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Friday, April 22, 2022

4/22/22/ Report - Current Beach Conditions: Turtle Trail. Mystery Find: Wadcutter Bullet.


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

Turtle Trail Thursday.
Photo by DJ.


Look at all the sand at Turtle Trail.  At least one fellow is metal detecting.  

Turtle Trail Thursday.
Photo by DJ.

Lots of sand and almost no people.

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I showed a mystery find yesterday.  William K. said he is pretty sure the item that the item I showed yesterday is a 38 caliber wadcutter.  

I found a few photos of bullets that looked similar to the one I found.   Below is an example, even though it isn't exactly the same.  The one shown below is a hollow tip.


 l then ooked up "wadcutter."  Here is what I learned.

First, recoil is minimal with .38 Special WCs. Second, a full WC not only cuts easy-to-score holes in a bull’s-eye target, they can also serve well in a self-defense situation by delivering the full cross-sectional impact of a .38 caliber bullet.

So wadcutters are good for target shooting and self defense.  The reasons are explained in an  article I found in GunsMagazine, and I'm pretty sure now that the mystery item is a .38 caliber wadcutter.

Here is the link.

GUNS Magazine .38 Wadcutters - GUNS Magazine

Metal detecting is a very educational activity.  You learn about all kinds of things.

Thanks much William.

---

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

I may miss a few posts the next several days.  I did most of this last night.

Just had a passing in the family,  so I'm out.

TreaureGuide@comcast.net

Thursday, April 21, 2022

4/21/.22 Report - A Look At John Brooks Beach. Mystery Finds. WWII History: Very Big Coil.

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

John Brooks Beach Wednesday Early Afternoon.

As you can see, John Brooks beach was eroded a little, but only a very little.  I suspect that most of the erosion occurred Monday before the wind shifted.  There was a little seaweed, giving evidence of some refilling.

John Brooks Beach Early Afternoon Wednesday.

The slope was soft.  A lot of new sand had accumulated there in the past weeks, and I suspect it will take a while to remove it.

John Brooks Beach Early Afternoon Wednesday.

Not much erosion, but of course some beaches are slightly better than others.

As of Wednesday morning, the wind is still brisk but appears to be easterly.

I did a little metal detecting a found a few miscellaneous bits including a few coins that were obviously out there for quite a while.

Lead Find.
3/8 Inch Diameter and 5/8 Inch Long.

Above is one item I found.  At first I thought it might be a bullet, but I don't know.  I haven't seen one just like that.  I thought for a moment it could be a plug,, but the four bands circling the item are parallel, not screw like.  

The bottom appears to be flat while the top slightly domed.  No holes.

What do you think?

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Here is one big coil.

Plane Fitted With Coil To Explode Magnetic Mines.
Source: HistoryNet.  See link below.

When Germany deployed magnetic mines early in the war, Britain countered with aircraft that could explode them by mimicking a ship’s magnetic signature.

Here is the link for an interesting article.

Aerial Minesweeping: Ingenious Solution to a Hidden Undersea Menace | HistoryNet

I'm sure my father would have preferred this method to the minesweeper he served on.


Three Planes To Clear Mine Fields.
Source: Same HistoryNet article.
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In response to a recent post, John C. sent in this photo that he made some time ago on a St. Lucie County beach.
Find and Photo by John C.

Any ideas on that one?

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

The surf is expected to be four to six feet today (Thursday).   

It looks like the wind is continuing easterly.

Good Hunting,

TresaureGuide@comcast.net



Wednesday, April 20, 2022

4/20/22 Report - Higher Surf Today. Good Tides. 1715 Fleet Gold Prayer Rings.

 

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

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Finally, a change!  After weeks of one- and two-foot surf, we finally have some higher water.  I hope to get out to check some of the beaches today.  We have some decent tides to go along with the higher surf.  Unfortunately, the north winds we had yesterday have shifted too.


Tides Today For Fort Pierce Area.

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One exceptionally interesting 1715 Fleet items for sale in the current Sedwick auction is a ring bearing

Lot 1366 In The Current Sedwick Auction.

Here is the lot description.

Gold ring engraved inside with Prayer of Saint Zacharias, approx. 20K, size 7-1/2, ex-1715 Fleet. 2.84 grams. Among the many jewels recovered from the 1715 Fleet (both by salvors and on the beach) were three gold rings plus one gold bracelet that all bore mysterious engraved crosses and letters, which we have deciphered to be what is known as the Prayer of Saint Zacharias, a divine intercession against the Black Death, from a collection of prayers against plague recorded by Saint Zacharias (d. 116 AD), preserved by Spanish monks, and approved by the Council of Trent in 1546. In our own time (even used to ward off COVID-19!) more typically we see the abbreviated prayer on double-armed crosses. The inscription inside this ring reads +Z+DIA+BIZ+SAB+Z+HG+F+BFS (see below for full text of this prayer). This ring, like the others found, is fairly large for the period and bears a little crease where the thin band was fused after engraving, but in fact it is pristine and as bright in gold as the day it was lost, all the various letters and crosses very sharp and clear. The outside bears no engraving nor ornamentation. XRF: 85% gold, 7% silver. From the 1715 Fleet.

+ O Cross of Christ, save me.

Z. May zeal for your house free me.

+ The Cross conquers; the Cross reigns; the Cross rules; by the sign of the Cross free me, O Lord, from this plague.

D. God, my God, drive this plague away from me, and from this place, and free me.

I. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit, my heart, and my body.

A. Before heaven and earth, God was; and God is able to liberate me from this plague.

+ The Cross of Christ is able to expel the plague from this place and from my body.

B. It is good to wait for the help of God in silence, that he may drive away this plague from me.

I. I will incline my heart to performing your just deeds, and I will not be confounded, for I have called upon you.

Z. I had zeal on occasion of the wicked; seeing the peace of sinners, I have hoped in you.

+ The Cross of Christ puts demons and corrupt air† to flight and drives away the plague.

S. I am your salvation, says the Lord; cry out to me, and I will hear you, and I will liberate you from this plague.

A. Abyss calls to abyss, and you have expelled demons by your voice; liberate me from this plague.

B. Blessed the man who hopes in the Lord, and does not look upon vanities, and false extravagances.

+ May the Cross of Christ, which was once the cause of scandal and indignity, and is now in glory and nobility, be for my salvation, and expel from this place the demon, and corrupt air†, and plague from my body.

Z. May zeal for the honor of God convert me before I die, and in your name, save me from this plague.

+ May the sign of the Cross free the people of God, and those who trust in him, from the plague.

H. Will this foolish people return to the Lord? Make good on your vows, offering a sacrifice of praise and faith to him, because he is able to liberate this place and me, from this plague; for whoever trusts in him will not be confounded.

G. If I will not praise you, let my tongue stick to my throat and to my jaws; free those who hope in you; in you I trust; liberate me and this place, O God, from this plague, for your name has been invoked in prayer.

F. At your death, O Lord, darkness fell over the whole earth; my God, render the power of the devil tenuous and dim, for it is for this that you have come, O Son of the living God: so that you might destroy the works of the devil. With your power, drive out from this place and from me, your servant, this plague; and may the corrupt air† depart from me into the outer darkness.

+ Defend us, O Cross of Christ, and expel from this place the plague, and free your servant from this plague, you who are kind, and merciful, and of many mercies, and true.

B. Blessed is he who does not look upon vanities, and false extravagances; on the day of evil the Lord will free him; Lord, I have trusted in you; free me from this plague.

F. God has become my refuge; because I have trusted in you, free me from this plague.

R. Look upon me, O Lord my God, Adonai, from the holy seat of your Majesty, and have mercy on me, and because of your mercy, free me from this plague.

S. You are my Salvation: heal me, and I will be healed; save me, and I will be saved.

Amen.

Back in 2014 I did a post on 1715 Fleet "posey" rings.  Here is the link.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 8/15/14 Report - Bronze Rod Shipwreck Finds. 1715 Fleet Posey Rings and Bracelet Finds With Inscriptions To Be Translated.

I think I did another post that year which provided the translation.

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For the past weeks or so a Bible verse has been on my mind.  It is John 21:18, which reads as follows.

Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. 

I think I mentioned we had some illness in the family.  I know there are others of you that are going through similar things.

My 96-year-old mother-in-law who was living independently in the home she lived in most of her adult life, went to the hospital a couple weeks ago because of a heart valve problem finally catching up with her.  She also has a mass on her lungs, probably from years breathing dust while working in a plastics manufacturing plant.  She was taken by the ambulance to the hospital and is now in rehabilitation center and is receiving a lot of much needed assistance, even though she really doesn't want to be there.  She is not expected to last long.  She avoided doctors as much as she could.  She did not get Covid vaccinated, but successfully avoided Covid by her own methods, as did the other two 96-year-old women in my family.  They are another breed from another time.  My mother avoids aspirins.  I finally convinced her to take one when she had a tooth ache, and one when she was having trouble with arthritis.  She refused to take a second on both occasions.  Other than the daily baby aspirins I finally got her to take in the past few years, I doubt that she has taken more than a dozen aspirins in her entire life.  Good luck telling those near centenarians what to do.  They did it their way, and you'll be lucky to do so well no matter how much you think you know.

These ladies were born before penicillin.  They survived a lot, including a good many years.  And all three, up until recently alone and independently - two having lost a husband several years ago.  The verse was meant to describe the fate of Peter, but no matter how tough or how independent you are, there likely will come a time when you will need assistance, and someone will carry you where you do not want to go.

When you meet someone in the store or wherever, many people are going through difficulties you know nothing about.  I know some of those who read this blog are.  Be kind.


Z DIA BIZ SAB ZHG BFRS

TreasureGuide@comcast.net


Tuesday, April 19, 2022

4/1922 Report - Another Method of Scooping Up Treasure. Old Electrolysis Kit. Bigger Surf Coming.


Written by the TreasureGuide for the ezclusive use of the TreasureBeachesReport

Kelly-Kleen Electrolysis System.
\
I found this booklet in a box of old research materials.  I purchased the Kelly-Kleen electrolysis system back in 1992.  The receipt is attached to the booklet.  It still works and I still use it once in a while even though I've had it for thirty years.  It isn't often you purchase something that is still used so many years later.

You can use a lot of things to do electrolysis these days.  You probably have everything you need around the house.  Maybe you'll need a package of alligator clips. 

In 2018 I did a post telling how to use a common AC adapter to do electrolysis.

Here is the link.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 7/2/18 Report - Cleaning the Roughest of Coins: Acid and Electrolysis Comparison. Easy to Build Electrolysis Tank.

I still remember the first time I used the Kelly Kleen.  I overdid it and ruined a buffalo nickle.

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Here is one more photo from the 1941 National Geographic article I mentioned yesterday.  It is the one showing a salvage diver using a diving helmet.


Source: 1941 National Geographic Magazine.

I can't find that photocopy right now, so I can't post the name of the people shown.
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Deep-Dive Scoop.

Here is another way to scoop up treasure.  A large and extremely sturdy basket with a 30-foot adjustable handle.

I've used the Deep-Dive.  It works, but it is a lot of work.   It is one way to scoop up underwater treasure without getting wet.

That is another old thing I found in my box of old papers.

I once showed the Deep-Dive scoop in an old post.  Here it is.



See The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 6/26/13 Report - It's not over til the Fat Lady sings. Producing Beaches & Big Scoop.

I put the shovel in the scoop just for size comparison.  It is a regular shovel.  It has three lengths of heavy PVC handle that can be attached.

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Durham: I Have Evidence the FBI & CIA KNEW Trump/Russia Was Bogus (rumble.com)

Durham is making a lifetime job out of finding out what everybody already knew for years.   Give those DC folks credit for finding ways to get on the public money train.

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Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

So tomorrow we should see a bump in the surf.  Tides are still pretty good too.  

Good north wind started this morning.

I haven't been able to get out much lately.   It has been a difficult year.

Good hunting.

Treasureguide@comcast.net




Monday, April 18, 2022

4/18/22 Report - Boxes of Old Research Materials and How Things Have Changed.

 

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

Source: Vol. 80, 1941 National Geographic Magazine.
Cannon on Florida Reefs Solve Mystery of Sunkenship, by Charles Brookfiedld. 

I was looking through an old box full of research materials that I hadn't seen for a long time.   There were hundreds of photocopied pages.  They included shipwreck sites from several very exhaustive resources, pages of books on Spanish cobs, and a lot of information on the keys since I lived down south at the time.

One of the older articles I found was an article from vol. 80 of a 1941 National Geographic Magazine, which included some photos showing how things have changed in the last eighty or so years.

In the photo above it might appear at first glance like they are looking at the blowers off the back of a salvage boat, but they are actually using what the article calls waterglasses, which are just barrels or tubes with glass in the bottom so you can get a good look at what is below.  

Another interesting photo showed a diver coming up with a diving helmet - not scuba tanks.  1941 was a couple years before Cousteau invented scuba gear.

I'm often impatient with the rate of progress, thinking things haven't changed much, but there are couple big changes.  I never see anyone using glass bottom buckets to look below anymore.  

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I noticed one pile of photocopies showing every beach access around the state.  I don't know what the date of publication for that one was but it says Ambersand Beach Park will open in 1985, so it must have been before that.  It also says, "Development plans include a "sail-cat" ramp.  That was at least thirty some years ago, and it hasn't happened yet.

Instead of Seagrape Trail and Turtle Trail it reads, North County Walkway and South County Walkway, which, as far as I can tell, seem to be in the North County and South County walkways, althought that doesn't seem right to me.  How is Turtle Trail South County?  Maybe you can straighten me out on that.

I remember finding what I thought at the time might be part of a lead draft marker something like those shown below.

I don't see the name of the publication on that page.  

The text reads, "The draught markers, Roman numerals VII and IX, told me at once the ship they belonged to had to be a large one, for a a small sloop would never draw more than four of five feet."

Today I don't think the lead strips I found are draught markers, but probably part of a frame of some sort.  Anyhow, in doing the research that is the kind of thing I was looking at.  

The photocopies pages in that box were heavy in those areas that were in some way relevant to me, as is natural, but there was also a lot of information for sites that I never got around to investigating.  I probably never will.  

I won't look at any more of those tonight.  There are way too many pages.  You don't see boxes of photocopied pages much anymore.  It can be convenient to have some things on paper rather searching everything on the internet.

One of the things I found interesting is some of the personal correspondence from treasure hunting groups and the old newsletters from Garrett, Fisher, Tesoro etc.

I also found a copy of In the Wake of the Golden Galleons by Roy Volker and Dick Richmond.  That was from 1976,

If you are old enough you might be familiar with Exanimo Press.  Do you know what treasure hunter is associated with that?  I'll tell you in a future post.

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From watching TV, it would seem that people use the internet rather than a family doctor or provider to guide their health care decisions these days.  

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The tides are pretty big right now, and it looks like we'll be getting some bigger surf.


Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Good Hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net


Sunday, April 17, 2022

4/17/22 Report - Have A Blessed Easter.

 

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

100-Year-Old Easter Card Sent to Earl Clarke Mounts of Rural Washington, Pa.


If your mind wanders, you might wonder why the most sacred holiday of the Christian faith is called Easter.  

Easter is not a word you'll find in the Bible.  And a lot, if not all, of what you hear is only partially true, or not true at all.

Some like to say that Easter is a pagan holiday named after the Germanic goddess of fertility, Eostre, at the time of year that Eostre was celebrated, Eosturmonath, which not surprisingly was around the Spring equinox.

To confuse Easter with the worship of Eostre, though, is like confusing the month of March, with the God Mars, which, it is said, is the derivation of the name of the month.  

Words and names evolve, and the original word or name might have little to nothing to do with the current meaning or use of the word or name.

The Spring equinox is a great time to observe and celebrate new beginnings, no matter what day of the year the resurrection actually occurred.  

So Easter is not the worship of the goddess Eostre or bunnies or eggs, and Resurrection Sunday, as Christians might more properly call it, is nothing less than the most sacred day of the Christian faith, no matter on what day of the year it is celebrated.   Believers do not confuse bunnies or eggs with the resurrection, but do see in the renewal of spring as a picture of the hope and fact of the resurrection.  They might see in the egg, a wonderful image and symbol of new birth, but an even better one, for me, and one that I've talked much about lately, is the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly, which emerges, after days of apparent lifelessness in the chrysalis.  On good Friday, I think of the cross, but on Resurrection Sunday, I think of the empty tomb.

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One of the difficulties Biblical scholars acknowledge is the precise timing of the crucifixion and resurrection.  A recent book seems to shed some light on that.  It seems the Essenes used a solar calendar, while the Pharisees and Sadducees, who ran the temple rituals, used a lunar calendar (adding significantly more meaning to the terms "sons of darkness" and "sons of light").  If that book (Lost Prophecies of Qumran by Peck) is correct, Christ and the disciples observed Passover on slightly different days than much of the nation.  And it was the religious leaders of the day that wanted Christ crucified, so there is no doubting the conflict.

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Monarch Caterpillar Hanging Beside Monarch Chrysalis


I just took the above photo of a hanging caterpillar beside a chrysalis to illustrate two of the stages.  The caterpillar will emerge from an egg, go through a number of molts as it grows, then when ready, go into what is called a J-hang, as you see the one on the left doing, and in a few hours turn into a chrysalis, like the one you see on the right.  Then after a few days a butterfly will emerge from the chrysalis.  

Amazing transformation that reminds me so much of the message of Easter.

I won't talk much more about butterflies in the future.  Maybe a little. 


Have a blessed Easter.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net


Saturday, April 16, 2022

4/16/22 Report - Treasure Auction Now Online. Maya Mining Gold in Georgia and Florida. Fort Center.

 

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



The SedwickCoins Treasure, World, U.S. Coin and Paper Money Auction # 31 is online and open for bidding.  Above is a little of the auction description.  The link to the auction can be found immediately below.

Sedwick's Treasure, World & U.S. Coin Auction 31 - SESSION I - Page 1 of 8 - Daniel Frank Sedwick, LLC (sedwickcoins.com)

I browsed session one.  It starts off with a bunch of gold cobs from mints in Spain and then moves to gold cobs from the Mexico and other New World mints.  After that comes a series of ingots, bits, bars of both silver and gold.  Then the session continues with more coins and other things.

A couple of the Mexico gold cobs that have estimates of up to $30,000 already have bids of $12,000.   Those will undoubtedly go much higher before the auction is over.

Large Fisher silver ingots always bring high prices, and there are two weighing 80 or so pounds that have estimates of around $70,000.  It is not unusual for large silver ingots like these to bring some of the highest prices.

A large variety of coins ends session one.

There is a little bit of something for everybody.  Some of the lots I noticed in the other sessions included several Costa Rica coins with wild off-center strikes, a couple gold chains, etc.

---

Is there evidence that the Maya were in Georgia and Florida? If so, why were they there? Were they mining gold and shipping it back to Mexico? Does a gold artifact discovered in a Florida mound in the 1800s offer positive proof of this? Let’s look at the evidence and see what it suggests about the true goings-on in the southeastern U.S. before the arrival of Europeans.

A site in Florida called Fort Center near Lake Okeechobee offers the earliest evidence of corn agriculture in the eastern United States. The question naturally arises as to how corn, a Mexican plant, showed up in Florida before it showed up elsewhere in the southeast. If it came by land you would expect to see evidence of its cultivation in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama long before it arrived in south central Florida. The logical conclusion, then, is that it was brought by people who arrived by boat. The archaeologist who excavated the site, William Sears, asserted in his book/archaeological report, Fort Center in the Lake Okeechobee Basin. that this is precisely how corn came to be at this site. But who brought it?...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Were the Maya Mining Gold in Georgia? | LostWorlds.org

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Source: magicseaweed.com.

Looks like a little higher surf in a few days.

The tides are not bad now.  

Have a blessed Easter.

TreasureGuide@comcast.net