Lost Earring in Maple Shade Found by Dave Milsted

I received a text message late yesterday asking if I could search for a lost earring. The only problem is it was in a car. I told them that a metal detector would be useless in a car. It would be a visual search. They were okay with that, and we scheduled a visit for late afternoon today.

I arrived, and he showed me the car. He turned the car on for our search because the temperature was over 90 degrees. I brought my snake video camera unit. An excellent tool for searches in tight areas. They are 100% positive that it is in the car. His wife was a front-seat passenger and had her earring on her lap. They hit a bump, and it fell between the seat and the center console.

I started searching in the typical places it would have gone. No luck. There are 2 openings in the carpet under the seat. The 1st hole was not hiding a secret. After about an hour, I started to search the 2nd hole, which was some kind of vent. I searched in there, and there it was. Not easy to get as it was around a bend. This was not going to be easy to remove.

I tried a very long skinny 10-inch screwdriver. It wasn’t long enough. A portable vacuum wouldn’t work, either. Putting on my MacGyver hat. I have a couple of marking flags with 24-inch bendable, narrow stems. I took needle nose pliers and bent the end into a hook. While watching on the camera, I fished the hook to the earring. I was able to snag it after a few attempts. I slowly pulled it to the opening, and it fell down under the vent. More searching with the camera and we saw it again. This time I was able to get my fingers on it and remove it from under the seat.

They were so happy to get it back. This one was a challenge, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I love my hobby!!