of the term.  

Like most tools, the creative skilled use will improve the effectiveness and benefit of AI.  Don't overlook it, but don't be overly impressed by many of the claims.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net