Dennis Boothby, Author at The Ring Finders

Missing Sprinkler Head Lost And Found In Wells, Maine, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Not all recoveries are precious and sentimental jewelry. A surprise recovery of a sprinkler head that I wasn’t even aware was missing.

On Tuesday November 5th, I received a call from Linda. The previous Tuesday, Linda was doing yard work, specifically , using a leaf blower to blow the leaves, into a pile, towards the back of their property, in Wells, Maine. As she was taking the leaf blower off, of her back, she felt it hit her ear and snag something. She immediately thought of her Diamond Stud Earring and slowly walked into the house, to check the situation out. When she got into the house she heard something land on the floor and she then saw the backing, to the Diamond Earring. Linda then started checking her clothing and couldn’t find the earring, on any of her clothing. Linda searched the floor and surrounding area, where the backing had been found. Nothing. She also checked the leaf blower harness, still no luck. Linda continued searching, day and night, using a flashlight, outside, in the dark to see if she could catch a glimmer of the light, hitting the diamond. Nothing found. She then had a friend come over and search with his metal detector. Still nothing. This is when Linda called me. We agreed I would come to her home and search on Thursday, November 7th.
When I arrived! I was promptly met by Linda. She took me to the area, she thought the earring, may be at, in her backyard. Linda still had the other Diamond stud earring and I set the Minelab Manticore Metal Detector up, with the other earring. I was able to set the machine up and was receiving nice loud low tones, every single time. As I gridded the area, Linda and I would check out every non-ferrous target , in the low conductor range. After a couple hours and checking dozens of targets, I received a nice low tone, in the Gold Range. This one sounded different and seemed like a fairly big item. As we were investigating the target, we didn’t see anything, on top of the ground. All of a sudden, Linda says, the target may be a long lost sprinkler head, they had been searching for. As we dug deeper, we discovered the missing sprinkler head. Linda told me the sprinkler head had gone missing and her flowers weren’t getting the water they needed. Linda and her husband had been looking for it and they were going to have the Irrigation service person, search for it in the spring. Well, now he doesn’t have to, saving Linda and her husband a service call.
So, the earring has not been found and I am going back next week and search the remaining lawn, as I only covered approximately 40% of the lawn, today. Linda will continue to search inside the house and will be using a small swifter on the floors, in the area the backing came off. It is so tough because the earring may have been lost at any point while she was in the backyard. The earring may have been blown out of the area, Linda thought it should be in and into a totally different area. At least one more search will be needed, to cover the entire backyard. I will definitely update you all, if the earring is found.
As you see, it’s not always jewelry that is found. In the past, I have found Property Markers and Water Shut Off Valves, for clients. Now I can add a Sprinkler Head to the list.

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18K Gold Necklace and Heart Pendant with A Jade Buddha, Lost In The Old Orchard Beach, Maine Ocean 18 Years Ago, Found With A Metal Detector And Returned

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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This story starts 18+ years ago, in 2006. In late August of 2006, I was taking advantage of the negative low tide, by Metal Detecting the extremely early low tide, in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, by arriving at the beach at 3:00am. Sunrise wasn’t for a few hours but I need to take advantage of the negative low tide, on the pitch black beach. I had parked next to The Brunswick Bar – The Largest Patio On The Beach and entered the beach, at the Life Guard Station, at that location. Once arriving down on the wet sand, I took a left and headed towards the OOB Pier. Low tide was also in a few hours and I was searching the mid beach area as I headed north, towards the pier. It was not long at all, when I received my first target, of the morning. As I dug my target, out of the sand, I knew immediately that I I found a necklace, with some kind of pendant on it. Because it was so dark out, I didn’t know if the necklace was junk, silver or gold. I placed it in my finds pouch and continued metal detecting. I searched until it was light enough out, to examine the necklace. To my surprise, the necklace was 18K Yellow Gold, with a genuine Jade Buddha Pendant. Unbelievable. The necklace was extremely heavy and I then knew that this was a very expensive necklace and I was eager to find the owner.

Once I arrived home, I started placing ads, on Craigslist, to try and find the owner. This was pre-Facebook, for me, as it was 2006. After receiving no leads, to the owner, of the necklace, I placed it in my safe, hoping someone would answer the Craigslist ads and I would be able to return it. No such luck and as time passed, I forgot about the necklace and within a few years, the safe itself, would not open. The digital keypad, of the safe had short circuited and the contents of the safe were stuck inside. I had even contacted a locksmith, to get the safe open but they wanted $300.00, to drill it open. I didn’t need anything, in the safe, at the moment and decided the contents could stay there, safe and sound. Over the years, I would think about the contents, now and then but didn’t think it was worth the money, to have the safe drilled out. Besides the Gold & Jade Buddha Necklace, other contents in the safe were my coin collection, and some other metal detecting finds, but nothing of the value, of the necklace. Before I knew it, 18+ years had passed, since I put the Necklace in the safe, very very rarely, thinking of the contents.
Fast forward to May 30th of this year, 2024. I had a story on Facebook about a ring recovery and return. Among all the congratulatory comments, there was a comment from someone that I did not recognize. His name is Han Tu and his comment said the following

“Have u ever found a gold necklace with a Buddha pendant and heart pendant on it? I lost it in the water like 18 years ago I was devastated and wonder if anyone ever found it”
I replied to his comment, “Han Tu, Sorry, I have not.❤️🙏”

Now, I knew I had found a Gold Necklace with a Buddha Pendant, but after 18 years, I did not remember the necklace having a Heart Pendant. I asked Cheryl if she remembered the necklace, having a heart pendant and she did not remember it either. I knew that if this was his necklace, I needed to return it but the safe was still broken and hadn’t been open since approximately 2010, 14 years earlier. I immediately started to search the internet to see how I could get the safe open, without the cost of have it drilled out. After a few days, I decided to try a possible fix and ordered a part that holds the batteries, as the battery holder was shot and the batteries had leaked all over the inside of the keypad. Had nothing to lose and ordered the part, took the keypad apart, cleaned it all up and waited for the replacement battery holder to arrive. After a few weeks, it arrived and we wired it up to the keypad and placed new batteries in it. Now for the real test. I punched in the keypad code, grabbed the lever and pulled the handle down. IT OPENED. I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT. The safe was open for the 1st time in approximately 14-15 years. I dug through the contents and found the Gold Necklace. To Cheryl’s and my surprise, A Gold Necklace, Jade Buddha AND A GOLD HEART PENDANT, exactly as Han Tu had described. My mind was spinning but a large smile, broke out across our faces. I told Cheryl that I needed to get this Necklace to Han Tu and I wanted to surprise him.
Since I knew nothing about him, I once again started searching the internet for any information. Phone number, address, anything that would allow me to get his necklace, back to him. I couldn’t find anything about him, other than this one address, in WORCESTER MASSACHUSETTS. I wasn’t even sure if this was the address for the same Han Tu, but it was the only lead I had.
As the extremely busy summer progressed and I was posting about all my recoveries and returns, I continued searching for any new information on Han Tu. Absolutely nothing. This was similar to a 1948 Class Ring that I had returned, earlier in the year. I just kept researching until, I came across reliable information, through a third party. This time however, I did not have a third party, to help me. With no other information being found, I told Cheryl that we just needed to make the 2 hour drive and knock on the door, of the address I had found. I knew what Han Tu looked like, from his Facebook Page, that he had commented from. If I knock on the door and that person answered, our prayers would be answered. If it was someone other than Han Tu, from the Facebook Page, we would leave and think about what we would do next.
So, on November 2, 2024, Cheryl and I left our home, in Saco, Maine, at 6:00am and made the 2 hour drive, to Worcester Massachusetts – The Beauty of it all. Once we arrived, we got out of the vehicle, and approached the front door. Cheryl was ready to video the entire meeting. We didn’t see any signs of anyone up but two vehicles were in the driveway. I rang the doorbell, no answer. I knocked on the door, no answer. I did both of them again and still no answer. It was not 8:30am yet and Cheryl suggested we take a drive because everyone may be sleeping in, on the weekend. As everyone knows, I ALWAYS listen to Cheryl 😉. So Cheryl and I drove away and took a drive around the countryside and returned appropriately 40 minutes later, at 9:00am. We again approached the front door and this time, I could hear voices inside, including that of a young child. I rang the bell and almost immediately, I saw a young boy looking out the window at me. I waved to him and he waved back. I then heard the door being unlocked and I saw a familiar face looking out at me, as Han Tu looked out the crack of the door. I told Han who I was and handed him my business cards. He told me he needed to get dressed and would be out, in a moment. Less than two minutes later, Han was outside and I knew he would be getting his Necklace back. We had the right house and person.
I can see Han trying to comprehend what is going on. I mean, he really has no idea what is going on. I explained that he had commented on one of my Facebook posts, in late spring and I was wondering if he could give me a description of his necklace. As he was looking at my business cards, back at me, back at the business cards, he was describing his lost necklace, from 18 years earlier. As he was still describing it, he looked back at the cards, one last time and I held the necklace up, so when he looked back at me, he would see the necklace and hopefully he would be completely taken by surprise. Han looked up at me and the necklace and I could see in his eyes and the look on his face that he was totally not expecting this, as he said,

“No way, are you kidding me?” He then looks absolutely stunned and lost in thought, as he says “That’s crazy”. Han Tu then puts his hand over his eyes and all the emotions started coming out of the flood gate. He was so taken aback and his emotions were just so strong and it was a beautiful moment, to experience. I was getting goosebumps and teary eyed. I could tell how much this necklace meant to this man. This wasn’t just a necklace, this was a very important part of his young life. Among other things Han Tu told Cheryl and I, this necklace was a High School Graduation gift, from his parents. The necklace was very expensive and was not an easy decision for the parents to make but they were so proud of him and to commemorate his achievement, they decided to spend the money on the son they loved and were proud of. Han Tu also told us that the heart represented a very, very dear friend, who had passed away, in a car accident, a few years earlier. The heart, that Han Tu placed on the necklace would always keep his dear friend, close to him and the friend would never be forgotten. If this doesn’t get you teary eyed, you have no emotions. All I could do was console him and give him a hug. I think I may have needed the hug, more than him. It was so comforting and natural as we hugged each other.
Han also told us that he only had the necklace, a few months, after graduation before he lost it. A traditional family getaway to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, in July or August of 2006 went very wrong, when Han Tu was in chest deep water, right next to the OOB Pier, when the large waves finally got him. One of the large waves hit him and sent him in every direction possible, including head over heels. It was at that moment the necklace made its way, over his head, sinking into the deep water, waves and sand. Even though he and his family searched for hours, with borrowed goggles, it was all for naught. Han Tu, was absolutely devastated, as he conveyed to us.
Because this happened 18+ years ago, Han Tu and I think the necklace had been lost for approximately 4-6 weeks, before I found it. The necklace was lost right next to the OOB Pier, yet I found it approximately 150-200 feet south of where he lost it. I vividly recall finding it approximately half way between the Pier and The Brunswick, directly in front of Palace Playland Amusement Park. This just shows how far items can travel due to strong waves, currents and rip tides. Once something is lost in the ocean, you just never know if you will ever see the lost item again. I told Han Tu to do me a favor and not to wear it in the water ever again. He promised me and told me that he may not even wear it again and take a chance of losing it, again. He now wears a White Gold Necklace with a Jade Buddha, another gift from his parents, approximately 10 years ago, for another achievement that Han Tu accomplished. This White Gold Necklace, now matches all the necklaces worn in the family, including his parents. Just talking to Han Tu, Cheryl and I could see, feel, sense, the love and pride he has for his entire family. As a matter of fact, when Han Tu told us he probably wouldn’t wear the returned necklace again, he immediately told us he would most likely pass it down, to his young son. A very strong family man indeed. Hours later, I am still a little emotional, reliving the experience, as I write this. I am so grateful to be able to help people like Han Tu, get a part of their history back, when he never thought he would ever see the necklace again. We will make plans to meet up with Han and his family, next summer, when they return for their annual OOB vacation. I will show Han Tu and his family, exactly where I found the necklace and hopefully get a picture together, with everyone, with the OOB Pier, in the background, where he lost it. Full circle.

I have received a few text messages from Han Tu, since I left him this morning. This is one of the very kind messages, he has sent me. Thank you, Han Tu❤️🙏

“Thank you so much. It’s a true blessing there’s no amount of word I can say to express my gratitude. Looking forward to seeing ur post and me crying like a big baby. God bless you and your family. You are doing gods work and may he continue to watch over and take care of you

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Tungsten Wedding Ring, Lost In Leaves and Grass Clippings, In Biddeford, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday October 4th, 2024! Cheryl and I were on our way, to Franconia Notch State Park, in the White Mountains, of New Hampshire. We intended to hike the Artists Bluff Trail Loop, on Bald Mountain . On our way we stopped to see the Parsonsfield – Porter Covered Bridge, in Parsonsfield, Maine. While visiting the bridge, my phone rang at 8:28am. The caller identified himself as Tim and Tim had lost his Wedding Ring, 3 days earlier, on the job, in Biddeford, Maine.

Now, Tim is the owner operator of a local Landscaping business, T.A.P. Lawn & Landscape, out of Saco, Maine. On Tuesday, as he was dumping mowed grass and raked up leaves, just inside a wooded area, Tim saw his ring slip off his finger and into the pile of leaves and grass clippings. Tim told me that in the last 3 days he and his wife were really anxious, to get his ring back. Tim had spent 1 1/2 hours, on his hands and knees, going through the pile, with absolutely no luck. Tim also rented a metal detector and even though he had one target, he still couldn’t find the object, in all the leaves and grass clippings. Tim then knew he needed help and a friend of his recommended me.
I then told Tim that I should be home, in Saco, at approximately 5:00pm and I could search , at that time. Tim said that would work because he had clients to tend to and he could meet me there, after 5:00pm. I told Tim, I would call him , when I arrived home and we could meet up then. Since the ring was lost on private property, there was no concern that someone would find the ring.
Tim and I ended up meeting, at 5:30pm, at his client’s property and we immediately walked to the pile of leaves and grass clippings. The pile wasn’t very large and my first thought, to myself was that this lost ring, should be found and fairly quickly. Tim pointed out the location, on the pile, that he had seen his wedding ring fall into. You could actually see where he had been searching, in the pile.
I walked back to my vehicle and grabbed my Minelab Manticore, with the 15 inch coil. I also grabbed my Garrett Handheld Pinpointer, which I just knew would be invaluable, in this search. As always, I asked Tim what the metal content of his wedding ring is. He answered that the ring was a Tungsten Carbide ring. I then took a Tungsten Carbide ring out of my bag of test rings and threw it on the ground. I then proceeded to run the coil of my metal detector, over the Tungsten Ring, so Tim could see and hear the Tungsten Ring being detected. My clients seem to like knowing what the sound/tone, of their ring, will sound like. Once I finished showing Tim, how the detector works, I immediately started searching the pile of leaves and grass clippings. Within a minute or so, I received a signal and it was an extremely low conductor, of a target. An extremely low tone and the reading, on my VDI screen, was a 07/08. Being such a low conductor, I didn’t think this would be a tungsten ring. Once I located the target, in the leaves, with my pinpointer, I ended up pulling a used packet of ketchup, out of the pile. I immediately started searching again, It took another minute or so, before I received another non ferrous target. This time the target was nice and loud and was reading on the VDI screen was 55. I told Tim that this very could be his Tungsten Wedding Ring. I located the target, once again with my pinpointer and slowly removed a few leaves from atop the target. Still couldn’t see the target. Removed some more leaves and still couldn’t see the target. Pinpointer still locked in on it and I didn’t want to move the target, further down, into the pile and that is why, I was being so careful, removing the leaves. A third time, removing some leaves, proved to be the winner. I could see just a small area of the ring and Tim could see it also. He was just overjoyed and couldn’t wait to get the ring back, on his finger, where it belongs. Tim texted his wife, told her the good news and she was also overjoyed, with Tim relaying her thank you , to me. Tim said he was going to sleep well tonight and that he also learned a lesson and will no longer wear his wedding ring, while performing his landscaping services m to his clients.
Another smile, or three and I just love being able to help people like Tim, in their time of need.

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14K Gold Wedding Ring, Lost in a Saco, Maine Backyard, Found Visually, While Searching With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I had just returned home, after picking up my granddaughter, at Fairfield School, in Saco, Maine and walking home. I wasn’t home 5 minutes, when I received the following text, from Christina

“Hey! Found your number on ring finders. We think my husband lost his ring in our back yard and can’t seem to find it. Would you be able to help? Thank you”

I immediately replied and I asked some questions

“So sorry to hear this. Where are you located?

A few questions

1) How long ago, was the ring lost?

2) What makes you think it was lost, in the backyard? Did he see or feel the ring coming off?

3) How large is the yard and what type of terrain? So, is it woodland, grass, bushes, etc? This will let me know size coils to bring.”

Christina replied

“ Saco, off of 112. Ring was lost today but we do not know exactly when. I took a picture of his wearing it around 9am and he noticed it was missing around noon. I have checked all our sinks and shower if it may have come off there.

My husband was tinkering with the power washer that he could not get to work about 5 feet from the back of our house.

Back yard is mostly grass where we think it may be. I would estimate the total back yard as 100 feet by 40feet. I am happy to provide a picture if that helps.”

Christina did send me a few pictures and I told her I would be there, by 3:30pm. It was now 2:50pm and I just needed to change and get my equipment, into the car. I arrived at their home at 3:15pm and was promptly met by Christina’s husband. He introduced himself as Justin and told me he was the one, that lost the ring. Justin explained that he was working on the pressure washer, out back, when a bunch of hornets came at him, from under the back deck. Justin was getting away from the area,as fast as he could, as he swatted the hornets away. Once inside the house, Justin cleaned up and was ready to head to Lowe’s, to purchase a new pressure washer. As he was getting ready to leave, Justin noticed that his wedding ring was not on his finger.

Justin and Christina searched inside and out the house, particularly in the area he had been working. When their search didn’t result in finding the ring, Corina contacted me.

Once Justin showed me the areas, he thought the ring would be in, I showed and explained to Justin how my detector works and threw 3 different test rings, into the grass, so he could see and hear, the detector find the rings. This seems to soothe or calm my clients some. I then come up with a game plan, so to speak and told Justin, I would start searching on the side of the house , where he had been walking. I would then grid the back yard, going approximately 1/2 down the yard, turn around and head back towards the house. I would continue doing this, while Justin visually searched, for his wedding ring. I find that my clients like to be involved, whether it is using, one of my detectors or visually searching. Once I am onsite, it’s all hands on deck and a group effort.

My first pass , on the side of the house and halfway down the backyard, resulted in nothing but a few deep coins, that I didn’t dig. I took a 1/2 step to my left, explaining to Justin that by only taking a 1/2 step, to the side, this allows me to overlap my swinging of the coil, so I don’t miss any area of the yard. As I made my way, back towards the house and about 10 feet, from the house, I heard Justin say something. I looked up and Justin reached down and picked up his wedding ring, in the crushed rock, along the house. I could see his big smile and was so happy, for another successful recovery. I had Justin put the ring, back on the crushed rocks and swung my detector over the ring and it came back a nice and loud, repeating low tone.

So when I arrive on the scene, or a search, we all work together, as a team, to get the best results. I often bring extra detectors and let my clients search also. I have actually had 3 successful recoveries while doing this. I don’t care who actually finds the ring, as long as the ring is found. After a few photos of Justin and his ring, I left with a big smile. Maybe not as big as Justin’s, but big. I just love being able to leave, on a moments notice, to go and help people like Justin & Christiana.

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Gold Wedding Ring, Lost For 42 Years, Found With A Metal Detector and Returned To The Owner, In Saco, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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This story started 42 years ago, when a Gold Wedding Ring was lost.

I purchased and have been living, in my current home since 1993 or 31+ years ago. The home, in Saco, Maine was built in 1893 and as you can imagine, there are lots of metal objects, in the ground. This is especially true because the previous two owners, of my home, were both plumbers. When I took up Metal Detecting 25 years ago, I quickly found out, just how much plumbing metal and other pieces of metal were there. I had been hoping to find lots of old coins and other cool stuff, on the property. Reality set in when I started detecting around the property. I can’t tell you how many pieces of small, cut, pieces of copper piping, I have found over the years. I have also found lots of solder, vintage bottles caps, from the 1950 and 60’s and various other pieces of metal. It’s always been a tough property to Metal Detect on, because of all the metal, in the ground. As the years passed, and I would remove the different metals, from the ground, the older coins, did appear, along with the modern day clad and yes, a few cool items. As I upgraded my Metal Detecting equipment, I would always take it out on the property and test it out, to learn the machine.
Fast forward to August , 2024. I had recently purchased a new Minelab Manticore Metal detector and wanted to start learning all the features, on the machine. One of the features I was most interested in was “Target Separation “. Target separation on the Manticore is supposed to show you, on the VDI screen, both Ferrous and Non Ferrous targets . The good targets (Non Ferrous) would show up along a center line and the not so good targets (Ferrous) would show above and or below the center line. Even though other machines have target separation the Manticore was using the latest technology, so that us detectorists could better see, what is actually under the coil and make better decisions, as to dig the item or not and also see a good target, within all the bad targets. In the past, the Ferrous targets may have “masked” the Non Ferrous targets and we wouldn’t even know there was a Non Ferrous item, among the Ferrous items, unless you dug the ferrous targets . As I started swinging the Manticore, I was receiving many, many targets. The VDI screen would show me all the targets, most above or below the center line and occasionally, right on the center line. I was digging every thing so I could understand what the item was, in relation to where it was on the screen. As it turns out, the Manticore was being extremely accurate. If a target was on the center line, it would turn out to be a non ferrous item, such as a coin. The targets above and below the center line, turned out to be ferrous, usually a nail or something. But what I really loved was that I could now see that there was a Non Ferrous item, mixed in with the ferrous items. This was very exciting for me.
So, on September 1st, 2024, I took the Manticore out into the yard, once again. I was getting more and more comfortable but had a 1/2 hour to kill, so let’s go learn the machine, even more. I was detecting on my side lawn, where I had detected 100 times, over the years. I have found Barber Dimes and Quarters, Mercury Dimes, Washington Silver Quarters and Roosevelt Silver Dimes, in this yard, along with Buffalo Nickels and a countless number of Wheat Pennies. I know there are more there, maybe deeper or being masked by a more dominant Ferrous item. After about 10 minutes of detecting, I received a mixed signal, showing many ferrous items and one non ferrous item, a perfectly round circle, on the center line. I grabbed my digging trowel and cut a plug, in the grass and removed it. I didn’t see anything and used my pinpointer, to locate the target. I removed a little more dirt and I could see, what looked like the outline of a gold ring. I brushed some more dirt off the target and, YES, it was a gold ring. I took it out of the soil and yelled to my wife, Cheryl, who was sitting on the porch. Cheryl came out and couldn’t believe I had found a gold ring, right in our own yard. We could see that there was an inscription on the inside the ring, that contained both letters and numbers. As Cheryl started cleaning the dirt, out of the inside the ring, the inscription read, “W.D.C. 8-15-81”. As soon as I saw this, I told Cheryl that “I know who this ring belongs to. It has to belong to Bill C*******”. There’s no way, it could be anyone else’s.
Now remember the two previous owners that I had mentioned. Well, the first of the plumbers raised his family here and his children went to the same Saco schools as I had, growing up, including our high school, Thornton Academy. As a matter of fact Bill, graduated just a year after me. I graduated in 1974 and Bill in 1975. We played Saco Little League together and over the years had even been in his house a few times. So I immediately think the W.D.C. is Bill and after graduating from Thornton Academy , he was married a little over 6 years later, in 1981. It all made sense. I just knew it had to be Bill’s.
I hadn’t seen Bill in many years, so I started contacting some of his classmates, to see if they had his phone number. Once I got his number, I called Bill. After a little chit chat, I asked Bill if he had ever lost a ring. I didn’t tell him anything about a location and Bill immediately answers that he had lost his wedding ring, at his mother’s house, years and years ago. I told Bill, “Well, I just found your ring, metal detecting, in the yard”. Bill just couldn’t believe it and let out a joyful laugh. We then agreed that the next time, Bill was in Saco, he would come over and I would return his ring.

A few weeks later, Bill texted me and we made plans to meet up at his boyhood home, the next day, September 22, 2024 and I would return his wedding ring, to him. I also plan to show him the exact spot , I had found his ring, 42 years after he had lost it
So this afternoon Bill stopped by and I was extremely happy to return his ring. When I asked Bill the story of him losing his wedding ring, he told me the following. Bill had graduated college and had been teaching school, in the Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Bill had gotten married, in the Virgin Islands in 1981, while teaching school there and had also purchased his Gold Wedding Ring there. Bill and his wife, then moved back to Maine and back into his childhood home, with his mother, until they could get their own place. One day, Bill had gotten on the pull up bar, in the garage , as he had done, many times over the years. Bill normally would remove his ring and place it on top of the pull up bar, so he wouldn’t damage it, while doing his pull ups. This time however, he thinks he placed it in his shirt pocket and forgot about it. The ring then, somehow, ended up on the lawn. It was so long ago that Bill isn’t certain how it ended up out there, on the lawn, after he had gotten off the pull up bar. Forty two years later, Bill is holding his wedding ring, on the exact spot I found it. Full circle. It was great to see Bill and catch up. I am just so happy to be helping people, like Bill get reunited with their lost items. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to find the lost item.

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Sterling Silver and Turquoise Ring Lost in the Old Orchard Beach sand, Found With a Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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Recovery and Return #76, for The Ring Finders of Maine

As my wife and I were on a 13 mile bike ride, I saw I had a Facebook PM, from an hour earlier, from Jessie. It said
“Hi!! My bf lost a ring in the residential area of Old Orchard Beach, Maine (near puffin st). Could you help us located it please? It’s circled in Red”.
I asked her a few questions about the location of where the ring was lost and she replied,
“The ring was lost very close to the house (Puffin St) on the beach. Right near the walkway to the road”.
Jessie then told me she was at work and her boyfriend, Matt would be calling me with more information. Matt call a few minutes later and told me that the ring would be in front of his Uncles house, on Puffin St, just 10 to 20 yards, out on the beach, going towards the water. The previous day, Sunday, September 15th, Matt and his cousins were throwing a football around, on the beach and Matt felt the ring come off, after throwing the football . Everyone in the group searched, for the ring, but it was already under the sand and out of sight.
Matt then sent me a photo of the ring and a photo, with a circled area, in which Matt was confident the ring would be in. Matt wasn’t sure just how far the ring flew off his finger, but was sure, it would be in the circle. Matt asked me if I could get down there in the next two or three days and search for his ring, he would appreciate it. I told Matt that I wasn’t waiting and would be searching, within a 1/2 hour, after finishing talking with him. A ring lost on the beach, should be searched for asap and as it was now, a full day has passed. If the beach cleaning machine had cleaned the beach already, the ring was probably lost forever. Another possibility is that another metal detectorist may have found it already. I just needed to get there asap and search.
When I arrived at the location, I saw that the beach had not been cleaned, by the beach rake. That was a huge relief. I decided to start at mid beach and grid the area, south to north , working my way towards the house. This was decided as I was communicating with Matt. I was on the beach and sending Matt photos, of the area, to try and verify the area, as best as we could. Once Matt told me

“That’s the house and spot, though it won’t be far from that location. Perfect!!! It would be closer to the houses, than the water, but that should do the trick”.

Now with the location verified, I started the grid search. I was finding very few targets as I was going along. A few pull tabs, a piece of foil and 1 quarter. The beach was very clean. After 35-40 minutes of searching and as I worked my was towards the houses, I finally received a really good target, right in the area, Matt had been throwing the football around. A very loud high tone and a 12-45/46 on my Minelab CDX-3030 VDI screen. Absolutely in the Sterling Silver range or possibly another quarter. I pulled my pinpointer out and stuck it into the sand. As I was moving it back and forth, Matt’s Sterling Silver ring with a blue and a white turquoise stone popped up and became visible to me. I didn’t even need to dig it, as it was barely under the surface. Wow, I knew Matt would be extremely happy and I sent him a text saying, “How does it feel”? Matt replied “Pardon”? I then sent Matt a photo of his ring, still in the sand, exactly as I found it, with the pinpointer. Matt then replied

“OMG! You’re incredible!!!!!. My deepest and endless thanks my friend. WOW! You’re a legend, for real”.
I sent back two laughing emojis 🤣😂

We then made plans to meet at my house, the next night, as Matt was going to be in Saco, Maine anyways. When Matt did arrive he was so polite and thankful and to,d me the ring was very special because it was a gift, from his girlfriend, Jessie. I am just so happy to have been able to help him, in his time of need. Being retired gives me the flexibility to leave anytime and search. I was afraid of the beach rake getting the ring but it all worked out and Matt now has the ring back on his finger and a smile, ear to ear.
S

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Heirloom Japanese White Gold Wedding Ring Lost, In The Ogunquit Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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As my wife and I were walking through Laurel Hill Cemetery Association today, 9/15/24, on a 5 mile walk, my phone rang. The caller identified himself as George and someone in his group, had just lost a White Gold Wedding Ring, with three small diamonds in it. George asked if I could come and search for it. I asked him where he was located and when the ring was lost. George stated the ring had been lost an hour ago and they were on Ogunquit Beach, in front of the Norseman Resort. I told George that I could absolutely help him out, I just needed to walk back home, first. I would leave to search for the ring, without even changing out of my sweaty workout clothing. After all, time is of the essence when an item is lost in a public place. The sooner I can get there, the better chance of a recovery.

So, Cheryl and I went straight home, put my beach flops on and headed to Ogunquit, Maine. Since I had been on a search and recovery yesterday, in Eliot, Maine, all my equipment was still in my car. I wasn’t sure about the traffic on route one, since we are now in mid September. The summer traffic is horrendous when trying to drive route one in Wells and Ogunquit. The traffic turned out to be better than I thought and only added about 15 minutes to the drive, from our home, in Saco, Maine. Weekend summer traffic may add anywhere from 30-45 minutes, trying to get through the route one coastal traffic.
Once we arrived, I called George and let him know that we were there. George told me his son would be there in one minute and bring me back, to where the ring was lost. Once George’s son brought us to the area, there were a group of people and a young woman stepped right up and said that it was her ring, that was lost and her name is Sophia. Sophia told me that the ring is a heirloom wedding ring and is part of a set, that goes with a matching engagement ring. She then tells me the wedding and engagement rings were originally her late Grandmother’s and was just heartbroken that she had lost it in the very fine, soft sand. Sophia also told us the she and her mother were visiting Maine, from Japan. Wow, the pressure was on now, to find the ring. I couldn’t let Sophia go home to Japan, without her heirloom ring.
I asked Sophia to walk me through what happened, when the ring was lost. Sophia told me that after arriving at the location, on the beach, she proceeded to take off her footwear and socks. As she was taking her socks off, her grandmothers wedding ring, came off and flew into the sand and out of sight. The entire group had a good idea, of where the ring had landed and proceeded to visually and manually screen the sand. They would run their fingers through the sand and push the sand around, in the hopes of finding the ring. Once they realized this was not going to be fruitless, Sophia did a very smart thing. She took a beach blanket and laid it over the area she thought the ring had landed and that they had searched. The blanket provided protection, from people walking through the area, on this extremely busy beach day. Now, no one would step on the ring, pushing it deeper into the sand or even moving the ring out of the area.
Once Sophia removed the beach blanket, she gave me her grandmother’s engagement ring and I place it on top of the sand, ran my coil over it, so everyone in the group could see and hear how I find rings. It also helps me knowing what a matching ring will sound like and what I am looking for, on my detectors VDI screen. The engagement ring rang up with a very low sounding tone and a solid repeating 12-02 on the screen. I then threw a .925 Silver ring into the sand, so that the group could hear the different sound that the different metals make. They were impressed with how different the gold and silver ring sounded and I always like to show my clients, just how a metal detector works. It’s a win, win.
So, once the demonstration of the rings were concluded, I started the search for Sophia’s heirloom wedding ring. I had brought my CTX-3030 metal detector, with the 17” coil. This large coil covers a lot of beach and helps reduce the time needed to find the target. I started the search with my back to the dunes and I was facing the water. I started swinging my coil, side to side and not even 30 seconds had passed, when I received a beautiful sounding low tone, in my headphones. The VDI screen was reading 12-02, exactly as Sophia’s grandmother’s engagement ring. WOW, Same tone and VDI reading, to a matching ring, within 30 seconds, in the area the ring was lost. I turned to the group and told them “I think this is the ring”. I was that confident. I submerged my pin pointer into the sand and moved it around the area that my coil had detected the target. Once located, with the pin pointer, I grabbed a handful of sand, nothing. Grabbed another handful of sand and I felt a ring, held it up for everyone to see and all kinds of applause and clapping broke out, even from surrounding people, who didn’t even know Sophia or me. Sophia had a few tears running down her face and she was hugging her mother. She so emotionally relieved to have her grandmother’s ring back that I could see her trembling a little. Just a few moments earlier, Sophia wasn’t even sure if she would be going home to Japan, with the ring and now she has it back on her finger. It is so gratifying, to be able, to help such wonderful people like Sophia and her family reclaim such a precious piece of heirloom jewelry. No better feeling, in the world. Smiles on Cloud Nine, once again. 😁

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Gold Engagement and Wedding Rings Lost In The Leaves, Found With A Metal Detector, In Eliot, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday night, September 13, 2024, I received the following text,

“Hi Dennis, found you on the Ring Finders website. Would you be willing to travel to Eliot, ME for a service? About 45 minutes south of Saco”

I replied, “Hello, Yes I have and will travel to Elliot. What is the search for”?

She replied, “My wedding and engagement ring went into an area off the side of my house last night. It’s the edge of the property so it’s where the grass becomes a little woodsy, But I can pinpoint the general area”.

I replied, “Ok, I can certainly come and search for you. Is tomorrow morning a good time? I can be there around 8:00am”

She then replied that would be great and sent me her name, Bonnie, and her address, in Eliot, Maine. I then asked Bonnie a bunch of questions, so I could be prepared, for the search, first thing in the morning.

Bonnie then told me that her rings were White Gold and she had lost them, the night before, at approximately 6:00pm. Bonnie had been doing a little yard work and that included throwing many pine cones and downed branches, over the fence, into woodsy, marshy area. That is when they “went flying “, off her finger and into the above mentioned area. I had also asked if any mowing or mulching, had taken place, since she lost them and told her that I have seen rings, damaged by mowers, in the past. Bonnie replied

“There shouldn’t be any damage, the most difficult part is they landed in an area that is a little woodsy and has a lot of old marshy leaf buildup. Luckily the area is dry now and I can tell you the exact direction to look”.

This morning, I left for Bonnie’s house, at approximately 7:00am, arriving just before 8:00am. Bonnie immediately came out to greet me and proceeded to take me to the search area. The first thing I noticed was a metal fence, around the property. This dog fence may be a problem. It is very difficult to search, up against a metal fence. The detector could potentially go off, whenever it comes within 4-5 inches of the fence. If the rings were against the fence, the fence could “mask” the gold tone and I would never hear the ring, being detected. Thankfully, not knowing the exact terrain, I would need to search, I brought 3 of my detectors, with 3 different size coils. I brought my Minelab Manticore with an 8 inch coil, my Minelab E-Trac, with an 11 inch coil and my Minelab CTX-3030, with a 17 inch coil. Better to have them all and not need them, than need them and not have them.

Bonnie pointed out the area she thought, one of the rings had landed, as she saw them go flying towards the fence and woodsy area. One ring went to the left and the other ring broke, to the right.  I would search for the one, that broke to the left, first. After searching for that one, I would search for the one that broke to the right. I decided to start with the 8” coil and get as close to the fence as possible. Even with my small coil, the fence was just to overwhelming and I didn’t hear anything, but the fence. I performed a grid of approximately 30’, along the fence, turned around and headed back to my starting point, after taking a 1/2 step over, towards the lawn. After a couple more back and forth’s and 1/2 steps, further onto the lawn, no ring was found. I decided to try my 11” coil, in the same area, starting out, on the lawn, working my way, to the fence. This way, I would have covered the area twice, with two different coils. I was now against the fence again and about 1/2 way down the fence, I heard just a slight “fluttering “ low tone, against the fence. I then swung the coil, over the area again and this time, a leaf moved and I could see a small sliver of silver. I moved the leaf, off of the target and saw Bonnie’s wedding ring. Phew, One ring down and one to go. I was now approaching 1 hour of searching and felt the Engagement Ring was in the area. Another sweep of the area, found nothing new. Just the same trash targets, I had found, with the 8” coil.

I then asked Bonnie if she had a rake, so we could rake all the leaves, away from the fence, and towards the lawn, where the metal fence wouldn’t interfere. Bonnie raked the leaves and I went on the other side of the fence and started searching the area, that Bonnie thought the engagement ring would be in. There were many more branches and limbs on that side of the fence and I started removing them and throwing them deeper, into the woods. I then took the rake from Bonnie and started raking the leaves, away from the fence, on the woodsy side. Another hour had passed and still nothing. I came back on the house side of the fence and searched the leaves that Bonnie had raked, away from the fence and still nothing.

I then asked Bonnie to go over the event of the losing the rings again. Bonnie said she saw one go towards the left and one went to the right. As I was talking to her, I decided to go back on the woodsy and marshy side of the fence. The ring certainly wasn’t on the house side of the fence, imho. I was also thinking that “What If”, the first ring I found was actually the ring that had broken, off to the right, and it wasn’t the ring Bonnie thought had broken to the left. That would mean the engagement ring may be much further to the left, than Bonnie thought. I went up into the area and again started throwing branches and larger tree limbs, aside. As I followed the metal fence about 25 feet, to the left of the found wedding ring, I was still unable to find it. I then took a 1/2 step, to my right and headed back to the area, where the first ring was found. I had gone maybe 10 feet when I received a solid 12-02 on my E-Trac. That is an extremely low conductive reading and certainly in the gold range, but it could also be aluminum foil or some other low conductive metal. After receiving the tone, I looked around the coil and couldn’t see anything. I then took the coil, located the target, under some leaves and moved the leaves, with my coil. THERE IT WAS, BONNIE’S ENGAGEMENT RING. I immediately looked over to Bonnie, on the other side of the fence and yelled “SUCCESS “. Bonnie came right over and I asked her if she could see the ring. She couldn’t, because I had covered it back up. I then ran my coil of the leaves and Bonnie could hear the target but couldn’t see it. I then removed the leaves and there it was for Bonnie to see. This ring, never would have been found visually. With more and more leaves dropping, it would only have been buried deeper, under the leaves.

So after 2 1/2 hours of searching Bonnie was just so happy to have her Wedding and Engagement Ring, back on her finger, where they belong. The many thank you’s, smiles and hug, I received from Bonnie just had me beaming 😁. Bonnie told me she was “forever grateful” and always will be, for me coming down asap, to find her rings. I also, will always be “forever grateful”, for being able to help people like Bonnie.

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Key Fob Lost In The Ocean Park, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a phone call at 5:00pm and the caller identified himself as Bob. Bob had lost his key fob, on the beach, in Ocean Park, Maine, but wasn’t 100% sure, it was actually lost, on the beach.

Bob explained that he had parked his vehicle, on Temple Ave, across from the store and then walked the streets and sidewalk, to Randall Ave. Bob remembered locking his vehicle, prior to walking, to Randall Ave and THINKS he put the key fob, in his beach chair. After a while, Bob, his wife Karen and their friend Anne had picked up all their belongings, chairs included and moved approximately 75-100 feet north, of their original position, on the beach. As the group were enjoying the last few days of their trip, to Ocean Park, Bob realized he couldn’t find his key fob. The three of them searched the area around the chairs and the area they had originally been sitting at. No key fob was found. Bob then called me to see if I could come down, to search for the key fob.
I arrived at Randall Ave, in Ocean Park, along with my wife Cheryl, at 5:50pm. We were met a few minutes later by Bob, Karen and Anne. I asked Bob to show me and explain to me, once again, what had happened, when he lost his keys. Bob walked me down to the first location, that the group had been sitting in. As I usually do, I demonstrated how my metal detector works, to the group. I took my key fob, placed it, on the beach and ran my Minelab Manticore’s coil, over the fob. This is to show the client that detector will pick up the signal and the sound I will hear, through my headphones.
I then told the group that I would perform a grid search, of the first area they had sat. If I didn’t find the key fob, in this area, I would then search the path they took, to the second area and then the second area, they had been sitting, would be searched.
As I gridded the first area, I was finding the usual beach trash. Pull tabs, bread ties, staples and foil, were the most found items, in the 1st section, but no key fob was found.
I then started searching the pathway, to the second sitting area and no key fob was found there either. I was grid searching the second sitting area and wasn’t finding much at all. As I was about to turn around and start my last grid line, in the area, I received a promising signal and found the target with my pinpointer. As I put my hand into the sand, I felt around and pulled out Bob’s key fob. I turned around, held the fob, up in the air and told the group, “I found it”.
Bob, Karen and Anne jumped off the bench, they were watching me from and made a beeline, to me. They were all so excited, happy and beaming ear to ear. The three of them told Cheryl and I that Karen and Anne were leaving the next day, going home to the Binghampton, NY area. Bob was going to be staying, in Ocean Park, for an extra two days or so, before heading home. If I hadn’t found the key fob, Karen and Anne were going to get the spare key fob, in Binghamton and somehow get it to Bob, in Ocean Park. In the interim, Bob would be without a vehicle and that was going to be a huge inconvenience. No they do not have to worry about this.
Thankfully, I was able to recover the key fob, in approximately 30 minutes and all three of the group, let out a big collective sigh. You could just see and feel the relief, on all three of them. All three of them were also in awe of me finding the fob and Bob said he couldn’t believe it. I am just so fortunate, to be able to help people like Bob, Karen and Anne. Seeing all those smiles will always be a very special feeling for me.

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Palladium Wedding Ring, Lost In The Goose Rocks Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Wednesday August 28th, I received a phone call from Melissa, at approximately 6:45pm. Her husband had lost his wedding ring, on GooseRocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine. I asked Mellisa if her husband had lost the wedding ring, in the water of in the dry sand. She told me he had lost it in the dry sand and the entire family has been searching for it, but couldn’t find it. She asked me if I would be able to come and search for it tonight. I told Melissa I would load my equipment and head right there. I also asked her to text me the address where we could meet. As I was loading two of my metal detectors, the Minelab CTX-3030, Minelab Manticore , pinpointer and sand scoop, Melissa texted me the address.

Cheryl and I immediately left our home, in Saco, Maine and started the approximately 20 minute drive to Goose Rocks Beach, Maine. We arrived promptly at 7:15pm and with a 7:24pm sunset, I needed to find the ring quickly, so I wouldn’t have to search in the dark. To make matters worse, I forgot my headlamp, that would make the night search much easier.
We were promptly met by Melissa, her husband Matt and their three young children, Abigail, Lucy and William. As Abigail and Lucy led the way to the area, where they had been spending a beautiful summer day, on the beach, I asked Matt, if he could tell me, what had happened, when he lost the ring. Matt told me that earlier, in the day, he had taken the ring off and put it on his beach chair, so he could go swimming. He then completely forgot about the ring and at the end of the day, the family packed everything up and went back to his father’s house, across the street. It was then that Matt realized he didn’t have his wedding ring on. The family went back and searched for the ring but were unable to find it. That is when Melissa called me.
We arrived at the area, where they all had spent the day. I could see the disturbed sand, where they had been searching. They had made an approximate 10-15 foot circle around the area the ring most likely would be in. If I didn’t find it inside the circle, I would have to search the route they had walked, back to Matt’s parents home. With the sun setting fast, I was hoping for a quick recovery.
I decided to start on the left side of the circle and perform a grid search, from the beach, down towards the water, turn around and go from the water side of the grid, back up the beach, towards the road. First pass I had no targets. Second pass, still no targets. Third pass a received a low tone, but I knew it would most likely be a piece of aluminum and it was. I handed the aluminum to Abigail and continued on. Just a few steps later, I received a nice low tone and a reading of 12-17 on my CTX-3030. Definitely a non-ferrous target but it could be gold or a pull tab. As I looked down at the sand, I could see just a small piece of, of a pull tab. I also gave that to Abigail and continued on. As I arrived at the end of the circle m I received another really nice, repeatable low tone and with a VDI reading of 12-24, I just knew this had to be Matt’s ring. Cheryl passed me my pinpointer and I located the target, in the sand, at a depth of about 3 inches. I put my hand into the sand and pulled out Matt’s wedding ring. I showed it to Abigail and the turned to Matt and Lucy and showed them the ring. It was now 7:25pm. Thankfully, I had found the ring within 10 minutes of arriving at Goose Rocks Beach and there was still a little daylight left.
Smiles were ear to ear and everyone was just ecstatic, that Matt had his wedding ring back. I’m just thankful that I am able to just up and leave, when the call comes in. It’s such a privilege to be able to help people like Melissa and Matt, in their time of need.

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