What am I...? I believe I know... Approx. Eight years ago, my wife and I spotted a flashing "toy", peering out at us through a small 2" diameter hole, buried 8 inches deep inside the hole it was entombed by centuries old lava flow(s). At just the perfect vantage point-of-view, and the ideal time of day and visual pespective, with the sun glowing behind us, repeatedly flashing a sparkle at us, it was illuminated, sparking our curiosity. And so it began, our secret child-hood fantasy (now fully exposed - in photo below) from the brittle lava that had engulfed this item. Clearly this was old, and it was buried in a lava flow, maybe two or three lava flows. From what I have researched, the last few lava flows in this region occured in the 17th, 18th, and possibly even the 16th or 19th century's. But with not much info to figure out what we just stumbled on, other than a location, and an obvious date stamp (locked in the historical lava flows) spanning +/- 200-500 years being entombed in lava, I researched what I could and found no historical records of a sunken vessel in that span of time, other than rumours of a sunkin Manilla Galleon supposedly 50 miles away from where we found this item.
I believe I have an idea what this item is, but I would like to hear what some of you have to say... Any ideas?
Dreaming as I child, I played in the treehouse, and underground caverns pretending to plan our treasure hunts, digging holes...
Suddenly, accidently, 50 years later, did we find something that nobody else did?
Just like when I was a child, wanting to believe the item is from a historical lost sunkin treasure ship, we could only wonder (like ametuers) what could this be?. So finally, eight years later in Spring of 2024, we went back with intent, believing we would find proof we would find something, anything else of interest, that could be tied to the (unidentified - probably brass) hinged item inside what appears to be an encrusted cylinder of some kind. It is heavy, it is probably 1/2 inch thick (assuming the encrustation is removed) It feels like lead, but maybe its ceramic, or even molded clay. We also found a small piece of sheet metal (a couple square inches) that appeared to be sheet copper.
Finally, eight years later, we were there for only two days, with nothing more than two pairs of eyes, and a tiny screw driver to poke the cracks. suprisingly we found more than one item, we found a lot of items. ALL OF THEM either encased in lava, or encrusted in lava. The difference being, the items encased were nothing more than pieces of (quenched) Ferous metal, and more random pieces of non-ferous (copper) sheet metal, all of which had only the tips of the metals exposed from a sheet flow of lava, just like an ice-berg, with much more than the exposed metals encased in lava below the surface.
The photos (x2) are the same cluster of nails. They are partially encrusted (exposed to sea water), and partially coated with lava. There appears to be three different nail sizes in this cluster of nails.
#nailcluster
I don't know how to describe the two types of lava encrusted items other than to say, the items we found were either singular or multiple items "dipped" in lava, much like molten chocalate covers (or coats) a pretzel (or ice cream) and quickly hardens. The melted chocolate creates a fairly thick coating of the pretzel, the observer knows its still a pretzel, although all you can see is a chocolate pretzel. And, if you put a few pretzels on top of each other, and then pour melted chocolate over all of them, you can still tell what the surface pretzels are. Although its (a smoking gun) the same pretzels are probably under the melted chocalte.
In our real life finds of the ferous and non-ferous metals we were able to expose some of the surface lava coatings and found (6) six nails, a coin (heavily encrusted) many more small pieces of (likely copper) sheet metal, and multiple pieces of (what appears to be quenched) ferrous metal coated in (1/4 inch coating) lava, which appeared to cool relatively quickly while not melting the various pieces of metal.
#1 item 1-1/4"
#2 item 1-1/4"
#3 item 1" long
#4 item 1" long
I'm including four nails of the six we found in 2024. Please give me your thoughts on these items. And Finally, I have a few photos of the nails. I consider these nails to be like finger prints of whatever it belonged to. I have some ideas of these items as well, but I would also like your opinions of the nails I found, when they were made, who made them, and what were they used for. The nails were found in two specific areas in the debris field of lava.
There are two types of nails. The small ones (x4)are exactly one inch long. They seem as if they are close to round near the head (unsure), but are definately a tapered square shaft, and appear to be inconsistant and hand made, but all are tipped (angled bevel) in a similar way and very sharp. I believe these are brass nails. The head of these nails are not round, rather they look as if they are oval, egg or tear drop shapped and all appear to be attached manually to the shaft. The second (x2) pair of nails are much different. They are not quite 1- 1/4" inches long. The head and shaft appear to be cast or molded from a single piece of copper. the head is round, and the edge is rounded. The head is distinct, yet it appears to be thickened where it is cast down to the tappered round shaft. The tips of these nails do not come to a point but appear to be round at the bottom. This is a very unique nail, and I am quite puzzeled by it.
I would like to hear all your thoughts on all or some of the items I've found.
Dreaming as I child, I played in the treehouse, and underground caverns pretending to plan our treasure hunts, digging holes...
Suddenly, accidently, 50 years later, did we find something that nobody else did?
Just like when I was a child, wanting to believe the item is from a historical lost sunkin treasure ship, we could only wonder (like ametuers) what could this be?. So finally, eight years later in Spring of 2024, we went back with intent, believing we would find proof we would find something, anything else of interest, that could be tied to the (unidentified - probably brass) hinged item inside what appears to be an encrusted cylinder of some kind. It is heavy, it is probably 1/2 inch thick (assuming the encrustation is removed) It feels like lead, but maybe its ceramic, or even molded clay. We also found a small piece of sheet metal (a couple square inches) that appeared to be sheet copper.
Finally, eight years later, we were there for only two days, with nothing more than two pairs of eyes, and a tiny screw driver to poke the cracks. suprisingly we found more than one item, we found a lot of items. ALL OF THEM either encased in lava, or encrusted in lava. The difference being, the items encased were nothing more than pieces of (quenched) Ferous metal, and more random pieces of non-ferous (copper) sheet metal, all of which had only the tips of the metals exposed from a sheet flow of lava, just like an ice-berg, with much more than the exposed metals encased in lava below the surface.
The photos (x2) are the same cluster of nails. They are partially encrusted (exposed to sea water), and partially coated with lava. There appears to be three different nail sizes in this cluster of nails.
I don't know how to describe the two types of lava encrusted items other than to say, the items we found were either singular or multiple items "dipped" in lava, much like molten chocalate covers (or coats) a pretzel (or ice cream) and quickly hardens. The melted chocolate creates a fairly thick coating of the pretzel, the observer knows its still a pretzel, although all you can see is a chocolate pretzel. And, if you put a few pretzels on top of each other, and then pour melted chocolate over all of them, you can still tell what the surface pretzels are. Although its (a smoking gun) the same pretzels are probably under the melted chocalte.
In our real life finds of the ferous and non-ferous metals we were able to expose some of the surface lava coatings and found (6) six nails, a coin (heavily encrusted) many more small pieces of (likely copper) sheet metal, and multiple pieces of (what appears to be quenched) ferrous metal coated in (1/4 inch coating) lava, which appeared to cool relatively quickly while not melting the various pieces of metal.
I'm including four nails of the six we found in 2024. Please give me your thoughts on these items. And Finally, I have a few photos of the nails. I consider these nails to be like finger prints of whatever it belonged to. I have some ideas of these items as well, but I would also like your opinions of the nails I found, when they were made, who made them, and what were they used for. The nails were found in two specific areas in the debris field of lava.
There are two types of nails. The small ones (x4)are exactly one inch long. They seem as if they are close to round near the head (unsure), but are definately a tapered square shaft, and appear to be inconsistant and hand made, but all are tipped (angled bevel) in a similar way and very sharp. I believe these are brass nails. The head of these nails are not round, rather they look as if they are oval, egg or tear drop shapped and all appear to be attached manually to the shaft. The second (x2) pair of nails are much different. They are not quite 1- 1/4" inches long. The head and shaft appear to be cast or molded from a single piece of copper. the head is round, and the edge is rounded. The head is distinct, yet it appears to be thickened where it is cast down to the tappered round shaft. The tips of these nails do not come to a point but appear to be round at the bottom. This is a very unique nail, and I am quite puzzeled by it.
I would like to hear all your thoughts on all or some of the items I've found.
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