Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
I didn't plan to talk anymore about the Castine Hoard, but I found a new article that simply too good to pass up. It is simply the best and most interesting numismatic investigation I ever read.
Below are a couple excerpts from a foreword to an issue of the Colonial Newsletter (CNL), a publication of the American Numismatic Society, which presents a great article on the hoard. That article not only documents the hoard but also investigates the mysteries surrounding it.
Here is the first excerpt from the foreword explaining the importance of the hoard.
And here is another excerpt from the foreword. This one shows an understanding of the detectorist, which is uncommon in numismatic or archaeological publications.
Human psychology plays a roll in both the deposition of a hoard as well as its finding and interpretation.
Here is the link to the above mentioned forward so you can read the entire thing.
A really great article entitled, Second Thoughts on a First-Rate Coin Hoard: Castine Revisited, follows the foreword.
Not only does the article give an understanding of the fascinating history of the time and place, but it also examines the documented coins, notices a mysterious anomaly and presents several possible answers. The mystery rivals some of the best mysteries of literature.
I'll try to boil it down for you. The coins of the hoard were not all found at once and some were destroyed and some ended up in various separate collections, including at least a couple museums. It was noticed that one of the photos of a sample of coins reportedly from the hoard contained a date that did not seem to fit in with the others and contradicted the earlier proposed date of deposition.
Several hypotheses were entertained to solve the mystery. Was the deposition later than previously thought? Were coins added to the main deposition at different times and perhaps by subsequent generations of the family? Was there actually more than one hoard in the area? Or was the misfit coin mistakenly included in the group by the donor to the museum? Those are some of the hypotheses investigated. The circumstances of the families living in the area and the opportunities and likelihood of the various possibilities was considered.
The map at the top of the page shows the location where the hoard was found. As explained in the article, there were good reasons for people to bury goods at that location.
This is a lengthy article and not a quick read. Spoiler alert. Here is the final paragraph of the article.
If you like either mysteries or treasure hunting, I think you'll like this article. It is an exceptional article in both regards.
Here is the link once again.
---
There was an explosion in the Atlantic to the east of Daytona that registered like an earthquake but seems it could be naval testing.
Here is the link for that story.
Explosion off Florida coast registers as magnitude 3.9 earthquake - BNO News
---
 |
| Sourc: Nhc.noaa.gov. |
There is a little activity in the Gulf that won't affect us.
The surf on the Treasure Coast is still running flat.
We are having some nice high tides and negative lows.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net