The real deal and double checking at the beach

Yesterdays gold foil covered chocolate coins under the christmas tree reminded me of the last time I saw something similar. 
I had hammered an eroded section of beach for several evenings after work,  just finding old military buttons and musket balls.
A small area with mixed target signals produced three crusty modern bottle caps, but the forth and final target out of the hole I presumed was a foil covered chocolate coin. 
It had to be in my mind because when I saw this gold coin laying on the sand it looked in mint condition ( no pun intended) 

Reaching down for what I expected to be a piece of chocolate, I remember feeling disappointed until I picked it up and could feel the weight of the gold coin. 
This has happened to me on many previous occasions, things are not always what they first appear to be when beach or water hunting.
I presumed three of my favorite finds were all other things before picking them up off the sand, my emerald treasure ring a gold colored wire bale off a champagne bottle, my diamond Scottish masonic ring a gold ball and this gold coin a candy coin. 
I often wonder how many beach and water hunters presume they know what a target is, make a mistake identifying them and not bother to pick them up.
An easy way to never leave a find of a lifetime behind at the beach, is to be a clean beach or water hunter.
Pick up everything you detect and stop to dig up, take everything you dig up and will fit in your finds pouch home because it often pays to be a clean treasure hunter.
You may have a valuable object in your finds pouch and not know it until you inspect your "Trash" finds at home. 
I go one step further, by stopping and investigating obvious areas disturbed by other beach or water hunters.
Every year I find several pieces of gold jewelry or old coins left behind by sloppy beach or water hunters.
Remember my old gold coin story the next time you dig up a crusty bottle cap at the beach, you never know what valuable piece of jewelry or coin is being masked by  one or several trash targets.
Double check your holes and double check any uncovered holes left behind by sloppy beach or water hunters.
Never assume anything at the beach, sometimes objects are not always what they appear until you pick them up, and just because you see signs of digging it does not mean the previous digger recovered everything.