9/8/25 Report - Treasure Coast Mystery Object Find for ID and Cleaning. Factors Influencing Metal Detector Conductivity Readings.

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

Mystery Object Found on Treasure Coast by Vance D.

Vance D. sent the above photo along with the following message.

Not sure what it is I was wondering what I could soak this in to de-rust it to better identify it without destroying it if it's something important

Thanks Vance.

Of course it is impossible to tell what it is from a photo without any measurements or other information.  If there is nothing in a photo to suggest the size measurements would be helpful.

But from what I can see, the shape looks like a strap hinge (see below) to me, and maybe a bolt on top.

My preferred procedure would be to first soak it in distilled water to leech out the salts (do that with any suspected encrusted iron object) then mechanically remove as much of the surface rust as possible.  After getting a better feel for how solid the item is under the crust, perhaps try electrolysis or a rust remover.  

Here is a previous post on electrolysis. It provides a number of additional links.

Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 7/5/25 Report - Electrolysis: Options and Use on Treasure Coast Beach Metal Detector Finds. Instructional Resources. 4th One More Time.

And here is a link to some posts on EOs.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 6/24/19 Report - Encrusted Objects (EOs), Clumps and Conglomerates and Their Contents.

Any reader guesses on the object or recommendations on cleaning?

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I recently mentioned in one post that metal detector conductivity numbers are not sufficient alone to identify the metallic composition of a buried target flawlessly.  An old test I conducted showed a very large range of numbers in response to a variety of gold targets.  In the past, I've posted a number of tests that I conducted to determine the metallic composition of differenti kinds of targets.  Today I wanted to look at a couple of those tests to show some of the factors that can affect a metal detector's conductivity number reading.

The first test that I'll mention involved large coins, including a gold American Eagle coin, a 1922 Peace dollar and a 1971 clad Kennedy half. The American Eagle coin is 91.67% gold, 3% silver, with the remainder being copper with a reeded edge. It is 1.287 inches (32.70 mm) in diameter, so in diameter the gold coin is a little smaller than the Peace dollar but bigger than the clad Kennedy half.

The Equinox 600 produced conductivity numbers mostly in the range of 32 -34 on the Kennedy Half, and 37 - 38 on the Peace dollar, which was consistent with the numbers produced by these coins in other tests. The American Eagle gold coin produced numbers that centered on 26 - 28. The conductivity numbers are more consistent when the detection depth when the depth was moderate.

When the coil was close enough to the coins, the conductivity numbers obtained on these three coins were different enough and consistent enough to reliably discriminate between the three coins used in the test. .

In that test with large round coins laying flat, the Equinox conductivity numbers very well reflected the conductivity of the metallic composition of the coins. Silver has a higher conductivity than copper by a small amount, and gold is lower than silver and gold and the conductivity numbers obtained in the experiment reflected that very well.

Here is the link for more detail. 

Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 2/12/23 Report - Would You Correctly Identify A Buried Gold Coin Or MIss It? I Was Amazed by One Thing I Learned.

So it would appear that under certain circumstances the metallic composition of objects can be consistently identified by metal detector conductivity ratings.  However, there is more to the matter.

In another experiment I used Spanish reales of different sizes, and different shapes.  Although there could be differences in the amount of alloys in these coins, I assumed that they were pretty similar.

The Mexican half reale weighs less than half a gram and gave readings from 5  - 12, depending upon the sweep.

The second was test coin was a Postosi half reale from Jupiter, which was pretty round and weighed 0.8 grams.  It produced a steady conductivity number of 19.

The next reale reale weighed 2.7 grams.  It rang up consistently as 16 or 17.

Fourth at 4.7 grams was a Carlos and Juana two-reale.  Carlos and Juana reales are thinner and more round than most 1715 reales.  This one resulted in a very solid 20 on the Equinox.  Not too far off the Jupiter reale, which is also pretty found but much lighter.

And last is a four reale that weighs 13.8 grams.  It produced a solid 30.

So there you have it.  The conductivity numbers varied with size and shape, not just metallic composition.

Here is that link for additional details.

Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 8/24/21 Report - Metal Detector Conductivity Readings for Spanish Reales. Mystery Item Identified.

Targets that are round and large and not too deep will produce numbers that are more consistent, but when targets are irregular in shape or deep enough to not give a strong signal, or very small or deep, the numbers are not so consistent.  The position of the item can also affect the reading.  Place a coin on edge and you'll see the reading vary depending upon the amount of surface area presented to the coil and direction of the sweep.

l

Targets of very different shapes and alloys, such as various pieces of jewelry, will also cause greater variation in the numbers reduced.  Most objects are not purely one metal but will contain some alloys.  The exact composition will not always be known.  You'll also note some deviation in the numbers when the target is not well positioned under the coil on various sweeps.

To sum it up, there are circumstances when the conductivity numbers are pretty accurate, but there are also factors that will cause inconsistency, making the numbers less accurate and useful as indicators of the metallic composition of the target.

--- 

Historically we are right at the peak of hurricane season, but there is nothing on the hurricane map.  

Source: SurfGuru.com.

It looks like the Treasure Coast surf will be increasing a bit.

The high tides are now pretty high.

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

9/7/25 Report - Early Spanish Conquest Visita and Maya Resistance. More On Dug Button. Other Links. 2022 Quarter Errors Worth Money.

 

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

archaeological-perspectives-on-confronting-social-change-at-the-sixteenth-century-visita-town-of-hunacti-yucatan.pdf

Hunacti was established as a visita mission site — a satellite community visited periodically by Franciscan friars from larger convent centers. Its layout reflected Spanish ideals: Gridded streets radiated from a central plaza where a T-shaped church rose against the backdrop of pre-Hispanic pyramids and administrative buildings. Three large elite houses, built in a Spanish style with plastered walls, arched windows and niches, surrounded the plaza.

Historical records suggest the site’s founding leaders enjoyed privileges rare for Maya elites under early colonial rule — access to horses, ownership of a cacao orchard and control over significant labor for construction...

While Hunacti’s short occupation might be seen as a failure in colonial terms, Masson and her colleagues interpret it differently. The settlement’s leaders appear to have shifted from early cooperation to a more self-sufficient, resistant stance, limiting engagement with Spanish trade networks and maintaining control over religious life...

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

Study Reveals a Maya Town’s Defiant Stand in Early Colonial Era | University at Albany

Here is an excerpt from a more detailed academic report on the same subject.

 Hunacti and Its Historical Context In the mid-1500s, ordinary Maya peoples far outnumbered Spanish authorities (Hanks 2010:41; Restall 1997:25). Franciscans in particular were few in number in the first decades of colonial rule.  Visita towns like Hunacti were distant from Franciscan centers,inhibiting regular visitation and impeding the friars’goalsofconverting the populace (Chuchiak 2009; Hanks 2010:41, 46). The site was rural and required at least two days’ travel (52 km along modern roads) from the nearest Franciscan convent center at Maní in the mid 1500s (Figure 1). Visita towns struggled to meet economic demands imposed by multiple institutions within the Spanish regime (Chuchiak 1998)....

And here is that link if you want to dig deeper into that story.

Archaeological Perspectives on Confronting Social Change at the Sixteenth-Century Visita Town of Hunacti, Yucatán | Latin American Antiquity | Cambridge Core

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Yesterday I showed a couple dug pewter British military buttons from somewhere around 1800.  After a little additional cleaning I found a back mark on the 54th regiment button.

It isn't very easy to see in the photo, but the backmark is clearly "LONDON."

Here are a couple links you might want to check. 

First is the database of British Military Buttons.

Regiment of Foot Buttons

And here is a site by the U.S. Army Center of Military History.  

Publications and Videos

British Uniforms during the Revolutionary War in the Revolutionary War Journal.

British Army Uniforms during the American Revolutionary War – Revolutionary War Journal

===

Several notable minting errors appear on 2022 quarters.  Here are some described in Rare 2022 Quarter Errors Worth Money (with Pictures) - CoinValueChecker

Drooling Washington or Drooling George
Wart on the nose or cold sore
Nesting bird quarter error

These errors are named after the position of the die mark on the coin’s surface.

The Drooling George or Drooling Washington error occurred when a die gouge created what looks like a drool over Washington’s chin. Maya Angelou’s 2022 quarters with this error sell for as much as $1,900

The Wart on the Nose error, also known as the Cold Sore, is an error in which die marks appear on the President’s face and most prominently on his nose.

The other sought-after error is the Nesting Bird quarter error, where a die crack resembling a twig seems to be carried by an eagle on the reverse. A 2022 P Maya Angelou quarter with a Nesting Bird error can fetch as much as $480, but some in uncirculated condition have fetched up to $1,000.
2022 Dr. Sally Ride Quarter Errors

Sally Ride 2022 quarters have a prominent error on the reverse, popularly known as the Ghost Comet Tail error. This error appears as a line behind Ride’s neck and shoulder and can also be seen next to the Earth...

2022 Wilma Mankiller Quarter Errors

The Wilma Mankiller quarter has the most minting errors in the 2022 series. The most prominent is the retained die break at the corner of the rim on the obverse side.

The reverse side of the coin also features a prominent vertical die crack error down. Such a crack occurs the same way—when a crack in the die fills up with metal, which is then impressed onto the planchet, appearing like a raised line on the coin’s surface.

A 2022 Wilma Mankiller quarter with die breaks on the obverse and reverse can fetch as much as $1,200, but some examples are being sold for as much as $1,500, depending on the coin’s condition.

Another prominent error found in the 2022 Wilma Mankiller quarters is the so-called Scarface and Deformed C error. On the reverse, you will notice die marks on Mankiller’s face, specifically her cheek, from where the name Scarface is derived.

The C in the Native American writing underneath the phrase PRINCIPAL CHIEF also appears deformed or filled in, which might result from a filled-in die crack that was impressed on the planchet.

Collectors will pay up to $1,500 for a 2022 Wilma Mankiller quarter with Scarface and Deformed error. On the other hand, a 2022 D Quarter Wilma Mankiller Quarter with a Misprint in the Star can sell for as much as $1,000.
2002 Nina Otero Quarter Errors

Another error, the Drooling George with Flowers in Hair, will fetch up to $500 for uncirculated pieces, while the Nose Scars on the reverse portrait sell for as much as $350.

A Nina Otero-Warren 2022 quarter priced at $8,300 on eBay broke the record. This particular coin has two die cracks, one on the obverse and the other on the reverse.
2002 Anna May Wong Quarter Errors

An Anna May Wong Tear Drop 2022-P quarter error sells for between $90 and $100, depending on the coin’s condition...

I think the values might be on the high side, but it does sound like it could be worth checking your 2022 quarters.

Good luck.  Let me know.

---

The system I've been watching in the Atlantic has disappeared.

Surf for Fort Pierce Area from SurfGuru.com.

Don't expect anything much bigger than two feet on the Treasure Coast for the next several days.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/6/25 Report - A Couple Finds Out of An Old Box: Pewter Regimental Buttons. History and Research. A Ball Bottle. NHC Scene.

 

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

Old Box of Miscellaneous Finds Opened Once Again.

I decided to go back and open a box of old finds.  Written on the top of the box was a list of objects - suggesting the contents, but the list was not totally accurate.  In fact only about half the items listed on the top were actually in the box.

The contents included quite a variety, including old pot shards, porcelain and plate shards, shell artifacts, bone tools, and metal detector finds, including a crotal bell, a rusted skeleton key, a Spanish Colonial find, a piece of soldier art, a silver earring, several bags of things, such as a bag of small lead shot, and more.  About the only thing common to the items was that they all were old or older, and none were gold.

I'm going to look at a couple of the item from that box today, but first here is a bottle find and what I know and don't know about it.

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3.5 Inch Tall Ball Bottle.

This bottle is a Ball bottle, but unlike most, which are the familiar canning jars.  This one is small and was only shows the mark of the Ball Brother's Glass Manufacturing Co. on the bottom of the bottle.

This small bottle stopper type bottle is embossed on the neck. 2 1/2 OZ.

The bottle is 3.5 inches tall.

The Ball maker's mark on the bottom is the type that was used from around 1933 to 1960.  The applied top makes me think it is towards the bottom end of that range.

I don't know what product it held.  My best guess would be a product dealing with fruit canning or something related such as pectin, which would be used for canning or jelly/jam production and in relatively small amounts like 2.5 ounces.  

This is the first bottle I've posted for a while.

Any additional information you can provide on this bottle would be appreciated.  I just posted this in my TGbottlebarn.blogspot.com site also.

---

You will gain knowledge and skill as you continue in the hobby and as you spend more time with your finds.  

Two items I discovered in tet box shown above are two old British military buttons that were my first old military button finds. I remember being happy when I dug them up.  I remember where they were found and what other things were found around them.  But I didn't know a lot (actually nothing) about them, but I did my research and learned a l little about them, but I still do not know as much as I'd like to know about them, and they've never been expertly cleaned and conserved.  As you'll see, I'm still not exactly sure how I'll go about that, even after decades have elapsed. 'Here they are.

76th and 54th Regiment of Foot Pewter British Buttons.

My research shows that the 54th Regiment button type was used from 1757 to 1881 and the 76th button with the HINDOOSTAN wording from 1807 to 1812, a much smaller range.  The same button type worn by officers, it seems were silver.  (Encyclopedia of British Military Buttons.)

It didn't take me long to identify them after finding them, but for a long time, I found no record of the 54th and 76th regiments being where the buttons were found.  According to what I could find, I thought they were probably from right around 1800.  That was my best guess back then.

After opening the box and getting the buttons out and jumping into the research again, I found the following.  The 54th regiment sailed for North America in 1776, fighting in the War of Independence (1775-83). It returned home in 1781, gaining its county association with West Norfolk the following year.

During the French Revolutionary Wars (1793-1802), it served in Guernsey (1793), Flanders (1794) and the West Indies (1795).

So there are two periods when the 54th was in the West Indies, first, during the War of Independence 1775 -1783, and then again during the French Revolutionary Wars, 1793 - 1802.

I have no way of knowing which of the two period my finds were lost.  From the other items I found, I think the buttons were lost during a battle. There were musket parts shot, and ot her old items all in a small area.  Also included was the button from the 76th regiment.

I found that the 76th Regiment of Foot served in the West Indies from 1834 to 1841, a deployment that lasted approximately seven years.  Their West Indies service was part of a broader pattern of British Army deployments aimed at maintaining imperial presence and stability in the Caribbean during a period of post-Napoleonic restructuring and colonial tension.

I always figured that the cluster of items was from an incident during a battle, perhaps the Battle of Saints or the Battle or the Battle of 

There is a problem though.  The records I've found so far do not coincide.  I've not found evidence of the two regiments being there at the same time.  It is possible that the two buttons were lost at different times.

If they were lost at the same time, it had to be after the 76th was received the honor "Hindoostan" but before the regiment quit using the pewter buttons.  The 76th button shows an elephant and the words "Hindoostan Peninsula" for their efforts in India. 

Here is the solution proposed by Copilot:  Most likely between 1807 and 1815, after the regiment received its “HINDOOSTAN” honor but before pewter fell out of favor for military use.

It looks like I don't yet have a perfect explanation.  There is no overlap between the times I've seen for when the two regiments were there and there are other inconsistencies.

Perhaps members of the regiments were at the site at times other than those I've found, or the items were not lost at the same time but ended up together before found. There are other possibilities too, but I've carried this on long enough, so I'll leave it at that.  I'm left with possibilities but no convincing answer.

---

I never did a complete job of cleaning and conserving those buttons.  Pewter can be difficult.  These buttons have a very hard and difficult to separate crust.  Below is a closeup of the 76th regiment button after a few attempts of gentle cleaning.

That beige crust is really stubborn, and old pewter can be easily damaged.

Here is a closeup of the 54th regiment button.  I added an angle of light on this one to show the dirt or corrosion better.

If you look closely, you can see the tough layer and how it is difficult to separate from the surface of the button.  It looks like removing the crust will remove some of the surface so I haven't attacked that.

There are some sites that recommend techniques for cleaning and conserving pewter, however the items they illustrate do not have the same kind of surface corrosion. 

Here are a couple links anyhow.

Experts's Guide: How to clean and seal pewter buttons — Patriot Relicsz

Here is another technique I found online.

Pewter • Wipe with a polishing cloth. • Brush very gently with a high quality brass brush. CAUTION: Some pewter is very soft and may scratch easily. • Use the outer leaf from a head of cabbage, as a polishing cloth, then buff with a soft cloth. • Use Turtle Wax or chrome polish. 

I've decided to go slow.  I'm trying some gentle techniques and see if any of them work well.  I don't want to use electrolysis in this case.

So much for the first items I pulled out of the box, and they are still holding some of their secrets.

---

Gold went higher today, as expected.

---

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

This system has decreased a little, and when I ran the ECMWF model again, it showed this one falling apart before it gets to us.  Keep watching.

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

No big change in the surf forecast.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/4/25 Report - Gold Sapphire Lion Ring Found. Gold Going Higher? Indiana Jones and Pirates Start Some Detectorists. Storm in Atlantic.

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

Credit: Noemi Bejak Palinova: Daily Galaxy - Great Discoveries Channel

An analysis of a 700-year-old ring reveals a unique reddish-purple sapphire set in 18-karat gold with a lion decoration.

A stunning gold ring lost at a medieval castle in Slovakia over 700 years ago has been rediscovered. The jewelry was likely worn by a bishop and includes an unusual Sri Lankan reddish-purple sapphire set in a band flanked by lions.

"Such a ring embodied deep spiritual meanings, protective powers, and societal status, allowing the wearer to display wealth while also seeking the divine protection associated with the symbols they bore,"..

A treasure hunter found the ring in 2001, but archaeologists didn't receive it until March 2023...

To analyze the ring, the researchers used nondestructive techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, which analyzes scattered light to figure out the chemical composition of a material, and micro-X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, which uses X-rays to determine the elements in a material. They determined that the band was made from 18-karat gold and that the gem is a 2-carat corundum, a hard mineral that forms both rubies and sapphires...

Here is the link for more of the article.

Medieval gold ring found in castle in Slovakia has rare purple sapphire imported from Sri Lanka | Live Science

I didn't yet find any more detail on how the ring was found.

===

Gold has been setting new record price highs lately. Technical analysis suggests the price could go to $3930 per oz. in the near future.

Here is a technical chart.

I suspect that some of that will be money coming from stock sales as the market resets before the more positive last three months of the year.

---

I noticed this old cover or a metal detector catalog. It is only a few years old, but it has a definite Indiana Jones vibe. I've been told by detectorists in the past that it was Indiana Jones that inspired them to start metal detecting. Others of us started long before Indiana Jones, but for many there was something that inspired the imagination.

Metal Detector Dealer Catalog.

Pirates are a common reference among treasure hunters and books like Treasure Island inspired some of the older treasure hunters. Treasure Island, as originally published in 1883 was titled The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys. That fictional story involved a treasure map and buried gold and inspired the play of many boys of my day.

There are many informative nonfiction books now available for the adult researcher.  Here are just a couple listed on Amazon.  There are many more.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down.

Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates.

These days there are many pirate books.

My introduction to pirates was undoubtedly Captain Hook, that was on TV every year of my youth after age six or so. The story of Peter Pan provides a great psychological study.  For example, the crocodile that swallowed a clock and the ticking that Hook and Smee feared so much was an indicator of time, which Pan, on the other hand, defied.  Speaking of hands, Hook had lost a part of himself to time.  (I should play a little Pink Floyd here.  Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day...)

Those old classic stories are psychologically deep.  

----

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

This one looks like it is headed in the direction of Florida, but it is way too far out to say where it will go.  A look at Windy.com using the ECMWF model shows the following for September 18.

Sept. 18 plot for ECMWF model.  Source: Windy.com.

We'll see how that turns out.

For next week I'm not seeing anything bigger than a two foot surf on the SurfGuru chart.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/3/25 Report - Researching an Old Coin Find Tied to The Earlies United States Coinage. Conductivity Numbers. Animals Dig Treasure.

 

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

               Random example of 1783 Nova Constellatio Copper. Crosby 2-B, W-1865. Rarity-2.                                          CONSTELLATIO, Pointed Rays, Small U.S. VF-30 (PCGS).

Yesterday I posted the beginning of a story about a find by Mark G., who was investigating an old coin found in a chicken coop many years ago.  He found the coin in an old box and pulled it out to learn more about it.  Yesterday I posted what Copilot told him about the coin.  Copilot's response led him to believe the coin, marked 1783, was a Nova Constellatio "Quint" - a very rare and valuable coin.  I suggested that Mark post the coin in CoinCommunity, which has numerous forums used by coin collectors, numismatists as well as well as anybody wanting information on coins.  Unfortunately, they very little on Spanish colonial cornage.

I posted the beginning of Mark's story yesterday and promised to post more in the future.  Yesterday I also posted information about the Nova Consteallatio coins and the history of the first U.S. coinage.  My plan was to wait for things to develop before posting more on that story.  I watched the discussion on the coin forum as various members added their thoughts about Mark's coin.  I thought it might take a while before reaching a conclusion.  I also thought I might receive some comments from this blog's readers about the coin, however already early this morning (before many of this blog's readers even read yesterday's post) I received an email from Mark summarizing what he has learned.  Below is what Mark said.

After presenting it to the coin community forum the general consensus is that it is a Copper Crosby 2-B which was in circulation with many varieties. Looks like I can’t retire on it they’re on eBay for about $100.

So Mark's coin isn't one of the extremely rare and valuable pattern pieces, but it is still very nice find, being tied to the earliest efforts to establish a unified American coinage system.

The Crosby 2B designation refers to a specific die variety of the 1783 Nova Constellatio copper coins, cataloged by numismatist Sylvester Crosby in his seminal 1875 work Early Coins of America. The Crosby 2B coins were struck in England by the Wyon family and shipped to America, where they circulated unofficially at a value of about half a penny.

Like I said yesterday, this topic provided a lot to talk about from the very beginning.  I posted, for example, some of the history in the development of the first United States coinage, but there are many other related and important topics. 

By conducting the research, and collecting various thoughts and opinions, including the input from Copilot and also the Coin Community forum, Mark obtained a much greater understanding and appreciation of his coin as well as other related things such as the history of the first United State coinage   If you'd like to view the forum thread dealing with Marks coin find, here is the link.

 1783 US 500 Unit Quint Silver - Coin Community Forum

I'm sure that many of you have old finds sitting around in an old box somewhere begging to be reexamined and researched.  I know I do.  Maybe this story will get you moving.  

I've made finds that sat around a long time, sometimes decades, before I finally figured out what they really were.  And sometimes it takes living with an item for a number of years before you learn that an item is more interesting or valuable than you originally thought.  I have items that remained mystery items for decades before I finally learned what they really are. I've posted a few examples of those in the past.

This story provides another example of a detectorists using AI.  Like I've said, AI is not always right, but it still often  helps and usually gives you a starting place because not only does it give you some ideas, but it also provides sources.  Sometimes after you correct Copilot, it will come up with better information.  AI is a tool, and like a metal detector, you get better results when you use it more skillfully.  And like you would expect, there is a learning curve.  

You might have noticed that Google search is now integrating AI into its regular search modes.  Google is transforming its search bar into a full-fledged AI-powered assistant.  Instead of just searching by using keywords, AI Mode breaks your question into subtopics and runs hundreds of parallel searches. There is more, but I just wanted to alert you to the new search capabilities.

While on this topic, which I won't stay on very long, I have to mention that I have real reservations about AI that go far beyond it giving wrong answers too often. There are other issues.  Some leading technologists and thinkers, including Elon Musk, think it could provide an existential threat. Here are a couple links on that.

Artificial intelligence could lead to extinction, experts warn

Top AI researchers and CEOs unite in warning: 'risk of extinction' posed by AI demands global attention

I'm not too disturbed by an occasional wrong answer, as long as you are alert to the possibility.  Even wrong answers can have a silver lining if you consider the idea, look for any truth in it, and then prove it wrong.  You'll be better off for it.  Don't just accept something because a fact checker, AI assistant, or metal detector user's manual says so.  Prove it for yourself.

In the past I've characterized my approach to metal detecting as being empirical or scientific.  I put a lot of emphasis on observation, whether it is observing the surf, beaches or how a metal detector works in the field.  I prefer to experiment and prove things for myself.

Some people attempt to determine the metal a find is made of by referring to the metal detector's conductivity numbers.  I don't do that.  I've shown some of my own experiments using my Equinox metal detector and the conductivity numbers produced by a variety of targets.  I've found that different gold items can produce a very wide variety of conductivity numbers.  I've shown gold items that produce exactly the same conductivity numbers as silver and copper items.  I was going to do a whole thing on that but since this is getting long, I'll just post a couple links to experiments like that.  Here they are.

Treasure Beaches Report: Pt. 2. (2020 and Beyond). : 2/12/23 Report - Would You Correctly Identify A Buried Gold Coin Or MIss It? I Was Amazed by One Thing I Learned.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 2/17/20 Report - Conductivity Numbers for Reales and Other Test Targets. Winding Unpaved Roads.

Mark's find gives a good example of where finds can be made - even a chicken coop.  By the way, my father as a child during the Great Deperssion lived with his single mother and two siblings in a chicken coop.  Even a chicken coop can have a history.  I love to check old sheds and shacks of all kinds - even outhouses.  

And Mark's chicken wasn't the first animal to uncover treasure.  There are many examples.  Here is a link to ten examples, including badgers, moles, and dogs.  

10 Animals That Made Archaeological Discoveries - Listverse

This case study on Mark's find provided a lot of good points for us all.  This might be a good time to dig out some old finds you put away long ago now that you are more experienced and have more tools to research and evaluate them.

Always keep learning.  It makes metal detecting even more fun and useful.

---

Source:nhc.noaa.gov.

This is showing a little more of a south turn.  To soon to tell.

Source: Surfguru.com.

Not  much surf.

Thanks to Mark for sharing his find and experience.

As I told Mark, the trouble with rarities is that they are rarely encountered.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/2/25 Report - An Interesting Old Coin Find Rediscovered in an Old Box. First Coins of the United States. New Activity in the Atlantic.

 

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

Coin Found by Mark G.
Story Below.

Mark G., reader and frequent contributor to this blog, sent me an email about a coin he found, which is shown above. 

Here is how Mark's story begins.

When I was young growing up in the heart of Connecticut about 12 to 14 years old I used to go bottle hunting with my dad or every payday we would go through a few roles of pennies, but he always kept the bottles and the pennies. I still remember finding MY first old bottle, brown glass hand blown cork top flask and the joy it gave me to hold it as a piece of history. In Connecticut my dad’s parents settled a small farm in the early 1900s. Coming over from Europe my Gramma was from eastern Europe what is now Czechia and my grampa from Ireland. When my dad married he got a few acres of the farm then when I married I got a few acres to build a house on. My house was directly across the street from my dad’s old farm house I sold it to my son when I moved. My Aunt still lives there today. 

Before I married and back when I was only 12 or 14 years old, I distinctly remember visiting gramma just up the road. She had chickens and sheep, and I was watching the chickens scratch at a hole in the chicken coup. I saw the chicken scratch out something round. I went into the coup to get it and it was bigger than a quarter, black and very dirty could barely make out some symbols on it. I put it my pocket took it home and saved it, I didn’t know what it was, but it looked like it was something, that was 50 years ago. I remember when we moved to Florida I still had that shoe box full of all my “special” stuff from being a boy. I tried to find that box several times after we moved then we moved again, no sign of any shoe box or stuff I remember being in that box.

Lately now that I have been learning about precious metals old coins and history and now that I have the ability to know what that thing was I have to find it. I have been dreading the feeling that it could be just another one of my great blunders, I know I threw away a winning lottery ticket in the thousands one day in a stupor and I am pretty sure I threw out at least 1 Cobb I dug before I knew what a Cobb was. I have literally having bad dreams about it. I tore the house and garage apart at least twice in the last few months until today.  

The wife asked me to get some jewelry out of the safe she wanted to start wearing and in the back of the safe I found a 2” x 2” box of old coins the wife had gotten from her father. I thought I had gone through all the stuff in the safe but I missed this little box, when I opened it there it was unmistakenly black and corroded round thing. A wave of calm came over me and I slowly walked out to the wife and told her this is the best day ever.

Little did I know just how good this day is going to be. The coin, yes it turns out it is a coin and not just any coin it’s a 1783 Quint 500 unit made of silver. This coin is a rare glimpse into early American currency rich in history and failure. I know this from copilot AI which says:

What You Might Have Found: Nova Constellatio Coin

These coins were part of a pattern series created by Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, to establish a national currency after the Revolutionary War. They were never officially circulated, but a few were struck in silver and copper as prototypes.

Key Features:

• Obverse (front): Often shows the Eye of Providence surrounded by rays and 13 stars, symbolizing the original colonies.
• Reverse (back): Includes the inscriptions “LIBERTAS” (Liberty), “JUSTITIA” (Justice), and the date 1783, often encircled by a wreath.
• Denominations: Ranged from 5 to 1000 units, with the 1000 Unit “Mark” being the largest and most iconic

Even better they were only minted in 1783:

 

1783 was the only year the 500 Unit Nova Constellatio “Quint” was minted. These coins were part of a short-lived pattern series proposed by Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance, to establish a unified national currency after the Revolutionary War. The Quint was struck in silver and intended to represent half of a “Mark” in Morris’s decimal system.

🕰️ Why Only 1783?

• The coins were experimental prototypes, not official circulating currency.
• Congress never adopted Morris’s full monetary plan, so the minting stopped after the initial trial run.
• Only a handful of Quints were produced—each one is a historical artifact from the dawn of American coinage.

 

There is a lot there to talk about already.  I won't get to a lot of it today but probably will get back to some things in future posts.

As background, The Nova Constellatio coins are the first coins struck under the authority of the United States.  The pattern coins were struck in early 1783 and are known in three silver denominations (1,000-Units, 500-Units, 100-Units), and one copper denomination (5-Units). All known examples bear the legend "NOVA CONSTELLATIO" with the exception of a unique silver 500-Unit piece.

Below are some brief excerpts from a very comprehensive article, The Nova Constellatio Patterns Among Earliest U.S. Coins."  That article was published in CoinWorld.  If you read the article, you will see some of the most extensive coin forensics documented anywhere as well as a very extensive provenance of the known coins.  

I encourage you to read the entire article, but here are a couple brief excerpts.

The story of the Nova Constellatio coins does not begin with Robert Morris, but with a Bostonian agent to the Continental Congress, John Bradford. In 1781, Bradford discovered a large quantity of what appeared at first to be low quality copper in the naval stores at Boston. That June, Bradford came into contact with a British mechanic, Benjamin Dudley...

... “The Financier, therefore, in his report, well proposes that our Coins should be in decimal proportions to one another. If we adopt the Dollar for our Unit, we should strike four coins, one of gold, two of silver, and one of copper, viz.: 

1. A golden piece, equal in value to ten dollars: 

2. The Unit or Dollar itself, of silver: 

3. The tenth of a Dollar, of silver also: 

4. The hundredth of a Dollar, of copper.”

This is the first written description of the monetary system ultimately adopted by the United States, underscoring the influence of Morris’ Nova Constellatios.  

Much has been written about these important and intriguing coins; however, two years of intensive study has led me to believe that we have much more to learn about them. The publication of The Papers of Robert Morris and the availability of portions of the papers of Congress from the Confederation era have given us access to a tremendous number of facts about the Nova Constellatio coins. In fact, probably more primary source information is available about these coins than any other early Federal issue... 

And here is the link for the rest of the article.

Nova Constellatio patterns among earliest U.S. coins

I'll leave it at that today.

Thanks much for sharing your find Mark.

I'm sure a lot of you can dig an old find out of an old box and realize that you had something interesting that you didn't appreciate enough.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

That is something to watch.

Fort Pierce Surf Chart from Surfguru.com

Looks like no big surf this week.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/1/25 Report - 16th Century Reliquary Detected by Three-Year-Old Holding Metal Detector: Update. Revolutionary War Submarine: Turtle.

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

Found by Three-Year-Old First Time Holding a Metall Detector.

My all-time most read-post is the one about a three-year-old finding a multi-million-dollar 16th Century gold reliquary.  It was posted all the way back in 2010.  The original link does not appear to work any- more but I've found other active links to the story.

James (the three-year-old) said: ‘I was holding the detector and it went beep, beep, beep. Then we dug into the mud. There was gold there. We didn’t have a map – only pirates have treasure maps.’...

He had just been passed the device at a field in Hockley, Essex, when it began to buzz...

Here is a view of the reliquary that wasn't in my original post.

And my original post didn't have the gold purity. Here is article found by the new link says about that.

The sides of the reliquary are about an inch long and it is 73 per cent gold...

Here is the new link.

James Hyatt unearths £2.5m treasure trove on FIRST metal detecting expedition | Daily Mail Online

And here is a link to a July 2025 article that states that the find was made in 2009 but is now getting a lot of attention in social media.  

The boy who struck gold: How a 3-year-old unearthed a $4 million treasure

The pendant was acquired by the British Museum and is now called the Hockley pendant.  It was opened by conservators and found to only contain some flax fibers but probably once contained a religious artifact.  It is thought it could have also been enameled.

Here is another of the additional views presented in the Met article that you can reach with the following link.  The new views are after conservation.

Medieval Golden Pendant Valued at $4 Million Found by Toddler

Old posts occasionally need to be updated, especially after conservation and research has revealed new findings.  Old links also often need to be replaced by new working links.

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After the Battle of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775, Bushnell began working on the project with New Haven’s wealthy inventor and fellow patriot, Isaac Doolittle (1721 – 1800). The pair assembled the earliest true submarine affectionately named the Turtle.  But to do so required several firsts.

Bushnell's idea of using water as ballast for submerging and raising a submersible, considered simple and ingenious, is still in use to this day. So too the screw or two-blade propeller, as the name indicates to propel a vessel, was first crafted by Doolittle for the Turtle, which later revolutionized all steam and coal driven water craft.  While a student at Yale, Bushnell was the first to demonstrate that gunpowder could explode underwater. Even more so, again with the help of Doolittle’s knowledge of brass and clock mechanics, was the first ever to construct a time-bomb; a clock-work mechanism that used a flint-lock sparking mechanism to explode water tight black powder. The plan was to attach the time bomb to the hull of a British man-of-war. Lastly, further expanding his knowledge of explosives, Bushnell became the father of ‘sea mines’, the first to use a firelock system, similar to the breech of a musket, to ignite water-tight black powder upon contact. They were called torpedoes as were all explosive water devises at that time...

The idea of exploding ships by the use of mines had been around since the 14th century. The Chinees floated wooden boxes laden with black powder. However, the explosive remained above water and could only be set off manually by tugging on a trigger mechanism attached by a long cord to either another vessel or on land. What could be called the first submarine was designed by Dutch engineer and inventor Cornelis Drebbel (1572-1633). By 1620, he had moved to England where he designed and built a wooden vessel that could be propelled underwater. This first submarine, though billed as such, did not fully submerge. Weighted down so a large portion remained underwater, it used sixteen surface oars to drive it up the Thames in London during its demonstration...

Here is the link for more about that.

The Turtle: Infernal Vessel Became the First Submarine Used in War – Revolutionary War Journal

Several attempts were made using the Turtle to affix explosives to the undersides of British warships in New York harbor in 1776. All failed, and her transport ship was sunk later that year by the British with the submarine aboard. Bushnell claimed eventually to have recovered the machine, but its final fate is unknown. Modern replicas of Turtle have been constructed and are on display in various museums.

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Wabasso Beach Cam Clipping.

People are on the Treasure Coast beaches to enjoy the day off.  There are a good number of people with surf boards despite the small surf.

Here is the link for the Wabasso beach cam.  Indian River County FL.

Fort Pierce North Jetty Beach Cam from SurfGuru.com.

Several surfers trying to catch a wave by the north jetty.

Sebastian Pier Beach Cam from Surfguru.com.

Not much going on there.  More fishing than surfing today.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

So a little development here.  Keep watching.

Good Labor Day,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net