🥇 BANNER Bahamian pirate gold

Blak bart

Gold Member
Jun 6, 2016
19,218
102,476
FL keys
🥇 Banner finds
5
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Mine lab primary fisher secondary
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Just got back from the bahamas !! Wow !! What a trip we had. I spent 3 weeks fishing tuna, wahoo, and blue marlin !! It was go go go with the fishing and I barley had time to break out the metaldetector. But when I did it was an unbelievable ride !! Im still getting my voice back and licking my wounds. When you find a treasure spill like the one I found you hoot and holler until your voice is gone !! You guys will have to grit your teeth and get through this post it'll probably take a page to explain it all. There's alot to cover. Ill dive right in to the good stuff that came from the far out islands. Here we go !!

Boom baby Portuguese gold, and spanish silver !!
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A beautiful 1747 gold reis coin from Brazil, a badly eaten up spanish piece of eight, a 1773or5 big nose piece of eight, and a gorgeous filigree wire silver ring. All these pieces were found in 2 separate 2 hour hunts at low tide on the same beach. My original thinking from talking with locals is that a pirate long boat was dashed to pieces on this incredible shoreline trying to land there treasure. The mix of spanish and Portuguese coinage seems odd but much more research and exploration of this site is needed, and the who, what, and when of this find is driving me nuts with the research....there are some records that make some sense, but I don't want to speculate yet until I hit the books some more.

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I've dug some great iron in the bahamas and keys but this 20 inch pirate long knife has to be one of my favorites....when I hold this artifact in my hands I can feel my pirate blood boiling to life...it evokes as much emotion as the gold coin does !!

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I was able to gather up pounds of seaglass, and handfuls of great colorful potsherds for my art projects !!

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Im an opertunist, and if the detector is not producing I'll lay it aside and start to mudlarking for potsherds and pipe stems !!

I was able to pull a silver or pewter teapot lid while mud larcking an old dump site for potsherds.

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there was plenty of great ships spikes and copper alloy fasteners along with the ever present lead....the plastic of the olden days !! I got a nice ginger beer on one of my hunts and was happy about it as I never found a whole one before. Other finds included some great flat buttons including a spencers treble gilt backmarck with a greek key motiff

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At one point my best coin was an 1826 english/bahamian penny

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a pretty satisfying find...until you hit the silver and gold, and gold fever takes over !! There were harmonica reeds and another type of unidentified musical instrument reed. Im still cleaning and gathering my finds together and I've got plenty of shells too. Found a goats horn, and a boars tusk also while beachcombing for ambergris. Ill post some more pics after work...im currently putting the boat back together after a brutal 14 hour run home in heavy seas.....im battered and beaten but what a trip !! I left all my treasure gear with a fellow t-net member, including my equinox 600, and a nice map with some sites to explore...it was the least I could do for my fellow islander who helped me with transportation and and gave me the best island hospitality that could ever be expected !! I hope to return that island hospitality one day when he visits me in the keys. Ive been more than blessed to grow up both in the bahamas and keys and know many island secerets....hope I'm doing my grandpa justice. He was dual citizen and made sure I respected my bahamian heritage and conch/keys life. Wrecking is alive and well within me and beach combing is in my blood !! Woooo hoooo !! Off to work now....more to come later. Maybe my bahamian friend will make a guest appearance on this thread when he sees it....I hope so !!


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Oh ya....we caught fish too !!

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Cheers folks hope you enjoy and are inspired !! Wooo hoooo !!
 

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Upvote 30
Having just come out of the hospital for heart problems, that would have put me 6 feet under where I stood! Holly Cow thats amazing. Huge congrats on that massive gold and fantastic hunts and Banner so quick. Well deserved.
 

you certainly know how to get it done....both with the detector and the rod and reel. Nailed it once again, congrats bud on a well deserver banner:thumbsup:
 

That ain't no reis...THAT is a 6400 reis minted in Rio de Janeiro! known as a "half Johanna" it is also one of 10 coins that make up a "proclamation" set in Australia, which in the right auction, adds a lot of value to it!
 

That was a damn fine post Bart. Thanks for sharing! You invoked some of that thrill..
 

Bart .For sure ..One Sweet Dream Came True
 

How awesome and the fact it was not found diving is incredible. The Tuna never showed up this past winter in Mexico. I am so ready for a good Tuna haul. Dave
 

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Bart,You the man,man :) Now you gotta update your avatar pix :occasion14::tchest:
 

Hello and thank you dave...gonna be tough to get banner with my last banner still floating up there. No big deal....the thrill will live with me forever....I can't think of a better setting to find my first gold coin.....WOW...it was a surreal location !! Pet that little fur ball for me !!
Congratulations on your 4th BANNER Bart! :occasion14:
I had a feeling this was a seriously important find and the Tnet members obviously felt so as well.
Dave
 

A BIG FAT THANK YOU TO EVERYONE !!

guys/gals...this really is a special site...friends like SADS669, and islamoradamark, and phippsfollymike are real flesh and blood friends that will be in my life until my ashes are spread in the sea...these are great people I've met through t-net that have shared great adventures with me in the real world...I like to think they are adventures that none of us will ever forget !! Kinda awkward and strange at first to meet the characters of t-net in person....but to think that they are willing to go through that initial awkwardness too only adds to the camaraderie in the end. Ive made lifelong friends from a social network, and thats the true treasure of t-net....I feel like I know alot of you just by talking on t-net, and im looking forward to finding treasure and making new t-net friends in the real world in the future. Keep all the great finds coming people i can't wait to vote banner on your next great treasure !! Cheers everyone !!
 

Well last night when I fell asleep I was gonna load some more pics...im having trouble loading pics this morning ill refresh and try again. Wanted to show the long knife in my hand for scale...ill keep trying.
 

Well I can't load pics....upload of file failed....hope it works out later. I like to keep some pics coming to keep the thread spicy !! Ill keep trying.
 

Hot damn Bart, the sun does shine on every dogs ass once in awhile !! Well done sir!!

Hot damn toe....give geo dog a treat for me...woooo hoooo !! Gold baby !!
 

Beautiful coin!! It looks as new as the day it was lost 274 yrs ago. Banner vote for sure!!

Irish...the spot that this was found is one of the most stunning beaches I've ever stepped foot on...huge sand dunes 30 foot high, massive rock out crops with huge scattered boulders, violent 8-10 foot surf smashing everything in its path, scorching hot tropical sun. I can't imagine the poor souls who had to try and survive on this lonely stretch of sand and rock 274 years ago.....survival trumps treasure by about day 3 without water....leave it where it lay and focus on survival is what I think happened !!
 

WOW!!! How did I miss this post!! Absolutely stunning!! The Gold, treasures, and fish pics!! Great trip!! Most of all HUUUGGGE Congrats on the Portuguese Gold coin!!

Thank you digging dude....I never thought it would be a Portuguese gold that would be my first, but dang am I pleased with that !!
 

You ol' salty dog-CONGRATS ON THE BANNER!!!!!:occasion14:

Im a tired old salty dog pepper....hopefully ill be done with the boat clean up soon and lay down for 3 days...what a whirlwind of excitement for 3 weeks !! The fishing alone was epic !! And then some pirate gold on top...I really did loose my voice from screaming !!
 

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