12/6/25 Report - Treasure Lecture at Elliott. One Cent Coin Scams. Magnetofossil. Conch Bugle.

 

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

Lecture at the Elliott Museum.

Thanks to Bruce B. for this notice of the upcoming lecture at the Elliott Museum.

---

With the U.S.Mint's discontinuation of the cent, there has been a recent surge in online sales listing rolls of 1-cent coins for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. According to John Feigenbaum, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild and CEO of Whitman Publishing, these sales offered on sites like eBay and Etsy are the result of opportunists exploiting public confusion over the end of the cent. “Whenever there are stories about coins, scammers come along and take advantage of the headlines,” Feigenbaum says. “On Etsy, it’s not unusual to see a penny that’s not even worth a dollar being listed for $100,000. People try it on eBay too. Nobody is policing what people charge.”

The current cent craze mirrors the 1976 bicentennial coin obsession, when many Americans hoarded redesigned quarters and half dollars, believing they would one day become valuable collectibles. Feigenbaum also dismissed claims that 2025 cents from Philadelphia, where the final cents were made last week, have any special premium. The only 2025 cents with genuine collector value are the final omega-marked coins the U.S. Mint struck to commemorate the end of the denomination that will be offered at auction on December 11...

Here is the link for more of that story.

Beware of Cent Scams | The Reading Room

---

In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have unearthed ancient magnetic fossils that suggest the existence of a long-lost creature capable of navigating using Earth’s magnetic field. This revelation, made by researchers at Cambridge University and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, opens a new chapter in understanding how ancient animals may have found their way across vast distances. Their findings were recently published in Nature and reveal fascinating insights into the mysteries of biological navigation.

Magnetofossils, tiny remnants left behind by ancient organisms, have provided new evidence of an extraordinary form of navigation used by prehistoric creatures. These fossils, discovered on the ocean floors, date back approximately 97 million years, suggesting that magnetoreception—the ability to sense Earth’s magnetic field—was already in use by animals long before the species we know today. While the fossils do not provide a direct link to any known species, their magnetic properties point to a biological GPS system far ahead of its time...

Here is that link.

Scientists Unearth 97-Million-Year-Old Fossils of Unknown Creatures with Built-In GPS!

It wasn't long ago that I posted about some the fact that some humans seem to be able to sense the earth's magnetic fields.

---

The use of large Charonia seashells as labial vibration aerophones is documented in various cultures around the world. In Catalonia, north-eastern Iberia, 12 such instruments have been recovered from Neolithic contexts, dating from the second half of the fifth and the first half of the fourth millennia BC, yet they have received little attention in academia. Given that some examples retain the ability to produce sounds, their archaeoacoustic study offers insight into possible uses and meanings for Neolithic communities. While not all can still produce sounds, the high sound intensity of those that do may indicate a primary function as signalling devices that facilitated communication in Neolithic communities...

Here is the link for more about that.

Signalling and music-making: interpreting the Neolithic shell trumpets of Catalonia (Spain) | Antiquity | Cambridge Core

---

Some years ago, I found this bugle made from a horse conch on the Treasure Coast.    

I'm not good at using it, but sometimes it sounds good.

I tend it is modern area, but don't know for sure.

Here is where I previously talked about it.

The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: Search results for conch shell

---

A cold front will be coming through this weekend, but it doesn't look like the surf will be big.  The high tides are still big though.

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net

12/4/25 Report - Variety of Finds from One Metal Detecting Outing. Densities and Other Related Factors. King of American Coins. Ai.

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

Recent Finds by Mark G.

Mark G. sent me these photos with the following email about his recent metal detecting outing and finds.

You’ve done a few post on using the cameras for tracking beach erosion.  I look at the cameras every day mostly local to me, Jensen Beach and Bathtub. November although not real stormy was a sand moving month overall and the beaches changed in dramatical fashion. You mentioned in one post that the cameras don’t have good depth perception and that is true it is very hard to see the heights of the scallops and depths of the cuts. I am always amazed when I look at the camera think I know where to hunt then actually go to the beach and it’s totally different.

This email is kind of in hindsight because I had written an email about my hunt at Bathtub Beach November 6th but lost it somehow couldn’t find it got frustrated and dropped it however your post today with the south end of Bathtub triggered me to try again. The far south shot of bathtub today is actually sanded in from where it was in early November. I was watching the waves cut into bank where the large pipe sticks vertically out of the water. That pipe usually sticks out of the sand on the dry beach about a foot and during the height of summer was actually covered completely in sand. Around the sixth of November after watching for a while at dead low tide that pipe stood out of the water about 12 feet, the area around it and that horizontal pipe sticking out of the bank to the right were exposed rebar and several stumps obviously cut down trees as large as 3 feet in diameter exposed. I said to myself it’s time to get in there and find some gold. You can see in the photo I only found lead and coins but the interesting thing is I found about 2 pounds of lead and some of the coins in a very small area about 12 feet in diameter right in between those 2 pipes. When I got time to go back for a second look I could see on the camera another detector there already so I went somewhere else. I convinced myself the reason there were no gold rings there because it may not have been a popular swimming area because of the debris and the reason for all the fishing weights was all the snags in the water lots of them. Never the less my diligence watching the cameras paid off, the theory of finding heavy metal was correct just not the gold.

Clip from Bathtub Beach Cam as Submitted by Mark G.

Thanks for sharing Mark.

I know how it is to get frustrated by losing messages that you took time to compose.  It happens to me much too often. It is no fun to spend a couple hours on a post and then end up losing it.  It does happen.

I wonder how many millions of tons of lead in the water and on the beaches.  You'd think more fish would die from being struck by lead sinkers or lead poisoning than are caught.  

Here is nice little chart on metal densities.

Lead and gold are both towards the bottom of the chart but there is still a sizable difference between them, yet I've found them very often located in near proximity in the field.

There are other factors to be considered.  For example, finds are often alloys, which changes the density of an object.  Gold objects often contain some copper, but copper is also fairly dense.  On the other hand, you have those stinkin zinc pennies, which are 97.5% zinc and the rest copper, but that isn't all of that story.  

If you look at beach found zinc pennies, you'll often see corrosion and bubbliing of the surface and also encrustation.  The surface adheres to sand.  That changes how the object will behave on the beach.  Those things make them act as if they were even less dense than the metallic composition would suggest.  The surface area and surface characteristics of an object will also affect how it moves and therefore where it will eventually be found on a beach or in the water.  The point being that it isn't only a matter of an metals object.

===

One of the country’s rarest coins is slightly rarer than even expert coin collectors believed. After the surprise discovery of a long-lost 1804 dollar (aka the "King of American Coins" ), the rarity’s total known count now stands at 16...

This 1804 dollar isn’t only famous for its rarity, but its history...  In 1834, his administration solicited sets of these dollar coins to give as gifts to various heads of state around the world. But since it had been around 30 years since the United States Mint produced any new silver dollars, the Department of Treasury simply made a new die cast for another small run of coins dated 1804.

However, there was one problem. Officials at the time weren’t aware that 1804 coins didn’t technically exist. Instead, the original “1804 dollars” were actually made using the prior year’s die cast. This meant that any coins minted in 1804 still featured 1803 on their front side. Thanks to the oversight, the diplomatic gifts technically became the only silver dollars ever made to feature the year of 1804...

Here is the link for more about that.

A long lost silver dollar may be worth $5 million | Popular Science

===

Each question posed to an AI chatbot such as Grok requires far more power than an ordinary Good search — possibly up to ten times more.

Computing has become very wasteful.  In the earlier days of computing, computer memory was very expensive, and programmers programmed for efficiency.  A good programmer would write a very compact program that would take up little memory but do a lot.  It took some smarts.  The same program might take up ten times as much space to accomplish the same thing if it was not designed as well.  These days there is tons of waste.  Hypertext markup language is terribly wasteful.  I can't believe how remarkably wasteful it is when I see the code.  Now this AI stuff raises the inefficiency to an entirely new level.  Totally ridiculous.  The developers have been spoiled by an abundance of memory, processing capacity and energy.  They act like the resources are unlimited, and maybe they are, but I think it could all be done smarter and much more efficiently.

---

The surf chart hasn't changed much.

The morning high tides are big lately.

I'll have to finish up my series on coin movement soon.

And I also need to get my electrolysis going again.  I meant to yesterday but didn't get around to it.

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

12/3/25 Report - Checking Beach Cams Along the Coast. Surf Small but Tides High. 2024 Nickels in Demand..

 

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

Clip from Jupiter Beach Cam.

My main point today is that there a number of beach cams available on the internet that you might find useful.  You can always check a few to get an idea of what is going on with the surf and the various beaches before you go out.

When I look at the Jupiter beach cam shown above, the first thing I notice is that it doesn't look anything like it did back two or three decades ago.  When I started hunting there was no paved parking lot and the drop-off at the back of the dunes was more dramatic.  Parking was under the Australian pines that covered the area behind the dunes.  That is when reales were washing out of what is now the parking lot area.  I've told stories about Jupiter beach and finds made there in the past.  I liked it way better back then.  

Here is the link to the Jupiter Beach web cam.

Jupiter Inlet Webcam

One thing to remember is that most of the beach cams provide a variety of views.  Look for the camera controls and select the view you want.

Jensen Beach Web Cam.

Here is Jensen.  I also remember when it looked very different.  There are some cool treasure stories from there as well including a box of treasure coins found by a motel worker early one morning back in the day.  Below is the link to that beach cam.

Jensen Beach Webcam

View from Bathtub Beach Web Cam.

Again lots of sand, but also some erosion, and a paved parking lot. 

 Reminds me of the old Joni Mitchell song, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."

Here is the link for that cam.

Bathtub Beach Webcam

Stuart Rocks Beach Cam View.

Not far away from Bathtub Beach is Stuart Rocks.

Here is that link.

Stuart Rocks Surf Report and Jensen Surf Forecast - Florida Surf Cams

Fort Pierce Beach Cam.

And here is one that I've been showing a lot lately.  You saw the massive erosion to South Jetty Beach.  This one is a decent indicator for Brooks and Douglass as well.  You can almost see them in the distance.

This clip is from yesterday, but not much has changed.  Today's looks about the same, but the surf looks even calmer.

Here is that link.

Fort Pierce Beach Cam - Visit St. Lucie

Wabasso Beach Web Cam View.

Don't forget to check out the various views on this one.

Here is the link.

New Live Beach Camera at Wabasso

Sebastian Web Cam.

Like some of the others, the Sebastian web cam doesn't give great views of the beach, but you can see the surf and the beach to the south.

Here is that link.

Sebastian Inlet Surf Report and Sebastian Inlet Surf Cam - Florida Surf Cams

Melbourne Beach Web Cam.

Melbourne has been misty or rainy all morning.

Here is that link.

Melbourne Beach Surf Report and Melbourne Beach Surf Cam - Florida Surf Cams

Of course, you can find more beach cams if you look, but above are some you might find interesting.

---

Believe it or not, one of the most sought-after nickels right now is remarkably recent. The United States Mint produced approximately 896 million of the 2024 nickels, compared to their usual production of over 1 billion nickels annually. This dramatic reduction in mintage has created an unexpected collecting frenzy.

---

I was busy yesterday and halted my electrolysis.  I'll get it started again today. 

Surf Chart from Surf Guru.

Not much going on with the surf now.

The Wed. morning high tide will be big.  The surf is calm though.

Yesterday the TreasureBeachesReport.blogspot.com site had over 40,000 views.   

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

12/2/25 Report - Here is the Scoop on Kicking a Habit. Let the Water do the Work. Cleaning Up Some Finds.

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

Electrolysis Underway on Recent Finds

When I started to put my electrolysis setup together to clean some recent finds, I found that the converter I used the last time was now dead.  I hoped to find another spare converter sitting around somewhere.  I always had some spares but finally threw some away not long ago.  It aggravates me how often you hold on to something for years, just in case, and never need it until you throw it away.  I still thought I'd find one or two that I didn't throw away, so put off the cleaning for a while.  Now I have some new finds to clean as well as the old ones, so decided to just go ahead and use a battery charger (shown above), which is working fine.  The item of most interest was very heavily encrusted and despite the good electrolytic action, is taking a while.  Although a lot of the crust has been removed, it still needs more cleaning. 

---

Here's the scoop.  Or should I say, the kick.

It seems like most detectorists working the wet sand use what I call the DAK technique for recovering dug objects.  I'm talking about the Dump and Kick technique, which is when you dig an object then dump the scoop full of sand on the ground and kick the pile around until the coin, or whatever the object is, finally shows itself.  Then you bend over and pick it up. 

I don't know why that technique is so compelling.  It takes a lot of effort. Sunday, I watched a very experienced detectorist use the DAK over and over again.  Everybody seems to do it.  

There are, indeed, times to use the DAK, but there are also times when there is a much better technique.  

When you are working the wet sand, you can use the water, even if it is intermittent or a few steps away.  Just a little water will flush the scoop quicly and easily.  And when you have a little moving water, you can let the water do all the work.

Scoops have holes for a reason.  If you aren't going make use of the holes, you might as well use a shovel.  People do lift and shake their scoop when working nice dry sand, but you don't have to do any of that when you can use the water.  Leave the scoop filled with heavy wet sand on the ground.  No need to even lift it.

I know the dump and kick technique works, but if you learn to let the water do its work, I think you'll like it better.  You can use the water even when you have as little as an inch of water - moving or not.   

If you are digging a lot of shells with the sand, that is an exception.

Personally, I'd rather wait a second or two for a little water to come by than kick a pile of sand around and then bend over to pick up the object rather than using the long handle on the scoop and the water.  

The best case is when you have a little water rushing coming and going at your feet.  A returning wave, even if small, will effectively flush your scoop.  You won't even have to lift the scoop.  Just point the full scoop into the flowing water and it works like a miracle.

And if the water isn't rushing, just a tiny bit of water on the surface of the sand will do.  Just pump the scoop a few times onto the surface.  It'll work.

There are times when you might worry about an object slipping through a hole in your scoop and having to relocate it, but you can usually tell by the signal if the item is that small, and even if it does slip through the scoop, it won't be that hard to find again. If it is a good target, it probably won't go very far. 

I like to dig with my back to the water so the water from returning waves wash easily through the scoop.  If the water isn't getting to where you are, you can drag the scoop back a few steps til you get a little water.  Again, you won't even have to lift the scoop. 

And sometimes when you are short of water, the hole you just dug will provide a pool with enough water to flush the scoop. 

I prefer to let the water do the work rather than lifting, dumping, kicking and bending.  And if the water isn't quite getting to me, all it often takes is backing up a few steps to get to it, which I still find faster and easier than the DAK. 

---

Nothing exciting there.   

We are still going to have three feet tides Tuesday.

I hope to have some finds cleaned up so I can get photos soon.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net

11/30/25 Report - November Ends with Some Good Metal Detecting. Beach Conditions Rating of 3. Good Erosion and Spotty Good Conditions.

 

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

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Sunday Morning.

I'm going to start this post with the summary.  There is some big erosion on some beaches.  Treasure coins will be found.

I saw several detectorists this morning.  Three were at John Brooks/Frederick Douglass.  I saw others on other beaches.

The above photo shows the erosion not too far from the jetty.  The drop-off was about twenty feet in some places.  You can see various layers of sand and the erosion control bags at the bottom of the cliff.  You can tell how far back it was eroded by the vegetation.  It was eroded back to the dunes.

Fort Pierce South Beach Erosion Sunday Morning.

This photo shows the view up around the bend towards the jetty.

Also note the heavy seaweed at the bottom of the cliff.

There were many coins and other targets in this area.  

This view was taken from the access across from the public parking lot across the street to the south, which is now closed.

Concrete Marker Exposed at Fort Pierce South Jetty.

Notice the concrete marker in the middle of the photo.  I wanted to climb up to see if it was an old survey marker.  But whatever, it has probably been there through most of the recent renourishment projects.

Of course, the old casino was in this area and farther to the south across from Archies is a wreck site.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Morning.

John Brooks beach had intermittent cuts running along the beach - mostly one-to-two feet cuts.

Cut at John Brooks Sunday Morning.

Horses Sunday Morning at John Brooks.

As you probably know, you can ride a horse from Frederick Douglass, and now the horses ride up the beach to the north.

John Brooks Beach Sunday Morning.

As usual Frederick Douglass looked very much like John Brooks beach.

Frederick Douglass Beach Sunday Morning.

This photo shows mostly the flat, but there were cuts here as well.  Two detectorists were working up towards John Brooks at the water line.

Flat at the Water Line at Frederick Douglass Sunday Morning.

There were lots of coins and targets this morning.  I saw two detectorists working the Fort Pierce South Jetty area.  Lots of holes.

I want to get this posted so I'll wind it up, but I'd rate this about a 3 on my old Treasure Beaches Metal Detecting Conditions rating scale.  There will be treasure coins found although not all beaches will be productive.

 Some of the beach cams will give you a hint.

I've been showing this one, which should have given a heads up.

11 AM Fort Pierce South Beach Zoom.

You can see that the cut there had eroded back to the dunes, and I mentioned in my last post that the current would be scouring the beach just to the north, which you can't see in the beach cam.

Also, the last time some of the beaches became productive, this beach cam provided a good clue.  Frederick Douglass and John Brooks eroded last time this beach eroded, and a similar correlation was seen this time.

Check the other beach cams before you go, but there is no substitute for putting your eyes on the beach and you toes in the sand.

I'll wind this up for now so you get an idea of what is going on.

Maybe some can send some photos of the Indian River County or other beaches.

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

11/29/25 Report - Looks Like a Beachy Day To Me. Novembers Past. Gold Ingots in the Back Yard. Coin Jewelry.

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

Fort Pierce Beach Cam (South Beach Zoon View) From Around 8 AM Saturday.

The big news for me today is the weather.

You can see that the surf is much rougher this morning.  The waves are breaking farther out.  

If you watch the cam, you'll notice that the waves are scraping right along the beach right in front of the cam that you can't see in the view.

The wind has shifted and is coming more from the East today.  Yesterday it was more Northish.

You can see the mid-beach cut that was made yesterday at this spot.  If the doesn't shift again, I wouldn't be surprised if the cut in this view gets washed out nearer to high tide.

Surf Chart from SurfGuru.com.

Looking at yesterday's surf chart, the rougher surf wasn't expected for a few days.  It got here earlier than expected.  

Yesterday I showed how the cut developed in the morning.

This is the type of day I always liked to go out in the past.  

I started putting up some Christmas decorations yesterday to see how it would stand up in the wind.  Seems like putting my decorations out always starts a good blow.

November has often been a good metal detecting month.  If you think all the way back to the legendary Thanksgiving storm of 1984, and in more recent years, 2020 and 2022 were good Novembers for finds.  2020 turned up some of those early Carlos and Juana coins from a 16th century Treasure Coast wreck.

I've written about the Thanksgiving storm several times.  It produced many silver coins and also several beach escudos.  Here is a link.  The Treasure Beaches Report Direct From Florida's Treasure Coast.: 11/19/15 Report - Thanksgiving Before The Pilgrims. Gold Coins and Ingots. The Real Treasure.

===

What was supposed to be a simple construction project turned into a discovery worthy of a modern-day fairy tale. In Neuville-sur-Saône, near Lyon, France, a man unearthed a gold treasure worth an estimated $800,000 while simply digging a swimming pool, as reported by Reuters...

In other words, no crime, no theft, no dubious leads. In accordance with the French Civil Code—which stipulates that "ownership of a treasure belongs to the person who discovers it on their own land"—the owner can keep their find in its entirety. The childhood dream of finding treasure in the backyard has thus, this time, come true according to all the rules...

The big question remains: why were these gold ingots buried? With the former landowner deceased, the secret of this hiding place seems lost forever. Was it a concealed inheritance? A financial precaution? Or simply a forgotten family secret? Theories abound. One thing is certain: this seemingly ordinary construction project offered its creator an extraordinary adventure—and a fortune as unexpected as it was legitimate...

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

While digging in his garden, he makes a discovery that will change his life.

---

It seems coin jewelry is becoming more popular.  There was a recent New York Times article on the subject of shipwreck jewelry, especially that of the Atocha and Margarita.

Here is a general article on the subject of coin jewelry.

Ancient Coin Jewelry: Timeless Elegance You Can Wear

---

Good hunting,

Treausreguide@comcast.net

11/28/25 Report - Gold Nugget Turns Out To Be Something Even Better. D. D. Gaillard. Beaches Starting to Cut. Stages of Detecting.

 

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

For 17 long years, David Hole hoarded a rock in his home and imagined that it contained a gold nugget. When he couldn’t figure out a way to cut up the rock for investigation, he took it to two eminent geologists at the Museums Victoria.  As it turned out, the ordinary-looking rock proved to be valuable beyond Hole’s wildest imagination. It was not just an ordinary rock, but a fragment that had landed here in Australia after a cosmic trip dating back to the dawn of the solar system, as they documented in a scientific paper published in Proceedings of the Royall Society of Victoria. 

Here is the link for the rest of that story.

Man Hoards 'Gold Nugget' for 17 Years — Then Experts Reveal It's a 4.6-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite

---

Several times in recent posts I referred to a U. S. Army Professional Paper of the Corps of Engineers (no. 31) entitles Wave Action in Relation to Engineering Structures by D. D. Gaillard (1904).  I should have provided a full and proper reference along with the link before, so here it is.  

Even though the paper is over one hundred years old, it is far superior in many ways to most modern sources that I've found.  Too often today people depend upon technology rather than careful observation and creative practical experimentation. Mr. Gaillard deserves much praise and credit for the detail and quality of his observations.  Modern technology can become a distracting crutch as much as an aid.  People get overly fascinated by the tool. The same is true of the metal detector.

There are some that love exploring metal detectors.  And that can be valuable when in its place, but then other important things are neglected.  A good hunter can make good finds with a less capable detector than someone less skilled can make with a better detector.  I've said before that if I was going to depend on someone getting me food, I'd choose the wise old Indian with a bow and arrow over the city slicker with the newest and best rifle.  

Gaillard was an exceptionally skilled and practical observer who made effective use of his tools, including particularly the dynamometer, to answer important questions and provide solutions.  

The Guillard paper mentioned some important observations that I didn't previously include in my posts. I recommend studying his paper in detail if you have the patience.  For example, Gaillard discussed how long shore drift adds to the sand flow and erosion. That is something I've discussed before but never saw it discussed anywhere else.  I discussed that in regard to the more erosive effect of north winds and currents as compared to more southerly winds and currents.

Wave action in relation to engineering structures : Gaillard, David Du Bose : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

---

BEACH HAZARDS STATEMENT IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

Instruction: * WHAT...A southward-flowing longshore current and a moderate risk of rip currents is expected. * WHERE...Coastal Volusia, Coastal Indian River, Coastal Saint Lucie, Coastal Martin, Mainland Northern Brevard, Northern Brevard Barrier Islands, Mainland Southern Brevard and Southern Brevard Barrier Islands Counties. * WHEN...Through late tonight. * IMPACTS...Northerly winds of 10 to 20 mph with higher gusts will produce a longshore current, flowing parallel to the coastline. These currents can push swimmers into deeper water and possibly into rip currents.

Description: Swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Don't swim against the current. If able, swim in a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face the shore and call or wave for help. --- We had some north winds yesterday and they continued this morning.  The Fort Pierce South Beach started to cut this morning about an hour or two before high tide.  You can see that below.

Fort Pierce South Jetty Beach Cam (South Beach Zoom View) about 11:30 AM.

I'd say there are probably other spots eroding as well.

I'm not too impressed by mid-beach cuts, especially smaller ones.  Generally speaking, I'd get more excited by either dunes cuts or deep front beach cuts.

I captured the following earlier in the morning of the same area.

The arrow points to an area where you will often notice rougher surf. It seems there is either a bottom feature there or the currents run together, but if you watch that, you often notice it is rougher there.

Surf Chart of Fort Pierce Jetty Area from SurfGuru.com.

The surf is still small and the tides are not as big as they were a few weeks ago.

---

Here is a piece I mistakenly included at the end of a previous post.  I don't know if you saw it or not because it was below my usual sign-off so I'll post it again.

---

When I began, I hoped to gain financially.  At first I was a coin shooter and kept records of my finds.  When I found a lot of coins, or on occasion bills or other things, I thought I did well.  That was during a time in my life when I was looking to the future and hoping to become be able to provided for myself and my family.  Although I had a profession, which had nothing to do with metal detecting, metal detecting provided a supplemental source.  At that time I measured my success in economic terms.  Sometimes I didn't find much and was unhappy about that.  

After a while it became very much about seeing what I could accomplish.  It became a challenge.  I wanted to see what was possible for me.  Success or failure was still measured largely in economic terms though.

Once it became very much about the challenge, I wanted to see how far I could go.  I wanted to see what was possible - for me.  There were times I really pushed myself.  

The matter of it being fun was a part of it, but the fun was at times sacrificed.  There would be times when I would push myself physically and do things that I now realize were downright dangerous.  I'd call it stupid now, but youth doesn't always recognize danger or stupidity.  Age doesn't fully do away with that either.  

All along I understood that success, no matter how measured, could be aided by learning.  I wanted to understand how things worked.  I wanted to improve my efficiency.  I was not only interested in what I could find, but I was also interested in the amount of time and effort that was required.  It was not only about the absolute amount found by the amount found per time period.  

Over time I became less interested in the economic payoff.  That has to do with changing circumstances to some extent.  I was still setting goals, but not all of the goals were the most economically productive.

Now that has gone to the extent that some things I enjoy finding are worthless economically, but they have another kind of value.  They seem to put me in touch with something bigger or take me back in time.  They put me in touch with the people that made or used the items.

Now it is more of a Zen thing.  It is a way of being in the world.  It is just an extension of who I am.

I can't say the stages were all that well defined.  They overlap.  There was always some element of fun involved.  There was always some element of curiosity being satisfied - and learning.  There was always some element of the joy of being in nature.  But the relative emphasis or importance changed over the years.  Now I have to say that it has almost nothing to do with economics for me. The learning part of it is a big part of it.  The curiosity part is big.  The finds have played their part.  I've studied the objects.  I've lived with them and learned from them and am now preparing to discard or pass them on. 

---

Good hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net