9/7/22 Report - Finally! Predictions of Much Bigger Surf Coming To The Treasure Coast. Diving For Bottles. NEHI Bottle Find.

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

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

The most important thing for me today is the increasing surf predictions.  That is the biggest predicted surf that we've had on the Treasure Coast for a good while.  If we actually get something like a nine-foot surf, some beaches should open up.  The direction of the winds and swells, as always, will determine a lot.  Of course, big tides would help too, and right now we are having some pretty big high tides.  Overall, the near future is beginning to look more promising for beach metal detecting, beginning this weekend and even more next week.  Even though Earl is not coming very close to Florida, it is lingering out there while the surf builds.  Earl is the only one I'm really paying much attention to right now.  

Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

After such a hot slow summer, it will be great to have some improved beach conditions.

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Source: See link below.

Archeology enthusiasts have uncovered a perfectly preserved pharmaceutical bottle with herbal ‘heart’ drops from the 1930s, alongside the remains of a medieval clay pot from the bottom of a river.

The team led by Dr Jarosław Rola from the Stanisław Staszic Regional Museum in Piła stumbled upon the discovery while combing through the river Gwda in western Poland.

The oldest discovery was a large fragment of a clay pot from the end of the early medieval period, dating back to between the 12th-13th century, which was found in the river near the town of Motylewo.,,

Pharmaceutical bottle with herbal ‘heart’ drops from the 1930s found at bottom of river – The First News

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Embossed 1925 NEHI Beverages Bottle.

This bottle is embossed NEHI BEVERAGES on one side and NEHI REG U.S. PAT OFF. on the opposite side.  In between those is MINIMUM CONTENTS on one side and 9 FLUID OUNCES on the other.  Down near the heal is NEHI BOTTLING CO.   On the bottom is DESIGN PAT'D MARCH 3, 25, along with a Owens Illinois and Duraglass mark.

It is in very nice condition.

The Chero-Cola company added Nehi Cola to its line of sodas in 1924 in order to offer a broader variety of flavors. It originally offered orange, grape, root beer, peach, and other flavors of soda. Nehi was instantly successful and outsold Chero-Cola entirely. The company changed its name to Nehi Corporation in 1928 and was listed on the New York Curb Exchange. Business went well until 1930 when a major crisis occurred. Reflecting the Great Depression, which followed with the stock market crash of October 1929, Nehi Corporation's sales figures dropped one million dollars in 1930 from a high of $3.7 million in the previous year. Sales continued to decline until 1932, the only year in which the company had ever lost money...

NEHI Ad With Knee-Hi Dress.

In the early 20th century, the advertising logo of Nehi was a picture of a seated woman's legs, in which the skirt was high enough to show the stockings up to the knee, suggesting the phrase "knee-high," to illustrate the correct pronunciation of the company name. This was referenced in Jean Shepherd's story "My Old Man and the Lascivious Special Award That Heralded the Birth of Pop Art" in the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, as well as in the film A Christmas Story, which was adapted from the book....

As this photo showed, the lady was not always seated.

See Nehi - History (liquisearch.com).

For information on the NEHI Bottling Co. and Royal Crown Bottling Co., see EPChap10a.pdf (sha.org).

The NEHI Bottling Co. mark seems to put this bottle between 1931 and 1941.  

The glass manufacturer or bottling company mark often helps to narrow down the date range.

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Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/6/22 Report - Treasure Coast Gold Chain Metal Detector Find. History of St. Augustine. Higher Coming Surf To Last A While.

 

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

Genesis 1:6-7:  Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

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Below is a photo and email I received from Alberto S.

Nice Heavy Gold Chain Metal Detector Find by Alberto S.

I thought I would share with you, it's been a while since I had found gold. Sometimes things just work out, I was supposed to take my wife to a doctors appointment but realized it was tomorrow ok, let's go to the beach and do some metal detecting, after setting up a chair and umbrella for my wife I went hunting in a south direction and after 1 hour of not finding anything with the excessive heat and no breeze it was time to head back, but then I decided to maybe try going north on the beach for a little bit, 5 minutes later the gold chain. The chain is 14K and Italy is printed on the clasp with the number 585 which I found it's another way for Italy to mark their gold, the weight is 24.7 grams.

Congratulations Alberto.  Great find.

Even when conditions for finding old items aren't good, you can still find some modern items.

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Source: Link below.

Jamestoiwn may have earned the distinction of being the first permanent English colony in North America when it was settled in 1607, but it’s not the oldest city in the U.S. That title is generally given to St. Agustine, a city on Florida’s eastern coast about an hour’s drive southeast of Jacksonville.

In July 1565, Spanish conquistador Pedro Menendez de Aviles set off for Florida with 11 ships, some 2000 sailors, and a directive from King Philip II to defend Spain’s coastal holdings against French encroachment. On September 8, Menéndez de Avilés alighted on a stretch of land that he had first spotted on August 28—the feast day of St. Augustine of Hippo. He promptly claimed the area for his country and christened it after Augustine, the patron saint of printers, theologians, and brewers (he’d been a bit of a party guy before finding his holy vocation)...

Here is the link for more about America's oldest city.

What’s the Oldest City in America? (mentalfloss.com)

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see, Earl is a slow moving storm but will not be coming close to Florida.  The fact that it is hanging around is a good thing.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

After the first peak Saturday, it looks like the higher surf will continue for a while.  That could help us a lot.  Too bad the wind won't be very northerly.  Still a prolonged period of four to six foot surf could erode some areas.

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I Saturday and Sunday, I think it was, I did some posts on the location of variouis Florida beaches where when conditions are right, you can possibly find some old Spanish treasure coins.  You might want to check those out.  

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/5/22 Report - Sixty Buried Treasure Chest Sites Listed in Frank Hudson Book. Separating Truth From Fiction. Bigger Surf.

 

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

Talk of treasure fuels the imagination.  It is the stuff of novels, dreams, fantasy, adventure and myth, but it is also real.  There are amazing treasures that have been found, more that have not yet been found, and there are treasures that are thought to be real but are totally fiction.  

It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction.  Fact and fiction can be tightly intertwined. But that is not unique to treasure hunting - it is the same with unidentified aerial phenomena and pandemics.  It is up to the individual to weigh the evidence and separate fact from fiction.  I've often presented my own thoughts on how to do just that.

Lately, I've been giving some treasure leads from L. Frank Hudson's books.  I've written before that Hudson's reputation for accuracy is not flawless, but I've also heard from some who have followed up on his leads and found them precise.  In one case, a reader of this blog followed a lead and found a rectangular depression in the earth where it appeared that a chest they sought had already been removed. I once followed a similar lead and at the location found an iron digging bar. where someone another seeker might have been - successful or not.  

Some of Hudson's treasure locations are easily verified by other sources and I have verified a few  by personal experience.  I am struck, though, by what appears to be a huge discrepancy.  Wikipedia says that buried pirate treasure is actually very rare and there are very few actual examples, while Hudson's book, Lost Treasures of Florida's West Coast lists about 60 locations for buried treasure chests - and that does not include those found in his other books.

Here is what Wikipedia says: "Pirates burying treasure was rare. The only pirate known to have actually buried treasure was William Kidd, who is believed to have buried at least some of his wealth on Gardiner's Island near Long Island before sailing into New York City. Kidd had originally been commissioned as a privateer for England, but his behavior had strayed into outright piracy, and he hoped that his treasure could serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations to avoid punishment. His bid was unsuccessful, however, and Kidd was hanged as a pirate."

 
But you can find other references to buried treasure in Wikipedia. Here are just a couple.

"The only authenticated treasure chest in the United States, once owned by Thomas Tew, is kept at the Pirate Soul Museum in St. Augustine, Florida.

Wikpedia also says, "Pirate Olivier Lavasseur, also known as "The Buzzard" (La Buse), was rumored to have hidden treasure before his death in 1730. No such treasure has been found."

So, Wikipedia seems to be somewhat inconsistent.

Is Wikipedia right in saying there are almost no chests buried by pirates, or is Frank Hudson right?  Or are they both right?  Is there some truth in both?  

Most detectorists don't search for buried chests.  That requires additional research.  It is a different kind of project.  Gaining access to the site might not be easy, and if the target is found, digging a big hole and removing a large target would require additional tools and effort. That kind of search would not be conducted in public view.  The information about that kind of treasure or any such find would most likely be kept secret.  It would not be done in public view like beach metal detecting.

So, is Wikipedia right that buried treasure chests are almost non-existent, or are there as many as Frank Hudson suggests?  

Here are some considerations.  The information in Wikipedia comes from anyone who wants to make it public.  Those who seek or find that kind of treasure might not be willing to say much about it.  Hudson, on the other hand, is selling just that kind of information, so there is the profit motive.  In any case, leads need to be verified, and that is part of the fun, and you never know what you might discover in the process.  You might find something other than what you were looking for.  

Many times, I've been metal detecting on the beach, and somebody came up and asked me if I'd find the ring they just lost.  As I said before, always ask for a good description before searching for a specific lost item because it is not uncommon to find something other than the ring you were looking for.  It is like that with other things.  You go out looking for one thing and discover something just as good or better.  And when exploring new locations, especially those having historic associations, you almost always learn something interesting and useful in the process.

So, once again, is Wikipedia right, or is Hudson right.  I say there is some truth in both.  Wikipedia probably underestimates, and Hudson probably overestimates.  Yet, one of the best things you can do is research and explore, and if you really look into it, it will pay off in one way or another.

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Source: magicseaweed.com.

Looks like we'll have a little higher surf, peaking around Saturday.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

 

9/4/22 Report - Several More Florida Treasure Coiin Beaches and Old Bottle Dumps. Beach Fossil Find. Increasing Surf This Week.

 

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

Old Dock Pilings.

I decided to give a few more of the coin beaches listed in Frank Hudson's Lost Treasure of Florida's West Coast.   I gave a number of those in the previous post.  I'm not including any of the many shipwreck sites, buried chests or any other of the numerous treasures listed in the book except today i'lll also give you a few bottle dump locations.  Here we go.

On Atsena Otie Key, in the Cedar Keys area, old Spanish coins appear on the West and North beaches.

Spanish coins wash up on Horseshoe Beach after a south wind.

On Seahorse Key, coins and artifacts are found on the beach on the east side facing the old shipping channel.

Gold coins wash up on the east end of St. James Island between Bald Point and Lighthouse Point after a strong east wind.

Bottles are found in dirt from Pappy's Bayou on Ross Island.  Pappys Bayou was deepened, and the material dumped on Ross Island.

Bottle dump on Egmont Key behind the beach.

An old bottle dump is found up the Manatee River close to the road.

You'll seldom leads like that.  You do have to verify the sites for yourself though.  Some are now inside parks or under modern construction.  I've only checked out a few of them myself.

You can also learn other things from lists like this.  For example, did you notice that many of the coin beaches are on small islands?  Think about why that might be.  And did you take note of how a bottle site was created by a dredging project?

There are tons of buried chests, barrels and other buried treasures listed in Hudson's book, which brings up an interesting point that I'll explore more in the near future.  

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Source; See link below.

High school teacher Lisa St. Coeur Cormier was strolling with her dog near her home on Canada’s Prince Edward Island when something caught her eye...


“I saw something about two feet long with a strange shape,” said Cormier, 36, who lives in Charlottetown. “When I looked closer, I realized there was a rib cage. And around that, there was a spine and a skull.”


Cormier, who used to be a middle school science teacher, immediately knew it was a fossil. But she never imagined how rare and old, or the excitement that would develop from her discovery that day, Aug. 22...

Here is the link for the rest of that article.

Rare fossil older than dinosaurs found on beach in Canada - The Washington Post

Thanks to DJ for that link.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov.

We still have Earl and Danielle out there.  Earl is not going to come much closer, but it is going to hand out there, moving very little from Thursday through Saturday.

Source: Ventusky.com.

According to the models, Earl will not come much closer than where it is shown on the Ventusky image above, and it will hang around there for a few days.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

As Earl sits there for a few days, the surf will build, according to MagicSeaWeeed, up to four to six feet.  That is the highest surf, if it happens, that we've seen for quite a while.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/2/22 Report - Other Florida Beaches Where You Can Find Spanish Treasure Coins. Royal Crown Bottles. Two Named Storms Now.

 

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

Lost Treasures of Florida's West Coast, by Frank Hudson (1983)

No matter where you go there is good history to research, and there are treasures to find.  When you do your research, you will probably discover there are more treasures to find than you ever imagined.   

When I traveled a lot for business, I visited a lot of different places, including some of the areas along  Florida's west coast.  I often took my metal detector and explored some of those areas.

Recently I discussed some of Frank Hudson's treasure and shipwreck books, but here is one more.  This one covers the treasures of Florida's west coast. And there are many.

I often hear from readers from the west coast of Florida who visit the Treasure Coast to detect.  And some readers that live in other parts of the state but visit both the Treasure Coast and the west coast of Florida.  Maybe you'll be able to explore some of the treasure sites listed in this book, but even if you never do, you will still learn some things from this book.

To get started, I decided to ignore all the buried chests and Spanish galleon wreck sites listed in the book, and just mention some of the beaches that Hudson describes as coin beaches.  I've visited a few of them.  

Starting at the south and working north along the coast, at Naples beach, for example, 300 feet south of Clam Pass, gold and silver coins are found.  Some think they are coming from the wreck just offshore.

On Captiva Island, visited by Gasparilla, pillar dollars as well as artifacts, have been found on the beach.

The beach on Pointo Blanco Island is said to produce both Spanish coins and artifacts.I d

Spanish coins wash up on the beach of a small island at the mouth of Coral Creek, presumably from the wreck of a Gasparilla wreck.

Portuguese gold doubloons wash up on the beach near Stevens Bluff on the Tampa Bay side of Clearwater.

There are more, but I'll stop there for now.  This book is jam packed with treasures and sites to explore. I think this book is Hudson's best.  Not only does it provide a lot of leads but, it has some colorful detail on some treasures as well as some tips on techniques for probing and building a casement.

I remember once commenting that Hudson was not always known for accuracy, but in response to that comment I received at least one email from a person that followed up on some of his leads and found them accurate.   I do find his books helpful.  They get you going, then you can do your own additional research.

I'm sure some of the sites are no longer accessible.  Condominiums have been built over some, and a some are now in parks or areas where metal detecting is prohibited.  Nonetheless, there are plenty of good leads in the book.

I didn't find any copies currently listed on Amazon or eBay, but I'm sure you will be able to run down a copy in a library somewhere.  

Remember interlibrary loans.  If your library does not have the book, they can borrow it from another library for you.  Ask your librarian.

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Treasure Coast Found Royal Crown Bottles.

You'll find a lot of soda bottles on the Treasure Coast.  Here are three Royal Crown bottles.  Two are ACL, and one is embossed.  These soda bottles aren't as old as the bottles that I prefer to find, but soda bottles are so collectible (when in good condition) that I find them interesting.  I like the art, and soda bottles are nostalgic and remind me of my youth.

Here is what wikipedia says about Royal Crown and Nehi.

Nehi (pronounced "knee high") is a flavored soft drink that originated in the United States. It was introduced in 1924 by Chero-Cola/Union Bottle Works and founded by Claud A. Hatcher, a Columbus, Georgia grocer who began bottling ginger ale and root beer in 1905,

The "Nehi Corporation" name was adopted in 1928 after the Nehi fruit-flavored sodas became popular. In 1955, the company changed its name to Royal Crown Company, after the success of its RC Cola brand.

So these bottles are no earlier than 1955.  The big 16 oz. bottle was introduced in 1959.  I haven't dated the others yet.  

I understand there are around 20 variations on the painted label Royal Crown bottles.  I like the art work on the painted label bottles.  I just wish were nice and bright.

Here is a link for some of the history of Royal Crown Cola.

Royal Crown Cola Company - New Georgia Encyclopedia\

I visited Columbus, Georgia to give a presentation on Computer-based training for a Mid-south AEDS (Association for Educational Data Systems) conference sometime in the 1970s.  I remember taking the plastic cover off of a telephone and using alligator clips to establish communication over the phone lines.  I guess I didn't have a modem at that time.  I also remember that they had great deep dish pizza some place in Columbus, Georgia.  Funny the things you remember.

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Source: NHC.noaa.gov.

As you can see we have two named storms now: Earl and Danielle.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Earl's track keeps it too far out to sea to affect us much.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

9/2/22 Report - Mel Fisher Days Begins Tonight. Banknote Serial Number Check. Old Elephant Tusk Found.

 

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

Thursday Morning Indian River Lagoon.

The 2022 Mel Fisher Days celebration begins tonight at 7 PM. 

From the Mel Fisher organization - Commemoration of the 400-year anniversary of the sinking of the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, along with several other 1622 Fleet ships, is to be the centerpiece of this year’s Mel Fisher Days celebrations, recognized from September 2 to September 6 with a series of fun, fascinating, and educational events held at multiple island locations. Anyone enthralled with sunken shipwrecks, lost treasures, finding lost treasures, marine archaeology, recovered artifacts, and the unique camaraderie forged in the 16-year quest led by famed treasure hunter Mel Fisher will find events and activities to immerse in.

Here is the link for details.

Mel Fisher Days - Annual Charity Event

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Yesterday I talked about banknotes, and it just so happens that yesterday I received an interesting bill with the serial number 44443162.  Below is what I got when I found when I checked that number with one of the online checkers

So it got a very cool rating, but the serial number was not rare or cool enough to sell for good money.

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KIBBUTZ REVADIM, Israel (AP) — Israeli archaeologists recently unearthed the titanic tusk of a prehistoric elephant near a kibbutz in southern Israel, a remnant of a behemoth once hunted by early people around half a million years ago...

Israel Antiquities Authority prehistorian Avi Levy, who headed the dig, said it was “the largest complete fossil tusk ever found at a prehistoric site in Israel or the Near East...

Omry Barzilai, an IAA archaeologist, said the find was “very puzzling, very enigmatic” because it was not clear whether ancient people hunted the behemoth on the spot or whether they brought the felled animal’s tusk to this spot..”

As you probably know, tusk sections have been found on the Treasure Coast too.

Here is the link to the article.

Israeli archaeologists dig up large tusk of ancient elephant | AP News

When you find an item like that it can be difficult to determine how it got there.

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I did almost no hunting this summer for a variety of reasons, the most recent being a foot injury, but I did a little hunt yesterday to test out my foot and it seems I'm about ready to go again.  We should be getting some better beach hunting conditions before long, but there are a lot of other sites I want to hunt.  

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

The system nearest us will probably stay east of the Bahamas.  It might linger out there a little while and send us some slightly bigger surf.

Source; MagicSeaWeed.com.

I'll be looking at some treasures listed in the Frank Hudson book on Florida West Coast treasures in the near future.  It is another one of those hard to find books.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

9/1/22 Report - Valuable $5 Bill. Types of Error Banknotes Worth Something. Rate of Return. Web Site For Checking Banknotes.

 

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

Above is shown an error 2017A $5 Note that brought in $8,600 in a Great CollectionsAuction

Notice the missing and mismatched serial numbers.

Here is the link for more about that.

Error 2017A $5 Note Tops $8,600 in GreatCollections Auction | CoinNews

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I like searching bills for errors and oddities more than I like searching coins.  You can often find something sort of interesting on US bills even if you don't find anything real valuable.  I especially enjoy checking the serial numbers.

Here is a web site that will introduce you to a number of types of errors to look for.  It also gives a price range for the type of error.

What's my Paper Money Error worth? Prices for Misprinted U.S. Currency (coinsite.com)

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The rate of return is the ratio of money gained or lost on an investment relative to the amount invested. Although most coin collectors find or buy coins for the love of the hobby, the calculator is useful to at least compare – out of interest – how part of a collection is fairing against something like a bank account...

Simply enter a coin’s purchase price, the selling or estimated current value and their respective dates. The calculator will return its annualized return rate as well as the return percentage for the entire period. The already entered values are for visual and formatting aids only. Simply edit or clear them with your information...

Here is the link for the calculator.

Rate of Return (ROR) Coin Calculator | CoinNews

The calculator might be of soe use for comparing coins, especially those held for the same period of time, but does not take into account the changing value of the dollar, which is something I'd like to know.  A dollar in 1970 was worth one dollar but would purchase more than a dollar in 2020.

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This site shows several error coins and banknotes worth a little extra money.

20+ Banknotes Worth Way More than Face Value - Errors, Rare and Fancy Serial Numbers (varietyerrors.com)

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And here is a cool site for looking up star notes and fancy serial numbers.

Reference Tools For | My Currency Collection

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The surf and storm predictions are little changed from yesterday, so I don't have much to say bout that today.  Of course, I'll check again tomorrow.

Good hunting,

Treasurguide@comcast.net