Richard Browne, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 17 of 18

100 years of Cuban heritage found and returned on Cape Cod, MA.

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Monday November 11, 2013 was a beautiful day for a search for a lost ring.

I was told of a lost ring by my detecting partner who could not go on the search. I contacted a second partner and we headed to Falmouth, MA to find a century old hand made Cuban diamond ring. It was Elena’s great-grandmother’s ring that Elena had lost it in the “back yard” while playing with her dog. Her “back yard” was about 20’x40′. Ah, but that was not the “back yard”. We had to walk to the town hall’s back yard…a much larger area. A quarter of the way through the second pass I heard a strong signal and saw the ring. See the Smile and Ring pictures, tart and thank you card. They tell the rest of the story.

We also recieved the following E-mail Thank You note:

Last November 8th I was playing with my dog, at the park. Suddenly, while I was throwing the ball my ring slipped out of my finger. I felt it fly away!

I expend the next two hours on my knees trying to find that ring. However, it was no where to be seen. The grass was to high, there were too many leaves on the ground. My husband help me, my neighbor, some passer-by … I went back late at night with a torch. I was back on early Saturday morning.

My husband inserted an ad at Craigslist, asking for some help or information to rent a metal-detector. We were so surprised when Richard Browne called us on Saturday morning offering his help. That only happens on movies!

He and Eleanor H. arrived soon after and, sure enough, they found my ring.

It was much farther that I ever expected. There is no way I would have ever found it.

This ring has been in my family for the past hundred years. It was my great-grandmother engagement ring. She died in Cuba soon after my grandmother was born. My grandma and her brother where sent back to Spain when they were really young, so little more than that ring is left of my Cuban family. It is much more than a ring.

I am so glad that Richard and Eleanor were able to find it. I would never be able to express with words how thankful I am.
Thank you.

Elena L. P.

CoverElena TU Elena ringElena        Elena tart

 

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Mayflower Beach, Cape Cod ring return

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Bob with a Smile On!

Bob with a Smile On!

Bob crop ring

Bob had a question: “Do rings move far when lost in the ocean? “

Well that depends on were they are lost. They can if the surf and conditions are right. A steep inclination of the wet slope, high surf and large storms have been said to attribute to the movement of rings over 5 miles along a shore line. Beaches on the north and south shores of Cape Cod are prone to keep a ring within several feet of where it was lost. This was the case with a wedding band lost for the second time. A week after the ring was lost it may have move no more than 25 feet vertically and 4 inches down into the wet sand. The ring’s movement increased the search area and is the reason for the recovery taking just over an hour.

Bob had lost his ring on August 11th in 3 feet of water at high tide and could not locate it himself. Bob contacted me on the 16th and was wearing it again on the 17th. His wife and others had no faith in his reaching out to others to find his ring; they now will not boohoo his faith so much. Bob did promise his wife that he will have the ring sized down so it will not slip off his finger again. We all know the third time is the charm and the ocean just may keep his ring if he looses it a third time.

If anyone looses an object on the sand or in the water the first thing they should do is to drop several coins or bottle caps in the area. Next they should contact a RingFinder, metal detecting club, or local metal detector dealer for help in locating the object.

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Lord of the Rings

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Richard Browne holds a tray of some of his findings including a Packers shampoo top from the late 1800s, coins, nails and knives using an underwater metal detector. Over the years Browne says he has pulled up thousands of objects including coins, class rings and wedding and engagement rings from various off and on Cape beaches.

Cape Cod Times/Merrily Cassidy

By Eric Williams

also by Jason Kolnos

capecast@capecodonline.com

January 16, 2013

DENNISPORT — A lone figure, up to his chest in the cold ocean, waves a strange magic wand, seeking treasure. Why does he dare challenge King Neptune for the fruits of the deep?

« The quest, » said Richard Browne. « It keeps me off the streets and out of the bars. »

Browne, of South Yarmouth, is a member of Ring Finders, a group of metal detector specialists spread throughout the world who offer their services to folks who lose precious stuff.

« They give me a call and I go out anywhere on the Cape and find it for them and return it to them for nothing, » Browne said. « Two years ago, I returned 22 rings and this past year, 10. »

He is currently trying to find the owner of a 1970 CornellUniversity ring found off SeaStreetBeach in Dennisport on Jan. 10. Browne, who began detecting in 1982, estimates he has returned 100 class rings during his career.

« I don’t accept rewards; they’re taxable, » he said. « If you want to give me a gift, I’ll think about that. A thank-you note is wonderful. »

Browne said his biggest thanks have come after he found missing wedding bands or engagement rings. He believes he has saved at least one marriage that was strained to the breaking point after the loss of a ring.

Browne said the most valuable object he has returned is a $20,000 diamond ring he located at New Seabury.

When Browne isn’t helping others, he is helping himself to the bounty under the sea, in locations on- and off-Cape. Sometimes he pulls up soda cans and spark plugs; sometimes he finds unusual coins and jewelry.

« Trying to find a little fortune here and there, » he calls it.

A sticking point for those who want to join in the treasure hunt may be the cost of equipment. Browne estimated that the detector, special scooper, waders and other odds and ends total $2,000.

Prospective hunters should always check pertinent local, state and federal regulations regarding metal detecting in a specific area.

The reward of plumbing the depths goes beyond booty, Browne said.

« It’s just relaxing, » he said. « I don’t like going to the gym to work out. And you get out there and it gets cold and your heart starts pumping and you dig and try not to get water down your gloves and stay dry. It’s peaceful. »

Article Link:

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130116/NEWS/301160347&cid=sitesearch

Youtube Link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9qK_2BjmQE

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Treasure hunter braves chilly waters, Cape Cod, MA

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Watch Rick in action finding a class ring on Cape Cod, MA.

Follow the CapeCast YouTube link:

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Lost Ring, Found Ring, Returned Ring Cape Cod: Six Successes

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All six rings were wedding bands: two were platinum; two were white gold; and two were yellow gold and all six rings were lost by vacationers near or in the waters of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

The first lost ring was found on a down hill slope heading toward a very wet marsh area with heavy over growth. It was thought the ring was in the marsh, a thought I did not want to pursue. Just as I was about to give up on the slope and put my boots on to go into the muck my ATPro locked onto the ring’s signal. Many Smiling Faces and words of praise added to the vacationer’s enjoyment.

The second call was from a swimmer who had lost his ring while playing football in the water only minutes after arriving on the Cape for a summer vacation. The vacation did have a rough start, but ended with Smiles.

Five days later a call to help search one of the Cape’s bay side beaches for a lost wedding band resulted in more Smiling Faces for another ball playing vacationer.

The next two rings were returned three days apart. Both calls for help came from a neighboring town’s lifeguard who had also aided in a ring’s return last year. One ring was found in the dry sand very near to a very deep hole a youngster had been digging. Had I been an hour later the ring may have found itself under 18 inches of sand and out of the range of my detector. The second call led me into the surf for another successful search. Both of these returns made for many Smiling Faces.

The sixth ring took a few days to find. It started when all I had to go on was street name near the beach were the ring had slipped off a finger; it was a long shot at best. Three days later I received a phone call from the owner who answered the pertinent questions that would help me focus on the ring’s location. Information that was essential was: location (water or dry sand), time of day, depth of bather at time of loss, and a description of the ring etc. Three hours later I was in the water again and it still took an hour before my Infinium sounded off indicating the ring’s location, retrieval and return to the owner sporting a now Smiling Face.

A word of wisdom I wish to pass along follows: when an object is lost in the water or dry sand the person should stay in the immediate area, have someone get a hand full of coins, bottle caps or pull tabs and mark the spot where the loss happened. Then contact a nearby detectorist to help in the recovery. One worldwide organization that has detectorists that can help is: www.TheRingFinders.com. Since becoming a member of TheRingFinders two years ago I have helped over 30 people that have lost an item. Another source for help could be any local metal detector dealer or club.

Rick Browne

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Lost and Found Ring Returned on Cape Cod, MA

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Lost Ring / Found Rind / Returned Ring … It is as easy as that my 19th return of 2011!

      I was on my way to a metal detecting club picnic when I turned on my cell phone and was alerted to a missed call. When I was safe at the picnic I made a return call. Don said he had lost his wedding band while tossing some pine needles into the woods and asked if I could help look for the ring. Don had left his metal detector in Florida and needed help. I said sure, but I have to partake of the picnic food and I would stop by afterwards.

I arrived at Bob’s and with my ATPro set to located platinum and gold I was ready to help and fellow retired US Navy shipmate. First I used one of Chris’s tips of giving Don a ring on a ribbon. I let him toss the ring just as he has tossed the pine needles. I started a grid search to one side and then the other side of where the test ring landed and worked forward. After finding a few targets with too high a ID reading and too deep including some kind of manifold or liquid valve the ATPro’s ID reading locked in at 64. I pushed a few leaves and pine needles away and then asked Don if this was his ring? Still on the ground and shining upward was enough for Don to confirm it was his ring and then he picked it up and returned it to its proper place, on his finger.

Don’s wife, Janet, was the person who located me through The Ring Finders. She was very grateful for my efforts and presented me with a beautiful home made candle decorated with sea shells that I gave my wife for her patient waiting in the car while I did the search and recovery.

Yes another picture for the Book of Smiles. What a wonderful hobby, helping others!

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Lost Wedding Band Found on West Dennis Beach, Cape Cod, MA

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Kathy F. e-mailed with a request for help in finding her husband’s wedding band. The specific location of where the ring had been lost was perfect. Unfortunately the weather, tide and sea state were not so perfect. As timing is an essential factor in searching the salt waters we had to try at the next low tide. Team member Jim W. and I met at the beach, looked at the conditions and almost gave up, but did not. Jim detected in his bathing suit and shoes, I forgot my shoes so I wore my fishing waders and could not get out as far or deep as Jim could. The seaweed was a challenge to work in as were the high, crashing waves. It took Jim about 20 minutes to find the ring at chest depth in the very rough water. Before our search started I had to ask a fisherman to move from where he was fishing so we could search for the ring with out getting « caught ». Needless to say he and his girlfriend were amazed that we found the ring. In the time we were in the water the fisherman had not caught his dinner. The best part of this story lies within the children’s hand made Thank You cards given to both Jim and myself and of course the Happy Ending with many Smiles will never be forgotten.

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Lost Engagement Ring Found on Beach in Eastham, Cape Cod, MA

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Others using several different detectors over many hours had  search the beach area during a ten day period before I had my chance to detect  the area. In an hour and forty minutes on the beach I dug over 50 pull tabs and  bottle caps before locating the platinum ring holding onto its nine beautiful  diamonds. Somehow it had hidden from the onslaught and waited for me to unearth  it from beneath 5 inches of wet sand, just one inch above the water table. Cell  calls to Maine and frantic runs up the hill for better reception to communicate correct  information culminated in another Happy Ending with a big Smile on Nicole’s  face for my memory book. I will also cherish the wonderful hand made ceramic crab ornament and two candy dishes I was given.

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Lost Wedding Band, Found on Cape Cod, MA returned

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Lost Ring, Found Ring and returned.
A call came for help finding a very sentimental wedding band. It was silver and lost while playing soccer…possibly in the water. We were told that the French play soccer wherever one can play. I have detected many beaches on Cape Cod but this one was not on my “Been To” list. The team met with Emily and drove behind her, down a water filled dirt path, reminiscent of some of the road I had traveled in Iceland – one way and nowhere to turn around. As luck would have it, we met another car coming out and the other driver had to back up into a passing point. Once at the beach two of us hit the water and the third detectorist worked the wooded area.
About 25 minutes into the search which expanded well beyond the small swimming area a low-hi signal came into my ears from my Garrett Infinium detector and in a few seconds my scoop was holding the silver wedding band. A few seconds later the ring was returned.
Another ending with smiles!

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Lost Ring – Barnstable, Cape Cod, MA found and returned by Cape Cod team

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A mother’s 18K wedding band with 45 diamonds was found within five minutes of arriving at the hunt area and returned to the owner that afternoon. A pleasant 30 minute drive home was enhanced by a wonderful ice cream cone.

Jamie had been removing some flowers that were past their time to be sitting on the kitchen table. In doing so she tossed them along with her ring off the back porch, into the woods. Not being able to find the ring she reached out to two sisters Eleanor and Judy for help. The two detectorists did not find the ring on the first day. They invited me to come with my new detector and help in the recovery the next day.

In the likely area of the loss I could not set up my detector where I was standing, move back about 3 feet and “tuned in” the detector. On the first sweep I got a good sounding signal, looked down and saw the edge of a ring. Yes, it was Jamie’s ring.
That is the way all unfortunate situations should end…with Happy Smiles!

My stand in for Jamie

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