12/11/25 Report - Pots of Roman Coins Found. Semiquincentennial Coins Coming Soon. Mining The Final Frontier.

 

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

Archaeologists in France have discovered three ancient storage jars brimming with tens of thousands of Roman coins. The vessels were buried in pits 1,700 years ago in the house floor of an ancient settlement, possibly as a type of safe or piggy bank.

These three jugs, known as amphorae, were uncovered during excavations run by the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) in the village of Senon in northeastern France, and may contain a total of more than 40,000 Roman coins.

The first hoard held an estimated 83 pounds (38 kilograms) of coins, which "corresponds to approximately 23,000 to 24,000 coins,"...

Here is the link for more about that.

1,800-year-old 'piggy banks' full of Roman-era coins unearthed in French village | Live Science

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New designs on the obverse and reverse of the 2026 dime, quarter and half dollar coins will be minted throughout the year to celebrate 250 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Each coin will also include two dates, 1776 and 2026.

"The designs on these historic coins depict the story of America's journey toward a 'more perfect union,' and celebrate America's defining ideals of liberty," said Acting Mint Director Kristie McNally. "We hope to offer each American the opportunity to hold our nation's storied 250 years of history in the palms of their hands as we Connect America through Coins."


Some of those coins will be printed at the Denver U.S. Mint location. The first Denver Mint opened for business in 1863 and was originally an assay office for miners to bring gold to be melted, tested for purity, and cast into bars. Now it produces circulating coins, commemorative coins and uncirculated coin sets.

Here is that link.

Denver Mint to produce semiquincentennial coins to celebrate 250th birthday of United States

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High above the sky, in the stretch of space where satellites race around Earth, a crowded ring of old metal is whipping along at more than 15,000 miles per hour. People call this space junk. Scientists call it orbital debris, and it’s piling up fast.

The objects include dead satellites, broken parts from past missions, and tiny fragments arising from explosions or collisions. This mess isn’t sitting still, either.

Every object, even one the size of a grain of rice, moves at a speed that turns it into a threat...

Here is that link.

New ideas proposed to clear the space junk crowding Earth's orbit - Earth.com

The article describes three methods of cleaning up space.  Two of the methods remove or incinerates the junk, and the third involves recycling or reusing the materials in space.

I've said before that I expect treasure hunting or mining of unused materials to someday be done in (as Captain Kirk called it) the final frontier.  There are a lot of valuable materials up there

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

A seven foot surf is up there. 

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/10/25 Report - Very Old Gilt Christ Figure Found by Detectorist. Wheat Cents. Selecting Cleaning Method for Heavily Encrusted Coins.

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

The above photo and following excerpts are from a cool story about a great find.

A metal detectorist in Norway recently found a striking depiction of Jesus Christ in a grassy meadow — a gilded figure that dates back nearly 1,000 years...

The figurine, which dates to around 1100 A.D., was found on All Saints' Day, the Christian holy day that honors all martyrs and saints...

"But we persevered. … We found 78 buttons, some coins, buckles, a medieval weight and a lot of the usual finds."...

Photos of the discovery show the weathered figurine depicting Jesus on the cross, still bearing remnants of gilding and fine detail on its torso...

The detectorist promptly called experts and reported the find. In Norway, Dybvik said, all objects from before 1537 must be reported to authorities...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Treasure hunter finds Jesus figurine, nearly 1,000 years old, in windswept Norway field | Fox News

1537!  

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--- For all the talk of billion-dollar valuations, the wheat penny story is also surprisingly domestic. Many of the most interesting finds do not come from high-end auctions but from kitchen drawers and inherited jars of change. Collectors note that Many people discover valuable wheat pennies in old jars, inherited collections and even in pocket change, especially when they start checking dates against reference lists that highlight key years like 1931 and other low-mintage issues, as outlined in guides that help owners compare wheat penny values by year. The romance of the hunt is part of what keeps demand high, because every new collector hopes their coffee can of coins hides a rarity.
The looming disappearance of the penny from everyday commerce is only intensifying that search...

Here is the link for the rest of that article on wheat pennies.

Why wheat pennies are suddenly worth more than gold 

Yesterday I found a 1940 wheat I got in change from a checkout machine at Winn-Dixie.  

I saw the Lincoln side first, but the copper tone made me thing it might be a wheatie, so I turned it over and saw the wheat.  

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Recently I mentioned a couple completely encrusted objects that I considered cleaning by electrolysis.  They were finds that were completely encrusted, and I was not sure how I wanted to proceed with the cleaning.  With one of shown below, I first tried vinegar, which wasn't working. The black encrustation did not seem affected by the acid, although the little white calcareous spots were dissolved.

Manuals on cleaning and conservation are usually organized by what the object is made of, but I've found that the type of corrosion or crust needs to be considered. Some methods just won't work with some types of encrustation.

I've found encrusted coins that did not respond to acid at all.  That was the case with the silver coins that were recovered from Ambersands.  They were dumped at Ambersands after being removed from the Sebastian inlet.  They were completed covered with a black crust that was impervious to acid.  When I broke the crust, the inside showed a negative of the coins surface.  Below is an example from of part of the shell that encapsulated a Mercury dime.  You can clearly see the reverse image of Mercury.

I don't know what the crust was made of but it was hard and wasn't affected by acid. I just broke it and removed it like an eggshell.

The point I am making is that you should probably consider the type of corrosive material as well as the composition of the object when you select a cleaning method.  Sometimes acid is the best choice and sometimes you will need something else.  Sometimes you might choose electrolysis.

This encrusted object shown above looks like acid might do the job, but I'll try vinegar a first anyhow. 

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

By Tuesday the wind had shifted some.  It is now more northeast as is the surf.

The high tides are still over three feet.

It looks like we might have some nice high surf in about a week.

I noticed some of the web cams were not working today on SurfGuru.  

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/9/25 Report - Another Mystery Find Needing Cleaning. Oldest Artifact Made by Lost Wax Casting. What Detectorists Should Know About Casting.

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

Completely Encrusted Find.

This encrusted object contains a metal object that gave a very nice signal, but I have no idea what is in it.  It is more flat and round than it appears in the photo.  I have it a bit tilted in my hand.  The crust is hard and I put off deciding how to attach it.  I might explore taking off some of the crust mechanically before trying electrolysis, which at this point is what I'll probably do even if I am successful removing some of the crust mechanically.

I had that one object in electrolysis and interrupted it and planned to finish up that one, but I've been busy and haven't gotten back to it.  Still trying to decide about the object shown above.

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The earliest evidence of lost wax casting in Europe has been found.  Here are some excerpts from an article about that.

In 1884, one of the burials discovered at El Argar, the eponymous site of the El Argar culture, revealed the remains of a woman wearing an unusual silver bangle. This ornament appears to be the first evidence of a silver object produced by lost-wax casting in Bronze Age Iberia and, to date, in Western Europe. It demonstrates that El Argar metalworking technology was probably more complex and innovative than previously thought, opening up new perspectives on the organization of metalwork production and the degree of craft specialization in the earlier Bronze Age of south-eastern Spain...

Rare in the early phase of the El Argar culture, silver objects as grave goods became more common from around 1800 BC, but remained restricted to a small proportion of the population.

...The presence and quantity of silver items in a grave have been used as a key criterion for identifying members of a dominant apical class. The importance of silver objects as social markers in El Argar society is emphasized.

Silver objects mostly take the form of personal ornaments, such as rings, several spiral-based items (e.g. armlets, hair-rings etc.) and diadems, but occasionally also occur as rivets, pommels, and awls. Most of these items are solid cast objects or wires forged by hammerwork to shape, but sheet silver objects produced by plastic deformation are also known (e.g. diadems, pottery appliqués). Decoration on metal objects of any kind, like embossing and chasing, only appears very occasionally in El Argar metalworking. The absence of complex shapes and the lack of technical investment have frequently been interpreted as evidence for small-scale production and for a low degree of craft specialization...

Here is the link for the rest of the article.

FIRST EVIDENCE OF LOST‐WAX CASTING IN THE EARLIER BRONZE AGE OF SOUTH‐EASTERN SPAIN: THE SILVER BANGLE FROM EL ARGAR, GRAVE 292 - Boutoille - Oxford Journal of Archaeology - Wiley Online Library

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Knowing a little about jewelry making techniques can help the detectorist better assess finds. For example, those cheap souvenir treasure coins will often be identified by the presence of mold seams from casting. That is often one ofthe first signs of a fake.  

As you know, the treasure coins found on the Treasure Coast, known as cobs, were hammered and not cast.  Cast coins will often show a clear seam running around the outside edge of the coin.  There were also contemporary fake coins (or counterfeits) made by casting.  Those can have good values if they are old and were meant to circulate along with genuine coins.

I've told before about when I took a lost wax casting class at a local community college.  I'd recommend that for any detectorist who might be interested.  In the class you'll learn how to make nice items out of old scrap silver or gold finds.  The others in the class are always in need of inexpensive materials, so it also provides an opportunity to sell your scrap silver or gold.  

Another benefit is that when you become familiar with the process, you will be ready to recognize items made by similar techniques.

Lost wax casting involves making a wax model, which is then used to create a mold with plaster or something like that.  Then the mold is put in a kiln and the wax melted out and molten metal is then poured into the mold to make the object.  Lost wax casting is used to create intricate items, like jewelry.  Solid casting, on the other hand involves pouring molten metal directly into a mold without the use of any wax model. Always look for seams or sprue marks.

Lost wax object will often show microscopic holes, lumps of extraneous metal or irregular surface textures as well as the seams I already mentioned. Of course, counterfeiters might remove seams but even that might be detectable with the use of a microscope.  As I've said before, a microscope is a valuable tool for inspecting finds.

Items are still made by lost wax casting. and some amateurs make their own items. They will not always mark the karat values or put any other identifying marks on their creations. 

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Surf Chart from Surfguru.com.

A cold front came through.  We had some good north winds Monday evening.  

The high tides are still pretty high.

As you can see from the chart the surf will remain northish for a while.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/7/25 Report - Wabasso South. More Replenishment Coming. Copper Hits Record Prices. SS John Barry Sunk with Silver Coins.

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

South of Wabasso
Photos by DJ.

The following excerpt was posted on DredgeWire, Dec. 5, 2025.

...“Work includes placing beach quality sand and planting native dune vegetation to restore storm protection and habitat along approximately three miles of shoreline.”

The project follows earlier restoration work completed in Indian River Shores and Wabasso Beach. Sector 5 covers about 3.1 miles of coast that lost substantial sand and dune volume during the storms. Plans call for roughly 153,300 cubic yards of beach-compatible sand and more than 117,500 native, salt-tolerant dune plants. The county’s estimated $3.3 million share is being funded through local Tourist Development tax revenue.

Beyond storm recovery, Bergman said erosion poses growing risks to both private and public assets.

“Storms and sea level rise cause coastal erosion. Coastal erosion threatens upland infrastructure. That infrastructure can be private, but right behind that private infrastructure, you have a lot of public infrastructure. Think roads and power lines and water utilities as well as our beloved beach parks,” he said.

Tourism is also closely tied to shoreline conditions, he added.

“The beaches also serve as an economic engine for our communities. It attracts a lot of tourists. It attracts a lot of people,” Bergman said.

Environmental protection remains a central focus of the project.

“Lastly, beaches provide critical habitat for marine life, including our endangered sea turtle species,” he said. “Shorebirds will also benefit. Shorebirds that migrate great distances, you can find them loafing a lot of times along our shoreline.”...

Here is the link for more on that.

Indian River County, Fl Begins Final Post Hurricane Beach Restoration - DredgeWire : DredgeWire

There is a lot there that I would like to comment on, but there is so much to say that I don't know where to start.

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Dec. 5. 2025.

-- Brent crude oil is down 0.2% to $63.13 a barrel.

-- European benchmark gas is up 1.1% to 27.38 euros a megawatt-hour.

-- Gold futures are up 0.4% to $4,261.70 a troy ounce.

-- LME three-month copper futures are up 1.3% to $11,579.50 a metric ton.



Copper Hits Fresh Record on Fears of Global Supply Squeeze

Copper prices climbed to a fresh record on Friday, driven by fears of a global supply shortage as traders stockpile in the U.S. and optimism around interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve next week...

Here is the link for more about that.

Copper Hits Fresh Record on Fears of Global Supply Squeeze — Commodities Roundup | Morningstar

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The SS John Barry was a 7,200-ton American Liberty Ship in World War II. The John Barry was torpedoed and sunk in the Arabian Sea at position 15.10° N 55.18E in 1944.

The ship left its convoy under radio silence to go on a mission to Dhahran in Saudi Arabia when it was torpedoed 185 kilometres (115 mi) off the coast of Oman by the German submarine U-859 on 28 August 1944.  The SS John Barry was carrying a cargo of 3 million American-minted Saudi one-riyal silver coins as an American payment. The reason for this shipment (one of several during the war) was that Saudi Arabia did not use paper money at the time and this led to a war-time shortage of currency with which to pay workers building new oil refineries and other US facilities at newly founded Dhahran.  (wikipedia)

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Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/6/25 Report - Treasure Lecture at Elliott. One Cent Coin Scams. Magnetofossil. Conch Bugle.

 

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

Lecture at the Elliott Museum.

Thanks to Bruce B. for this notice of the upcoming lecture at the Elliott Museum.

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With the U.S.Mint's discontinuation of the cent, there has been a recent surge in online sales listing rolls of 1-cent coins for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. According to John Feigenbaum, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild and CEO of Whitman Publishing, these sales offered on sites like eBay and Etsy are the result of opportunists exploiting public confusion over the end of the cent. “Whenever there are stories about coins, scammers come along and take advantage of the headlines,” Feigenbaum says. “On Etsy, it’s not unusual to see a penny that’s not even worth a dollar being listed for $100,000. People try it on eBay too. Nobody is policing what people charge.”

The current cent craze mirrors the 1976 bicentennial coin obsession, when many Americans hoarded redesigned quarters and half dollars, believing they would one day become valuable collectibles. Feigenbaum also dismissed claims that 2025 cents from Philadelphia, where the final cents were made last week, have any special premium. The only 2025 cents with genuine collector value are the final omega-marked coins the U.S. Mint struck to commemorate the end of the denomination that will be offered at auction on December 11...

Here is the link for more of that story.

Beware of Cent Scams | The Reading Room

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In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed ancient magnetic fossils that suggest the existence of a long-lost creature capable of navigating using Earth’s magnetic field. This revelation, made by researchers at Cambridge University and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, opens a new chapter in understanding how ancient animals may have found their way across vast distances. Their findings were recently published in Nature and reveal fascinating insights into the mysteries of biological navigation.

Magnetofossils, tiny remnants left behind by ancient organisms, have provided new evidence of an extraordinary form of navigation used by prehistoric creatures. These fossils, discovered on the ocean floors, date back approximately 97 million years, suggesting that magnetoreception—the ability to sense Earth’s magnetic field—was already in use by animals long before the species we know today. While the fossils do not provide a direct link to any known species, their magnetic properties point to a biological GPS system far ahead of its time...

Here is that link.

Scientists Unearth 97-Million-Year-Old Fossils of Unknown Creatures with Built-In GPS!

It wasn't long ago that I posted about some the fact that some humans seem to be able to sense the earth's magnetic fields.

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The use of large Charonia seashells as labial vibration aerophones is documented in various cultures around the world. In Catalonia, north-eastern Iberia, 12 such instruments have been recovered from Neolithic contexts, dating from the second half of the fifth and the first half of the fourth millennia BC, yet they have received little attention in academia. Given that some examples retain the ability to produce sounds, their archaeoacoustic study offers insight into possible uses and meanings for Neolithic communities. While not all can still produce sounds, the high sound intensity of those that do may indicate a primary function as signalling devices that facilitated communication in Neolithic communities...

Here is the link for more about that.

Signalling and music-making: interpreting the Neolithic shell trumpets of Catalonia (Spain) | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

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Some years ago, I found this bugle made from a horse conch on the Treasure Coast.    

I'm not good at using it, but sometimes it sounds good.

I tend it is modern area, but don't know for sure.

Here is where I previously talked about it.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: Search results for conch shell

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A cold front will be coming through this weekend, but it doesn't look like the surf will be big.  The high tides are still big though.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/4/25 Report - Variety of Finds from One Metal Detecting Outing. Densities and Other Related Factors. King of American Coins. Ai.

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

Recent Finds by Mark G.

Mark G. sent me these photos with the following email about his recent metal detecting outing and finds.

You’ve done a few post on using the cameras for tracking beach erosion.  I look at the cameras every day mostly local to me, Jensen Beach and Bathtub. November although not real stormy was a sand moving month overall and the beaches changed in dramatical fashion. You mentioned in one post that the cameras don’t have good depth perception and that is true it is very hard to see the heights of the scallops and depths of the cuts. I am always amazed when I look at the camera think I know where to hunt then actually go to the beach and it’s totally different.

This email is kind of in hindsight because I had written an email about my hunt at Bathtub Beach November 6th but lost it somehow couldn’t find it got frustrated and dropped it however your post today with the south end of Bathtub triggered me to try again. The far south shot of bathtub today is actually sanded in from where it was in early November. I was watching the waves cut into bank where the large pipe sticks vertically out of the water. That pipe usually sticks out of the sand on the dry beach about a foot and during the height of summer was actually covered completely in sand. Around the sixth of November after watching for a while at dead low tide that pipe stood out of the water about 12 feet, the area around it and that horizontal pipe sticking out of the bank to the right were exposed rebar and several stumps obviously cut down trees as large as 3 feet in diameter exposed. I said to myself it’s time to get in there and find some gold. You can see in the photo I only found lead and coins but the interesting thing is I found about 2 pounds of lead and some of the coins in a very small area about 12 feet in diameter right in between those 2 pipes. When I got time to go back for a second look I could see on the camera another detector there already so I went somewhere else. I convinced myself the reason there were no gold rings there because it may not have been a popular swimming area because of the debris and the reason for all the fishing weights was all the snags in the water lots of them. Never the less my diligence watching the cameras paid off, the theory of finding heavy metal was correct just not the gold.

Clip from Bathtub Beach Cam as Submitted by Mark G.

Thanks for sharing Mark.

I know how it is to get frustrated by losing messages that you took time to compose.  It happens to me much too often. It is no fun to spend a couple hours on a post and then end up losing it.  It does happen.

I wonder how many millions of tons of lead in the water and on the beaches.  You'd think more fish would die from being struck by lead sinkers or lead poisoning than are caught.  

Here is nice little chart on metal densities.

Lead and gold are both towards the bottom of the chart but there is still a sizable difference between them, yet I've found them very often located in near proximity in the field.

There are other factors to be considered.  For example, finds are often alloys, which changes the density of an object.  Gold objects often contain some copper, but copper is also fairly dense.  On the other hand, you have those stinkin zinc pennies, which are 97.5% zinc and the rest copper, but that isn't all of that story.  

If you look at beach found zinc pennies, you'll often see corrosion and bubbliing of the surface and also encrustation.  The surface adheres to sand.  That changes how the object will behave on the beach.  Those things make them act as if they were even less dense than the metallic composition would suggest.  The surface area and surface characteristics of an object will also affect how it moves and therefore where it will eventually be found on a beach or in the water.  The point being that it isn't only a matter of an metals object.

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One of the country’s rarest coins is slightly rarer than even expert coin collectors believed. After the surprise discovery of a long-lost 1804 dollar (aka the "King of American Coins" ), the rarity’s total known count now stands at 16...

This 1804 dollar isn’t only famous for its rarity, but its history...  In 1834, his administration solicited sets of these dollar coins to give as gifts to various heads of state around the world. But since it had been around 30 years since the United States Mint produced any new silver dollars, the Department of Treasury simply made a new die cast for another small run of coins dated 1804.

However, there was one problem. Officials at the time weren’t aware that 1804 coins didn’t technically exist. Instead, the original “1804 dollars” were actually made using the prior year’s die cast. This meant that any coins minted in 1804 still featured 1803 on their front side. Thanks to the oversight, the diplomatic gifts technically became the only silver dollars ever made to feature the year of 1804...

Here is the link for more about that.

A long lost silver dollar may be worth $5 million | Popular Science

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Each question posed to an AI chatbot such as Grok requires far more power than an ordinary Good search — possibly up to ten times more.

Computing has become very wasteful.  In the earlier days of computing, computer memory was very expensive, and programmers programmed for efficiency.  A good programmer would write a very compact program that would take up little memory but do a lot.  It took some smarts.  The same program might take up ten times as much space to accomplish the same thing if it was not designed as well.  These days there is tons of waste.  Hypertext markup language is terribly wasteful.  I can't believe how remarkably wasteful it is when I see the code.  Now this AI stuff raises the inefficiency to an entirely new level.  Totally ridiculous.  The developers have been spoiled by an abundance of memory, processing capacity and energy.  They act like the resources are unlimited, and maybe they are, but I think it could all be done smarter and much more efficiently.

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The surf chart hasn't changed much.

The morning high tides are big lately.

I'll have to finish up my series on coin movement soon.

And I also need to get my electrolysis going again.  I meant to yesterday but didn't get around to it.

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

12/3/25 Report - Checking Beach Cams Along the Coast. Surf Small but Tides High. 2024 Nickels in Demand..

 

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

Clip from Jupiter Beach Cam.

My main point today is that there a number of beach cams available on the internet that you might find useful.  You can always check a few to get an idea of what is going on with the surf and the various beaches before you go out.

When I look at the Jupiter beach cam shown above, the first thing I notice is that it doesn't look anything like it did back two or three decades ago.  When I started hunting there was no paved parking lot and the drop-off at the back of the dunes was more dramatic.  Parking was under the Australian pines that covered the area behind the dunes.  That is when reales were washing out of what is now the parking lot area.  I've told stories about Jupiter beach and finds made there in the past.  I liked it way better back then.  

Here is the link to the Jupiter Beach web cam.

Jupiter Inlet Webcam

One thing to remember is that most of the beach cams provide a variety of views.  Look for the camera controls and select the view you want.

Jensen Beach Web Cam.

Here is Jensen.  I also remember when it looked very different.  There are some cool treasure stories from there as well including a box of treasure coins found by a motel worker early one morning back in the day.  Below is the link to that beach cam.

Jensen Beach Webcam

View from Bathtub Beach Web Cam.

Again lots of sand, but also some erosion, and a paved parking lot. 

 Reminds me of the old Joni Mitchell song, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Here is the link for that cam.

Bathtub Beach Webcam

Stuart Rocks Beach Cam View.

Not far away from Bathtub Beach is Stuart Rocks.

Here is that link.

Stuart Rocks Surf Report and Jensen Surf Forecast - Florida Surf Cams

Fort Pierce Beach Cam.

And here is one that I've been showing a lot lately.  You saw the massive erosion to South Jetty Beach.  This one is a decent indicator for Brooks and Douglass as well.  You can almost see them in the distance.

This clip is from yesterday, but not much has changed.  Today's looks about the same, but the surf looks even calmer.

Here is that link.

Fort Pierce Beach Cam - Visit St. Lucie

Wabasso Beach Web Cam View.

Don't forget to check out the various views on this one.

Here is the link.

New Live Beach Camera at Wabasso

Sebastian Web Cam.

Like some of the others, the Sebastian web cam doesn't give great views of the beach, but you can see the surf and the beach to the south.

Here is that link.

Sebastian Inlet Surf Report and Sebastian Inlet Surf Cam - Florida Surf Cams

Melbourne Beach Web Cam.

Melbourne has been misty or rainy all morning.

Here is that link.

Melbourne Beach Surf Report and Melbourne Beach Surf Cam - Florida Surf Cams

Of course, you can find more beach cams if you look, but above are some you might find interesting.

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Believe it or not, one of the most sought-after nickels right now is remarkably recent. The United States Mint produced approximately 896 million of the 2024 nickels, compared to their usual production of over 1 billion nickels annually. This dramatic reduction in mintage has created an unexpected collecting frenzy.

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I was busy yesterday and halted my electrolysis.  I'll get it started again today. 

Surf Chart from Surf Guru.

Not much going on with the surf now.

The Wed. morning high tide will be big.  The surf is calm though.

Yesterday the TreasureBeachesReport.blogspot.com site had over 40,000 views.   

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/2/25 Report - Here is the Scoop on Kicking a Habit. Let the Water do the Work. Cleaning Up Some Finds.

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

Electrolysis Underway on Recent Finds

When I started to put my electrolysis setup together to clean some recent finds, I found that the converter I used the last time was now dead.  I hoped to find another spare converter sitting around somewhere.  I always had some spares but finally threw some away not long ago.  It aggravates me how often you hold on to something for years, just in case, and never need it until you throw it away.  I still thought I'd find one or two that I didn't throw away, so put off the cleaning for a while.  Now I have some new finds to clean as well as the old ones, so decided to just go ahead and use a battery charger (shown above), which is working fine.  The item of most interest was very heavily encrusted and despite the good electrolytic action, is taking a while.  Although a lot of the crust has been removed, it still needs more cleaning. 

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Here's the scoop.  Or should I say, the kick.

It seems like most detectorists working the wet sand use what I call the DAK technique for recovering dug objects.  I'm talking about the Dump and Kick technique, which is when you dig an object then dump the scoop full of sand on the ground and kick the pile around until the coin, or whatever the object is, finally shows itself.  Then you bend over and pick it up. 

I don't know why that technique is so compelling.  It takes a lot of effort. Sunday, I watched a very experienced detectorist use the DAK over and over again.  Everybody seems to do it.  

There are, indeed, times to use the DAK, but there are also times when there is a much better technique.  

When you are working the wet sand, you can use the water, even if it is intermittent or a few steps away.  Just a little water will flush the scoop quicly and easily.  And when you have a little moving water, you can let the water do all the work.

Scoops have holes for a reason.  If you aren't going make use of the holes, you might as well use a shovel.  People do lift and shake their scoop when working nice dry sand, but you don't have to do any of that when you can use the water.  Leave the scoop filled with heavy wet sand on the ground.  No need to even lift it.

I know the dump and kick technique works, but if you learn to let the water do its work, I think you'll like it better.  You can use the water even when you have as little as an inch of water - moving or not.   

If you are digging a lot of shells with the sand, that is an exception.

Personally, I'd rather wait a second or two for a little water to come by than kick a pile of sand around and then bend over to pick up the object rather than using the long handle on the scoop and the water.  

The best case is when you have a little water rushing coming and going at your feet.  A returning wave, even if small, will effectively flush your scoop.  You won't even have to lift the scoop.  Just point the full scoop into the flowing water and it works like a miracle.

And if the water isn't rushing, just a tiny bit of water on the surface of the sand will do.  Just pump the scoop a few times onto the surface.  It'll work.

There are times when you might worry about an object slipping through a hole in your scoop and having to relocate it, but you can usually tell by the signal if the item is that small, and even if it does slip through the scoop, it won't be that hard to find again. If it is a good target, it probably won't go very far. 

I like to dig with my back to the water so the water from returning waves wash easily through the scoop.  If the water isn't getting to where you are, you can drag the scoop back a few steps til you get a little water.  Again, you won't even have to lift the scoop. 

And sometimes when you are short of water, the hole you just dug will provide a pool with enough water to flush the scoop. 

I prefer to let the water do the work rather than lifting, dumping, kicking and bending.  And if the water isn't quite getting to me, all it often takes is backing up a few steps to get to it, which I still find faster and easier than the DAK. 

---

Nothing exciting there.   

We are still going to have three feet tides Tuesday.

I hope to have some finds cleaned up so I can get photos soon.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

11/30/25 Report - November Ends with Some Good Metal Detecting. Beach Conditions Rating of 3. Good Erosion and Spotty Good Conditions.

 

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Sunday Morning.

I'm going to start this post with the summary.  There is some big erosion on some beaches.  Treasure coins will be found.

I saw several detectorists this morning.  Three were at John Brooks/Frederick Douglass.  I saw others on other beaches.

The above photo shows the erosion not too far from the jetty.  The drop-off was about twenty feet in some places.  You can see various layers of sand and the erosion control bags at the bottom of the cliff.  You can tell how far back it was eroded by the vegetation.  It was eroded back to the dunes.

Fort Pierce South Beach Erosion Sunday Morning.

This photo shows the view up around the bend towards the jetty.

Also note the heavy seaweed at the bottom of the cliff.

There were many coins and other targets in this area.  

This view was taken from the access across from the public parking lot across the street to the south, which is now closed.

Concrete Marker Exposed at Fort Pierce South Jetty.

Notice the concrete marker in the middle of the photo.  I wanted to climb up to see if it was an old survey marker.  But whatever, it has probably been there through most of the recent renourishment projects.

Of course, the old casino was in this area and farther to the south across from Archies is a wreck site.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Morning.

John Brooks beach had intermittent cuts running along the beach - mostly one-to-two feet cuts.

Cut at John Brooks Sunday Morning.

Horses Sunday Morning at John Brooks.

As you probably know, you can ride a horse from Frederick Douglass, and now the horses ride up the beach to the north.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Morning.

As usual Frederick Douglass looked very much like John Brooks beach.

Frederick Douglass Beach Sunday Morning.

This photo shows mostly the flat, but there were cuts here as well.  Two detectorists were working up towards John Brooks at the water line.

Flat at the Water Line at Frederick Douglass Sunday Morning.

There were lots of coins and targets this morning.  I saw two detectorists working the Fort Pierce South Jetty area.  Lots of holes.

I want to get this posted so I'll wind it up, but I'd rate this about a 3 on my old Treasure Beaches Metal Detecting Conditions rating scale.  There will be treasure coins found although not all beaches will be productive.

 Some of the beach cams will give you a hint.

I've been showing this one, which should have given a heads up.

11 AM Fort Pierce South Beach Zoom.

You can see that the cut there had eroded back to the dunes, and I mentioned in my last post that the current would be scouring the beach just to the north, which you can't see in the beach cam.

Also, the last time some of the beaches became productive, this beach cam provided a good clue.  Frederick Douglass and John Brooks eroded last time this beach eroded, and a similar correlation was seen this time.

Check the other beach cams before you go, but there is no substitute for putting your eyes on the beach and you toes in the sand.

I'll wind this up for now so you get an idea of what is going on.

Maybe some can send some photos of the Indian River County or other beaches.

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net