NJ Beach Detecting for Reales...Question from a Newbie

[BrettCo124]

That is amazing. One day I'll find some relics. I'm trying hard but my research is just weak, I guess.
If there is anything that I enjoy doing just as much as metal detecting, it's arrowhead hunting. Only found one in my life but it's enough to be a memory that will last a lifetime. I try often in creeks but it's always a complete guess where I look.

 

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[smokeythecat]

It is very possible to find very old coins on the Delaware and Maryland beaches. Send me a pm and I'll give you some directions and some references to read.. Most of the people here know all about them and the beaches are hit or miss. They will be better in January and February, but the weather will be horrible. I detect in horrible weather. Best I ever did was three old coppers on one day. Another day produced a copper, a gold coin and a cut silver 1 reale. That was January 13, 2013. These places are not secrets, they have been hit hard, and people tend to throw fakes around to tease people like, me, but it's gorgeous out there and lots of birds to take pics of too.

 

[BrettCo124]

It is very possible to find very old coins on the Delaware and Maryland beaches. Send me a pm and I'll give you some directions and some references to read.. Most of the people here know all about them and the beaches are hit or miss. They will be better in January and February, but the weather will be horrible. I detect in horrible weather. Best I ever did was three old coppers on one day. Another day produced a copper, a gold coin and a cut silver 1 reale. That was January 13, 2013. These places are not secrets, they have been hit hard, and people tend to throw fakes around to tease people like, me, but it's gorgeous out there and lots of birds to take pics of too.

Wow that sounds amazing and I can't wait to get out there now. I do not know what pm is lol but can you email me? [email protected]? Thanks so much!

 

[smokeythecat]

I'll put some information here. Now I am not an expert but I am an amateur historian, and have picked up cool items from the ground since I was little. My mom would take my brother and me out with the archaeological club and I found my first arrowhead.

Anyway, the colonies which became the USA had people of numerous nationalities come to it. Some looking for treasure. Some looking for religious freedom. Some just wanting a better life. Some wanting to exploit this "new world". The British, Portugese, Dutch, French, Spanish and others came and came and came over centuries. Just remember, just north of here is still French speaking Quebec. We didn't buy the Louisiana Purchase from the Spanish until the early 19th century. The Dutch sold New York pretty cheap to the British. Here in Harford County, Maryland, we have a place called "Priest Ford". It is named after early Spanish explorers who got up the Chesapeake long before Captain John Smith came up to the falls of the Susquehanna in the 17th Century.

Anyway. A lot of ships were lost from the Florida Keys all the way to Nova Scotia from after 1492 to, well, today.

One thing to bring attention to is what is referred to as the "Spanish Main". The galleons with escorts would load up in central and south America, a lot would put in at Havanna, Cuba, and then when they thought the time was right, they would sail NORTH up along the east coast of the US. The didn't just go flat straight across the Atlantic from Cuba. They followed the coast of the US many times as far north as Long Island THEN pick up a westerly wind and head back to Spain across the Atlantic. Some just didn't make it. The 1715 plate fleet wreck off the Florida coast if well known as is the Atocha and Concepcion wrecks. I am not an expert on the individual wrecks. But lots of wrecks carried more passengers over here than gold and silver.

The is some sort of wreck off the southern side of Long Island, but it's too far away for me to explore. There is reported a galleon lost off the coast of New Jersey, people have been intermittently coming up with reales for years. Central NJ coast seems promising, but as someone previously said, that area is constantly hammered by detectorists. Farther south, the HMS DeBraack sand just off Cape Henlopen Delaware. They raised the ship and it's at one of the local parks being preserved in a very large tank.

At Roosevelt Inlet in beautiful downtown Lewes, DE, an unidentified ship sank right at that little inlet. I picked up 7 pieces of shipwreck pottery there last week, but its not good for coins.

At Delaware Seashores State Park, especially within 1/2 mile of their life saving museum, British halfpennies, personal items and an occasional British Gold Guinea have been found going back at least 100 years, The Faithful Steward sank within 100 yards or so of the beach in 1785. In sank in the almost identical spot another ship sank, the Three Brothers, another British ship that was bringing pay (in gold) for the British troops in 1774 or 1775. There was a shoal out there which no longer exists.

South of there a few old old coins have been found at Bethany Beach. South of there some have been found on Fenwick Island. As soon as you cross into Maryland, there are tales of gold escudos being found (sporadically) near 70th street. I went there once and found a quarter. And a pulltab. There is supposedly a GALLEON under the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD. Farther south than that people have eyeballed ancient coins on Assateaque island and Chincoteague Island. But those are off limtis, as they are government property.

My best reale was a 1737 2 reale cob, minted at Potosi found well inland near Charleston, SC years ago. I found a 1744 1 reale at Brandywine Battlefield in the 1980's. I haven't found many of the Spanish coins. I've found a lot more of the British coins and now this fall my first Dutch coin. Do some research and read some of the old threads here. They are loaded with information.

Do the research and just go for it. When people ask me where the coins are my true answer is they are everywhere, and they are nowhere. Some are still in the ocean, some are in the dunes and still some are under our feet. I have found FIVE on the top of the sand. Others as deep as 12". Some days I get the goodies, some days just exercise. This year it's been fossils, arrowheads, and sea glass.

 

[flyadive]

Reminds me of a story where you tell someone something and that person tells a another whom passes it onto another and when it gets to you ....Everything changes!
Do your own research , everything changes with time . Including stories.

 

[smokeythecat]

Yesterday's success certainly does not guarantee tomorrow's. February and March will be better than right now, especially if we get some good storms in between. There are a few books available out there and there is a lot on the internet. I'll try and find the one book and list the title here. It's buried here somewhere in the house.

 

[CMDiamonddawg]

Can they be found ? Shhhhh and don't tell anyone

;

Yes !

 

[smokeythecat]

Try getting a copy of Shipwrecks of the Delaware Coast that's not the entire title buy I. Just saw some on EBay. Should be on Amazon too.