Metal detecting is quite an interesting hobby. You just never know what you will find on the beach. There is always something to be uncovered and sometimes it’s not a metal object.
I always welcome anyone’s treasure stories and this one is really odd. A reader wrote in to share this story. Without further ado!
“For those of you that do not know, down here in Florida we had over two weeks of freezing temps. I know your saying, big freaking deal right?
All of this cold weather has had a huge impact on the marine life. I have seen more dead fish on the beach than a red tide. A few days ago, I saw a dead snook that must have been a world’s record. It was HUGE!
There have been hundreds of sea turtles that have been found as well. It kind of sucks and to top it all off, while I was hunting among all of the death I find my first crematory tag. WTF? I pitched it back into the ocean as far as I could.
Today was no different, there were dead fish everywhere and one was a monster. Check this thing out! That’s my 11 year old son in the picture for a size reference.”
It just goes to show that you never know what will turn up on the beach!
If you are new to metal detecting beaches then you most likely do not know about one of the best beaches for treasure hunting. You can find treasures on just about any beach but there is one stretch of beach along the Florida coast that has been named the Treasure coast. Along this stretch of beach you have the possibility of finding real treasures from sunken spanish ships.
It was the year 1715. Eleven Spanish ships carrying an unknown amount of silver and gold treasures sank off the coast of Florida. A huge hurricane managed to destroy all of those ships and it took thousands of lives as well. There were few survivors. There is one story of a captain who survived the hurricanes only to sink in his lifeboat which he overloaded with treasure.
Metal detecting any of these beaches is premitted by law unless you are in a state park where it is illegal. Hunting in the water is illegal as well unless you purchase a lease which can be expensive.
This treasure filled stretch of beach starts just North of Sebastian inlet and runs south for several miles all the way past the Fort Pierce Inlet. People are still finding old treasures to this day and it is one of the most popular places to metal detect in Florida. Who does not want to own a part of that history.
At any given time you might be lucky enough to dig up some old Spanish silver but the best times are after storms. There have been people who found thousands of dollars in treasures along these beaches when the conditions were right. Who know maybe you could be the next one to find some Spanish silver or gold.
Sometimes it can be a difficult decision on whether to go out into the freezing cold and hunt for treasures or to stay put in your nice cozy warm room and watch a game or two on your high def television.
It can also make it difficult if you have not been finding any real treasures lately. Your moral can go down and the power of being positive can do wonders for your spirit.
Another thing to note is that very few people will be out metal detecting, so you can have the whole area to yourself! This will increase you odds of finding gold rings and such.
I would like to encourage anyone to send in any finds and I will gladly post them on this site. It helps to keep moral up. Who isn’t inspired by gold?
Mike in Jacksonville, Florida sent me a picture that should inspire anyone. If this does not make you want to go and use your metal detector, then nothing will.
He found this nice 14kt gold band in the wet sand at his local beach spot. Nice find. I can’t think of anyone who would not like to see this in the bottom of their scoop.
