Brendon Chapman, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 3 of 7

Lost unique white gold ring with diamond…Found at Baker Beach!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

I contacted Debra early on Wednesday after reviewing a Craigslist post about a lost white gold ring with a diamond.  She had been on Baker Beach when the ring went missing and after talking with her I could tell that it was troubling her.

I sent her a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM site and agreed to search for the ring the following Saturday.  She agreed and was very thankful for my offer.  Later that evening my good friend Jes Muse, founder of The Bay Area Bleepers (check it out) sent over the post suggesting that I perform the search as she would be out of town.

I woke up at 4:30 Saturday morning, packed my gear, and made the hour drive to the coast.  When I arrived, there were few people on the beach and at one point I shared the beach with no one but three coyotes.  The fog was thick, so much so that it fell like rain and the sand had a thin wet layer on top.  I opened up a photo that Debra was kind enough to mark up of the area that would become the search zone.  The detecting was difficult with seemingly never ending targets hid beneath my grid pattern.  I cleared handfuls of trash from the beach as I searched.  And then, a ring!  Sadly not the ring I was there for, but a happy consolation.

After about two hours of searching, I decided to call Debra and give her an update and to get a better account of where she might have been.  As it turned out, I was working away from where she had been and after a 20 yard course correction and pockets full of trash, I hit an 8-9 VDI (visual display indicator) that sounded very promising on the equinox. In one scoop I had the item, but it had not revealed itself.  I’m happy to announce, WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The exciting part was yet to come.  I took a few photographs of the ring and the beach and sent them on to Debra.  The next thing I did was gave her a call and when she answered I simply asked if she had gotten my photos.  She admitted she had not but went straight to them.  That is when I got my payout!!!  She was so extremely excited that I could feel it through the phone.  It’s a feeling like no other.

   

After our celebration over the phone, I agreed to drop off the ring on my way home.  She lived along the route I would travel home and I was excited to get to meet her.  I quickly packed the gear and 45 minutes later the ring was back with Mrs. Debra.

It takes a lot of trust for someone to disclose a bunch of details about their missing valuables, especially when they are so sentimental.  Thank you Debra for putting your trust in me to assist you in the recovery of your unique and beautiful ring and for your generosity!  It was a pleasure to meet you and I wish you the very best in your future!

   

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Platinum Wedding Band Lost in Sunnyvale, CA…FOUND!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

   

I have been requested for a string of esoteric recoveries involving planning, special equipment, and unusual conditions as of lately.  This was NOT one of them!

The most difficult part of this recovery would be the hour commute to the site.  I was requested to search for a lost platinum men’s wedding band on a sand volleyball court in Sunnyvale, CA.  This recovery was completed before the client could even complete the search contract.  Everyone was extremely surprised and happy to have located the ring so quickly!  The couple had only been married 6 months and it was the second time the ring had been lost.  I jokingly told them to keep my number on speed dial!  We made the recovery!

To the family… Thank you for trusting me with your ring recovery!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

 

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Lost Wedding Band on Inverness, CA beach…Found with Metal Detector!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

The California summer heat is here and the lost item recovery business is booming!

On Monday July 1st, I received a multitude of requests for assistance.  One of these calls was from a couple in Inverness, CA who were enjoying time at Shell Beach on Tomales Bay.  Over the years, Tomales Bay has become a favorite destination for our family, but is over an hour and a half drive from our little town and 2 and a half hours from my office.  I informed the couple that I was onboard with assisting but would be contacting a few of the other members who might be more local for their availability.  In the end, I found no availability and knew I’d be making the drive.

The couple had lost the ring very early in the day and spent the rest of their day searching and exploring any avenues to recover the sentimental object.  A sign was posted at the entrance to the beach for the missing ring with contact information, they looked into metal detector groups, and even found a metal detector for rent and searched the area to no avail. Over the phone I tried to provide a short tutorial on how to use it.

Rather than make the long drive out late in the day, I scheduled to leave early the next afternoon to perform the search.  I asked my family if they would like to escape the triple digit heat and head to the beach with me.  They were all too happy to tag along and so we packed for the outing.

On arrival we hiked the short path down to Shell Beach. We had stopped for a picnic on this beach while kayak camping a few years earlier.  The beach was moderately crowded with mostly locals looking to escape the days heat.  And we weren’t there long when we met Jacob who explained the circumstances and defined the search area.  The metal detector attracted just about every child on the beach who hovered and followed as I grid the target area.  I handed out clad coins as they were plucked from the sand to those who kept back and helped clear obstacles.  It wasn’t more than 15 minutes when….WE MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

The interested children were the first to know, then my family and the surrounding adults who all clapped and came up to offer praise and ask questions.  Jason was the last to find out, but when I showed him the ring…his reaction was priceless!  It’s absolutely my favorite part of doing this!  Thank you Jacob for the opportunity to assist and to your very kind spouse for coordinating the event.  I wish you both nothing but the best in your future.  Be sure to tell the story of that ring far and wide!

 

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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Buried Sewer Clean-out’s…Located By Metal Detector!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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As a member of THE RING FINDERS community, I often get calls for missing items such as; men’s and woman’s rings, earrings, cell phones, and keys.  I even have gotten a number of requests for missing or locating property pins.  I also get to meet a great deal of interesting personalities while on these requests for assistance.  Ken’s story is a little bit different and takes place on a large plot of land.  A few years earlier, he had trenched and ran new sewer lines with a clean-out every 100 feet.  Before burying these lines he capped the clean-outs with a big brass fitting.  The thought was that these large brass caps would be simple to locate with a metal detector should the need arise.

Fast forward to May of this year, Ken purchased a metal detector and fabricated a probe to rediscover his clean-outs.  After several attempts at locating them and hundreds of probes pushed into the ground, I received a request for assistance.

Our First attempts found highly mineralized ground and a lot of debris around our target area.  Usually, I would move to a smaller coil, ground balance, and turn up the target separation on my equinox, however in this application we needed depth to locate what was thought to have been 16″ to 18″ down.  We searched for 2 hours in the hot days sun before concluding our search.  Ken and I had a lot of great conversation but both were disappointed in the result.  I left questioning if I had the depth required to even see our target.

I stewed about the issues we had faced for a couple of days and decided I needed another shot.  I utilized the money I received from our previous search to supplement the purchase of a new larger coil.  I turned my target separation down to 1 to achieve maximum depth and power and on Saturday I returned to the field.  Ken had located some older photos that proved we were indeed in the right area.  We gave it another shot and we found a target and probed…nothing!  Found a target and probed…nothing!  Our third and best target we probed…it was an area we had probed during the previous search…suddenly Ken hit something!  We both smiled, hopeful that the search was indeed over.  We both grabbed a shovel and began to dig and at just about 20″ in depth we located the first brass clean-out cap.  I think we were both equal part excited and equal part relieved.

Afterwards, we marked out 100′ up hill in the direction the sewer pipes traveled and began again.

Thank you Ken!  I enjoyed our conversations and the opportunity to work on a different project than those I typically perform.  I learned some valuable knowledge and procured new equipment to continue helping others.

The first clean-out located at 20″ of depth

15″ coil utilized to locate the target

Our field as seen from above

100′ uphill to the second location

The newly stubbed-up clean-out with marker!

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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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14K White Gold Ring Lost at Shadow Cliffs…Found in 3 feet of water!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On Memorial Day I received a message from Madison requesting help.  While spending the day with family at Shadow Cliffs, a man-made lake in Pleasanton, CA, he lost his wedding ring in 3 to 4 feet of water.  Shadow Cliffs is part of the East Bay Regional Parks District, and they require a special permit for detecting.  I have always carried this permit, but it comes with some red tape.  Specifically, it does not allow for metal detectors to enter the water.  I informed Madison that I would request special permission from the park manager before we could schedule this search.  The park team was great and very accommodating!

With permission to enter the water and permit in-hand Madison and I met at the lake to perform the search.  It was a beautiful, warm day and we were both excited to get into the water and recover the ring.  He walked us out to chest deep water and stated that he thought that the ring was lost at this spot.  A 15 minute hasty search turned up a few dimes and no rings.  The best news was that there was not a lot of trash to contend with.  A grid was established working parallel to the shore line first in deeper water working towards the shallows.  I informed Madison that I believed that the ring would hit between 12 to 14 on my Equinox 800, but would investigate every signal to « clear it » from the grid.  With each target, I could see the anticipation in Madison, but he was a good sport each time we pulled up what was not his ring.

 

At one point after being in the water an hour or so, we questioned the position of the area and the depth of water.  We moved to more shallow water and it wasn’t to long before…WE MADE THE RECOVERY! It took three attempts to get the 14k white gold band into the scoop but I just knew that the 13-14 signal and perfect tone was our sought after prize.  When I noticed that Madison had not seen me recover the ring I moved closer and asked him to describe the ring again and if it had « looked like this! »  The instantaneous smile appeared that makes performing these recoveries so great and he said he could hug me, to which I leaned in for the embrace!

Once back on the sand beach I took some obligatory photos and we walked down to the lifeguards who had been interested in our activities.  The lifeguards had doubted the success of our venture and were excited for our victory. Then he and I stared out at the water for a bit and talked.  Madison was just the sort of guy I’d like to know.  He was patient, kind, and thoughtful and seemed like a great father.  Thank you Madison for trusting in me to assist you with your ring recovery.  I very much enjoyed your company and conversation while we took this journey!  Best Wishes!

 

 

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

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Golden Pearl Earring Lost at Danville School…Found with Metal Detector!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

On the Hawaiian Islands there are no shortage of kiosks and jewelry shops where one can pick out your own clam and harvest a pearl.  These shops allow you to also pick out and set your newly harvested pearl into ring’s, pendant’s, and of course a pair of earrings.  They make a great souvenir from what most likely was a memorable trip to the islands.

This story started roughly 8 years early, when a young 8 year old girl did exactly that.  The pearls where mounted into a pair of very cute golden turtle earrings.  These earrings over the years became prized possessions, memories of a great family trip to the beautiful islands.  So, when the young teenager was spending outdoor time with her family over the holiday weekend and lost one of these earrings, it was deflating. The teen pleaded for her parent to find some way of recovering the lost item.

Being caring and intelligent parents, they discovered THERINGFINDERS.COM and contacted it’s local operative.  This proved to be a huge win for the family and the lost golden turtle.  Once we met at the Danville, CA school field it wouldn’t take more that 20 minutes to MAKE THE RECOVERY!  You see, we were able to run the metal detector over the mate of the lost earring and knew the exact signal we would be looking for.  True to form, after a number of passes in our grid search the earring was returned to the appreciative family.

Special thanks to the family for entrusting me with this search!

The precious Hawaiian souvenir!

An appreciative father!

The scene of the incident!

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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Multiple Pieces of Stolen Jewelry…Recovered!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

The story behind this recovery in some ways is very similar to that which I perform on a somewhat routine basis.  However, In some ways this was much different and took much more patience and thought.

At a little past 11am on the 10th of May, I was out metal detecting with my soon to be 5 year old son.  We had just pulled out our machines a Vanquish 540 (my sons) and my equinox to start a little park hunt.  He had dug his first target, a rusty nail.  I was just about to put my headphones on when I received a text message and then, a voice message.  It was a call for help stating that the previous Saturday there had been a home invasion where the thief took jewelry and ran, dropping the jewelry as the alarm went off.  They had recovered some of the jewelry from their yard but requested that I come help to locate any and all of the fallen jewelry I could.  And with that, we packed up our gear and headed 30 minutes south to assist.

In was now midday and getting warm when we arrived at the residence, a large and beautiful home on a hillside.  The owners met with us and thanked us for such a quick response.  They showed us the rear full height window that had been smashed and where some of the stolen jewelry had been recovered leading to the fence in the back of the large backyard.  The task was to search the opposing side of the fence which was a large parcel of open space on a hillside.  I was not sure if it had been a blessing or a curse, but only a day or two prior the city had mowed a 50 foot swath of defensible space  right up to the fence line.  The search was now on!

It did not take long to get my first hit, a silver cuff-link, and my next, a gold cuff-link.  And then, a very colorful sandal pendant with multiple gemstones. Most of the pieces were being recovered at the corner of the property line which was likely to be the location the thief jumped the fence.  I called this my « anchor point ».  7 pieces of jewelry were recovered from this area.  I searched the area until no other pieces or targets (there was a lot of trash there too) could be found.  I then established a grid and worked outward from my anchor.  Prior to the search the homeowner  had mentioned a gold bangle bracelet encrusted with gemstones that had been visible prior to the weed abatement operation.  As I spread out and expanded my grid, that was the next piece I recovered buried in the recently mowed weeds.  It was slightly damaged and quite a bit away from the spot it had been previously seen.  My guess was it had fallen prey to the mower, but I used a landscaping flag to mark the location it had been found and retrieved the beautiful piece.

All of this happened within the first 30 minutes of our busy search, and then… nothing!!!  The next 30 minutes of grid search only revealed trash and not much of that either.  And then, bang!!! A beautiful yellow gold and diamond encrusted earring.  A sight for sore eyes and our first new lead in the direction that the thief may have went.  Again, the piece was marked with a flag and recovered.

For the next hour, I worked the grid, expanded the grid, worked the grid, expanded the grid, but no new pieces could be located and the trail had gone cold.  It was now two hours of searching in the fully exposed sun with no new direction and seemingly acres of open space covered in tall dry grass.  The operation was shut down.

In all, we managed to recover and flag 9 pieces of jewelry, some of which were sure to be very valuable.  The beautiful bangle bracelet turned out to be very sentimental, a wedding gift from the brides mother-in-law on her wedding day and was the highlight of our operation.  Our client seemed to be very thankful for our efforts and we had indeed MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

8 of 9 Pieces recovered from the thief’s escape route.

The beautiful gold bangle bracelet with gemstones.

1 of 9 pieces recovered from the open space field.

The last and furthest piece located!

All smiles for a great recovery!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

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Lost Subaru Key Fob… Recovered from Steep Slope in Oakland, CA

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

It’s not too often I get calls about lost keys or key fobs, let alone from a 10 year old, but on Monday May 6th that all changed.  The young boy requested that I come look for a set of keys that found their way off of a deck and onto a slope covered with ivy, blackberry, and other organic debris.  Of course I asked if the young boy would be assisting me and that I had an extra metal detector that I’d be glad to share.  Excitedly, we scheduled the search the following afternoon after school had gotten out.

It took 30 minutes or so to make my way to Oakland, CA were the key fob made it’s way into the wilds.  Upon arrival, I met the family including mom, dad, and several siblings.  They showed me to the scene of the mishap and explained that while swinging a rope the boy accidentally struck the keys sending them into the void below.  A search ensued but produced no results.  My first thoughts were that I asked a young 10 year old boy to assist me and now was looking at a very steep and hazardous looking slope entangled in ivy and blackberry vines.  But after producing my back-up machine to the boy and a garret pin-pointer to another sibling, there was no turning back.

The four of us, myself, the two boys, and dad (who was assisting by removing thorny blackberry vines from the slope) started a hasty search of the steep hillside.  The boys were excited every time the metal detectors sounded off and they quickly set out to discover what had made the machine scream out.  The hillside was riddled with targets like bottle caps, pull tabs, aluminum cans, and a large number of other interesting items. After about 20 minutes of looking, dad said that he may have saw something on the slope while pulling out vines and the two boys rushed to confirm the presence of the object.  First the young boy with the metal detector confirmed something metallic, then the sibling with the pin-pointer narrowed the search.  Moments later, with a bit of careful probing, WE MADE THE RECOVERY!

After a short celebration our little crew, and now mom and other siblings, collected on flatter ground for a little exploration and metal detecting.  For another 30 minutes or so we located and dug a plethora of targets, mostly do-dads and trash, but everyone was having a fun and educational experience.  Overall, the search for the wayward key fob and mini-hunt that followed was hugely successful.  Thank you kindly for allowing me to provide this service, I always love to get those willing and able involved into the search and having an interactive experience.

This was our target today!

A substitute picture of myself for the book of smiles!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

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Lost 14K Diamond Wedding Band…Found at Baker Beach!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
Contact:

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Luis and I walked down the beach and into the tidal zone.  He stuck a stick in the sand and said, « I was standing right here.  I threw the football in that direction and felt the ring come off.  I saw it in my peripheral vision for a brief moment, then it was gone! » And so the search was on!

Three days earlier the event took place and he had made a number of attempts to find his 14K white gold ring with inset diamonds.  He even posted a Lost and Found ad on Craigslist to seek out help.  It was at this time I got involved by sending him a link to THERINGFINDERS.COM site and offering up assistance. Up until then, the only correspondence had been through an email and a few short text messages.  He later admitted to being a bit skeptical that the ring could be recovered.  I, however, was packed and ready for the hour long trip to the coast knowing that the next day a storm would hit the area decreasing the chances of a positive outcome.  Having a meeting for work and little confidence that the ring could be located, Luis text me to call off the search effort.  I text him back.  « Don’t give up just yet…unless someone else found it, it is still there! »

Those words changed the course of the search and breathed new energy into Luis.  We spoke for a few minutes on the phone and we were back on track to meet up an hour later that evening.

We set up a grid of the area just in front of the placed stick.  I worked East-West from the shore to the water first.  I armed Luis with a pin-pointer and he meticulously scanned the area directly in front of the stick. I had completed the grid and decided to turn and work North-South while also expanding the grid.  I was less than 12 feet to the right of the stick Luis had placed.  This was the area that the ring should have been, but had not been discovered on the East-West grid.  I got a perfect signal about 6 to 8 inches down.  A perfect 10 VDI for the Nox 800 in Beach 1.  Moments later Luis and I were giving each other a high-five…  We had MADE THE RECOVERY!

It was almost sunset, the wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping.  The moments after the recovery were exciting and it was beautiful at the beach.  We talked and celebrated a bit before returning to the car to head home.

Luis had done a number of things that contributed to a successful recovery.  When the ring came off, he didn’t immediately panic.  He and his friend took notice of their surroundings and Luis, after 3 days, was able to put me less than 12 feet from the ring despite an enormous beach. The other thing that was critical was to seek help.  Luis has stated several times that the right equipment in the right hands was the recipe for success.  Thank you Luis for trusting in me and my process.  It was great to meet you and I wish you the very best in the future!

Luis moments after the recovery!

The ring back in it’s correct place.

The custom 14K white gold band with inset diamonds

A beautiful setting for the recovery!

Working the Grid in front of the placed stick!

A happy couple with both their custom matching rings!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

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Lost Gold Angel Cameo Ring…Found in Point Richmond, CA!!!

  • from Walnut Creek (California, United States)
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The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

It was a beautiful Saturday morning when we arrived at the community garden area in Point Richmond, CA.  Late on Friday evening I received a voice message from Frances stating that she had lost a very sentimental ring and wondered if I might assist in searching.  I called her back shortly after listening to her message and assured her that I would do everything I could to help find the ring.

We met in the garden the following day.  She did not know the exact moment the ring was lost, but was almost certain it had been in the garden.  She walked us around the garden area showing us the route and events that were revealed to have taken place 14 days earlier.  Since that time, the cycle of rain and sun meant new tall foliage had sprung up everywhere and to make matters more esoteric several areas had been covered with new wood chips.

My two young boys and I, armed with our metal detectors, set out to perform a hasty search of the garden area.  This did not result in the recovery of the ring and the area was expanded to additional areas that were thought to perhaps be hiding her golden Angel cameo ring.  As the day warmed up and it got closer to the lunch hour, Frances excused herself back home to meet up with a close friend for a bite to eat.  The boys, who had now lost all interest in the search and were helping other residence pull weeds and searching for bugs, were now getting restless and hungry.  I had just finished a complete grid search of the previously searched areas and although I can never say 100% certain, I was fairly well certain the ring was not in the garden area as supposed.

Moments later Frances pulled up in her vehicle with her friend and a smile.  As the story goes, while sitting at the dining table, her friend who was well aware of the missing ring and had helped with previous searches of the garden area and other spaces, had glanced down and noticed something under the table.  It was the ring…they had MADE THE RECOVERY!!!

After 2 plus hours of metal detecting in a pretty garden on a gorgeous day, we were all glad for a positive result.  Frances looked quite relieved to have the ring back on her hand were it rightfully belonged.

Frances, thank you for contacting me and The Bay Area Ring Finders for assistance.  The boys were very pleased with the $5.00 each you gave them for their part in the search.  You were great company and I very much enjoyed meeting you.  Best Wishes!

The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP     925-580-2590

Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!

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