The discovery of a small yellow metal wedge-shaped

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The discovery of a small yellow metal wedge-shaped object made for an interesting week! Shimmering with a bright golden hue and discovered with a hand-held metal detector about 18″ below the seafloor, everyone got excited. Following protocol, we documented the artifact in situ, had our archaeologist review it, and notified the Division of Historical Resources (DHR) per our permit. DHR immediately took a keen interest in our find and even sent an Archaeologist and Conservator to witness the artifact’s recovery. This visit came as a surprise as it was their first visit since receiving our Melbourne Beach permits. After Seafarer, DHR, and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) escorted the artifact to our field lab, we scanned the item with an XRF analyzer and conducted tests determining it to be a bright yellow leaded brass and likely part of a historic decorative item. Not quite the gold we all hoped for, but a good find nonetheless since the composition points to a period piece versus a modern alloy. This find was in an area outside of the Ring Site where early sub-bottom imaging SeaSearcher scans indicated an area of loose scatter approximately 12″-20″ below the ocean floor. The discovery of the Ring Site late last year led us back to this area because they had the same general profile. Based on this finding, we will perform a complete SeaSearcher scan of this exciting area in the coming week or so. Until the weather breaks in the next few days, we’re upgrading the SeaSeacher to identify shallower and smaller objects. Hopefully, the weather will clear, and we will still have the 20′ visibility we had last week!

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