FriscoT06
Hero Member
- May 2, 2011
- 600
- 650
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Excalibur II (retired), Minelab X-Terra 505
- Primary Interest:
- Shipwrecks
Finally headin' to Corolla [UPDATE] SHIPWRECK STUFF!
Hello fellow treasure hunters,
I finally headed out to Corolla yesterday at 4:30am and made it to the lighthouse by 8am. On the way there, I saw quite a few shooting stars in the night sky, and my car also got cut off by a bear, good stuff! Anyway as promised I am posting my results, as well as beach conditions. High tide was smack in the middle of my trip at noon, and the beach is fairly sanded in for a winter beach, but the dunes still show lots of erosion from Hurricane Sandy. I forgot to bring my sandwiches and water bottles I packed, so I went the entire day without water, felt very lightheaded and had a headache by the end of it all, I could swear I was about to pass out! (I guess one could expect that after walking and digging all day without drinking though) I didn't dig any very old finds today, but...
I did do a lot of eyeballing, and that is where my significant finds came from today. When I first walked down the lighthouse beach access, I scanned the general area and noticed some shipwreck material sticking out from the dunes!
I detected around it for a good bit, but didn't find anything other than tent stakes and dune fence wire. After zig-zagging the beach for a bit, I stumbled upon this large piece of coal encrusted in coral! I was very excited, as this meant my trip was already a success in finding shipwreck artifacts! The Metropolis, a steamship, sank in 1878 not far from here and only 300 yards offshore.
Within another half hour of stumbling around, I came across a heavy iron concretion right at the waterline, although my detector refused to say it was iron, as it rang out much higher. Upon inspecting it, there is another piece of metal inside of it, although I cannot tell what. I was happy to find this, as in the upper right of the pic, you can see it appears to be a silver colored metal in the shape of a round disc! I'm not giving my hopes up for my lifetime goal of a shipwreck coin, but I will be taking this concretion into x-ray when I have the chance.
Further up the beach at 2pm, I found my find of the day, and my new favorite artifact! Or artifact(s)! After digging signal after signal for 4 hours since my last good find with nothing else to show but a ton of dune fence wire and some change (plus a '47 nickel), I came across this amazing and beautiful concretion partly exposed near the dune line. I am so excited to have found this that my hands won't stop shaking! I can see two large shards of pottery in this, as well as numerous trade beads, and even more so, 4 old musket flints in perfect condition! Although not a coin, this is a find I do not think I will top any time soon. It's one of a kind, and I found it! I am guessing the material is British, as the area I am working in has turned up numerous British coins from the mid-late 1600's. Can anyone help me get an age range for this, or tell me any tidbit of knowledge you may know concerning such artifacts? I still find it amazing that all of these goodies got kicked up from the ocean floor together and made it so perfectly onto the beach! Any help or knowledge you may have about such artifacts is greatly appreciated!
Immediately after finding this, I started taking pictures... when the sheriff pulled up 25ft from me and just parked there. It had me nervous, and not being one to detect ackwardly in front of him, I moseyed on over and began to chat. Turns out he was an avid treasure hunter as well, phew! I asked him how far I had gotten from the lighthouse, and about regulations concerning detecting, the future of the town's economy, and we chatted for a good bit. He was very knowledgeable and kind. I detected another two hours strictly near the dune line, and unearthed over two dozen beer cans from there burial spots, and as my last good signal for the day, I dug up yet another beer can tone... and pulled out a bronze Recovery coin! This is a medallion given to Alcoholics Anonymous members, although I don't know how old this particular coin is. It does have the roman numerals for being 19 years sober in it though! It was a very interesting find, and I sure hope those beer cans weren't his!
To end the day, it got dark out really fast by 5pm, and walking the 3 miles back to the lighthouse, I overshot it by two miles, and had to walk another two miles back to the public access! I really thought I was going to pass out at this point, and I was tired and achy, but had a grin on my face from ear to ear with a pack full of treasure! I got back to my car and chugged water from the fountain at the restrooms. Upon getting into the car, I could barely lift my arms onto the steering wheel. I finally got back home to Greenville at 11pm, with my wife welcoming me with open arms! I placed the good stuff into plastic tubs filled with distilled water to soak and desalinate for a good bit. For me, it was a perfect day of treasure hunting!
-T
Hello fellow treasure hunters,
I finally headed out to Corolla yesterday at 4:30am and made it to the lighthouse by 8am. On the way there, I saw quite a few shooting stars in the night sky, and my car also got cut off by a bear, good stuff! Anyway as promised I am posting my results, as well as beach conditions. High tide was smack in the middle of my trip at noon, and the beach is fairly sanded in for a winter beach, but the dunes still show lots of erosion from Hurricane Sandy. I forgot to bring my sandwiches and water bottles I packed, so I went the entire day without water, felt very lightheaded and had a headache by the end of it all, I could swear I was about to pass out! (I guess one could expect that after walking and digging all day without drinking though) I didn't dig any very old finds today, but...
I did do a lot of eyeballing, and that is where my significant finds came from today. When I first walked down the lighthouse beach access, I scanned the general area and noticed some shipwreck material sticking out from the dunes!
I detected around it for a good bit, but didn't find anything other than tent stakes and dune fence wire. After zig-zagging the beach for a bit, I stumbled upon this large piece of coal encrusted in coral! I was very excited, as this meant my trip was already a success in finding shipwreck artifacts! The Metropolis, a steamship, sank in 1878 not far from here and only 300 yards offshore.
Within another half hour of stumbling around, I came across a heavy iron concretion right at the waterline, although my detector refused to say it was iron, as it rang out much higher. Upon inspecting it, there is another piece of metal inside of it, although I cannot tell what. I was happy to find this, as in the upper right of the pic, you can see it appears to be a silver colored metal in the shape of a round disc! I'm not giving my hopes up for my lifetime goal of a shipwreck coin, but I will be taking this concretion into x-ray when I have the chance.
Further up the beach at 2pm, I found my find of the day, and my new favorite artifact! Or artifact(s)! After digging signal after signal for 4 hours since my last good find with nothing else to show but a ton of dune fence wire and some change (plus a '47 nickel), I came across this amazing and beautiful concretion partly exposed near the dune line. I am so excited to have found this that my hands won't stop shaking! I can see two large shards of pottery in this, as well as numerous trade beads, and even more so, 4 old musket flints in perfect condition! Although not a coin, this is a find I do not think I will top any time soon. It's one of a kind, and I found it! I am guessing the material is British, as the area I am working in has turned up numerous British coins from the mid-late 1600's. Can anyone help me get an age range for this, or tell me any tidbit of knowledge you may know concerning such artifacts? I still find it amazing that all of these goodies got kicked up from the ocean floor together and made it so perfectly onto the beach! Any help or knowledge you may have about such artifacts is greatly appreciated!
Immediately after finding this, I started taking pictures... when the sheriff pulled up 25ft from me and just parked there. It had me nervous, and not being one to detect ackwardly in front of him, I moseyed on over and began to chat. Turns out he was an avid treasure hunter as well, phew! I asked him how far I had gotten from the lighthouse, and about regulations concerning detecting, the future of the town's economy, and we chatted for a good bit. He was very knowledgeable and kind. I detected another two hours strictly near the dune line, and unearthed over two dozen beer cans from there burial spots, and as my last good signal for the day, I dug up yet another beer can tone... and pulled out a bronze Recovery coin! This is a medallion given to Alcoholics Anonymous members, although I don't know how old this particular coin is. It does have the roman numerals for being 19 years sober in it though! It was a very interesting find, and I sure hope those beer cans weren't his!
To end the day, it got dark out really fast by 5pm, and walking the 3 miles back to the lighthouse, I overshot it by two miles, and had to walk another two miles back to the public access! I really thought I was going to pass out at this point, and I was tired and achy, but had a grin on my face from ear to ear with a pack full of treasure! I got back to my car and chugged water from the fountain at the restrooms. Upon getting into the car, I could barely lift my arms onto the steering wheel. I finally got back home to Greenville at 11pm, with my wife welcoming me with open arms! I placed the good stuff into plastic tubs filled with distilled water to soak and desalinate for a good bit. For me, it was a perfect day of treasure hunting!
-T
Last edited:
Upvote
0
