Two keys were recently discovered on the Atocha site by Mel Fisher's Treasures Divers. Keys found on 1600s Spanish galleons were typically made of brass or iron and served functional and symbolic roles. Here's what they may have been used for.
- Treasure chests (containing coins, gems, or bullion)
- Personal lockers for officers or nobles
- Cargo crates holding valuables, trade goods,
- or important documents
While we can't be certain what these keys were used for, we can only keep searching for clues to unlock their secrets.
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From Sedwick Coins...
Consign Now for Our Upcoming Auction – November 13 to 15
This is the last chance to consign to our Auction 38 while at a major coin show. We will be at the ANA World’s Fair of Money in Oklahoma City, ready to review your material in person and provide professional evaluations at no cost or obligation. This is the perfect opportunity to secure your place in what promises to be one of the most important auctions we have ever held.
The sale will be anchored by an extraordinary lineup of named collections:
The Sedwick–Downing Collection of Charles and Joanna Mexican Coins
The McGregor Collection of Gold Cobs from the 1715 Fleet
The Almenara Collection of Peruvian Republic Gold Coins
The Darby Collection of Guatemalan Cobs
The Val y Mexía Collection of Chilean Bust Four Reales
Along with these major consignments, the auction will offer an exceptional range of shipwreck coins and some of the rarest and finest Latin American issues seen in years.
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Through the roof.
A piece of space rock that crashed into a home in Atlanta, Georgia, had been zooming around in space for longer than Earth has existed, a recent analysis has found.
The newly named McDonough Meteorite that punched through Earth's atmosphere on 26 June 2025 formed around 4.56 billion years ago, according to planetary geologist Scott Harris of the University of Georgia.
Our home planet, for context, is thought to be around 4.5 billion years old – making the tiny fragments of rock that survived the impact at least a few hundred million years older.
Here is the link for more about that.
Atlanta Home Struck by Meteorite Older Than Earth, Study Finds : ScienceAlert
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I read about a metal locating device from the 1930s referred to as the "Clayton metalphone." I haven't been able to find and information about the device beyond its mention in a Cocos Island treasure story in a 1931 newspaper article. The person who apparently discovered the metal locating device which could have been a scam, also had a company called the Clayton Metalphone Company.
If you can find any information on the device, I'd like to find out more about it. The free internet AI systems knew nothing of the device other than what I pointed out, which is the mention of the device in a the New York Times article. If it is what it sounds like rather than a scam, it could be one of the earliest commercial metal detectors.
Again let me know if you have any aditional information on the Clayton metalphone.
The newspaper article in which the metal locating device was mentioned, involved a huge pirate treasure, and like many treasure hunts also involved disputes over rights or ownership and the legal issues that go with that. Below is an excerpt from the newspaper story.
Somewhere within the fourteen square miles of the romantic isle there is believed to be a spot where pirates hid some 300 tons of treasure valued at from sixty to ninety million dollars. This treasure is supposed to have been plundered from ships bringing wealth from Peru and Mexico for shipment to Europe across the Isthmus of Panama. When hard pressed by other pirates and the ships of Spain they hid their treasure on Cocos Island to prevent its falling into the hands of enemies.
And here is the link to read the article, which I think you will want to do.
COCOS ISLAND GOLD TO BE SOUGHT AGAIN; New Company Will Search for Pirate Treasure With Device for Detecting Metals. COSTA RICA DEMANS SHARE That Nobody Has Ever Found the Legendary Wealth Seems to Be No Deterrent. No Treasure Found. - The New York Times
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Below is the NHC map showing the projected path of Hurricane Erin.
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Projected trac of Erin.
Source: nhc.noaa.gov. |
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov. |
Their is a system over in the Gulf. That has been an active area in recent years, but the one of most interest, in my opinion, is Erin. I expect it to stay out to sea, but it is too early to say with a high degree of confidence. Keep watching that one.
For the next week, the Surfguru surf chart shows nothing more than a two-foot surf for the Treasure Coast for the next week.
We will, however, have over three-foot high tides.
Good hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
