3/8/25 Report - Spanish Colonial Figurines Found on Florida Land Sites and Shipwrecks. Old Bone Tools. More Than Metal Detecting.

 

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

An international team that included Pante analyzed the tool and concluded that the bone had been flaked using a hammer stone or another object. It had also been scraped and polished.

The bone point has been dated to 800,000 years ago, at which time Homo erectus lived at Olduvai. This species is known to have made bone hand axes that look similar to the stone Acheulean hand axes they used as all-purpose butchery tools. Bone hand axes that are more than a million years old have also been found at Olduvai and at the site of Konso in Ethiopia. According to Pante, making bone tools is one of the markers of our hominin ancestors achieving modern human behavior. “Now that we see [this ability developing] much earlier,” he says, “we can say that Homo erectus was a lot more human than we would have originally thought.”...

Here is that link.

Digs & Discoveries - The Bone Collector - Archaeology Magazine - January/February 2021

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2,400-year-old puppets with 'dramatic facial expression' discovered atop pyramid in El Salvador.

These striking puppets suggest that Indigenous people in what is now El Salvador had rituals that were more connected to the rest of Central American culture than previously thought...

Three of the five puppets are each nearly 1 foot (30 centimeters) tall, while the others are shorter at 0.6 feet (18 cm) and 0.3 feet (10 cm) in height. The three larger figurines are depicted naked and don't have hair or jewelry, but the two smaller ones are fashioned with "locks of hair on their foreheads and earspools in the lobes," the researchers wrote in the study...

Here is the link for more about that.

2,400-year-old puppets with 'dramatic facial expression' discovered atop pyramid in El Salvador | Live Science

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It is important for a detectorist to be familiar with artifacts of various materials, including those other than metal.  If you are out in the field metal detecting, you'll occasionally see other types of treasures along the way.  Being able to recognize various types of treasure means you'll be able to find other types of treasure (some of my favorite and oldest finds are non-metallic), but it also means you have a good chance of recognizing important signs that will help you with your metal detecting.  Although bone artifacts and ceramic figurines may not be what you most want to find, they are definitely treasures, and just as importantly, can tell you that that you are in an area that might produce some very old stuff.  They can help you, as we say, "read" the site.  If you are seeing things that are hundreds of years or even thousands of years old, there is a good chance of there also being more recent items in the area.  There will often be layers of various ages at sites favored by humans.

Detectorists have seen bone artifacts as well as ceramic figures while metal detecting the Treasure Coast.  Those items weren't as old as those mentioned above, but if you do see something like that you want to be able to recognize.  Some people like to find old stuff, but wouldn't recognize some of the oldest things out there.  

One Treasure Coast find having the greatest world-wide importance is a mammoth bone bearing a carved picture of a mammoth.  I've mentioned that before.  Here is a link to a post about that important artifact. 

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 12/19/13 Report - Big New Excavation of Vero Man Site to Begin in January, Lead Ingots From Roman Shipwrecks, and Tlingit Helmet

I once attended a conference in Vero on that topic.  It was very educational and many artifacts were on display.  Richard Hulbert of the Florida State Musem was there to identify fossils finds. 

It is not likely that as a beach detectorist you will run into an archaeological site.  Beaches often destroy the archaeological context sites, but you might see an item that has been washed out of the dunes.  You will want to recognize those items and be alerted to the possibility of a nearby archaeological site, whic you will want to report and protect.

On the topic of ceramic figures I've reported on several more modern examples that were found along the Treasure Coast.

Below is a link to a very interesting academic paper on Spanish Colonial figurines, many of which were found in Florida.  The article also talks about Spanish Colonial figurines that were discovered as cargo on Spanish shipwrecks.

(PDF) Ceramic Figurines in Spanish West Florida

From that paper, below are some examples of figurines found at a land site - a presidio in West Florida.

The paper entitled Ceramic Figurines in Spanish West Florida by Judith Bense of the University of West Florida, points out that figurines from wreck sites. as opposed to land sites, are less likely to be broken.

Below are a couple brief excerpts from that article.

Figurines from Spanish shipwrecks are not extremely rare and could possibly appear on the beach.  Ceramic figures might very well be found when conditions are not great for finding coins.  For that reason, as well as the many other reasons, keep your eyes open as you walk any of the Treasure Coast shipwreck beaches.

I think you'll want to read the entire paper.  

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Source: Surfguru.com.

The weather is beautiful for being out on the beach even if the beach isn't recently ripped from a storm.

Some of my all-time favorite finds are non-metallic and were found on days when the sea was calm and flat.  Different types of items appear on the beach at different times - another good reason to hunt things in addition to coins.  As I've often said, "There is always some place to hunt, and something to find." 

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/7/25 Report - Enameled Ancient and Spanish Colonial Jewelry and a 1715 Fleet Beach Gold Enameled Find. Pressed, Elongated, or Smashed Souvenir Pennies.

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

Enameled Roman Brooch Item.
Source: See link below.

This exotic brooch and others like it typically date to the late second century AD, and are most commonly found along the borders of the Roman Empire, in eastern Gaul, Switzerland and the Rhineland,’ said Jordan Barbour, who co-authored the report. ‘Their distribution pattern suggests that these brooches were particularly popular among members of the Roman military forces, so it’s likely that it came north of Hadrian’s Wall on the cloak of a Roman soldier tasked with garrisoning the Empire’s northernmost frontier.’

What makes this artefact all the more interesting is how it was used by the Iron Age inhabitants of this settlement. There was no evidence that it had been worn by a local Briton. Instead, they had buried it as a foundation deposit, a votive sacrifice of sorts, when constructing the timber palisade around their roundhouse.

‘It’s difficult to say exactly why the brooch was deposited within the palisade trench, but we know that ritualised foundation offerings are observed across many cultures, typically enacted to grant protection to a household, and this is certainly a possibility here,’ ...

Here is the link for more about that.

Interactions between the Britons and Romans beyond the Roman Frontier |

I made a mistake years ago that I never forgot.  Metal detecting north of the beach access at Turtle Trail, I dug an enameled gold ring.  I didn't pay a lot of attention to it at the time because I didn't realize how long enameling had been done.  I thought it was a modern thing, as you can see from the above article, it is not.  It goes back a long way.  It was a quite a while before I learned that the gold enameled ring could actually be off a 1715 wreck. 

Just as an example of 18th century gold enameling, look at this ring.  Never make the mistake of thinking an item is modern just because it doesn't look old.

-The ring I found was an enameled gold band, but very pretty.

The ring shown above is an 18th century Spanish rococo style ring.

For more examples of Spanish Colonial era find jewelry immediately below is a link to Jewels in Spain - 1500 -1800, by Priscilla Muller.

0393viso_001-005#.indd

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Elongated pennies also known as: smashed pennies, crushed pennies, pressed pennies. Elongated pennies are pieces of exonumia meant to be used as souvenirs to commemorate people, places, or events.

The first elongated penny was introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. Below is a photo of one of the first elongated pennies from the Chicago World’s Fair...

Elongated pennies are not illegal to make or to own.

Although making elongated pennies is technically mutilation, as defined by the US Code Title 18, mutilation of US coinage is not illegal unless the intent is to use the mutilated coin for counterfeiting or for use of the base metal...

For more about smashed, pressed or elongated souvenir pennies, here is a link.

All About Elongated Pennies – History, Myths, Pictures – American Coin Stash

It looks like there are thousands of these machines around.  I'm very surprised that I've never found a pressed penny.  I'd like to see those that you've found.

Here is a link to an article about those who provide the machine not wanting the penny (cent, more correctly) to be discontinued.

No wonder!  They get the raw materials at below cost, and then sell them for a good price.  You know the story about how much it costs to produce a once cent coin.

Penny souvenir sellers face an uncertain future after Trump’s pledge to stop making the coins - Fast Company

Ane here is another link on pressed pennies.

18 Facts About Pressed Pennies That Are Worth Their Weight In Gold

The more a think about it, I might have found one or two and just didn't pay them any attention.  I'm thinking I might have, but that is very faint.  Don't know now.

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Source: Surfguru.com.

Looks like another bump in the surf next Tuesday.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/6/25 Report - Atocha Silver Gilt Rosewater Platter. Carvel Style Shipwreck. Gold Mining Camp Uncovered.

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

Silver Gilt Rosewater Platter from the Site of the Atocha.
Source: See links below.

This platter was found salvaged from the Atocha site in 2009, and has been the subject of study and conservation.  One of the most remarkable things about the platter is the Bishop's coat of arms.

The platter is of the type that was used to hold rosewater that was used for liturgical purposes and bears the following Bishop's coat of arms.

Here is the link for more about that.  #TreasureTuesday - This "Silver... - Mel Fisher's Treasures | Facebook

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A 15th-century shipwreck off the coast of Sweden may be Scandinavia's oldest shipwreck built in the innovative "carvel" style — a design that gave it the strength to carry heavy cannons, archaeologists say.

The wreck at Landfjärden, south of Stockholm, is one of five in the area that have been known since the 1800s. They were commonly thought to have been from ships dating to the Viking Age (A.D. 793 to 1066).

But last year, maritime archaeologists at Vrak, the museum of wrecks in Stockholm, revealed that four of the wrecks date to the 1600s and 1700s and that the oldest wreck was built before 1480 and perhaps as early as the 1460s...

Here is the link for more about that.

Scientists realize 'Viking' shipwreck is something else entirely

And from another article on the same wreck we learn...

It’s a large ship, likely about 35 metres long and 10 metres wide. The ship’s frame still rises high above the seabed, and in the stern, both the sternpost and rudder remain upright.

What makes this discovery particularly significant is its construction technique. “Unlike the prevailing clinker-built ships of the time, where planks overlap, this vessel was built using the carvel method, with planks laid edge to edge on a frame to create a smooth hull,” Altrock explains.

Here is that link.

Vrak - Oldest carvel-built ship from the Nordic countries discovered

And from Wikipedia...

Carvel built or carvel planking is a method of boat building in which hull planks are laid edge to edge and fastened to a robust frame, thereby forming a smooth surface. Traditionally the planks are neither attached to, nor slotted into, each other, having only a caulking sealant between the planks to keep water out. Modern carvel builders may attach the planks to each other with glues and fixings.^[1] It is a "frame first" method of hull construction, where the shape is determined by the framework onto which the planks are fixed. This is in contrast to "plank first" or "shell first" methods, where the outer skin of the hull is made and then reinforced by the insertion of timbers that are fitted to that shape.  (Wikipedia)

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Ancient Egyptian Mining Camp Unearthed Near the Red Sea Reveals 3000-Yr-Old Meticulous Gold-Making Process,,,

The complex contained specialized factories built in those times to extract gold from the quartz veins. The finding illuminated researchers about methods employed by ancient populations to produce pure gold. In the structure, the team noted that there was evidence pointing towards a meticulous process being followed to get the all-important gold, stated La Brújula Verde. There were appliances to grind and crush the quartz, special basins where filtering and sedimentation were facilitated, and clay furnaces where smelting occurred to extract gold. The complex reflects the important position Egypt held in terms of gold production since Pharaonic times.

Here is the link for the rest of that.

Ancient Egyptian Mining Camp Unearthed Near the Red Sea Reveals 3000-Yr-Old Meticulous Gold-Making Process

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At around five AM one day, before daybreak, I a red bird evidently awoke and announced the fact with a ridiculously loud bird song.  It sounded as if he was right above my bedroom window or had a bullhorn.  It seemed so abnormally loud and early that I had to chuckle to myself.  He was really the early bird that morning.

I wondered if he would repeat the act the next morning.  Well, I was awake again, and I heard him at about the same time.  But this time is was a more muffled and much shorter song.  I thought he must of decided to push the snooze button this time.  Later, around daybreak I heard his full song in a much clearer voice.  It seemed like he awoke early and decided to go back to sleep that time.

I listened for him the next couple of days, but didn't hear him.  Maybe he chose a different roost, or I was later in arising on those days myself.

---

Source: SurfGuru.com.

I looked at some of the beach cams this morning.  The surf was pretty calm, as you would expect from the chart.  

The weather is really nice though.  A smooth surf isn't all bad.  You can get in some shallow water hunting as long as you aren't in leased areas.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/5/25 Report - Treasure in Jars. Space Debris Becoming More Common on Beaches. First Steps for Outer Space Wreck Salvage. Other Advances.

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

.Here is the link for the rest of that article

A collection of jewellery from 26th Dynasty unearthed at Karnak Temples - Ancient Egypt - Antiquities - Ahram Online

I mentioned these in post a day or two ago.  They were found in a jug.  didn't have the picture then.

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I did several old posts on finding space debris on the Treasure Coast beaches.  Below are some excerpts from a newer article about the increasing amount of space debris returning to earth because of the large recent increase in the number of rocket launches.

The incidents are unrelated to the SpaceX Starship rocket that exploded midair during a test flight in January, raiing debris near Turks and, where residents said they are still working to clean up the detritus from beaches, roadways and bays...

They also highlight how the rise in the number of rockets taking off any given week has increased the likelihood that space junk will find its way back to populated areas.
From sky and shore

According to the European Space Agency, junk falls to our planet from space all the time — though most of it is blown to smithereens while plunging back into Earth’s thick atmosphere at thousands of miles per hour...

“Satellites and rocket parts of moderate size re-enter almost daily, while small-size tracked space debris objects re-enter even more frequently,” the agency said.

Space debris can pose risks to people on the ground who come into contact with the object, particularly if toxic fuels are involved. But that’s only part of the danger, Sorge said, noting that even nontoxic propellants are “still volatile, like gasoline.”

Tanks may be especially dangerous to handle, according to Sorge: “If they’re weakened, you touch them, they blow up,” he added...

Here is the link for more about that.

Debris from Blue Origin and SpaceX rockets found in Bahamas and Europe | CNN

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I've posted about space debris being found on beaches before and even gave some ways that you can test to see if it might be space debris.  Here is one of those links.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 4/28/19 Report - Melted Beer Can or Space Debris? Some Answers and Tests You Can Perform.

And here are some others.

Big pieces of space debris are occasionally found too.  Here is a link to an article about space debris including the above tank from the space shuttle Columbia that landed in Texas.

https://www.space.com/12518-space-shuttle-columbia-debris-texas.html

In 2015 a large piece of what looks like a piece of a Galileo rocket was found on the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-lauderdale-rocket-debris-20150802-story.html

And in January of 2018 a part of a SpaceX rocket was found in South Carolina.

http://www.ibtimes.com/spacex-rocket-debris-found-south-carolina-amid-zuma-payload-mystery-photo-2641243

You never know what you might find, so it always helps to be able to test it out.

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Nanoracks tested a method for cutting salvaged space debris in outer space to be reused in outer for construction and other applications.

Here is the link for more about that.

Nanoracks tests tech to slice up space junk in orbit for 1st time | Space

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There is a company that is making small nuclear reactors.  Some, such as those shown below, can be easily brought in and set up in remote locations.  You can imagine the applications.

Small modular reactors and microreactors with power generation capacities below 20 megawatts (MW) could help power up remote locations with clean energy...

Small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors are scaled-down versions of the nuclear fission reactor. They also help scale down costs associated with their construction...

Here is the link for more about that.

Microreactors - NANO Nuclear Energy

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Source: Surfguru.com

We had a couple windy days.  Really nice for metal detecting.  It is still a little breezy.

The surf isn't big though.

Beach renourishment projects are in progress.

I heard a couple ladies in line at a local store mentioning all the heavy equipment on the beach when they went down to the jetty park.

When this one is done, they'll do it again in later in the year or next Spring, according ot the plans.

One of those projects that keeps money pumps running.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

3/4/25 Report - Happy Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras Finds: Doubloons or Throws. Wedgewood Price Guide. Good Books. War Protests.

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

Source: Doubloons.com. (See link below)

Did you ever find one of those coins the Krewes from the Mardi Gras floats? I've found a few, but surprsingly few. I can think of only like three right off.  I didn't know what they were when I found them.  Just looked like a token or fake game toy or something.  Then I looked up the word Krewe, which put me on the track.  This was years ago.  And I think they were found over in West Florida.  There might be an exception or two that I don't recall, but that makes sense.  When I think of Mardi Gras, I think of New Orleans.

The first Mardi Gras was celebrated about 60 miles (97 km) downriver from where New Orleans is today. This Mardi Gras was celebrated on March 3, 1699, and in honor of this holiday, Pierre Lemoyne d'Iberville, a 38-year-old French Canadian named the spot Point du Mardi Gras (French: "Mardi Gras Point") near Fort Jackson.  (Wikipedia)

Most Mardi Gras doubloons are worth much of anything, but there are collectors and some cost more than others.  The old wooden ones are sought, as are some others.  One example is shown at the top of this post.

Here is more about that.

Mardi Gras Doubloons are Mardi Gras throws shaped like coins that commemorate various Mardi Gras Krewes. They are typically made of aluminum and are thrown from floats in carnival parades. The first doubloons used as throws from parades of Mardi Gras Krewes date to 1960, and these early doubloons are collectible.

Mardi Gras doubloons were first created by New Orleans artist and entrepreneur H. Alvin Sharpe in 1959. Sharpe had his own metal dies for striking the doubloons from aluminum blanks. He presented a design to Darwin Schreiver Fenner, who was the captain of the Krew the leading Mardi Gras organization of the time. As a result of the presentation, Schreiver personally financed production of 3000 doubloons for the 1960 Mardi Gras year, although the Krewe of Rex produced 80,000 undated doubloons using Sharpe's design, all minted by a firm in Ohio...  (Source: doubloonswap.com/guide.htm)

So what are doubloons worth? Most people who want to know what a collection is worth have probably just inherited a relative's moldy binders and cluttered boxes from the 80's. And, they wrongly associate quantity and age with the value they conjure up for the collection. But, both of these assumptions are basically wrong. Unsorted boxes of doubloons have little value mostly because they require too much work to sort through. The best you can hope to get is the base metal price of scrap aluminum, even if there could be some treasures buried in the box. Typically that is about 50 cents to $1 per pound or half a cent to 1 cent each. Ironically, it costs much more to produce doubloons and krewe members pay much more than that to have them as one of their throw options. There simply is not enough collector interest to drive the price any higher than that.

Collections already sorted and in binders will fetch a better price because the buyer can more easily evaluate them. Still the sorted collection will be split mostly by base metal content and value will only be placed on non-aluminum doubloons and the better classes of aluminum doubloons. The only doubloons which typically fetch a higher value are pure silver and multi-colored cloisonne (bronze metal base) doubloons. As you can imagine, these rarely find their way into common collections. If you have binders of just common throw doubloons, then you won't get much better than scrap value. Better classes of aluminum doubloons will rarely fetch more than 25 cents each...

Source: doubloonswap.com/guide.htm#value

You'll find many examples and much more about Mardi Gras doubloons at Doubloonswap.com.

Here are a couple more links.

Crescent City Doubloon Traders Club Home Page

Origin of the Mardi Gras Doubloon | New Orleans

I have a good number of old books on New Orleans history.  I especially recommend  those by 

The Grandissimes by Georg Washington Cable.
Copyright 1880.

The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life is a novel by George Washington Cable, published as a book in 1880 by Charles Scribner's Sons after appearing as a serial in Sribner's. The historical romance depicts race and class relations in New Orleans at the start of the 19th century, immediately following the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The book examines the lives and loves of the extended Grandissime family, which includes members from different races and classes in Creole society. The novel juxtaposes a romanticized version of the French Creoleculture with the atrocities committed under the European-American system of slavery in the United States. (Wikipedia)

If you aren't content to simply believe what they tell you it was like, and you'd rather get a vivid detailed picture of the culture and race relations of the times, read this or any of Cable's other books.  You will be richer for it.  No book I've read could do a better job of conveying the feeling and nature of life in New Orleans back in the day.

Washington Irving is good for historical fiction, but his books do not compare with those of George Washington Cable.

I like old books.  When people find a coin or artifact, they often say, "If it could only speak what a story it would tell."  Well books do speak.  

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I didn't know where this post was going when I sat down to begin, but I was reminded of the Mardi Gras doubloons I found years ago, and started to do a little research with the intent of doing a post on them. .  Unfortunately, I didn't know where I put the ones I found, or even if I kept them.  So, I didn't take photos, but maybe I posted them before ad maybe you can find them if you look back.  I couldn't.

Doing a daily post is not always easy.  I don't know of any other blogs that deliver a daily post, and if they do, they have multiple authors and/or have a commercial element.  

Anyhow, I sometimes start on a topic, and it doesn't come together right away.  I might not have the photos I want or I want to do more research, so I abandon the topic for a while, or I get started and then end up going down another track, and the post ends up way different than what I was thinking when I began work.  Sometimes I start a post and don't have everything I want yet, so leave the incomplete post or topic to be completed at some later date.  Not being the most organized person in the world, I often forget to post things, Sometimes I start things, type a few paragraphs or notes, and then eventually forget about it or lose my notes and drafts before posting.  It doesn't make me happy to lose my notes or the materials I planned on using either.

I hope no one gets insulted when I don't post something they send me.  Sometimes it just doesn't fit in well with what I was working on and I put it off for another day.  And sometimes those things get lost.  It doesn't make me happy have some good ideas or some good material and lose it, but it happens.  You don't see the work I put in or the way the gumbo is made.  It is sometimes messy, and I apologize for that, but it isn't always easy putting these posts together.

I thought about posting my Mardi Gras doubloons several days ago and just decided to finish it last night and was happy to that Tuesday is Mardi Gras, so the timing was perfect even if not planned that way.  I wonder if it was coincidence or if in my subconscious, I knew it was time for Mardi Gras.

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A few days ago, I posted about a broken Wedgewood teapot that I found. 

Here is a good value and priced guide for Wedgewood if you are interested. 

Wedgwood Patterns: Value and Price Guide

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All we are saying is give peace a chance (Beatles).

War, huh, What is it good for?  Absolutely nothin.  (Edwin Starr).

I'd like to play that but don't want to take the time to record it, so here is a link.

(5) Edwin Starr - War (Original Video - 1969) - YouTube

Funny how it seems the Republicans have turned into the Peaceniks.

The times they are a-changin.  (Bob Dylan)

You might have noticed that I stopped ending my posts with "Happy Hunting," when the Ukraine War started.  With the bombings and destruction, it just seemed too trivial for me.  That is when I started ending my posts with "Good hunting,"  I might go back to "Happy hunting" some day, but maybe not.

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Source: Surfguru.com.

Monday had some good wind.  Last night wasn't bad either, but the wind has changed and the surf decreasing.  Still the wind is pretty good this morning - just from a more southerly direction.  Which isn't all bad.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/3/25 Report - 1715 Fleet Kang Hsi Porcelain Shard (?). Testing, Adjustments and Attention to Metal Detecting Details. Treasure in Earthen Vessel.

 

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

Kangxi Shard.

This looks like a piece of Kangxi (or Kang Hsi) porcelain.  The thing that is most convincing to me is the pure white paste and the way the blue goes into the glaze.  I didn't really study it yet, and it isn't as thin as some of seen.

I like the firebird or phoenix, which is a common symbol in Chinese lore.  Here is a link about that.

The Phoenix Ascending: The Firebird's Rebirth in Chinese Mythology - Mythology WorldWide

And here is a previous post and another piece of found Kangxi.  

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 12/29/13 Report 1715 Fleet Kang Hsi Porcelain, European Pot Shard & Native American Shard

I also posted a link to a book on Kangxi identification.  I can't find that reference right now.

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People say a lot of stuff.  Occasionally a saying will resonate and become a common part of the language, such as Mel Fisher's "Today is the Day."  It is an optimistic reminder to approach the day with the energy and expectation of success.  It promotes perseverance.

Today IS the day, sure enough, and sometimes tomorrow is too late.  This day comes once, and then it is over.  Sometimes you don't get a second chance.

There have been times when I've missed my chance and I'm sure you have too.  Sometimes it was the result of other priorities.  Sometimes it was the result of a bad decision or simple mistake.  In either case, learn as much as you can from the mistake and avoid making th same mistake again.

I have a long memory for my mistakes.  I've made some really stupid mistakes as detecting for a good while before discovering that my detector were really off and wouldn't allow finding much of anything. 

It is too easy to turn the metal detector on and start off with the default settings.  But that might be a big mistake.  And as I've said before, you never know what you miss.

It isn't a bad idea to actually test your settings at the beginning of each hunt.  I've described before how a good test target can be used for that.  The test target should be a familiar target that is like the kind of thing you hope to find.  Test it where you are going to hunt.  Environmental conditions can have an effect.  That includes things like black sand or ambient electrical interference.  A little time taken to ensure the best settings before you begin can make a big difference.  But even a small difference can mean the difference between a big find or a frustrating day.

Test your sweep speed too.  Swing your coil over the test target at various speeds. Speed it up and slow it down until you identify the speed that gives the best signal.  Then do a a few more repetitions to get the feel of the best speed. It is too easy to slip back into sloppy natural habits.  Try to maintain a disciplined sweep through out your hunt.  

It is ok to go fast and be sloppy at times if you don't really care about getting everything or if you simply want to quickly sample an area and are willing to miss a few things.  That can be a strategic decision.

Since you usually ever find out what you missed, one way to get a good idea is by testing yourself.  You can use a test garden or take time to do some testing at the beach.

You throw out some test targets then close your eyes and proceed. Keep your eyes closed.  You might be surprised by how often you miss even easy surface targets like that.  Test it out for yourself.  Better yet, let your partner place some test items in your path and proceed blind folded.  

In the past I talked about this more than I have recently, but testing is important.  Don't go by what the books say.  Don't go by what someone else says or what you think.  Test it out for yourself in the field.  The point is to select the optimal settings for your specific detector for the exact conditions where you will use your detector.

I characterized my methodology as being scientific.  I come from a science background, and I bring a lot of that to my metal detecting.  I emphasize empirical observation, theories, data collection, and to whatever extent possible, systematic controlled hypothesis testing and statistical analysis.  It is a general mind set and a systematic, detailed thorough approach.

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2,600-year-old treasure-filled pottery vessel was discovered.

The jewelry was found inside a small broken pottery vessel, but its parts were intact, and the objects inside it were preserved, according to Akhbarak. The collection includes rings made of gold and other metals, small gold amulets—among them a triad statue of the ancient Egyptian gods Amun, Mut, and Khonsu—as well as a metal brooch, and a large number of beads, some of which are gold-plated or gilded, Al-Masry Al-Youm reported...

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

2,600-year-old treasure-filled pottery vessel discovered in Karnak,Egypt

See 2 Corinthians 4:7.

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Source: SurfGuru.com.

We'll be getting a slightly increased surf, just under 3-foot high tide and north winds.  That could open up some of the low front beach areas that were already for some reason lower.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

3/2/25 Report - 1715 Fleet Finds From the 2024 Salvage Season. Flintlock, Coins, Crate, Keys, Jug. LIDAR. Wedgewood Teapot Find.

 

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

Encrusted Flintlock Found by Captain Perna
and the Crew of the Mighty Mo During 2024 Salvage Season.
Source: Virgin Islands Free Press.  See link below.

A cocked flintlock, 200 encrusted silver coins, a pair of brass keys, and part of a wooden box were found during the 2024 1715 Fleet salvage season by Captain Perna and the crew of the Mighty Mo.

Among the latest finds over the summer: 200 silver coins, a flintlock, an unusual tan vase and a mysterious set of bronze keys, according to a news release from 1715 Fleet – Queens Jewels LLC.

Even more startling, Captain Mike Perna and shipmates Milan Kalelkar and Levin Shavers found “the remains of a wooden box that has been submerged in the ocean for over 300 years.”

The artifacts were recovered along a mile-long “trail of shipwreck scatter” created when as many as a dozen treasure ships spilled their cargo...

Vase Found During 2024 Salvage Season
Along with Coins and Other Items.
Photo by Mike Perna as
published in the Virgin Islands Free Press (See link below).

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

A cocked flintlock and 200 silver coins found on 1715 shipwreck off Florida – Virgin Islands Free Press

And here is a link on the same finds.

https://1715fleetsociety.com/march-2025-treasure-of-the-month/

Thanks to DJ for the lead on that story and the lead.

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LiDAR is one of my favorite tools as an archeologist (said Nolan Johnson, Nebraska State Historical Society archaeologist).  What is LiDAR you may ask? LiDAR stands for “Light Detection and Ranging” and is essentially lasers from space, an airplane, or an earthbound scanner. In a nutshell, lasers are bounced off of the ground surface back to a fixed receiver, creating detailed elevation maps. So many individual data points are collected that LiDAR can see through and around vegetation, which is what makes it so valuable to archeologists.

He then gives some examples, such as the one below.

.Here is the link for more from that post.

https://history.nebraska.gov/an-archeologists-favorite-tool-lidar/

Thanks to DJ for that link.

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I found this Wedgewood teapot some time ago and had it sitting around for a while.  I hadn't done the research, but being Wedgewood, thought it might be good.  It has a broken spout, so I really didn't think much of it, but found in in an area where I thought it could be pretty old.  I just got around to looking into it.

Found Wedgewood Teapot.

The marks on the bottom are small and were covered with dirt.  I cleaned it off a little and could see the marks "WEDGEWOOD" and "MADE IN ENGLAND."   That is convenient, but not surprising.

Bottom of Wedgewood Teapot.

 

But when I looked at the enlarged photo, I noticed another mark (near the left edge on the bottom).  Upon inspection, I'm pretty sure it says 1954.

That isn't as old as I expected, but I now think that is the date.

That is another example of how closeup photography and enlarged images can help you spot information that otherwise might be missed.

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Source: SurfGuru.com.

Nothing exciting there.

The best thing, as far as I'm concerned, is the higher PM tides.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/28/25 Report - Law and Shipwreck Treasure. .News on the Tommy Thompson SS Republic Case. Mel Fisher. Odyssey Marine.

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

The following is an article about the Tommy Thompson case, and was written by Tommy's attorney from the University of Florida college of law.  It was published in the Tampa Bay Times.

Thompson’s case began as a deep-sea adventure in 1989, when the brilliant maritime engineer made the greatest treasure find of the century.  He located the S.S. Central America, which was carrying the spoils of California’s Gold Rush when it sank in 1857, yielding a treasure worth upwards of $765 million in 2024 dollars. Even more amazing than finding the wreck was Thompson’s ability to precisely salvage portions of the wreck in nearly 8,000 feet of water.

However, Thompson’s story soon took a turn for the worse: legal battles ensured for decades, driver by 30 insurance companies that claimed interest in the wreck and investors who were dissatisfied with their return on this highly speculative investment.

Thompson, having had enough (decades) of the judicial system, wasn’t able to excuse himself from participating in more legal trials or hearings. And, for his failure to appear in court in 2012, the federal court issued a warrant for his arrect for criminal contempt of court...

the judge... found that holding Thompson in civil contempt is no longer in the interests of justice... 

Mel Fisher, a treasure hunter who famously found the Atocha shipwreck off the Florida Keys, spent more than 15 years searching for the wreck. He then spent nearly a decade arguing to keep countless millions of artifacts, in legal battles that reached all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court...

Here is the link for the entire article.

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2025/02/25/trecasure-hunter-tommy-thompson-wins-legal-battle-column/ 

Thanks to SuperRick for that link.

It seems to me that the most disastrous case for shipwreck treasure hunting was the ruling that required Odyssey Marine to turn over 600 million dollars' worth or treasure from the Mercedes that was found off the coast of Span..  Odyssey Marine was one of the best equipped and most scientific of the treasure salvage companies and worked in important deep sea projects.

See US judge orders company to pay Spain $1 million | AP News

As a result the company changed its business model, and now focuses on deep sea mining for precious minerals.   Here is how they put it on the company web site.

​Odyssey has made headlines by finding the most famous shipwrecks in history. From a Civil War-era treasure ship to a World War II-era silver-laden steamship to Punic vessels dating before Christ and hundreds of other exciting ships with intriguing stories in between. We successfully found more shipwrecks than any other organization in the world. Still, we realized other treasures on the seafloor were more valuable to society and the world economy.  Source: Marine Mineral Exploration | Odyssey Marine | Tampa

One of Odyssey's current projects is the Lihir project, which is described below.

The project's license area is adjacent to Lihir Island in Papua New Guinea, where a major international mining company mined and processed one of the world's largest known terrestrial gold deposits.
​

The Exploration License for the Lihir Gold Project covers a sizeable subsea area containing at least four prospective exploration targets in two mineralization types: seamount-related epithermal and modern placer gold. Previous exploration expeditions in the license area, including a survey conducted by Odyssey, indicate a polymetallic resource with commercially viable gold content likely exists. Additionally, the two subaqueous debris fields within the area are adjacent to the terrestrial Ladolam Gold Mine. They are believed to have originated from the same volcanogenic source.

See Lihir Gold Project | Odyssey Marine

Odyssey Marine is a publicly trade company (stock symbol OMEX).  The price of the common stock has dropped to around 45 cents a share.  It was once up around $12.00.

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Source: SurfGuru.com

A small surf expected for the next few days, but there will be three-foot high tide in the PM.today.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net