"Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

godisnum1

Silver Member
May 7, 2005
3,646
377
Saint Petersburg, FL
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
"Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

Alright, I know I've said it before... but I need to know what this "mysterious metal" (what I'm calling it) is that I keep finding on most of the beaches I've hunted here in Saint Petersburg, Florida!! :icon_scratch:
The beaches I've found it on is Treasure Island Beach, Madeira Beach, North Beach at Fort DeSoto, and (primarily) St Pete Beach.

No one seems to know what this stuff is, or where it might be coming from... so I need some help to identify it!
To me, it appears to just be some iron or something... but I'm confident it's not iron. I've dug plenty of iron to know it's not that. On my detector (White's IDX Pro), it shows up as $1, 50 cents, or Silver (the very far right of my display)... no matter if the piece is as small as a dime, or the size of a dollar piece or larger. I'm pretty sure it's not silver, as I stuck some of my neo-magnets to a few pieces. They do seem to show a very small trace of rust color, though not all do. They also have an almost "ring" tone to them when hit together. Not quite the sound silver makes when hit together, but they still have a slight high tone when struck together rather than a dull one. If you can't tell already, I'm quite frustrated with this "mysterious" stuff. And yes, I have tried looking it up on the net, but have been unsuccessful in finding anything about this stuff washing ashore.

Thanks for ANY help anyone can offer my curiosity!!!

Bran <><
 

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ivan salis

Gold Member
Feb 5, 2007
16,794
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callahan,fl
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clearly its leverite --- as in leave er right where you found it ;D the rust tells you its iron ore based as far as it not being very magnetic --old iron thats been in salt water will lose its draw over time --thats one way how you can tell new iron from old iron --also lower grade iron doesn't have as much pull to begin with -- seems to me --- you got a bunch of low grade iron most likely a WW2 era or earlier iron hulled wreck some where about in the area ---as it decays rusty iron often gives false silver (high) readings .---sorry to bust yer bubble. --- I too get lots of old "iron" chucks just like that which "wash up' off a 1900 era iron hulled wreck by the mouth of the st johns river mouth (mayport area) everytime a storm rolls thru. --since they ring up as silver you gotta dig em --huh? ::)
 

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rebelLT

Sr. Member
Feb 26, 2007
448
4
SE Kansas
Detector(s) used
Explorer SE PRO, XLT, Teknetics Omega
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

I dont know what that stuff is. I always thought it was iron. I used to fish of the pier at the end of Passa Grille and would take my daughter over to the sand when I got tired of catching pellicans :icon_scratch: I would find that stuff on TOP of the sand. The wife and I have a time share in St Petes Beach, though we only seem to go about every two years. I have never taken a metal detector with me because it seems that the oldest stuff around there is from the fifties or sixties. Tampa and St. Pete have some older neighborhoods that should produce some early century silver though.
 

mad4wrecks

Bronze Member
Dec 20, 2004
2,263
107
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Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

They look like chunks of iron to me. We find them in abundance in certain areas on the east coast as well, one of them being Colored Beach south of Ft. Pierce, where one of Mel Fisher's treasure hunting barges broke up in the surf many years ago.
 

ivan salis

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Feb 5, 2007
16,794
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callahan,fl
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Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

port tampa area --- 3/21/1987 --over 20 years ago --- 4 steel barges sank to make a "artifical reef" -- a very possible source of your "chips" and theres 9 more man made "reef" listings off shore of st pete beach --no wonder your eat up with em ---LOL
 

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godisnum1

godisnum1

Silver Member
May 7, 2005
3,646
377
Saint Petersburg, FL
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

OH YEAH!? Why didn't I think of that before... I completely forgot about all the sunk artificial reefs in the area!! I think there's around 12 or 15 just around St Pete!

Bran <><
 

ivan salis

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Feb 5, 2007
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callahan,fl
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Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

geez oh petes --theres your answer right there --no wonder your swamped with em -- it must be like trying to freaking detect in a auto scrapyard . ;D

ok where's my doughnut ? :hello2:
 

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godisnum1

godisnum1

Silver Member
May 7, 2005
3,646
377
Saint Petersburg, FL
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

ivan salis said:
it must be like trying to freaking detect in a auto scrapyard . ;D

Quote of the day! :laughing7:
I'd actually rather find more of that metal than I would more pulltabs or bottle caps... :wink:

Bran <><
 

ivan salis

Gold Member
Feb 5, 2007
16,794
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callahan,fl
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
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Detector(s) used
delta 4000 / ace 250 - used BH and many others too
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

at least the aluminum pulltabs and screwcaps sell by the pound as scrap metal -- iron sells for scrap by the ton and that stuff the metal scrapers will not even take . :wink:

plus if your pulling tabs and screw caps --your "dialed in on" the gold range :wink:
 

Fla-Gal

Full Member
Feb 14, 2008
203
0
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

Nearby the Wabasso Beach I have found tons of this ''stuff''....wonder is it from the nearby sea walls or from ancient anchors---subs---or what ?? Really sings when detecting....by the way,great camera shots...
 

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godisnum1

godisnum1

Silver Member
May 7, 2005
3,646
377
Saint Petersburg, FL
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

ivan salis said:
plus if your pulling tabs and screw caps --your "dialed in on" the gold range :wink:

I dig my fill of the blasted pulltabs & screw caps. :-X
Even so, I know I'm picking up the right gold range... I frequently test a gold ring and a gold coin, just to remind myself from time to time. :wink:

Fla-Gal said:
Nearby the Wabasso Beach I have found tons of this ''stuff''....wonder is it from the nearby sea walls or from ancient anchors---subs---or what ?? Really sings when detecting....by the way,great camera shots...

I'm having a stronger feeling it is coming off of a shipwreck, because of the various textures of each piece I've found. I just got back from St Pete Beach and have another small handfull to show for it... along with about a buck in clad.
Thanks for the compliment. I was into photography for a while before getting into MDing. Now, almost the only action my DSLR gets is taking the shots of my MDing finds. Heh... ;D

Bran <><
 

Salvor6

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Feb 5, 2005
3,755
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Port Richey, Florida
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Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

Bran I found a bunch of that stuff on Sunset Beach right next to Blind Pass. It is steel from an old barge.
 

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godisnum1

godisnum1

Silver Member
May 7, 2005
3,646
377
Saint Petersburg, FL
Detector(s) used
Nokta Legend Pro Pack, Nokta Legend WHP w/ LG24 coil, Nokta Pulse Dive Pinpointer, White's IDX Pro (x2), Vibraprobe 570
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

Salvor6 said:
Bran I found a bunch of that stuff on Sunset Beach right next to Blind Pass. It is steel from an old barge.

Thanks Salvor... I guess I'll just keep pickin' them up while I'm out. It's actually a nice break (for me) from the normal pulltabs or beer caps. I guess because each looks old and has its own characteristics. :) They might be nothing, but they're something fun for me to pick up.... *shrugs*

Bran <><
 

coda

Jr. Member
Jun 29, 2007
52
0
Fairbanks, AK
Detector(s) used
MXT
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

I have found loads of this from Sebastian Inlet to Boynton Inlet. I have always wondered about the origin but assumed it was from wrecks.
 

Treasure_Hunter

Administrator
Staff member
Jul 27, 2006
48,433
54,826
Florida
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Minelab_Equinox_ 800 Minelab_CTX-3030 Minelab_Excal_1000 Minelab_Sovereign_GT Minelab_Safari Minelab_ETrac Whites_Beach_Hunter_ID Fisher_1235_X
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Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

If you know someone with a Minelab Excalibur or just a Minelab, see if it nulls out. The beauty of a Minelab at the beach is it nulls on iron. I never have to dig any iron.
 

denisedon

Newbie
Nov 15, 2009
1
0
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

I just got back from a vacation on Captiva and found quite a bit of it by sight. Once I noticed a few pieces, didn't think it could be anything special and discarded them. Just bought a Whites Prism 6t and haven't had much luck yet, but having a lot of fun talking about finding things!
 

Diver_Down

Silver Member
Dec 13, 2008
4,373
2,000
St. Augustine, FL
Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

denisedon said:
I just got back from a vacation on Captiva and found quite a bit of it by sight. Once I noticed a few pieces, didn't think it could be anything special and discarded them. Just bought a Whites Prism 6t and haven't had much luck yet, but having a lot of fun talking about finding things!

Curious as to where you were on Captiva? They had completed a renourishment up by the Mucky Duck I think about 3 years ago. When I was there last year at this time, they were in progress at Turner Beach. They were pumping from the bay side.
 

KLGourley

Jr. Member
Apr 14, 2010
76
0
Lehigh Acres, FL
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Bounty Hunter Pioneer 202
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Re: "Mysterious Metal" washing up on Gulf Coast Beaches???

ivan salis said:
port tampa area --- 3/21/1987 --over 20 years ago --- 4 steel barges sank to make a "artifical reef" -- a very possible source of your "chips" and theres 9 more man made "reef" listings off shore of st pete beach --no wonder your eat up with em ---LOL


That sounds very plausable to me.
 

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