SHIPRECK BEACH FINDS TODAY FROM 1700's-1900's,- Coins, Keyholes, Spikes....

[JB Hunts]

As soon as I found the shipreck spike, I knew that it was going to be a good beach hunting day. at one of my go-to worn down beach spots in NJ..

The highlights include an 1890 Liberty V Nickel, a 1700's heavily encrusted shipreck spike (looks British or German??), a Victorian era iron keyhole, a few shipwreck nails, and the most difficult to make out coin until I got home was a 1955 pure silver Queen Elizabeth II British Caribbean Territories 25 Cent coin with a fantastic ship design on the obverse (photo of obverse shown) ....Enjoy the photos! JB

 

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[Tony in SC]

Good finds!

 

[pepperj]

Well done on the recoveries.

The spike is made of what, copper, bronze, steel?

 

[villagenut]

Looks like a railroad spike to me

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Nice finds !

 

[JB Hunts]

Well done on the recoveries.

The spike is made of what, copper, bronze, steel?

Not sure...I know that different Countries sailing Colonial ships used different metals for the sheathing. The sheathing may be bronze. I've found SO many different spike shapes on the beachesthat I hunt... It seems that no two spikes that Ive found are the same!

Well done on the recoveries.

The spike is made of what, copper, bronze, steel?

Well done on the recoveries.

The spike is made of what, copper, bronze, steel?

 

[JB Hunts]

Looks like a railroad spike to me

I know, that's what I thought... But then how did a RR spike get found off a barrier island in a foot of salt water, heavily encrusted from decades of oxidation with no train tracks anywhere near the island -- current or past. It's a head scratcher! JB

 

[sibbley]

Super cool!

 

[JB Hunts]

Super cool!

The Brits really did colonize the world back in the day, and this coin is now one of my favorite obverse designs!!

 

[Mackaydon]

Sir Francis Drake's vessel, the 'Golden Hind' , divides thedenomination.
Don in SoCal

 

[JB Hunts]

Sir Francis Drake's vessel, the 'Golden Hind' , divides thedenomination.
Don in SoCal

Always love your historical nuggets, Don! So I'm assuming that The Golden Hind was the British Galleon ship depicted on the obverse??
Although this British Carribean colonized is not too old, the more I look at it, it's now one of my top 3 favorite obverse designs in my collection! JB

 

[pepperj]

I know, that's what I thought... But then how did a RR spike get found off a barrier island in a foot of salt water, heavily encrusted from decades of oxidation with no train tracks anywhere near the island -- current or past. It's a head scratcher! JB

R/R spikes can be miles away from any track for many reasons.
Big spike repurposed for many reasons-I find them miles away from any previous track at cellar holes/homesteads.

You stated Barrier Island NJ, so the whole peninsula is what 9 miles, the track ran down the middle so 4.5 miles from the sea coastline.

A foot down-probably it wouldn't take too many decades to achieve that depth at all.
Reference maps for others that aren't familiar with what I am saying.

Have you a magnet?

 

[JB Hunts]

R/R spikes can be miles away from any track for many reasons.
Big spike repurposed for many reasons-I find them miles away from any previous track at cellar holes/homesteads.

You stated Barrier Island NJ, so the whole peninsula is what 9 miles, the track ran down the middle so 4.5 miles from the sea coastline.

A foot down-probably it wouldn't take too many decades to achieve that depth at all.
Reference maps for others that aren't familiar with what I am saying.

Have you a magnet?

View attachment 2129342 View attachment 2129343

Yes, I have a friend that hunts old farms and he finds old RR spikes all the tine. I've never found an RR spike, but I've been hunting beaches long enough to know that anything is possible. The sand and currents, AND what people throw overboard is voluminous (I actually found a military ID "Dog" tag yesterday too that I'm dropping at the nearest police station today). The unique difference of beach/surf hunting vs. On land hunting is that pulls from, say an old farm, ye Ole tavern, a 250 year old hone....wiill always be stationary, whereas the Ocean produces relics where there can be MANY hypothesis as to where the items came from (see my post from a few weeks ago on the 1,900 y.o. Roman Trajan Dupondius coin that I found on the beach last year-- it of course didn't wash up from Italy!).

Tks for engaging in the post. With over 4,000 shipwrecks off the Coast of NJ, you never know where a pulled coin or relic came from unless there is an overwhelming patch of coins from a past storm or sunken ship like the Atocha that can be linked to a specific event. And many times, shipwreck relics are already on the beach, but the sand isn't low enough yet to reveal the finds. Read "The World's Beaches" by William Neal to get am idea of just how docile the Ocean's currents and sand movements can and will be. Beach hunting is challenging and adds another dimension to the treasure hunter s skill to find and chart tides, sand movement, and where sunken ships have dumoed their bounty, which is why I LOVE IT! JB

 

[Digger RJ]

As soon as I found the shipreck spike, I knew that it was going to be a good beach hunting day. at one of my go-to worn down beach spots in NJ..

The highlights include an 1890 Liberty V Nickel, a 1700's heavily encrusted shipreck spike (looks British or German??), a Victorian era iron keyhole, a few shipwreck nails, and the most difficult to make out coin until I got home was a 1955 pure silver Queen Elizabeth II British Caribbean Territories 25 Cent coin with a fantastic ship design on the obverse (photo of obverse shown) ....Enjoy the photos! JB

Very Nice!!! Congrats!!!