5/29/20 Report - Valuable Imitation Cobs Versus Modern Fakes and Copies. Beach Conditions.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

John Brooks Early Friday Morning.

We are into summer conditions now and the beaches are sandy.  Hurricane season begins Monday.

Walton Rocks Friday Morning.

This time of years there are other things to deal with in addition to the sandy beaches, especially if you go out in the morning after rain.  You might want to think of the insects.  

This morning I wasn't bothered by the noseeums or sand flies or whatever you call them, but at some locations the mosquitos were very heavy.  Insect repellant might be a good idea.

Walton Rocks Friday Morning.

There was a little chop and both the beach and shallow water was sandy.

Frederick Douglass Friday Morning.

Frederick Douglass Friday Morning.

As you can see, these beaches didn't look very good.

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One thing I noticed in Sedwick's treasure auction yesterday was a number of  "imitation" cobs.

You can use a lot of different words in addition to imitation, such as fake, counterfeit, or copy,  and you might think of all of them as being worthless, but that is not necessarily the case.

There were several good examples that sold for good prices.

For example, there was a Cartagena copper imitation 2-reales that sold for $6,545, including the buyer's premium.  Here it is.

I don't know what you'd think of it if you dug it up, but I suspect that you could think it is junk.  It really doesn't look very good.  

Here is another "imitation."  It looks very strange.   You might suspect right away that it is a fake, but it sold for over a thousand dollars.

Below is another imitation.  If you've seen many 1715 cobs, I think this one would immediately strike you as strange and probably fake.  But it is old, like the other two above, and was dated to the early 1800s.

And below is one more "imitation."

It looks strange too, but perhaps not as strange as some of the others.  It also dates to the early 1800s.

I've done posts on fakes, copies and counterfeits before.  There are different kinds.  Some are not meant to deceive.  They might be souvenirs.

Modern fakes should be stamped "COPY" but they are not always properly marked.  Sometimes they are marked but the mark can be removed or hidden.  I had one that was marked, but it wasn't easy to find the mark.

Here is one marked "COPY" I dug up down at Jensen Beach a few years ago.  It is a modern fake that isn't worth anything.

Fake Cob Marked "COPY."

Many fakes are often made of the wrong metal, as is the one above.  Fake escudos are often plated.

There were a lot of interesting curiosities in that particular session of the auction.   I never buy treasure coins or artifacts, but study the auctions.  You'll see more good examples in the Sedwick auctions than you'll likely see anywhere else, including museums.

One thing I say time and time again, is don't be too hasty.  It can take a quite a while to figure out the real story of a find.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

5/28/20 Report - Treasure Prices Remain High. Gold Pancake, Dutch Ducatoon Clump. Human Spirit Soars.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

The first day of bidding in the current Sedwick treasure auction has concluded and the bidding was exciting.  A very high percent of the lots closed higher than the high end of the auction estimates. 

One of the first day over-achievers was lot 55 - described as a round gold pancake (below).

Here is the lot description.

Small, round gold "pancake," 11.94 grams, ex-Espadarte (1558), with Sotheby's catalog. About 3/4" in diameter and 1/8" thick. Cute little droplet of gold with no markings but some areas of encrustation, one side covered with the original sticker from the salvagers, scarce provenance. From the Espadarte (1558), with certificate #1035 from the salvagers, and pedigreed to our Auction #3, with original lot tag #58, also with catalog of the Christie's (Amsterdam) "Fort San Sebastian Wreck" auction of May 2004.

The docementation and provenance undoubtedly had a lot to do with the price that was realize.

The auction estimate was $400 - $600, but the item sold for $3332.00, which includes the buyer's premium. That is four or five times the auction estimate.

Among the lots that brought high bids were a couple of early 1700s Lima 8-escudos.  Two different escudos went for $38,675, (including the premium).  One had an auction estimate of $17,500 - $25,000 and the other had an auction estimate of 20,000 - 40000.

One lot that caught my attention when I first looked at the auction listings was lot 270 - a neat clump including a couple ducatoons.  That lot is described below.

That was another lot that sold for several times the high end of the auction estimate.  Actually it was nearly six times the auction estimate.

The economic shutdown didn't seem to hurt the auction results.

World coins and paper money lots will be auctioned today.

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Douglas sent in a good tip.  Do a search of RPPC or real photo post cards on eBay or places like that.  You might add Florida as a keyword to your search.  Douglas sent this link to hippostcard.com for example.  You'll find some interesting views.

Here is an example.

https://www.hippostcard.com/category/florida/12186/?keywords=Real+OR+RPPC&sort=default&listing_type=product&utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=New%20Postcards%2020200523-5878

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Yesterday was an inspiring day for me.  I managed to catch some of the coverage of the SpaceX launch.  It was on at least one TV channel.

The launch was postponed, but if you watched the coverage leading up to launch time, you saw the excitement of past astronauts and some of their family members as they talked about how important it was for the country to get back into the space race.  They said it represented a new era in space exploration for this country.  We have been paying the Russians big money to give our astronauts a ride.  That is embarrassing.  A small private company, much smaller than companies like Boeing, managed to attack a problem and come up with a new improved solution, and they did it more quickly and inexpensively than was thought possible.  There is always a better way waiting to be found.

The launch represents the huge creative talent of the human spirit.  It shows what people can do when they are propelled by their dreams more than their fears.

There are dreamers and there are haters.  There are those who give hope, and even those who hope against success.

Yes, there is risk.  That risk was acknowledged and confronted.  There are those willing to take the risk of sitting on the tip of a bomb because their sight is set on what is above.  Success is not guaranteed, but if not this time, eventually it will come - as long as there are people with hope.

Some channels didn't even cover the launch.  It seemed like they wanted no part of anything positive.

I hope you are not wondering what this has to do with treasure hunting.  It is treasure hunting.  It is about facing fears and overcoming problems.  It is about technology and innovation.  It is about accomplishing more than was thought possible.  But most importantly, it is about the human spirit and the treasures that await.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

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Today the surf will be about two feet and tomorrow just a touch higher.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

5/27/20 Report - Sedwick Auction. Holmes and Edwards Spoon, Lead Sheathing. Chronology of Nails.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Even if you do not plan to bid, you can still watch the auction.  When it goes live, the lots go quickly.

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A couple weeks ago I started to look at some of the tableware that I've found over the years.  I posted some of those and got some help with makers marks.  Today I'll post one of the larger and more ornate ones I've found.

Large Rose Pattern Ladle.

Makers Mark.

Looking at little closer, the marks are clearly visible.

Closer Look At Maker's Mark.

The makers is obviously Holmes and Edwards.  I'm not sure what the other two marks are.  It seems that most tableware show at least one number.  I assume it is the pattern number, but don't know that.

Here is what I found.

The Holmes & Edwards Silver Co began its activity in 1882 succeeding to Rogers & Brittin. The initial business was the production of low priced plated flatware using its own blanks or simply plating blanks of other manufacturers.

The qualitative leap in Holmes & Edwards production occurred with the acquisition of the invention patents obtained by William A. Warner of Syracuse for a technique of inlaying blocks of sterling silver at the wear points on the back of spoons and forks prior to plating them.

Warner went to work for Holmes & Edwards and his patents (December 9, 1884 and March 2, 1886) brought to the firm a gold medal at the Columbian Exposition in 1893 and a prominent place in silverplate industry.

The Holmes & Edwards plant was taken over in 1898 by the International Silver Company, continuing to operate in Bridgeport until 1931 when it moved to Meriden.

In 1956 the trademark "SILVER INLAID" was changed to "HOLMES & EDWARDS DEEPSILVER" and in 1960 to "INTERNATIONAL DEEPSILVER".

Silver inlaid production was discontinued in 1972 and later marketed by Wallace International Silversmiths Inc.

Trade marks used by Holmes & Edwards: STRATFORD SILVER CO, ORIENTAL MEXICAN CRAIG, HESCO, VIANDE, AZTEC COIN METAL. 

See http://www.silvercollection.it/HOLMESANDEDWARDS.html

I've not researched this particluar piece to the point that I can place its date.

That is a good web site that has a lot of information on maker's marks and silverware companies.

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If you hunted the Treasure Coast shipwreck beaches, there is a good chance you've found flat pieces of lead.  They come in various sizes and often have nail holes.  Often one side will show the imprint of a cloth weave.

Some have thought that the lead was nailed to the hull over a cloth undercoating.  An article published in 2001 issue of a Fisher newsletter throws doubt on that theory.

See

Here is the link.

https://www.academia.edu/4351205/Lead_Hull-Sheathing_of_the_1622_Galleon_Santa_Margarita?email_work_card=view-paper

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Another thing you'll find is nails.  An article in Historical Archaeology will help you learn about the manufacture of nails through history and identify the date of your nail finds.

Here is a very helpful table from that article.

And here is the link.

https://uccshes.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/nail-chronology-the-use-of-technologically-derived-features.pdf

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It looks like we'll have a two to three foot surf for several days.

Happy hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net