6/17/25 Report - A New Mystery Object Find. Opportunity for Buying and Selling Coins and Relics. Mel Fisher Days in Sebastian.

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

Sprinkler Top and Bottle Neck.
Left: as dug.  Right: top removed.

I detected this sprinkler top on a broken bottle neck when I was on the old wooded trail.  I removed the top.  It was not a screw top. The bottle isn't very old either.  I would say early 20th century.  

I can't say what the product was but I'd guess maybe a cologne or perfume.  If you know what it would have been, let me know.

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From Sedwick Coins...

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From the Mel Fisher organization...

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Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/16/25 Report - Another Old Find: Tombac Flat Button. More From the Old WV Trail. Continuing Small Surf on the Treasure Coast.

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

Recently Metal Detected Tombac Flat Button.

As I mentioned in a previous post, a couple weeks ago I was out detecting an old trail in WV.  One find from that hunt was the flat button shown above.  I had it soaking for a while to remove the hard surface dirt, which was very stubborn.  I hoped to be able to find some markings that would help with identification.

On the Garret Ace that I was using (yes, I was using an old Garret Ace metal detector), the readout showed mostly "penny" but it wasn't totally consistent enough for me to be thinking penny.  If I was digging only coins, I would have passed it up, but I was targeting relics.

The ground is very hard packed and from past experience, items like coins often came up heavily corroded.

 Back of Same Flat Button.

Well it wasn't a penny - it was a button.  It was covered by a very stubborn coating of dirt, but I hoping that some good cleaning would reveal some nice marks that would help with identification, but it didn't work out.  No marks on the front and no back marks were revealed even after a good long soaking.

Doing my research, I found some very good information on buttons.  For example, I found this good example of a tombac flat button on a Mount Vernon web site.

And here is the link to that site.

Flat disc, tombac button. | George Washington's Mount Vernon

And here is a great site you will want to check out.  It is the Florida Museum DAACS Cataloging Manual: Buttons.  And here is that link.  [10] Button Tables

Here is the listing from that site that seems to match my find.

From my detector reading and the look of the button, copper alloy and wire seems to fit.

Here is one more site you might want to check.  It has many good examples of old buttons.  The site is vintagebuttons.net.  Here is that link.

Shanks

The button find came from the same WV trail that I mentioned a few days ago.  I get up there a couple times a year.

Old West Virginia Trail Where the Button Was Found.

I also recently showed a couple other old finds from that detecting site.  Here are a few more old finds from the same area.

A Few More Old Finds From WV Trail.

The crotal bell is one of my favorites.  The middle item is a silver dime.  The third items is a fossil fern.  

Among my favorite finds from the trail are those having to do with horses and wagons.  I've also found old horseshoes and wagon parts along the trail.

You probably know the old saying, "I'll be there with bells on."  I've seen various explanation for the origin of that saying, but the one that seems most applicable to me is the practice of putting brass bells on a harness and using them for trade when needed.  So if you made a good trip and didn't have any trouble requiring trade for extra goods or services, you'd arrive with you bells still on.  Also, the bells were an unnecessary extravagance and would be used for show.

When I found the flat button I was near the area where the crotal bell was found and I was hoping for maybe another bell, horseshoe or wagon part.  It would have also been nice to find a musket ball - possibly dropped by one of my ancestors.

If you can offer any correction or additional information on the button, let me know.

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The record high spot price of gold was $3,500.05 per ounce, achieved on April 22, 2025.  We are not far off that now.  This morning it is $3,433.

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Back to the Treasure Caost...

Surf Forecast for the Fort Pierce Inlet Area From Surfguru.com.

The afternoon low tides are still decent.  The wind is from the southeast.  That means most beaches will be accumulating sand.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/15/25 Report - Old Iron Tool Finds: Connectors to People and Times. To Restore or Not.

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

Antique Iron Tools

One thing you might t be able to find while metal detecting is old tools.  They can be quite collectible, and nice pieces can be worth a few hundred dollars.

In the wooded hills that I showed yesterday, I found an old axe head, and on the Treasure Coast beaches I've other tools, such as wedges and chisels.   

A Couple Wedges Metal Detected on Beach..

For more about those see The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 8/13/16 Report - Wedges and Chisels and Other Old Nautical Tools. Iron Artifacts of Port Royal. Conservation of Iron Artifacts. 

It is possible to do a complete restoration on old tools, however I like to see patina, signs of usage and age.  I'm like that with coins too.  Even though those in mint condition and even encapsulated are usually worth more, I like coins that look like they've been used.  

There is a good chance you can find identifying marks on old tools.  They often have a maker's mark.  The hunter's ax shown above is simply marked "HAND MADE."  You can see that in the photo below.

Hunter's Ax Stamped HAND MADE.

You can also see the hammer marks all over the surface of the ax.  I really like that.  The same goes for the hammer beside the ax.  It is also clearly handmade but isn't marked.

Two More Old Tools.
Top: marked simply GERMANY on handle.
Bottom: marked PALMERA, SPAIN (circle) and FOR PIANO WIRE below.

Yesterday I talked about finds being connectors to people and times.  These tools give me a real feel for the owner.  They are good tools, strong and very well made for specific purposes, and they were well used.  I can imagine the hard-working calloused hands that used and cared for these tools.

I like to see modifications added by the user of repairs.  The wrench below is the only item in the group that has a makers mark.  On the other side it is stamped MADE IN USA and on this side it seems to say RED-HEAT, though my research hasn't turned up anything on that mark yet.

Old Adjustable Wrench.

Notice the thick and smaller wire sticking out by the bottom left of the mark RED-HEAT.  It keeps the wrench from opening beyond about half way.  That is the kind of thing I like to see.  Nice personal touch by the hand of the owner.

Tape Wrapped Handles on Old Tool.

I don't know what you call this tool yet, but I like the heavy tape wrapping.  One side is more heavily wrapped than the other.  I get the sense that was intentional and very precisely done by the fellow that made a living with these tools.

Although I like them just the way they are, and they are in very nice shape, if you want to do a complete restoration on tools like this, there are videos that show the complete process.  Here is a link to one of those videos.  You end up with an original looking tool, but I don't care for it because it removes the personal touches that speak of the people that used the items in the past.

Here is the link.

Expert Restoration of Old Military Wire Cutters | Watch

And here is a link to an ax identification and value guide.

Most Valuable Vintage Axes (Identification & Value Guide)

If you can correct anything I said above, please let me know.  I haven't done much research on these items yet.

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Clip From Stuart Rocks Beach Cam About 3 PM on 6/15.

As you can see, still very little surf on the Treasure Coast.

Fort Pierce Inlet Surf Forecast from SurfGuru.com.

I have some finds soaking for a future blog.  I just cleaned a flat button.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@commcast.net

6/14/2025 Report - Whale Skull Fossil Found by Beachcombers. Finds as Connectors of People and Times.

 

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

As Cody Goddard walked along Matoaka Beach in the Chesapeake Bay, he hoped to find fossils, maybe some ancient shark teeth. Instead, the Pennsylvania man stumbled upon a 12-million-year-old whale skull.

According to Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Goddard and his family were visiting Maryland in October 2022 when they decided to go beachcombing. As they walked along Matoaka Beach, Goddard suddenly noticed a large block of sediment on the beach with a piece of fossil sticking out.


He alerted Stephen Godfrey, Curator of Paleontology at the Calvert Marine Museum, who rushed to the scene. After examining the chunk of sediment, Godfrey confirmed that Goddard had discovered a whale skull from the Miocene era, later estimated to be 12 million years old...

Here is the link for more about that.

A Beachcomber Just Stumbled Upon A 12-Million-Year-Old Whale Skull In Maryland

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One day a couple weeks ago, I awoke early in the small ancestral home nestled in the wooded hills of West Virgina before the birds began their morning songs when it dawned upon me the significance of the event I had participated in the day before.  

The home was built in the early 1900s by my wife's grandparents on the green slopes that reminded the newly arrived Slovenian immigrants of the place they left behind.  My wife's mother lived in her childhood home most of her life, passing away just a few years ago at the age of 96.  The little old house then passed on to my wife.  

While her mother resided at the home, she would host the younger generations who visited each holiday.  She would dote over the youngest and present gifts, as humble as they were.

My wife and I now maintain the ancestral home and were recently visited by the newest of the family members, a bright little wiry one year old that reminds me very much of his grandpa.  The child and his parents were gladly received during his first visit to the house where his mother and grandmother and great grandmother were similarly received in their youth.  It seems my wife has assumed the role of her mother and now presides over the family visits to the ancestral home.  

It was only when I awoke that morning that I realized that four generations were at the house that day.  It felt like the two earlier generations were there in some way as well.  They started the generations-old tradition, which was continued now in their absence.

You might wonder why I mention this in a metal detecting blog.  The reason is simple enough.  It is because metal detecting is about making connections.  Finds connect people and times.  I'll explain.

I've metal detected the grounds around the ancestral home, including where the original immigrants cleared a yard, grew orchards and vegetables, walked to work and where the youngsters of succeeding generations played and roamed and grew.  I found their tools, such as an ax head used to clear the trees, and toys, such as the Orphan Annie secret decoder and cast metal train engine.  

When properly researched and considered, finds are people and their times.  They are tangible touchpoints that revive and fill out the stories.

When I married my wife, I didn't know her family history, which has become so much of mine.  I didn't know the area she was from, and it was much later that I learned that my own family roots are connected to the same ground.

My ancestors came to the same area in the 1700s.  I was fortunate to find books about some of my ancestors from the preRevolutionary war period and what was then the western frontier.  They came from the east by wagon train, traveling over the Appalachian Mountains and along with the other pioneers built a fort in the Wheeling WV area.  Lewis Wetzel, and his brother John Wetzel, my ancestor, were captured by the Native Americans as children when their parents were killed, but they escaped and continued to roam the area.  Some books describe their adventures, and I recognize some of the landmarks.  My ancestors and my wife's family most likely trod the same old path as we still do now.

The first generation of my wife's family walked that path on the way to work, The younger generations used it to walk to town and school.  A few years ago, my wife and I took two of the now deceased elders of her family for a walk down that path they knew so well for the last time.  

When I'm wandering the woods that surround the path, I can imagine my ancestor stealthy moving through trees with his famous musket that shocked and amazed the Indians because it seemed the gun was always loaded.  I've detected those hills too and found horseshoes, wagon parts, and arrowheads that connect me to those times.

Finds are indeed connectors: not just objects.  When you make a find, respect it.  Hold it.  Feel its story.  Let it speak and connect you to the times and people of the past.

People are the beginning of this story, as well as the end. I think about that curious lively one-year-old that I recently met and wonder what he will see. 

I wish him well on his journey into the unknown future and hope he will remember the home of his forefathers.  I'll leave him a few trinkets to remind him.

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Fort Pierce Inlet Surf Forecast from Surfguru.com.

Back to the Treasure Coast, we still have a small surf and there are some slightly negative low tides.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/13/25 Report - Very Deep-Sea 16th Century Wreck Discovered. Chance, Luck, Skill Statistics and Metal Detector Finds.

 

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

Archaeologists have discovered by chance what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 1.5 miles underwater off southern France, the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters.

Archaeologists believe the ship was sailing from northern Italy loaded with ceramics and metal bars before it sunk.

Despite a little modern waste dotting its sunken cargo at 8,422 feet below sea level, researchers were excited about the potential of an archaeological site largely preserved intact.

"It's the deepest shipwreck ever found in French territorial waters," Arnaud Schaumasse, the head of the culture ministry's underwater archaeology department, said late Wednesday...

Here is the link for more about that.

Underwater military drone accidentally stumbles upon deepest shipwreck ever found off France: "As if time froze" - CBS News

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The article says the shipwreck discovery was made by "chance.".  How many times have you made finds by chance?  

My first thought was all of them, but that isn't quite true. There are times when we attempt to find a very specific item, such as maybe a recently lost ring and find it.  That is all seems very intentional.  But even when looking for something very specific, I've often found something completely unexpected and unanticipated. You can definitely say that was by chance.  The same can be said all of those things that are found when you go out and search an area not knowing what might be there.  When we do our research and improve our skill and technique, we change the balance of skill and chance.  As we increase our level of skill, we increase the probability of a find.  In fact, I've defined skill as actions intentionally taken that improve the probability of success.

When I was a child and did something that turned out well, my dad would always say "I'd rather be lucky than good."  He wasn't one to offer a lot of praise.  There wasn't a lot of mollycoddling.  They expected you to be tough.  They didn't want you to get a big head.  That isn't the way it is done today, but it seemed to work out ok. I suppose the fellows coming back alive from World War II realized it had a lot more to do with luck than anything they did, and they knew that many of their buddies that did not survive were among the finest.

There are times when after a day on the beach people will ask you if you had any luck, and there are times when you feel either lucky or not.  We might not think about it much or take it too seriously, but we sometimes feel lucky - or not. 

One definition of luck says that luck refers to improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to random and non-random natural and artificial processes, and that even improbable events can happen by random chance. In this view, the epithet "lucky" or "unlucky" is a descriptive label that refers to an event's positivity, negativity, or improbability.

Supernatural interpretations of luck consider it to be an attribute of a person or object, or the result of a favorable or unfavorable view of a deity upon a person.

Sometimes you hear karma mentioned, as if luck is earned.

No matter how you look at it philosophically, it seems natural to think in terms of being lucky or not.  Most of the time it isn't a serious philosophical or metaphysical comment, just the way it seems or feels.

It is natural to go through hot streaks and cold streaks.  Through experience, you develop reasonable expectations.  There are times when you expect to do well and go out with high hopes and other times when things don't look so good.  Maybe a quick read of the beach tells you not to expect too much, or on the other hand, gets your hopes up.  In either case, it takes some effort to make good finds.  As they say, the harder you work the luckier it seems you get.

I've talked about keeping statistics on finds.  Statistics can help you develop realistic expectations. When you keep records and look at the statistics, you start thinking in terms or probabilities rather than luck or chance.

 As I've shown in the past, I kept a lot of records.  From my own statistics I knew how many coins I found for every gold find.  I don't remember for sure, but I think at one point I calculated that I was finding one gold find for every 70 something clad coins.  So when my coin count was getting higher than that, I started to feel like I was overdue for a good find.  It was something like flipping a coin and getting nine heads in a row, you start to think it is time for a tails.  The result was that a dry streak increased the expectancy rather than causing discouragement.  At times that helped.

One thing for certain is that you have to keep going.  You have to outlast the dry spells instead of giving up.  Use each hunt as a learning opportunity, especially those hunts that otherwise seemed unproductive. 

As a treasure hunter you are always looking for the outlier - not the common.  Treasure is not defined as the average or common.  

High value targets are not common.  Pennies, dimes and quarters are pretty common.  Rolex watches, gold coins and treasure chests are not common finds.

I once did a post on math for metal detecting.  Here is the link.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/10/14 Report - The Math of Metal Detecting and How It Can Assist Decisions and Strategies

Below is an excerpt from that post.

Below is a little chart I made.  The vertical axis shows the frequency of different types of finds, going from common inexpensive finds at the top to less common and higher value finds at the bottom.  The horizontal axis shows the value of different types of finds, going from one cent on the left to $100,000 on the right.

To the left of the curved line is worthless junk. 

The line starts high on the left because very low value targets are very common and very frequently found.  Hunting like most people, you'll find many pennies, nickels, dimes, etc. and not as many gold items.  

As the value increases (line going from left to right) the frequency they are found generally decreases (line goes from high to low).

Just to the right of the beginning of the downward sloping line there is a curve as you get into targets of increasing value such as silver rings, small gold rings, better rings, etc.   

Silver rings and gold bands fall largely in this big curve area.  They are less common than coins, but more common than more valuable finds.

The line gets pretty flat way out to the right.  There is not much difference in the probability of finding a $30,000 ring or a $40,000 ring.  That is why the line gets flat.  The frequency (or probability) does not decrease much at the very high level.  They are all fairly rare at that level.  How rare depends to some extent on where you hunt.

Lets say you find a gold band weighing one tenth of a troy oz.  That is not the smallest you could find but it is way smaller than the heaviest you could find.  I would say it is not an uncommon weight.  You might get $60 or more for one tenth of an oz. of 14K gold at today's prices.  A ring like that would be worth something like 800 clad coin finds.

Of course you could find a ring weighing a full oz. or more, or it might have good quality diamonds, taking you up in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Low value targets are very common, but it seemingly takes forever for the value to accumulate to anything very significant.   Therefore, when deciding what you want to target you might want to make a calculated decision about where and how you want to hunt.  Maybe an area that produces fewer coins but more high value targets would be worthwhile

I picked that out mostly for the chart that shows an approximate relationship between target value rarity.   Consideration of these factors will allow you to calculate expected find values to maximize for site selection.  It will help you decide between sites with more frequent lower value targets or sites with less frequent higher value targets.

I didn't really get this finished and didn't bring it all together today but am going to have to quit there for today anyhow.  I'll have to get back to some of that again in the future.  

I plan to get out and do some detecting this morning on a land site and have to get going.

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Fort Pierce Inlet Surf Forecast from Surfguru.com.

We don't have any significant changes.  We still have a small surf on the Treasure Coast and are getting a slightly negative afternoon low tide.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

6/12/25 Report - Cobs as Shipwreck Identifiers: The San Jose. Florida the Capital of Shark Teeth. More Calm Surf.

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

 

Figure 3. An 8-escudos cob of 1707, based on high-resolution in situ photographs from the 2022 archaeological campaign. As Craig (Reference Craig2000) notes, the well-preserved features may suggest that reverse dies were consistently used as the immobile matrix (figure by authors).

The Cobs in the Archaeological Context of the San José Galleon shipwreck is an article published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 June 2025.  Below are a few excerpts.

These digital models have also enabled the creation of highly accurate digital replicas of the archaeological context, providing researchers with a powerful tool for analysis. The reconstructions have facilitated the identification of patterns in the distribution of materials, such as artefacts, cargo and structural remains, as well as diagnostic features that help date individual elements, such as cobs...

Moreover, the features of the cobs help us determine the route taken by the sunken vessel. In the Viceroyalty of Peru, several gold mines were registered, primarily in Puno and Huamanga (Contreras Reference Contreras and Contreras2020: 128). It is likely that the material for minting the cobs was sourced from these mines and processed at the Lima Mint, which resumed operations in 1683 and began minting gold in 1696 (Reference Deagan2002:256)... 

This case study highlights the value of coins as key chronological markers in the identification of shipwrecks, particularly those from the Tierra Firme Fleet. The finding of cobs created in 1707 at the Lima Mint points to a vessel navigating the Tierra Firme route in the early eighteenth century. The San José Galleon is the only ship that matches these characteristics. This find presents a rare opportunity to explore an underwater archaeological site and deepen our understanding of colonial maritime trade and routes...

Here is the link for the entire article.

The cobs in the archaeological context of the San José Galleon shipwreck | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

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The Shark Tooth Capital of the World is in Florida.

There is a beach in Florida that is a fossil or shark tooth collector's dream. A fossil layer running 35 miles deep contains shark teeth from various sharks throughout history and prehistory. Where is this remarkable place? One beach in Venice, Florida, is the "Shark Tooth Capital of the World." Let's examine that beach and learn about the area. Learning about this incredible place will inspire you to plan a visit....

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

The Shark Tooth Capital of the World is in Florida

As I've said before, you can find shark teeth on Treasure Coast beaches too.  Keep your eyes open while metal detecting.

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The Ancient Shark Teeth of Mississippi: Why Scientists Are Digging Deep into the State’s Fossil History

Mississippi’s particular environmental and sedimentary conditions during the Cretaceous period provided an ideal setting for fossilization. The state was once covered by lush deltas and vibrant marine environments, making it a hotspot for preserving the remains of marine creatures. The natural sediment deposition has resulted in excellent preservation of biological materials, especially hard structures like shark teeth...

The state of Mississippi has seen an active involvement from amateur fossil hunters, who often make significant contributions to paleontological studies. With proper training and guidance, these enthusiasts help increase the scope of fieldwork, uncovering specimens that scientists might overlook. Their findings often lead to partnerships with academic institutions, aiding in more comprehensive research endeavors...

Here is that link.

The Ancient Shark Teeth of Mississippi: Why Scientists Are Digging Deep into the State’s Fossil History

I have no objective way to measure it, but it seems to me that more archaeology and other related disciplines have in recent years developed better relationships with amateurs. In the past, I've done a few rants including one post entitled The Trouble with Archaeology.  Anyhow, the change, if it is as real as it seems to me, is a benefit to both the academics and the amateurs.

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Clip From Jupiter Beach Surf Cam.

As you can see, we are still having a small surf along the Treasure Coast and beyond.  It is smooth sailing for water detecting or shipwreck salvage.

Fort Pierce Area Surf Forecast by Surfguru.com.

I've been thinking of doing an experiment in this blog on remote viewing.  I did a post on remote viewing a while ago and it seems to be getting a lot of views again lately.  Interesting topic anyhow and is related to the subject of intuition.

Studies have been conducted to see how super-successful people are different other people.  One thing is that the super successful are analytical but often allow their intuition to override their logical analysis.  The entire subject of intuition is a related subject that I plan to revisit in some detail.

I have that for you in the future.

Good hutning,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

6/11/25 Report - Another Find Photo with Some Memorable Finds: Bracelet, Pendant & Mexico Coin. New Coastal Seawall.

 

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

The Florida Department of Transportation's $117 million buried seawall project along A1A in Flagler Beach and Ormond-by-the-Sea continues full speed ahead as hurricane season begins.

FDOT's contractor, Superior Construction, began construction on the first of the two seawalls — located at South Central Avenue in Flagler Beach south to the Flagler County line — in late March 2024. The seawall in Ormond-by-the-Sea stretches south of Sunrise Avenue to Marlin Drive.

Each of the two seawalls is about 1.3 miles long and are aimed at safeguarding the A1A corridor against sand erosion and storm damage, as previously experienced in past hurricanes...

Hurricanes Ian and Nicole were the state department's "last wake-up call" along A1A, Barone said. FDOT formed a strike team made up of members from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Army Corps of Engineers, City of Flagler Beach, Flagler County and Volusia County, and following public meetings, FDOT decided to pursue the construction of buried seawalls, also known as secant walls...

Here is the link for more about that.

FDOT's buried seawall projects in Flagler Beach, Ormond-by-the-Sea near completion | Observer Local News | Palm Coast Observer and Ormond Beach Observer

If you know the area, the beach had been hit hard by some recent storms.  The beach was eroded back to the road.  There was a high cut dune face almost back to the read and s steep drop off.

One of the readers of this blog bought a house on the beach just north of Flagler just before one of the storms and sustained serious damage.  I sold out and I listed his house in this blog for him.

I'm not so sure this seawall will work very well.  From the look of the photos, I'd expect multiple negative consequences.  We'll see.

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One More of My Recently Discovered Old Monthly Find Photos.

This photo shows a few finds that really stick out in my memory even though they were found several decades ago.

To begin with, there is the usual fare - a few class rings, a few fancier rings, some bands, a few chains and bracelets as well as some silver that I thought was interesting enough to keep track of.  

Now to the ones that I clearly remember.  There is the BIG heavy gold bracelet, which you can see between the bottom of two chains in the picture.  There is a little child's gold bracelet inside the much larger bracelet.

I remember exactly where I found the big bracelet.   It was found in dry sand very near where I had previously found a coin that got me excited, and just a little north of a wet sand hot spot that produced a lot of older silver that I frequently detected for a while.

Below is the coin.  It is a large coin, about the size of a silver dollar.  At the time I didn't know much about old treasure coins, and before doing a little research, thought it might be something good and old.  It is from Mexico and has a small amount of silver content but, as you can see, is in poor condition.  It turns out to not be worth much, especially in such poor condition.  It is the kind of thing, though, that can get you excited when you first see it.  It is a 1957 peso.

Another find that is one of the most memorable old finds for me is the thirty-three pendant.  It is covered with small diamonds.

I got a tip from a worker at a resort that a chain had been lost on a volleyball court.  I looked for the chain and didn't find amu chain, but did find this pendant.

I always wondered if it might be a sports number, like maybe Tony Dorsett, but of course still don't know the significance of the number.  

I've found some other pendants that are numbers.  I think one that was shown in a recent find photo was a 15.  I usually figure those are ages or special dates or something like that.  This pendant is higher quality than most.

I've said this before, but a lot of good finds come from volleyball courts.

There was a park that had some volleyball courts that were sprinkled by the sprinkling system every morning.  The sprinklers would occasionally uncover things, including small chains that could be difficult to detect.  A rake can be used to find small chains in sand too.

Right beside the 33 pendant in the photo is an odd Siamese twin large gold pendant.  It is strange.  I remember where I found it too.  I think I remember it so well simply because it is so strange and I always wondered who would wear something like that.  

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Monday I noticed a fellow metal detecting in the shallow water on the west side of the intercoastal.  It was the first time in many years I've seen anyone detecting around there. 

We still have a very small surf.

The Treasure Coast is also still geting a small negative afternoon low tide.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

6/10/25 Report - Ocatgonal Ring Found in Old Drainage Ditch. 18th Century Food Jars or Bottles Uncovered at Mount Vernon.

 

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

Roman bronze octagonal ring found

A Roman octagonal finger ring that looks like a nut without threads has been discovered is a former drainage ditch in Lincolnshire during an excavation by Wessex Archaeology.

It is a ring of the Henig Type IX classification, characterized by a circular internal hoop with polygonal external facets. The facets are usually plain, although a few rare examples have decorations on the exterior flat facets, like this one with the signs of the zodiac. They typically date to between 200 and 400 A.D.

A number of rings of this type have been reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme, most of them found in the south of England. They are much more frequent finds in modern-day Germany. Examples with six, seven and eight facets have been found in gold, silver and copper alloy. This one is particularly heavy.

Here is that link.

Roman bronze octagonal ring found in Lincolnshire – The History Blog

Or for additional detail, here is another link.

Archaeologist Digging Through Ditch Finds Ancient Roman Ring

I always like to check ditches or eroded water runoff areas.

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In the summer of 2023, archaeologists at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Virginia made an extraordinary discovery: 18th-century glass jars buried in an old cellar. Even more remarkable, the jars still contained their original contents—preserved fruits sealed for over 250 years. The find is a rare glimpse into everyday colonial life and food preservation practices.

The jars were found during restoration below a servant’s quarter near the mansion. Protected in a collapsed storage pit the glass vessels were intact, shielded from sunlight, animals, and shifting earth. The airtight conditions were ideal for preservation, keeping the fruit—likely peaches and cherries—recognizable and astonishingly well-preserved over the centuries...

Researchers quickly transferred the jars to controlled environments. The contents are now under chemical and microbiological testing to find out their composition. Researchers hope to identify the type of fruit, the preservation agents used, and even trace elements of the soil and materials used to seal the jars. This should help reconstruct 18th-century culinary practices...

Here is the link...

Archaeologists at Mount Vernon discovered a window into the diet and food preserving methods of colonial America.

It doesn't seem to me that the photos go with the article.  They keep talking about jars of fruit, but the pictures are of what I would call bottles.  

The bottles look like liquor bottles to me.  Maybe I'm making to big a deal out of the terminology and distinction between "bottle" and "jar."  I don't know if there is a technical distinction or not.

Below are a couple of what I would call "mallet" style bottles that I found on the Treasure Coast.  The bottles below are also much more modern.  The brown one I think is 1954 and the green on I would guess is something similar.  It has a big G with a little S in it where I'd expect the maker's mark, but I can't find a glass maker that used that mark.

Fun fact: Mount Vernon was already a historic landmark by the time the Mason jar was invented in 1869. 

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Surf Forecast for the Fort Pierce Area from Surfguru.com.

Nothing new here. We will get another slightly negative low tide in the afternoon.

I noticed a detectorist working in the shallow water of the intercoastal.  As far as I recall it is the first time in twenty or thirty years I saw anyone doing that.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

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6/9/25 Report - More Florida Beach Metal Detecting Finds. Phases and Transitions in My Metal Detecting. Tropical Storm.

 

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

Metal Detecting Finds From My Early Days.

Lately I've been going through a stack of my old find photos that I found.  So far I've posted about ten of the old find photos that I recently discovered while going through some things, I noticed a couple things about the photos.  Some are a cardboard and others on a black foam.  

I recalled that the photos with the cardboard backing are the earlier ones.  I noticed that the earlier finds are generally not as good (high quality) as the later finds.  You would hope that would be the case.  You should learn and improve with experience, and it looks like my finds got better.

There is also another thing to be considered though.  While I did get better finds as I improved my detecting, I was also more selective about what I photographed.  More of the lower quality finds were left out of the later photos. I included more silver finds in my earlier photos   As you improve your detecting, your standards will probably change too.  You will expect more and be less impressed by common or lesser finds.

The same thing happens with a lot of things.  It is like that for me when it comes to fishing.  At first I was happy to catch almost anything, but later I was satisfied only by bigger or better fish and hardly took notice of the little fish, which became something of a nuisance.

When I began metal detecting I was trying to find as many coins as I could.  I kept detailed records of my coins.  I learned a lot from that, but eventually I shifted from targeting coins to targeting gold jewelry.  Coins, unless they were something unusual, maybe old or rare in some way, were not my goal.  I quit keeping track of general coin finds.

Some of My Early Coin Find Records.

See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 12/12/17 - Y2K Treasure Recovered in Back Yard. Very Old Chisel. Old Metal Detecting Records. Artifact ID Guide.

My coin records were eventually replaced by my find photos.

When I began metal detecting I had a White's Coinmaster that I got from a Sears catalog.  I'm sure I didn't know how to use it very well, but I found coins and got more coins as I learned and improved.  That was a necessary step and an important learning experience.

One thing about metal detecting and treasure hunting is that you can continue to learn and improve as many years as you continue the activity.

The cardboard photos represent phase two of my metal detecting activities.  Phase I would be when I began and was targeting primarily coins.  Phase II started when I began targeting jewelry rather than coins.  Phase III would be when I switched to the customized Nautilus detectors and began more hunting on the shipwreck treasure beaches.  Phase IV would be marked by my move to the Treasure Coast and greater focus on shipwreck treasures.  Phase V would be when my treasure hunting became more varied to include not only shipwreck treasures but also hunting a lot of other things, such as fossils and bottles.

The above photo would be from phase II.  It shows a pretty typical group from that period and includes some class rings, fancier rings, bands, pendants, and some gold and silver but as many gold chains.

There is only one find in that group that really sticks out in my memory.  Oddly enough, it is the big silver ring about four rows from the bottom with the red and green setting.  It was such a big clunker.  I remember where I pulled it up.  It is one of those rings that will fit on your thumb or toe.

There is one item in the photo that I still consider to be a bit of a mystery item.  It looks pretty old, but I don't know how old.  It appears to be part of a locket.

Here it is.

I haven't really gone through the entire stack of my recently discovered find photos and don't know how many are duplicates.  I also don't know how many more I'll post.

These finds do show a good representation of the kinds of things can and have been found by metal detecting Florida beaches.

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As Treasure Coast detectorists, we wait for storms to come along and uncover 1715 Fleet and other shipwreck treasures. 

The new tropical season is becoming active already.

Tropical Storm Barbara has formed off the southwest coast of Mexico, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said early Sunday. No coastal watches or warnings were issued...

HEre is the link for more about that.

Tropical Storm Barbara forms off southwest Mexico | AP News

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Fort Pierce Surf Forecast from Surfguru.com.

The surf forecast is about as flat as you'll ever see.   

There sill be slightly negative low tides in the afternoon.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net