🥇 BANNER Does Coral beep? yes, when its full of coins!!!

BVI Hunter

Bronze Member
Apr 8, 2013
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VIRGIN ISLANDS
🥇 Banner finds
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Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Could'nt work out why this lump of coral (in 2 ft of water) at the beach kept "hitting"?

brought it home and it started to fall apart in my bag - WOW!!!

just need to identify them and work out how to save / clean them???

any ideas???

thanks!!


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Upvote 57
AARRGH! Shiver Me Timbers Matey! Find of a lifetime for sure! WTG! Get back out there & post more pictures!

MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT BEING WATCHED WHEN YOUR OUT THERE. Happy Dances in the water are a BIG giveaway! :skullflag:
Happy Dances in the water lol
 

Like others have suggested, there must be more there, search that area carefully & keep widening the search.


Hopefully you can find some more (so you can keep 1 pile & break up a couple of others) because being a coin collector I would find it near impossible not to find out what types they are. But I understand why others suggest keeping it as is, which in this case I would.

Hello johnsas and congrats on your find and banner. I agree with Crusader- preserve your 1st stack and find the rest.
What you have is what we all dream about finding. LOCATE a nice round vessel and display your beautiful treasure- your first!!! keep us posted- be safe...

HH yelnif

ps; late I know but best banner
 

its no coincidence I just signed up to get SCUBA qualified....!!!:headbang:
 

DO NOT DREMEL!!! You have a fantastic find, don't mess it up. You can remove it from salt water now, use some bottled water to keep in in from now on. Find some bare metal (or lightly remove corrosion) at each end of the stack, and connect up electrolysis. You will be very pleased once you have done it up right! You can find easy/cheap ways to electrolyze on this site.
 

Ahhh... from what I have seen on TV should not this coral incrustation be submerged and preserved in the same water it was found to prevent air oxidation before they can be restored and cleaned? Like placing it inside a mason jar filled with water or something?
 

Last big chunk of coral I saw on ebay with some coins in it had an asking price of $30k... just sayin :p
 

Last big chunk of coral I saw on ebay with some coins in it had an asking price of $30k... just sayin :p

looks like its ebay for me this weekend..... :hello2:

be good to see the link if its still around!
 

I think this was about a year ago. Was a nice coffee-table centerpiece-sized chunk of coral but the sky's the limit on something so unique!
 

I think this was about a year ago. Was a nice coffee-table centerpiece-sized chunk of coral but the sky's the limit on something so unique!

I have sent pics to Sothebys - fingers crossed!!
 

johnsas...nice find..get them into clean fresh water. Spanish coins of that time period are not all that uncommon, but a lump like you have is....

I think you would find a much better price marketing the whole lump, rather than cleaning/breaking.

If you must break them, get a piece of very thick aluminum foil, put the lump in, then cover it all with draino...not the enviro crap drano, but the stuff that has the metal flakes.

Wrap it up tight in the foil and put in in a quart jar...then add fresh water...

If you can get your hands on a ultrasonic cleaner, that would be the next step. Its the ones the use to clean rings. They can be had on the used market, especially the ones from architects that were used for pen tip cleaners. I have purchased at least 10 of these over the years, and average price has been about $10...

Here is a new one...for $25...from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Sonic-CD-2800-Ultrasonic-Jewelry-Cleaner/dp/B001DKDAVW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_1

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john,

Now is when you need to do the research!

While you are off working, look up which wrecks are in your area.

There is much more potential value with provenance...Sothebys will probably tell you that as well...

(personally, I would keep this pretty close to your chest for a while)
 

john,

Now is when you need to do the research!

While you are off working, look up which wrecks are in your area.

There is much more potential value with provenance...Sothebys will probably tell you that as well...

(personally, I would keep this pretty close to your chest for a while)

How would I start looking for wreck info?
is there a "list" of where wrecks were lost, cargo etc??

any help appreciated!!

thanks!!
 

I have sent pics to Sothebys - fingers crossed!!

I do not say this to rain on your parade, but being a full-time rare book, art and antiques dealer I have consigned to Sotheby's five different items in the last twelve years, and they usually want the item to have an estimated value of at least $10,000. I think you should try to find a more suitable auction house that's deals exclusively or almost exclusively with sunken treasure and artifacts. I think there are a few good ones in Florida. Also, did you send the pictures to the specific department's email that deals with this kind of artifact, or just to Sotheby's general email? The reason I ask, is that it might take a few weeks (at least) to receive a reply (since they get tons of appraisal requests each day) from the general email. If you want to pursue Sotheby's, I would get a hold of the correct department, call and speak to someone in that department, telling them what you have, and then send the pictures to your contact. You'll get an answer much quicker that way.
 

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