Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
The above photo and following excerpts are from a cool story about a great find.
A metal detectorist in Norway recently found a striking depiction of Jesus Christ in a grassy meadow — a gilded figure that dates back nearly 1,000 years...
The figurine, which dates to around 1100 A.D., was found on All Saints' Day, the Christian holy day that honors all martyrs and saints...
"But we persevered. … We found 78 buttons, some coins, buckles, a medieval weight and a lot of the usual finds."...
Photos of the discovery show the weathered figurine depicting Jesus on the cross, still bearing remnants of gilding and fine detail on its torso...
The detectorist promptly called experts and reported the find. In Norway, Dybvik said, all objects from before 1537 must be reported to authorities...
Treasure hunter finds Jesus figurine, nearly 1,000 years old, in windswept Norway field | Fox News
1537!
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--- For all the talk of billion-dollar valuations, the wheat penny story is also surprisingly domestic. Many of the most interesting finds do not come from high-end auctions but from kitchen drawers and inherited jars of change. Collectors note that Many people discover valuable wheat pennies in old jars, inherited collections and even in pocket change, especially when they start checking dates against reference lists that highlight key years like 1931 and other low-mintage issues, as outlined in guides that help owners compare wheat penny values by year. The romance of the hunt is part of what keeps demand high, because every new collector hopes their coffee can of coins hides a rarity.
The looming disappearance of the penny from everyday commerce is only intensifying that search...
Here is the link for the rest of that article on wheat pennies.
Why wheat pennies are suddenly worth more than gold
Yesterday I found a 1940 wheat I got in change from a checkout machine at Winn-Dixie.
I saw the Lincoln side first, but the copper tone made me thing it might be a wheatie, so I turned it over and saw the wheat.
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Recently I mentioned a couple completely encrusted objects that I considered cleaning by electrolysis. They were finds that were completely encrusted, and I was not sure how I wanted to proceed with the cleaning. With one of shown below, I first tried vinegar, which wasn't working. The black encrustation did not seem affected by the acid, although the little white calcareous spots were dissolved.
Manuals on cleaning and conservation are usually organized by what the object is made of, but I've found that the type of corrosion or crust needs to be considered. Some methods just won't work with some types of encrustation.
I've found encrusted coins that did not respond to acid at all. That was the case with the silver coins that were recovered from Ambersands. They were dumped at Ambersands after being removed from the Sebastian inlet. They were completed covered with a black crust that was impervious to acid. When I broke the crust, the inside showed a negative of the coins surface. Below is an example from of part of the shell that encapsulated a Mercury dime. You can clearly see the reverse image of Mercury.
I don't know what the crust was made of but it was hard and wasn't affected by acid. I just broke it and removed it like an eggshell.
The point I am making is that you should probably consider the type of corrosive material as well as the composition of the object when you select a cleaning method. Sometimes acid is the best choice and sometimes you will need something else. Sometimes you might choose electrolysis.
This encrusted object shown above looks like acid might do the job, but I'll try vinegar a first anyhow.
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| Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com. |
By Tuesday the wind had shifted some. It is now more northeast as is the surf.
The high tides are still over three feet.
It looks like we might have some nice high surf in about a week.
I noticed some of the web cams were not working today on SurfGuru.
Good hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net