4/22/26 Report - Seal Using an Even Older Carved Gemstone. Atocha, Margarita Research Report and Illustrations. Stylized Typography.

 

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

The finely-carved Roman gemstone shows a charioteer standing on a racing chariot, with whip in hand, urging on two high-stepping horses© Colchester and Ipswich Museum Servic

A metal detectorist has discovered a "really special" medieval seal matrix, with a Roman carved gemstone at its centre.

"It's not common to have an object composed from two different time periods," said the county's finds liaison officer Lori Rogerson.

The oval-shaped carnelian was engraved with a two-horse team behind a charioteer, while the thick silver surrounding was inscribed "Richard's secret".

"I thought it was really special find," said Miss Rogerson of the object, which she dated to between 1200 to 1400...

The carved gem is thought to date to closer to 1 AD.

Here is the link for the rest of the story.

Medieval seal with Roman stone is a 'special find'

If you've ever found a pendant with an old coin, you've found an "uncommon" item composed of parts from different age periods. 

In this blog I've talked a lot about those kinds of things, especially the popularity of the mounted treasure coins.

One dating error that I think is more common than is generally acknowledged.  Old items are automatically thought to have been lost long ago when that is not necessarily the case.  

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Here are a few pictures of galleons from the Atocha and Margarita Shipwreck Projects Master Report Section 5 - 2024 Season Report Update and Request for Renewal of Permit.

I thought you might enjoy those pictures, but there is much more in the report that you might also like.  I think the report is over 150 pages with numerous illustrations.

The following picture of parts of a salvaged gold belt can also be found in the report along with other fascinating artifacts.

I'm not sure but I think I saw belt sections like that in the current Sedwick auction.

And here is just a small bit of the text from the report.

The continued objectives for these projects is to map and salvage all of the Atocha and Margarita’s tackle, armaments, apparel and cargo wherever they may be found as directed by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, in Admiralty, to return them to the stream of commerce, share them with the world via our public Research Database and recover them before they are lost to the ravages of the sea via in-situ deterioration. This will include manifested artifacts as well as contraband cargo and artifacts that are believed to have been on board these two ships. Based on the ships manifests and the research work done by the Fisher Family, Dr. Eugene Lyon, Dr. Corey Malcolm, Manuel Marcial, Gary Randolph, James Sinclair, Duncan Mathewson and others, below is a list of the approximate armaments and cargo that are yet to be recovered. Atocha:  10 Bronze Cannons  4 Tons of Cannon Balls  264 Silver Bars  45,000 – 65,000 Silver Coins  111 Gold Bars / Disks  140 Copper Ingots  60+ lbs. Rough Colombian Emeralds  An untold number of other artifacts and smuggled items Santa Margarita:  80,000 Silver coins  169 Silver Bars  4 Bronze guns  22 Copper Ingots  An untold number of other artifacts and smuggled items... 

That document is lengthy and extensive.  Take a look.  Here is the link.

Atocha-Margarita 2024 Report-Renewal for FKNMSv2025-01-29.pdf

They also spelled out the research methodology and procedures.

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That reminds me.  Yesterday I saw on a recent episode of the Oak Island TV show, much being made of a capital A with a v-shaped crossbar on a map. That type of A is not all that uncommon.  According to Copilot If you see a capital A with a v‑shaped crossbar, you’re most likely looking at typography inspired by ancient Roman inscriptions, medieval/Celtic lettering, or vintage metal type, often used today in brewery branding, fantasy themes, or historical reproductions.

In the answer, Copilot sourced a reddit post actually showed a French clock with such an A used more than once on the face of the clock. I'm sure I've seen that kind of "A" used in various contexts myself.

Sometimes people thing they are recognizing or finding patterns when they are really constructing them.  There is a natural tendency to make connections between things.  It is an active mental process  We sometimes lay our own mental stories on top a more or less ambiguous situation.

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Surt Chart from SurfGuru.com.

So the surf is slowly decreasing.  The tides have moderated.  Low tide this morning was near first sunrise.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net