The methodology discussion

[WhiteRabbit]

What's clear nowadays is that no-one has a clue where the casque is until someone digs it up. And it may remain in some doubt even after that.

[WilliamTater]

What's clear nowadays is that no-one has a clue where the casque is until someone digs it up. And it may remain in some doubt even after that.

Alright I've knocked down a few brews and two peanut butter sandwiches. I'm trying to digest that this entire blog is in need of a week of mass drinking. I come from a family of drunks, highly intelligent but severely pathetic. As a kid growing up in a dysfunctional family the Three Stooges were my super heroes. Go figure. Look, this guy Byron Priess wanted people to find these casques as to add to a second and third book. The problem with America is something like this. A few years ago my straight A college graduate daughter asked me what kind of a business she should open. I said whatever you want to. Her incredulous response was "What would the government allow her to do?" And people wonder why I drink? LOL!
I am a treasure hunter and I will find something someday. To hell with the Feds, State govt, County govt, Municipal govt, Neighborhood watch groups, security guards, and all those Gladys Kravitz' busy bodies who stick their noses in everyone's business. We need to put the fun back in life.

[Kang]

My opinion only. Food for thought.

Different kinds of image hints, using only Chicago, Cleveland, Boston as examples. To limit the amount 'unproven-ness' (to the extent possible).

Literal - Looks just like the thing. A thing in real life.
Symbolic - Doesn't LOOK like a thing. Is a symbol or icon that represents a thing.
Evocative - aka interpretive. Doesn't look like the thing in a literal way. But is hint-y. Generally evokes the shape, outline or features of that thing. To the dismay of some searchers, yes this means it by definition is interpretive, subjective and will not be something that can be agreed upon by all.

I believe there are plenty of examples to illustrate a rather strong case that each of these are used in the puzzles. Even looking at just the three cities.(If you don't particularly feel one of the examples below, it might be difficult to refute them all). Even looking at just the three cities.
Anyone agree? Anyone disagree?

[Choice]

One 'puzzling' thing about the middle field is the leaf and the only leaf inside the 3 diamonds. It obviously is pointing to an important spot. If the square is the diamond itself and not the field then it's closer to 1st base than homeplate. If the square is the field then it's past 1st base. Thoughts?

[XeroDM]

My opinion only. Food for thought.

Different kinds of image hints, using only Chicago, Cleveland, Boston as examples. To limit the amount 'unproven-ness' (to the extent possible).

Literal - Looks just like the thing. A thing in real life.
Symbolic - Doesn't LOOK like a thing. Is a symbol or icon that represents a thing.
Evocative - aka interpretive. Doesn't look like the thing in a literal way. But is hint-y. Generally evokes the shape, outline or features of that thing. To the dismay of some searchers, yes this means it by definition is interpretive, subjective and will not be something that can be agreed upon by all.

Definitely agree, and this is probably an important part of the puzzle.
We should take this thinking further.
Why do the 3 types?
Why not just do literal? Oh yeah, tell someone where it is, and you know exactly where it is. Where's the fun in that?
Why Symbolic? Harder to get into, but with a little logic, you can work it out.
Why Interpretive? Well, if these were anything else, it would be solved real quick. But these should not be considered impossible, but maybe just in need of context. A when-you-get-there-you-will-recognise-it thing.

So how should the combination be used? Literal will be broad, but exacting. Lat/Long would be prime literal examples. Now we're at a global grid reference. Oh... there's a city there! yay. Loads of room for searching though. Where to next? That looks like a road in the tale of the horse, and there's a rebus-like set of road names. Cool, massive amounts of the city chipped away from our search grid. And there's a park near by. But where in the park? Let's go there and have a look. Oh, that stone wall looks like the stone wall in the image. Most of the park knocked out, now I need to hone in, but how? Verse will help, it's vague and interpretive, that gets me to a place, I see a few things that could be in the trees, patterns, overall squint-your-eyes-and-tilt-your-head shapes, and we've honed in to a small enough space in no time.
If I were trying to make something, that would be a good idea to me. Make the broad obvious, then the detail vague, so people needed to use them all, not just skip to the end.
With Boston, I was convinced with Back Back due to overall shapes and stuff because I must have been tricked by the vagueness, without really looking at the broad first.
I'd like to apply this to the unsolved ones and see what can be sorted out and re-attack with fresh eyes.
Thanks for your insights Kang. Very useful!
X

[BINGO]

With Boston, I was convinced with Back Back due to overall shapes and stuff because I must have been tricked by the vagueness, without really looking at the broad first.
I'd like to apply this to the unsolved ones and see what can be sorted out and re-attack with fresh eyes.
X

You were more likely tricked by suggestion. Having decades of work on this puzzle done by the community readily available is wonderful when starting out, but dangerous and misleading when it is completely wrong.
Back Bay enthusiasts also completely ignored the two main things that clearly link all of these puzzles together. The jewels and the immigration.

[WhiteRabbit]

Back Bay enthusiasts also completely ignored the two main things that clearly link all of these puzzles together. The jewels and the immigration.

I wouldn't say that exactly, but in the past they've mainly been considered as a more general link to the city, rather than a specific park. It's clearer now that we should be looking for more localised connections. (Which reminds me - Paul Kupper who did the Lion Bridge in Lake Park - was he a German immigrant...? Seems to have trained in Berlin.)

[erexere]

One 'puzzling' thing about the middle field is the leaf and the only leaf inside the 3 diamonds. It obviously is pointing to an important spot. If the square is the diamond itself and not the field then it's closer to 1st base than homeplate. If the square is the field then it's past 1st base. Thoughts?

It's difficult to show support of a visual system involved to the extent where a focal point in painting relates as a physical orientation of where to place a shovel. None of the finders so far have demonstrated any data in support of the idea. That's all it is right now, an idea.

Saying a home plate shape is a focal point makes one type of sense, since its shape is present in the sleeve, establishing a 3'3" placement for a shovel with 360-degrees of option in direction is a difficult narrative to achieve based on the verse or any number of arbitrary visual labelings to qualify something in the painting.

[Choice]

I was just curious if anyone noticed a little white diamond next to the tip of the leaf.
Other solved images also had one or two things pointing at it i.e. the triangle in image 4 and weather vane in image 5.
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=6511&start=821

Also shadow foot and leg pointers:

[Choice]

Here's a more accurate and consistent correlation between images and dig spot.
Hypothesis is to find a dark prominent shadow that POINTS towards a direction; a shadow pointer.
Also find another object that points to a direction; a directional pointer.
Intersection of these two lines should narrow search significantly.
Below is the plot of these two lines for the location of casks found.
Boston: The shadow pointer is the shadow of the foot and the directional pointer is the box/lid pointer.

[BINGO]

Wouldn’t your Cleveland finger painting be marking the wrong spot? If that is the front of the wall depicted, shouldn’t it be on the left side?
Maybe I’m missing something.

[Choice]

The image of the wall is the image of the dig site not back of it. It's not a linear image. Columns are not on the same side; neither is the bowl under the wall.

[BINGO]

Sure.
That clears it up nicely. You could have saved Egbert hours of fruitless digging with that priceless little sketch. Good job.
Thank you. Bravo.
Which city will you sketch out the next casque to be unearthed?

[Choice]

which would you like?

[BINGO]

which would you like?

Montreal
Charleston
Roanoke
NYC
St Augustine
Houston
New Orleans
San Francisco
Milwaukee

In no particular order.