Treasure Hunting

Florida

 

 

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The Sunshine State

RELICS

Florida has a rich history of early settlements and military forts - the perfect combination for an energetic relic hunter!  See the bottom of this page for links to online maps of engagement areas during the Civil War.  

***If you've ever thought about diving, Matt Mattson has developed the most authoritative online index of Florida dive sites and beach hunting leads.  Buy a great T-Shirt & get more details @ Treasuresites.com

GEMS

The famous silicified coral, first found in the Tampa Bay area around 1825 is the only gemstone of note from the State. Since its discovery in Tampa Bay, the agatized coral also has been found at Tarpon Springs, south of New Port Richey, near the town of Kathleen, and along the banks of the Suwanee River in Hamilton, Columbia, and Suwanee Counties. The material is found in two forms, as geodes, which represent partial replacement of coral, and as solid pieces which represent total replacement.

The coral is replaced by a waxy, translucent, botryoidal, varicolored chalcedony. The geodes are most often used as mineral specimens, but cabochon and tumbled gems can be made from the thin geode lining. The total replaced coral can be cut into attractive cabochons. The material can be blue, red, brown, amber, white, black, or a combination of these colors.

COINS & JEWELRY

Florida offers many incredible opportunities.  If this is your interest, here's a few ideas to get you started:

  • Schools and College Campuses
  • Parks / Playgrounds / Picnic Areas
  • Foundations, Wells, and Cellar Holes of Old Churches or Houses
  • Downtown Construction Sites
  • Swimming Holes, Beaches, and Natural Springs
  • Camp Grounds, Boy Scout Camps, WPA Camps, and Railroad Camps
  • Sports Facilities
  • Ghost Towns
  • Rodeo Arenas, Riding Stables, and Race Tracks
  • Old Fair and Carnival Locations
  • Old Town Dumpsites

LOST TREASURE

As in other areas of the US, there are several tales of lost treasure in Florida concerning caches buried for safety.  In many of these stories, people either died or forgot where they buried the stash.  Contributing factors include:  

    1.  Fear of "foraging" troops during the Civil War 

    2.  Distrust of banks during the Great Depression. 

  • Pirate Billy Bowlegs may have cached several gold and silver coins near Fort Walton in the Choctawhatchee Bay on the Gulf Coast.
  • Near Ocala, coins were customarily tossed into Silver Springs by tourists during the 1920s and 1930s.
  • Mendel Peterson (History Under the Sea, 1965) gave advice concerning sites for undersea treasure exploration, noting: "The reefs of the Florida Keys and coast of Florida north to Cape Kennedy [Cape Canaveral], is one of the richest spots.  Also, almost any bar lying near harbor approaches on the Atlantic coast will yield sites. On the eastern side of the Florida Passage to the Bahamas formed a dangerous barrier for ships, and these reefs and keys are littered with sites."

These excerpts are a sampling from American Coin Treasures and Hoards

References to Find More Treasure in Florida

Florida Metal Detecting Leads

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     Information posted is from various United States Geologic Service (USGS) material and the Gold Prospectors Association of America ( GPAA) Mining Guide.  

 

 

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