The money value is nothing compared to the feeling I get by returning a class ring or any piece of jewelry with a name found while detecting. I feel it is the right thing to do and wouldn't feel right if i didn't.
Here is a few cases.
A $2500 diamond ring I was ask to try to find for a lady that lost it and had several others look for it and heard I was good with my detector, so I said i would sure try. I seen the area i was worried as it was high weeds and a area where trash was thrown as she had threw some rhubarb leaves away and the ring she felt came off, so I tried, but was so bad with trash I was worried. I bent down to get some cans out of the way as I felt I should try as it meant a lot to her as her husband gave it to her on their 25Th. After about a half hour I bent down to move a can and seen the ring laying about 4 inches away. I picked it up and hollered to her if this is what she was looking for, let me tell you she came running at me and I though she was going to tackle me, but she gave me the biggest hug and was so happy she was crying. Ask me how much i wanted and said nothing as the look on her face and the hug was something I will remember longer then any money could buy. I ask to detect her yard and she said no problem and between my wife and me we found quite a bit silver. She has since passed on, but the memory will live on for me.
Found a class ring from 1952 from a town about 20 miles away and one of my bar customers went to that school and was about that age, so I ask him and it was a year after his year, but he knew the initials as a lady that still lives in that town, so we called her and told her I found it. She said her daughter back in 1973 took it out of her jewelry box and lost it and they looked for days for it, but never found it. Her husband stopped in to pick it up and ask what i wanted and said no charge, but he made me take $20.
Another one was a 1942 from another town about 30 miles away and had a Friend that lived over there and he got me the school records and sure enough we found the name of the owner and contacted his brother that lived over there and said he though his brother still had his ring, so it must be someone Else's, but it wasn't. I was going to surprise the guy by giving it to him when they had the all class reunion, but his brother ask him before that and ask him if he had lost his class ring which he said yes, so he told him that the bartender in Chaffee had found it. I got a call and he ask me and told them I had it and wanted to give it back, so he showed up a few days later.Now I had to find out my normal questions as when, and how he lost it. I found it in a old ball field where he went to school, this he said was correct, but in a different area than he thought it was. I ask if he could remember what it look like and he said he though he could. I brought it out and showed it to him and you could see the sparkle in his eyes and he said that is it. Now the story is he saved and saved for this ring and didn't quite have enough so his mother used some of her egg money as like all farmers wife's sold egg and it was their money to spend. He said he got the ring and was so happy with it he wore it everywhere and about a week later he was playing ball and he got hit with the ball on that finger, so he took the ring off and put it in his pocket. When he went to put it back on it was gone and him and his Friends looked all over for it for days and never could find it. He never told his mother he had lost and every time she would ask he said it was in his room so he wouldn't lose it, so she never knew he had lost it as he said she would have been mad. Now when he had daughters he never bought them class rings as they would probably lose them like he did, but got them pennants on a necklace. I ask what he was going to do with the ring now and he said his granddaughter wanted it, but said she will have to wait as he wants to keep it longer than he did the first time and would give it to her on a necklace someday, he too has passed on from what I heard. He ask what I wanted for finding it and returning it and I told him it was his property so i was just returning what was his, but he made me take $20 too.
Not everyone is as nice of a story as a 1958 one I spent a bit trying to locate the guy and he gave me $5 and a week later wanted to know if i wanted to drive 150 miles as he lost it again in a golf course.
One ring was a 1914 and was not able to find any info to return it, so it was sold for the gold.
The feeling a person gets in most cases by returning a ring is something you will never forget and the happy look on the persons face is more then enough reward.
I also use this when detecting grass strips on the street side of the sidewalk if someone ask what I am doing, I say i am looking for any lost rings and personal items I can find and return to the owners.
Rick
Here is a few cases.
A $2500 diamond ring I was ask to try to find for a lady that lost it and had several others look for it and heard I was good with my detector, so I said i would sure try. I seen the area i was worried as it was high weeds and a area where trash was thrown as she had threw some rhubarb leaves away and the ring she felt came off, so I tried, but was so bad with trash I was worried. I bent down to get some cans out of the way as I felt I should try as it meant a lot to her as her husband gave it to her on their 25Th. After about a half hour I bent down to move a can and seen the ring laying about 4 inches away. I picked it up and hollered to her if this is what she was looking for, let me tell you she came running at me and I though she was going to tackle me, but she gave me the biggest hug and was so happy she was crying. Ask me how much i wanted and said nothing as the look on her face and the hug was something I will remember longer then any money could buy. I ask to detect her yard and she said no problem and between my wife and me we found quite a bit silver. She has since passed on, but the memory will live on for me.
Found a class ring from 1952 from a town about 20 miles away and one of my bar customers went to that school and was about that age, so I ask him and it was a year after his year, but he knew the initials as a lady that still lives in that town, so we called her and told her I found it. She said her daughter back in 1973 took it out of her jewelry box and lost it and they looked for days for it, but never found it. Her husband stopped in to pick it up and ask what i wanted and said no charge, but he made me take $20.
Another one was a 1942 from another town about 30 miles away and had a Friend that lived over there and he got me the school records and sure enough we found the name of the owner and contacted his brother that lived over there and said he though his brother still had his ring, so it must be someone Else's, but it wasn't. I was going to surprise the guy by giving it to him when they had the all class reunion, but his brother ask him before that and ask him if he had lost his class ring which he said yes, so he told him that the bartender in Chaffee had found it. I got a call and he ask me and told them I had it and wanted to give it back, so he showed up a few days later.Now I had to find out my normal questions as when, and how he lost it. I found it in a old ball field where he went to school, this he said was correct, but in a different area than he thought it was. I ask if he could remember what it look like and he said he though he could. I brought it out and showed it to him and you could see the sparkle in his eyes and he said that is it. Now the story is he saved and saved for this ring and didn't quite have enough so his mother used some of her egg money as like all farmers wife's sold egg and it was their money to spend. He said he got the ring and was so happy with it he wore it everywhere and about a week later he was playing ball and he got hit with the ball on that finger, so he took the ring off and put it in his pocket. When he went to put it back on it was gone and him and his Friends looked all over for it for days and never could find it. He never told his mother he had lost and every time she would ask he said it was in his room so he wouldn't lose it, so she never knew he had lost it as he said she would have been mad. Now when he had daughters he never bought them class rings as they would probably lose them like he did, but got them pennants on a necklace. I ask what he was going to do with the ring now and he said his granddaughter wanted it, but said she will have to wait as he wants to keep it longer than he did the first time and would give it to her on a necklace someday, he too has passed on from what I heard. He ask what I wanted for finding it and returning it and I told him it was his property so i was just returning what was his, but he made me take $20 too.
Not everyone is as nice of a story as a 1958 one I spent a bit trying to locate the guy and he gave me $5 and a week later wanted to know if i wanted to drive 150 miles as he lost it again in a golf course.
One ring was a 1914 and was not able to find any info to return it, so it was sold for the gold.
The feeling a person gets in most cases by returning a ring is something you will never forget and the happy look on the persons face is more then enough reward.
I also use this when detecting grass strips on the street side of the sidewalk if someone ask what I am doing, I say i am looking for any lost rings and personal items I can find and return to the owners.
Rick
