LOST TREASURE - DECEMBER 2016 (1)

Newsletter – December 6, 2016

The Lone Star
Treasure Hunters Club

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December 6, 2016

FEATURE CLUB

Feature Club — page 4

FAVORITE FINDS

page 20 — Favorite Finds

OTHER FEATURES

8 Special Bonus Feature From
Lost Treasure Magazine
13 THers' News
22 Tips From the Pros
23 Calendar of Events

2 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

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Feature Club

The Lone Star
Treasure Hunters Club

Ray setting up for lunch Heading out to the fields

Silver quarter hunt

PicMturoesnctohmlyplemmeenetstionf gEsva AofguiTnahgea andtiEslelentJharcoksuognh organized metal Rechey Davidson – Treasurer

LCUolpuncbeoomfStiIanrvrginTegvr,eeTansetuxsraes, Hunters detecting activities, special The photos shown are from
are held events, and sharing treasure the Mountain Creek Preserve

the last Friday of the month hunting experiences. in Irving, Texas, the location of
(Seexeceoputr NEoVvE. N&TDBeoca.)rdatattthhee meeLtoinnge.SFtalryeCrlsuwb ill be posted ftohrehLuonntes SintarNTorveaesmurbeeHr aundters

Gneaxrdt esnpri&ng.ArTtsheCnenetxetr,H9u0n6t in ouErxreecguitoinvewOilflfibcertsh:e TAMDCCTluubr’kseyreHceunntt, A“MnneumalbeOrspen

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The purpose of the club is Herman Denzler - Vice- For more info about the club

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4 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

News from our Sponsors

Feature Club cont'd...

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Feature Club cont'd...

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6 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

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Ten percent of the ships returning Deep sea diver and underwater contractor David Foster inspecting the propeller of
to Spain loaded with treasure looted a Cris Craft wooden boat he raised from a lake. The boat struck below the water
from their conquest of the Americas line and sank. Foster raised the Cris Craft and is restoring it with attention to its
were lost. original grandeur.

Hurricanes and storms sank whole They converted or were tortured and to establish themselves in the New
fleets and disasters at sea claimed burned alive. World and make their fortunes.
many vessels.
Enslaved to work gold and silver Ships arriving carried manufac-
Attacks by marauding pirates and mines, the native people quickly tured goods needed by the colonists.
privateers as well as enemy war succumbed to Spanish diseases and The convoys also brought mercury
ships sank others. smallpox, syphilis and influenza needed to refine gold and silver.
killed entire populations. Returning vessels were laden with
The first voyage of discovery by all manner of profitable merchan-
Christopher Columbus in 1492 her- When the Spaniards wiped out dise.
alded a new age for Spain’s quest local labor they imported black
for riches. slaves from Africa. Merchant ships were armed. A
convoy system was established pro-
By 1519, when Hernan Cortez Year after year convoys laden tected by Spanish ships of the line.
landed his men in Veracruz and with specie and bullion returned to It was funded by a 20% tax Spain
burned his ships, assuring conquest Spain. imposed on all goods.
or death, the fate of indigenous peo-
ple of the land was sealed. Year after year colonists crossed Jewelry colonists declared as
the ocean in a three-month voyage
Conquistadors marveled at mag-
nificent cities established on islands
in what is now Mexico City, served
by aqueducts that brought fresh
water.

The advanced civilizations the
Spaniards destroyed in the name of
God had been in existence since the
pyramids of Egypt were built.

The invaders sought gold, silver,
emeralds and natural resources for
their king to fund exorbitant life-
styles at court and far flung European
wars.

It was the height of the Spanish
Inquisition. Fanatic zealots moti-
vated by confiscation of a victim’s
property and wealth burned people
at the stake.

The Aztec, Maya and Inca people
in the New World fared no better.

68 LOST TREASURE NSepwtselmetbteerr 1220-166-16

the government.

They used native divers from the

islands off Venezuela. These divers

brought up pearls from oysters.

Spanish salvage captains took

them as slaves. The divers were

used until they died of exhaustion or

accidents.

Shipwrecks were usually visible

from the surface after wrecking.

Grappling hooks and native divers

could recover cannons and treasure

from the remains.

It was not a perfect situation

although diving bells were lowered

into which divers could duck to take

a breath of air then return underwater

to tie lines to bars of silver.

Centuries of hurricanes, storms

and ocean waves buried the ships

and scattered their treasures.

Sand shifted covering gold and

Author John Christopher Fine holding a flintlock pistol recovered underwater silver coins, silver bars and ship’s
from the lost city of Port Royal, Jamaica, and a clump of Spanish silver coins implements.
recovered from a sunken galleon. Photo by Myriam Moran.
The advent of scuba diving opened
new horizons for treasure hunters.

their own property brought from is now Tavernier. Much of the gold was near shore

in shallow water. Finding it under
Spain was not taxed. Contraband and Spanish officials hired salvagers deep layers of sand posed special
smuggling was rampant.
to recover sunken treasure. Salvage problems to modern divers.
Some sunken ships later salvaged captains worked under contract with Mel Fisher gave up his family
by Spanish salvors turned out to

have more contraband specie aboard

than declared cargo.

Penalties were severe - confisca-

tion of property and punishment of

10 years servitude as a galley slave

and death.

Bribery was commonplace. Only

rarely did merchants pay any penal-

ties for smuggling.

Three furious hurricanes claimed

Spanish treasure fleets off the coast

of Florida.

The 1715 fleet was wrecked off

the shores of what is now called the

Treasure Coast.

The wreckage of these vessels

was scattered from about Ft. Pierce

to Cape Canaveral.

The 1622 fleet wrecked about

40 miles south of Key West. The Divers and beach detectorists Hank Haart
galleons Nuestra Señora de Atocha (sunglasses) and Bill Cassinelli with two
and the Santa Margarita went to 1732 pillar dollars Bill found detecting on
the bottom, were broken apart, and Treasure Beach in the Florida Keys. The
their treasures scattered over miles coins were found in a clump together. When
of ocean. Bill separated them the sides that were

The 1733 fleet wrecked off the together were as new as when minted. The

Florida Keys in the vicinity of what sides exposed to sea water were worn.

wwwwww.L.LoostsTtTrereaasusurere.c.ocommNeSwesplteetmtebr e1r22-60-1166 97

The silver box was recovered by a diver on Once a hole is dug divers come
Mel Fisher’s team diving in the Quicksands into it with an air lift. This serves as
40 miles south of Key West, Florida. The an underwater vacuum cleaner.
shipwrecks Atocha and Santa Margarita
proved to be the most fruitful treasure sal- An airlift is nothing more than
vage operations the Fisher family under- a long pipe, metal or PVC, with a
took. They discovered millions in gold, valve fitted about a foot from the
silver and artifacts. This emerald studded working end. An air hose connected
cross and the large emerald ring likely to the valve runs to a shipboard com-
belonged to a church potentate. Photo by pressor.
John Christopher Fine.
A means to hold the working end
chicken farm and fledgling scuba ent from inlets that brings pollution of the pipe is devised. Divers turn on
shop to drive across country from from the Intracoastal Waterway and the valve and a large suction is cre-
California and team up with Kip inland canals carrying agricultural ated that pulls sand away exposing
Wagner in 1963. runoff. coins and treasure.

In that first season, Mel, work- At times working underwater is Careless use of an air lift causes
ing under a mailbox that directed entirely by feel off the beaches of coins to be sucked up the pipe and
the support vessel’s propeller wash the Treasure Coast. There are mag- thrown out its open end into the tail-
downward to blow away an overbur- nificent days when the water is clear, ings.
den of sand, discovered 1,033 gold calm and warm.
coins. Hand held underwater detectors
The elbow or mailbox device is are used both under the prop deflec-
“The ocean bottom was paved used to blow away sand. The elbow tor and in conjunction with clearing
with gold,” Mel declared. These is lowered over the dive vessel’s pro- an area underwater.
underwater discoveries inspired trea- peller, fixed in place and, with the
sure divers imbued with the spirt of vessel securely moored, anchored My Garrett Sea Hunter is water
Long John Silver and his cohorts in fore and aft so it cannot move, the proof to depths of 200 feet. It is
“Treasure Island” to seek their own engine is engaged. a self-contained, housed unit with
fortunes. waterproof earphones.
As the ship’s propeller churns, the
While Spanish galleons were water stream is directed downward. I modified it with a short stem.
sunk in relatively shallow water near In this area under the mailbox, divers I cannot work effectively underwa-
shore, sand over the centuries cov- secured by heavy weight belts work. ter with a long stem to the detector
ered them. No vestiges of an intact head. I have found that long stems
ship remained. The water is fairly clear under get in the way.
the prop wash of a mailbox. When a
Treasure was scattered over miles hole is dug divers have to carefully Some divers devise an ear vibra-
of ocean. Devices had to be created observe and communicate to the cap- tion disc and use that instead of
to move sand. In some places the tain above to stop blowing if objects waterproof earphones.
overburden of sand is as much as 30 of interest are seen.
feet deep. Working in current or under a
Blowing too hard, too long or too prop wash causes ear phones to blow
Visibility in the vicinity of recklessly sends valuable coins cas- off. They can also be uncomfortable
Sebastian is not particularly good. cading out of the hole thrown up by when a dive hood is required for
The Atlantic Ocean receives efflu- the power of the prop wash. warmth.

The bone vibration disk is placed
under the mask strap right against
the skull bone behind the ear.

Instead of the beep of earphones,
the disk vibrates and emits a buzzing
sound directly against the bone. The
earphone connector is interchange-
able with the disc.

Divers working underwater can-
not effectively use visual meters or
panels on detectors.

Limited visibility and the con-
centration required to work a site
makes meters or visual signals, no
matter how effective on land, useless
underwater.

Thus acoustic signals are the best
for most purposes when using an
underwater metal detector.

Many treasures have been lost by

180 LLOOSSTTT TRREEAASSUURREESNepetwesmlebteterr21021-66-16

divers that did not have proper ways storage container. up and put aboard the support vessel
to recover them. The main cost of an expedition, to keep from detecting them again.

Mel Fisher used plastic milk after careful research and getting I do not use discrimination under-
crates for larger items such as silver permits, is getting on site. water. My detector is left in the “all
bars. Small mesh bags are effective metal” mode.
for coins and smaller objects. Having the right equipment with
backups means the success or failure Discrimination can also eliminate
The numismatic value of coins is of a mission. small gold objects. I’d rather pick up
decreased proportionately by defects 100 lead sinkers than miss a small
in condition. If a metal detector fails, if it floods, gold chain or coin.
if batteries are depleted and there is
Scratches and damage during no way to recharge or replace them, Underwater treasure hunting is
recovery greatly decrease a coin’s the expedition comes to a standstill fun and rewarding. Many salvage
value. until the problem is fixed. divers are open to recruiting team
members to dive with them.
I devised a small PVC pipe The late Charles Garrett, pio-
sealed at one end. I drill holes in the neer inventor of underwater and The work entails long hours in
sides so water can get in and drain land metal detectors, declared that summer season often from sunrise
out. Otherwise the PVC will float. it requires at least 10 hours of prac- to sunset. Many days go by without
The water also provides protection tice to learn what a metal detector finding anything.
against damage. can do. Practice with the equipment
before an expedition is important. Long exposure to ocean water,
At the open end I fix a piece of even when it is warm, causes chill-
neoprene with a screw clamp. The I often see divers aboard a dive ing. Wetsuits and hoods are worn
same kind used on radiator hoses. boat, new dive computer on their and it is a great delight to surface
The size is dependent on the size of lap, an inch thick instruction manual and remain in the warm sun after a
the PVC. in hand, asking others to help them long dive.
understand how it works.
I slice a slit in the neoprene cover Good gloves are important.
so small objects can be placed right Taking a new piece of equipment Remember there are many sharp
through the slit and cannot come out of its box on board a treasure objects in the sand as well as broken
out. The PVC pipe is attached to my hunting ship then trying to find out glass. Protect your hands.
buoyancy compensator jacket. how it works is not sound practice.
The critical focus on underwater
Trying to slip coins in gloves, Follow Charles Garrett’s advice - treasure hunting is diving safely.
inside wetsuits, or in buoyancy com- use, test, experiment with your metal Whether a surface supplied hookah
pensator jacket pockets invites loss. detector before ever taking it on a rig is used, where compressed air
treasure hunting expedition. comes from a hose attached to a
One diver on Bob and Margaret shipboard compressor, or if scuba
Weller’s team found a magnificent Every detector has its own special tanks are strapped to your back, the
piece of gold jewelry using his operating features. Learn yours inti- imperative rules of diving apply.
Garrett underwater metal detector. mately before using it on a treasure
site. Salvage divers often work alone
It was the most amazing find that underwater. The buddy system does
season diving the 1715 fleet. He Many Spanish shipwreck sites are not work for them in areas of limited
popped it in his buoyancy compensa- in shallow offshore areas where fish- visibility using tools that create great
tor jacket pocket and swam excitedly ermen have cast their lines over the clouds of sand.
back to the boat to tell other mem- centuries.
bers of the team. Extra precautions have to be
Cans full of lead sinkers and dis- employed to insure a safe way to
When he went to present his gold carded trash will have to be picked surface if something goes wrong.
broach it was gone. There was a hole
in his pocket. Famed underwater treasure hunter A good team works in harmony.
Burt Webber holding a cesium mag- Shipboard watches are shared as div-
The entire team jumped back in netometer underwater in the Florida ers rest between dives.
the water and started a frantic search Keys. Webber and his team searched for
for the valuable gold broach. It was and found the remains of the Spanish Every member of the team knows
found. galleon Concepcion in the Silver Banks how to operate critical equipment,
north of the Dominican Republic. Tests especially the vessel, its compressors
Divers continued their search and of this magnetometer proved fruitful in and radio. Nothing is left to chance.
recovered what has come to be called Webber’s new quest for another ship-
the “Queen’s Jewels.” wreck in Dominican waters. Preparation and equipment suited
for the task is key to successful
So magnificent were the gold underwater treasure hunting. There
broaches, pendants and earrings is also luck.
studded with blue-white diamonds
that the ensemble was valued at Sources:
$750,000 by Mel Fisher’s group. The author’s diving experience
and his participation in underwater
Found, lost and found again. treasure expeditions and research.
Heart stopping adventure that could
have been alleviated using a reliable

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THers' News

A couple remodeling their home recently found a suitcase with
$23,000 in cash hidden in the ceiling of their basement.

Couple Discovers Suitcase before making their way to the base- The newspaper suggests the
Packed With Money In ment. approximate time the newspaper was
The Walls of Home hidden, and the location of the home. 
A couple renovating their home They were taking out parts of the
got quite the surprise recently, when basement›s dusty ceiling when they After opening the first package,
they found a stash of cash in a suit- found a little green suitcase hidden they found a stack of bills.   
case hidden in the ceiling of their in the wall. 
basement.  ‘These are all twenties! There
In a series of photos posted to ‹I took the box outside and gath- may be a couple thousand here! We
Imgur, Reddit user Branik12 explains ered the wife. It has something inside, are freaking out at this point. This
how he and his wife found the trea- but not heavy like coins or gold bars. doesn’t happen to us! What do we
sure trove.  Might get lucky though. Could be do? Where are the cameras?
The 35-year-old do-it-yourself old sports cards,› he recalled. 
remodeler says they have been living ‘The second package didn’t have
in the 1940s home for a few years When they opened the box, they any twenties. It was all fifties! What
now, but focused on improving the found three packages wrapped in is going on here? There could be 5
first and second floors of the house what appeared to be wax paper, with grand here!. Wait!!!!
a Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper
dated March 25, 1951 lining the bot- 'The third package is
tom. 100s!!!! This is out of control!!!
‘Some of the bills were rarer than

When the case was opened they found three packages
wrapped in what appeared to be wax paper. Their hopes

soared as they saw the green of American money. 

www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter 12-6-16 13

THers' News continued...
others. Some brown notes, a gold appraised and went to their lawyer
certificate and some star notes nearly to see about keeping the find.  
uncirculated. All bills were from
1928-1934,' he wrote.  ‘This was a wild ride for us and
I hope you all enjoyed it too. We
The lot was worth about $23,000.  are boring people and have been
After researching the bills, the dumping our extra money to pay off
couple decided to have the lot our mortgage and that is where this

SECURITY A pistol underwater archaeologists
WARNING DECALS found aboard the ship Mentor. (Petros

Protect Yourself and Vezyrtzi) Photos courtesy of http://
Your Belongings! www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-
archaeology/more-treasures-retrieved-
Protect Your Detectors lord-elgin-s-ship-which-sank-parthe-
and Your Property!
non-marbles-021055
• Heavy duty vinyl self-adhesive decal’s warn that your
property is protected by ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC money will go too,’ the post ends.  
ALARM SYSTEM. Courtesy of http://www.dailymail.
• Frighten burglars away.
• Apply easily to glass, metal, plastic or wood. co.uk/news/article-3852652/Couple-
• Ideal for home, apartment, car, truck, factory, ware- discover-1950s-suitcase-packed-
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• Great low-cost security system. renovations.html#ixzz4Oh66ovAg 
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• 1 pkg = 4 decal’s for only $3.00 includes s&h More Treasures Retrieved
From Ship That Sank
Click on this ad to order OnLine With Parthenon Marbles
or call 800-423-0029 Ext 2 A remarkable collection of
artifacts has been discovered by
14 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16 marine archaeologists revisiting
the Mentor shipwreck. 
Mentor was a ship that sank in
1802 near the island of Kythera in
Greece while controversially trans-
porting precious artifacts including
the world-renowned Parthenon mar-
bles to England.
According to Haaretz, the cargo of
coins, jewelry, Egyptian statues, and
many other artifacts were discovered
by the team of marine archaeologists
led by the Greek Culture Ministry’s
Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities,
Dimitris Kourkoumelis.
Although many precious items
were looted and recovered from the
sea a long time ago, there is still a lot
left to discover around the famous
wreckage.
The ship’s amazing story has
been described before on “Ancient
Origins.”
Lord Elgin, the ship’s owner, was

THers' News continued...

Divers find more artifacts at wreck of the Mentor, which
sank carrying the Elgin Marbles.

responsible for acquiring the antiqui-
ties England’s elite were interested
in at the time.

AsDhwty wrote: “In 1799, Lord
Elgin was appointed the ambas-
sador to the Sublime Porte in
Constantinople, the capital of the
Ottoman Empire. Lord Elgin is said
to have intended to improve the
knowledge of Classical art in Great
Britain by providing his home coun-
try with casts of Greek monuments
hitherto known only from drawings
and engravings.”"

“He assembled a team of archi-
tects, painters, draftsmen and mold-
ers under the leadership of the Italian
G.B. Lusieri, and began work in
Athens in 1800. […] In 1802, Lord
Elgin and his men had taken away
‘pieces of stone with inscriptions
or figures’ that filled 16 boxes, and
were preparing to ship them back to
London.

"On September 15, Lord Elgin’s
vessel set off from the Greek port
of Piraeus, with the first port of call
being the island of Malta. Apart from
the 16 boxes of artifacts […] a total
of 12 men were on board the ship."
[via Ancient Origins]

Dhwty continues: "On
September 16, a favorable wind
had taken Mentor to Cape Matapan,
the southernmost point of mainland
Greece. A strong easterly wind, how-
ever, forced the ship to spend the
night there.

www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter 12-6-16 15

THers' News continued...
"The next morning, Mentor con- the geography of that area, and so the bottom. Several maneuvers were
tinued its journey. It was during this it was thought that the best solution then performed in order to prevent
leg of transit that the captain realized was to seek port on the nearby island the ship from crashing into the rocks
that the ship was taking on water. of Kythera. on the coast. This attempt failed,
and THE Mentor crashed into the
"Although he decided that it "In the afternoon on the same rocks of Cape Avelemonas and sank
would be best to make for harbor day, Mentor reached the shores of into the sea.”"
on the nearest Peloponnesian coast, Cape Avlemonas. Two anchors were
no one in the crew was familiar with cast, though they failed to catch The ship sank to the depth of 23
meters (75.5ft.), but all the passen-
Click the blue ad above & order your copy of the gers and crewmembers were rescued
by a vessel named Anikitos.
Treasure Hunter’s Logbook
However, the 16 boxes of antiqui-
or call 800-423-0029 ext. 2 ties sank to the bottom of the sea.

To remedy this problem, Lord
Elgin hired sponge divers from the
island of Kalymnos, and the pre-
cious marbles were salvaged from
the wreck and shipped to the UK
through Malta.

But not everything was recovered.
Thus, a team of marine archaeolo-
gists discovered parts of an Egyptian
statue and a piece of an ancient
Egyptian inscription which sheds
light on the origins of the marble.

As Dimitris Kourkoumelis recent-
ly told Haaretz:

"In Egypt, especially Alexandria,
they were selling ancient stone stat-
ues of Egyptian pharaohs that were
used as ballast on the ships.

"Afterwards, when they reached
port, they would take out the ballast
and sell the statues to collectors."

Apart from this, the team of
researchers found an instrument
probably used by William Leek, a
famous British topographer, who
made the topographical map of
Zea in Piraeus and drawings of the
Parthenon.

They also found several artifacts
that belonged to the passengers and
crew of the ship which can still be
tied to specific individuals.

The divers discovered a compass,
part of an hourglass and calipers,
glassware such as vessels, cups, and
bottles, porcelain, three pistols and
many bullets, flints, a cannonball,
and watches that were manufactured
in London.

In the next season, Dimitris
Kourkoumelis’ team hopes to

16 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

THers' News continued...

essful THers Guide BW 1_2pg color.qxd 2/7/2012 11:17 AM Page 1

Some of the artifacts found aboard Mentor, Lord Elgin’s
ship that sank off Kythera while carrying Parthenon mar-

bles from Piraeus to London in 1802. (Petros Vezyrtzi)

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www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter 12-6-16 17

THers' News continued...

Anglo Saxon treasure found. Photo courtesy of
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/11/05/anglo-

saxon-treasure-trove-discovered-in-potato-field/

explore Mentor’s bow and uncover belonged to an important ruler have assessing the value of the discovery
been discovered in a potato field. but it is estimated to be worth thou-
more antiquities. They believe there sands of pounds.
A gold pendant, two bronze bowls
are still more Parthenon marble frag- and iron weaponry, including a spear The largest Anglo-Saxon treasure
head, two arrow heads and the frag- was discovered in the UK in 2009.
ments which were broken and left ments of a sword have been found
by metal detector enthusiast Alan The 3,500 pieces of the
behind. Smith. Staffordshire Hoard found in
Lichfield are valued at £3.2m.
It has been 200 years since the It is the third important archaeo-
logical find in Louth, Lincolnshire, Courtesy of http://www.telegraph.
tragedy on the sea, yet the topic of in the last eight months. co.uk/news/2016/11/05/anglo-sax-
on-treasure-trove-discovered-in-
the Parthenon marbles is still very Dr Adam Daubney from potato-field/
Lincolnshire County Council said
controversial. the items must have belonged to Unearthing the Story
someone of high status possibly a of a Rare Viking Toolbox
In 1816, Lord Elgin sold the local ruler and date back to the 7th The discovery of a rare 1,000-year-
century.  old Viking toolbox containing 14
marble treasures to the British unique iron tools caused excitement
They were in burial mound in the during recent excavations at an old
Government and they became part field near Louth. Viking fortress.
The toolbox was unearthed in a
of the British Museum’s collection. “This is a once in a life time small lump of soil at Denmark’s fifth
discovery,” said Dr Daubney. “The Viking ring fortress: Borgring. It is
However, nowadays, finds date to the Seventh Century the first direct evidence that people
– a time when the elite in society actually lived at the site.
Elgin is regarded as a thief were often being buried in barrows – Science Nordic journalist
small artificial mounds of earth. Charlotte Price Persson became an
by many Greek people. archaeologist for a day and joined
“The individual would either have the team of researchers to help clear
They see him as a criminal who stole been placed into a grave within the away the dirt and expose the iron
mound, or perhaps even into a cham- tools.
their heritage. ber which was then covered over. The soil containing the arti-
facts was removed from the site of
Many of the original Parthenon “This form of burial is a powerful one of the four gates at Borgring.
display of status; not only was the The researchers suggest that the
marbles can be found in London and individual being buried with a large tools could have belonged to people
amount of wealth, the burial mound who lived in the fortress.
some are in the Louvre in Paris. also became a permanent feature in It contains an amazing collection
the landscape. of tools which were used around the
Greek exhibits mostly consist of
“This elaborate form of burial has
plaster casts of the precious mar- often been seen as evidence for the
emergence of kingship.”
bles, but there is an ongoing attempt
Experts at the British Museum are
to recover the lost treasures from

abroad.

Courtesy of http://www.ancient-

origins.net/news-history-archaeol-

ogy/more-treasures-retrieved-lord-

elgin-s-ship-which-sank-parthenon-

marbles-021055

Submitted by Len Myers.

Treasure Trove
Discovered In
Potato Field
A hoard of Anglo-Saxon trea-
sure, including a pendant worth over
£50,000, which is believed to have

18 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

THers' News continued...
10th century AD. Vikings. It is strange that nobody workshop or used for housing a
Lead archaeologist Nanna Holm had found them before and melted craftsman. It measures about 30-40
the objects down to repurpose the square meters (322-430 sq. ft.), and
decided to take a better look before iron. had its own fireplace.
excavation began on the tools. As
she told Science Nordic: The archaeologists believe that an The researchers speculate that
analysis of the artifacts will help the tools were buried underground
“We could see that there was them to understand what type of when the gate collapsed – explaining
something in the layers [of soil] craftsman owned them. why the recovery of the valued iron
around the east gate. If it had been a objects would have been difficult.
big signal from the upper layers then For now, they suppose that the
it could have been a regular plough, spoon drills and drawplate could Now the researchers want to scan
but it came from the more ‘exciting’ have been used to produce thin wire the tools by X-ray. That should help
layers. So we dug it up and asked the bracelets. Holm’s team to identify exactly what
local hospital for permission to bor- the tools are.
row their CT-scanner.” But, this kind of drill was also
used to make holes in wood – sug- She already has some ideas, for
The scans allowed the research- gesting that it could have also been a example, that one of the spoon drills
ers to see the shapes of the tools and carpenter’s toolbox. may be a pair of pliers or tweezers.
they realized that the toolbox itself
was gone – the wood had rotted Moreover, the location of the arti- It is planned that the tools will be
away over time. facts by the eastern gate of the for- put on display next year, although
tress provides more information on the artifacts need conservation work
However, the placement of the the tools’ history. before they will be ready to be
objects suggests that the wooden box exhibited.
was replaced with soil. They could have been used after
a fire that torched the fortress’ north Courtesy of http://www.telegraph.
The discovery is exceptionally and east gates in the second half of co.uk/news/2016/11/05/anglo-sax-
rare. the 10th century. on-treasure-trove-discovered-in-
potato-field/
Tools made of iron were very The team also found a room near
expensive and precious to the the gate which could have been a Submitted by Len Myers.

Example of a Viking toolbox that was found in 1936 at the bottom of the former lake Mästermyr,
island of Gotland. Source: Christer Åhlin/SHMM

www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter 12-6-16 19

Favorite Finds

Finds Made By
Ronny Barber

Reader and detectorist Ronny you think that you have detected an never found a Half Penny of any
Barber shares information about area out and low and behold more sorts before so this is my first...I
some of his favorite finds (shown). treasures from the past emerge from LOVE THIS HOBBY!
The finds were made over several the soil.
weekends. “I have also included a couple of
“I had been in this area a count- pics of the rest of what I found along
Ronny said, “(Some of) these are less number of times with my 15” with the so called junk, but it’s not
Halloween finds (including an 1889 and on down to my small 4” coils. I junk to me! IT’S HISTORY!”
penny) found at a place I have been would have never thought that I had
several times. This time I used small been leaving such a fine specimen “Had another GREAT weekend
DD coil with no discrimination. Talk behind. hunt looking again in an area I had
about having fun!” been several times before I deployed
“The signal was very faint, with some of the skills I have learned
“I found this 1944 British Half a lot of iron and nails and I sup- from my last couple of trips.
Penny recently about 8 inches deep pose I hit it just at the right angle
with my Garrett AT PRO and the and was going a little bit slower “I was using the small “DD” coil
small “DD” coil. It’s amazing at how this time. VERY EXCITING! I have again, with my AT PRO, going very
slow and making sure I was covering

20 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

More Favorite Finds

every square inch of ground. “To my amazement it was an old I pinpointed something so I dug and
“Just wanted to point out that sidewalk that had been buried over out pops another toy, this time an air-
the years. The signal was still strong plane! I was very excited, and kept
the sawmill suspender buckle was and it was along the outer edge of getting more signals until I pulled 14
patented on 2 May 1900! GREAT the 4” thick walkway. I dug down wonderful pieces of history out of
FIND! beside it about 5 inches and stuck that hole. I LOVE IT!
my probe in the hole and got a tone. I
“As you can see, it paid off very slowly dug and saw something long “I began to think and wonder
handsomely! Again I included the and gray sticking out and tugged on about the little boy that was play-
junk and a lot of very old relics... the end of it just ever so slightly and, ing with these small treasures and
Hope everyone enjoys the pics.” to my surprise, a toy lead soldier, whether or not he meant to leave
amazing!  them there or just forgot about
“This past weekend I was detect- them, who he was, and where is he
ing out in the woods around where “So, I covered the hole and made now. We will never know, but it is
an old homestead used to be and got one last swing just to see if that was simply wonderful how lifting a few
a terrific 60-61 signal with the small all, and…another signal...and very handfuls of soil out of the ground
“DD” coil. The detector said about strong. Sticking the probe in again takes you so far back in time.”
10 inches so I started to dig and hit
something hard. 

www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter 12-6-16 21

Tip From the Pros

What Does A Trime
Sound Like?

By Jay Pastor

Detectors vary in their user-friendly machine capa- of older coins – dimes, half-
responses. The indications ble of creating a separate dis- dimes, trimes (3-cent piec-
you get from a buried half- crimination notch for each es), two-cent pieces, etc. -
disme (half-dime) on your American coin ever minted. and listen to what they have
pet machine, for example, to say.
may so different from those But you wouldn't mind
coming from that same coin finding old coins like these, Also, pay careful attention
on a detector produced by which means that you'll to the indications they give
another manufacturer (par- have to do the discriminat- you on your meter or digital
ticularly if the other machine ing yourself. readout.
is several years newer or
older than yours) that you'd Sadly, the most thorough With enough practice,
find them completely unrec- discrimination is digging. you'll eventually soak-up the
ognizable. automatic knowledge neces-
You can, however, avoid sary to keep you excavating
Yet, both machines are a lot of hard work, and also at spots where you would
doing their job properly. improve your number of suc- have previously shrugged
cesses, by becoming familiar your shoulders and walked
And no detector manufac- with your particular detec- away certain that all that was
turer can readily supply you tor's responses to various there was junk.
with a reasonably-priced, unusual coins.
It's worth the effort.
Borrow or buy a variety

22 LOST TREASURE Newsletter 12-6-16

Calendar of Events
This section is provided by Lost Treasure magazine as a
free service for non-profit treasure clubs and organizations.

MARCH Hunting. April 26 - 8:30 a.m. - main hunt this year. All entry fees go
11th – 12th – Turlock, California. Natural Hunt at Dublin Christian back into the hunt as coins and priz-
51st Annual Rock & Gem show at Academy cosponsored by White›s es. One metal detector will be given
the Stanislaus Fairgrounds, 900 N. of New England with free chili and for each 25 main entries plus addi-
Broadway. 10 a.m. -5 p.m. daily. This dogs. April 27 -8:30 a.m. (1700 set- tional prizes. We gave away eight
is a family event and will include tlement land) cosponsored by Garrett metal detectors last year. Concession
rocks, minerals, fossils, jewelry, Metal Detectors. April 28 - Natural stand will be open. RV hookups
beads, fluorescents and more! Learn Hunt and Friday night get together available. For entry form, check
to make beautiful jewelry out of nat- banquet cosponsored by Minelab. www.threeforkstreasurehunters.org
ural rocks and gemstones from our April 28 – 5 p.m. - All you can eat or contact Larry Koch at (918) 348-
demonstrators. Children’s Activities roast pork get together supper (loca- 6780 or Gary Young at (918) 869-
including making your own bracelet, tion to be announced) sponsored 5778.
and carving soapstone. Will also by Streeters & Minelab. April 29
have a newly expanded huge fluo- - 8:30 -3:30 - Hobby Show - booths, MAY
rescent display room. There will contests, eight workshops, and fund- 5th – 7th – Cortez, Colorado.
be over 40 dealers selling rocks, raising Chinese Auction with a WWATS’ (World Wide Association
minerals, fossils, jewelry, beads Minelab Excalibur II for St. Jude›s of Treasure Seekers, Inc.) first
& supplies, and much more. For Children›s Research Hospital. April Ultimate Treasure and Gold Show at
more info contact Bud & Terry 29 - 5 p.m. - Hall of Fame prime rib the Montezuma Fairgrounds, 30100
McMillin at (209) 524 3494, e-mail  banquet. April 30 - 9:30 a.m. - Meet US Hwy. 160. A fun-filled weekend
[email protected] for $6,000 hunt with a $1,000 trea- of treasure and new equipment view-
or log onto www.turlockgemshow. sure chest drawing. Natural Hunts ing, special speakers, a banquet, and
com $60 each, Thur. & Fri. meals $25 seminars daily for the entire fam-
each, Prime Rib Awards banquet ily! This three-day event with both
APRIL $30, Hobby Show & workshops $10 inside and outside booths will be
8th – Lancaster, Pennsylvania. each, $6,000 seeded hunt $125, or the “Largest Show of Its Kind In the
The Lancaster Research and all events $300 until 12/31/16. From Four Corners.” General admission is
Recovery Club’s Open Hunt. For 1/1/17 to 4/1/17 all events will be $5 each day. Vendor, manufacturer,
more information, contact Ted $360. For more information, contact distributor and dealer booth space
Baker, President and Hunt Master, George Streeter at gfs41@yahoo. available. Also this weekend will
at [email protected] or log onto the com or log onto www.streeter.org be the Ultimate Outdoor & Gun
club’s website at www.lrrc.org Show in another building. Historical
29th – 30th – Sapulpa, Attractions nearby include: Mesa
26th – 30th – New Hampshire. Oklahoma. The Three Forks Treasure Verde, Durango, & Telluride,
Best O’ North East (BONE) Treasure Hunters Club’s 30th National Open Colorado, including the Durango
Week #24. Five days sponsored by Treasure Hunt at the Creek County Silverton Train Ride! For more info,
the Professional Treasure Hunters Fairgrounds, 4 miles west of Sapulpa log onto www.wwats.org or con-
Historical Society, Treasure Hunter›s on HW 66. Eight different hunts tact Keith Wills, V.P. WWATS, via
Gazette, and Streeter’s Treasure available. Reduced entry fee for e-mail at [email protected]

E-mail upcoming events to
[email protected]

www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter 12-6-16 23