The sea gave back its treasure today!

smokeythecat

Gold Member
Nov 22, 2012
20,807
41,071
Maryland
🥇 Banner finds
10
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
XP Deus II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I went to my new favorite spot in Delaware for the past 3 days. Please read on, you won't be disappointed. The site was where the British ships "The Three Brothers" sank ca 1770 and on September 2, 1785, after a fierce storm the "Faithful Steward" sank with about 270 people on board, immigrants heading to the new American State to start new lives. All the women and children, and many of the men died, about 200 all told. They were buried on the beach. I had heard about the spot years ago, but never bothered to go. The "cargo" was reportedly halfpennies and back 20 years ago, who wanted a halfpenny? I already had some.

This year was different. Late in the summer I started detecting after a zillion year absence. I did get a few nice pieces, but after Hurricane Sandy I got nothing. Everybody else seemed to be getting stuff, but I got nothing. Then a few weeks ago I started finding some NICE coins, 18th century coins and modern American silvers. I mean really nice....

I got fed up at work and took a mid winter "vacation" Thursday thru Today. Thursday, I detected about 6 hours and found 1 new penny, 1 new dime, a cell phone and a car fob to unlock somebody's car. Whoops! Also got some amazing shells, Thursday the shells were "in". One conch was 9" long and it perfect shape.

Friday started out better. I got 15 or so pieces of brass (copper) ships plating, one piece was 6" x 6", the biggest I have found so far. I found about 6 modern coins and 1 colonial brass button. The brass button is significant, due to the fact that they were not carrying clothing as cargo, so it more then likely came off of one of the deceased. I also got a large pewter "thing". I have to clean it up some but it's very old. On the way out I dipped a little closer to the water's edge and got a loud signal. 3" down was a 1784 Irish penny. Definately from the wreck. That's what they were carrying. So it was a good day. hiberniajan12.jpghiberniajan12a.jpg

Today started out very foggy and dreary. However it was close to 50 degrees at sunup! It rained heavily last night. I got there at sunrise, because I just get up early. Truged to the beach, it was high tide (I knew that beforehand.) The shells were gone. The sea had taken them back. I went past the point where I had been detecting the previous two days, heading north toward the old Life Saving Station. There were no targets anywhere. Having stated a 7 am, it's now close to 8:30 and all I have is 2 pulltabs. Where did all that little brass go? I tried pulling more out of the same area and there were no targets anywhere. So after having walked a mile or more, I turned back toward the inlet. The sun had come out and was burning off the fog. It's 8:45 am and actually starting to get warm out. I passed by two pieces of fishing gear. No targets whatsoever. Not even a pulltab collection. No bottlecaps. Zip. I passed what used to be a really nice set of pliers, now rusted. Left them there. Walked ten more feet and I saw it before the machine did. There was one of those annoying peel off gold inserts you see on some of the single serving milk jugs they sell in convenience stores. Well, I spotted it on top of the ground just as the machine went over it and had a machine-cow. Yes, I see it. So I stopped and kicked it with my left foot over to the right. At which point, it flipped in the sand and I realized that little tab on the back of the bottle seal wasn't there. And the thing looked "funny." And the thing had a design on it. (note to self: do not leave glasses in car). So I stopped, pulled up my bucket I sit on ( and carry stuff out with), and stare at this little gold colored thing on the top of the ground. So I picked it up and realized it was a coin. But there is no way in creation (or outside of it), you can find a gold coin on the top of the ground. Let's get real, ok? So "can't see squat" turns it over and over and over looking for the word "copy". It's not there. And it's heavy. And the edge is serrated. And I sat down on the bucket and cried like a baby. See the next post, below for the pics.
 

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georgejan12.jpggeorgejan12a.jpgGenuine 1774 British full guinea. Sucker was right on top of the ground, in the mid sand, not too far
away from the high tide mark (not in the dunes, however, they are off limits). So I just freaked out and left. I walked the mile off the beach, commandeered my car and went to the metal detecting shop in Ocean View to have my head (and coin) examined. It's real. Now it is a little bent, and George III has 'acne", best bet is a flounder or small bluefish tried chomping it when it lived in the surf, but it was ON THE TOP OF THE GROUND! I got lunch, went back later and detecting for another 2 hours or so. Found 1 (I guess) George II halfpenny (That would have belonged to a passenger) due to the age and wear and called it a day.
 

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Huge congrats ! I would love to detect a ship wreck beach. Very nice saves.
 

Banner??? I'm STILL having a cow! They are pumping zillions of gallons of sand on that beach right now. A lot of the beach was dozed back into dunes after Sandy. Who knows......
 

That is absolutely awesome. I know that metal detecting shop. It is a nice place in Ocean View.
 

Wow! Amazing find. Beautiful beaches in that area. I spent countless hours in the water at Towers and Indian River Inlet. Wish I had started this hobby as a kid.
 

Reading along all happy for ya with a half penny ,daydreaming how sweet that would be....
Congrats on your gold! Wow!:love10:
 

People detect that beach literally every day of the year. I guess not in blizzards. After Sandy I saw I know 30 people that one day alone. Odd how this showed up this week. Maybe their pumping hs something to do with it. It's like the shells, there were tens of thousands on the beach Thursday, today they were almost all gone. And if you wind up going, stay off the dunes and fill in your holes!
 

Super nice man.
 

WOW, fantastic reading your story. I have heard of others have found gold from the Faithful Steward, but this is the first one I saw. I was just down Coin Beach detecting in September, on my way down to Ocean City for bike week.

I met 3 or 4 other guys on Coin Beach detecting that week, they were very nice to talk to. I am happy for you, am glad somebody found some gold at Coin Beach. If you don't mind, how far from the Inlet or the Old Coast Guard station did you find it? Again, congrats, and I am voting "banner".....................Rich
 

I was about halfway between the inlet and life station, in the mid sand. It was by itself, again on the top of the ground. There were no signals anywhere near it. Nearest other item was about 75 feet away. You could have spotted it from 20 feet away if you were looking in that direction. Later in the day, there were 3 other people all over that area. I didn't ask if they found anything or not. I did see one man digging a lot on the low sand, but he was not in the water. Most everything else I have found there, including a camera, cell phone and car fob were south toward the inlet. I saw some amazing coppers found by somebody else farther north towards the station a few weeks ago. That one was still "red" and looked uncirculated with no pitting, it was amazing. I think the stuff has been so scattered there is no one good place to look. One button i found was 80' off the sidewalk! Which is right at the inlet! What I have found doesn't have much monetary value (even the guinea is damaged), but I like the history and the quest!
 

I'd love to find something like that! Nicely done!!

All the best,

Lanny
 

AWESOME FIND
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Man! thats a killer coin!...........Oh! to hunt a beach..........one day,one day.................HH
 

That beach makes no sense to me. Thursday it's almost no targets. Friday lots of targets in the exact same spots I went over before. Saturday few targets but the coin is on the top of the ground and the copper is 3" down. Thursday and Friday tons of great shells, I'll get some pics of them too, Saturday they were gone. No exceptional tides, no storms. Just a shower type rain, It would not have washed off inches of sand.
 

Here is a pic of something maybe you can help me with. It is a broken teacup found in the trash line of the beach. It's very light weight, so I'm thinking creamware. Its been molded, but hand painted and glazed. Look at the inside and notice the unevenness of the glaze. Also notice the casting flaw in the foot. I think it's 18th century creamware. Opinions?cup1.jpgcup2.jpgcup3.jpg
 

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