#Biddeford Maine Metal Detector Rental and Service Tag | The Ring Finders

Seventy Year Old Wedding Ring Lost In The Rochester, New Hampshire Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday morning, November 17th, I received a call from Andrew. His 89 year old Grandfather, Arthur,  had lost his yellow gold wedding ring, three weeks prior, on his property, in Rochester New Hampshire. Now here’s the kicker, Arthur has been married and has been wearing this same ring for 70 years. WOW!!! I need to find this very sentimental, 70 year old wedding ring.

Arthur, although 89 years young still did work around his property and on the day he lost his wedding ring, had been throwing down bark mulch, along the flowers and plants, that ran along the house. Once Arthur had finished and was inside the house, he noticed his wedding ring, was no longer on his finger. Subsequent searches by Arthur, his daughter and Andrew, came up empty. A metal detector had also been used on the mulch beds and still no ring was found. The family’s thought was that the ring may be further down below the plastic that Arthur had put down in the flower beds, before throwing down the bark mulch. Andrew asked if I could come and give it a shot. He told me the area was very small, telling me, “ Facing the house (front) there’s two sections of mulch spread out in about a 20’x20′ area.  The mulching to the left side (while facing the house) is where he believes he lost the ring.   Let me know when you are planning on heading there and I will meet you there.” Perfect, a small area and I told Andrew that I could be there by 12 noon.

Cheryl Sargent Boothby and I left the Saco Main Street area and arrived at Andrew’s grandfathers house, in Rochester, New Hampshire, in just over an hour later. When we arrived, there was no one there. I messaged Andrew and he was on his way and would be there in approximately 15 minutes. I told him I would start searching without him. I looked at the mulch beds and knew I could search the entire area in just 10 minutes. As usual, there is a lot of metal along houses. Rebar in the concrete foundation and stairs, the bulkhead, garden lighting, etc.. I was hoping I wouldn’t get too much interference, from all this metal. As I started my search, Andrew’s mother, Arthur’s daughter arrived. I told her that I had only one target in the mulch bed, that was even remotely close to gold and it was deeper than the mulch. It was under the plastic tarp, Arthur had laid down, prior to applying the mulch. We cut the tarp open and the target was just a piece of  a small aluminum clamp. I finished the mulch beds and still no ring, when Andrew arrived. I showed him what I had found and told me that the ring, is not in the mulch bed but I would search it a second time and asked him if he would like to  use my other  metal detector and search also. Andrew was all for it and after getting the machine set up and a quick lesson for andrew, we search the mulch beds again. 5 minutes later, we finished and the same results, no ring. I then started asking Andrew many questions, “Did your grandfather work anywhere else on the property? Where were the bags of mulch placed, when he was grabbing and opening them? Had he thrown the discarded bags away”. Had he walked around the grass anywhere?”  Andrew didn’t know the answers to these questions, other than the bags of bark mulch had been just a few feet from the bulkhead. I was really concerned that the ring ended up in a discarded bag of mulch and thrown away. He could easily have lost the ring when he was reaching into the bags and grabbing mulch. Andrews mother checked the shed but the bags had already been discarded and were gone. He did lose it three weeks ago, so now the ring could be anywhere. I told Andrew we just needed to expand the search, to the lawn, around the mulch beds. We would start along the house, grid back and forth, working our way further away from the house. I was on the side of the house, near the bulkhead and Andrew was on the front left corner of the house, as you faced the house. My first pass yielded nothing. I turned, took a half step away from the house and headed back towards the bulkhead and left front corner, of the house. Just as I arrived at the bulkhead, I received the unmistakable sound of a non ferrous low conducting metal. Could it be Arthur’s gold ring, foil, aluminum pull tab, another small piece of an aluminum clamp? The detector was going off nice and loud, repeating the signal. Andrew stopped and was watching me. I looked down and it took me a second but I could see a nice round circular piece of metal, pressed into the ground and it was gold in color. It was a ring, Arthur’s ring. Andrew was still looking at me and I said, “I found it, I got the ring.” Andrew just yelled out in joy and told me, as he walked over to me, that as he was watching me, he saw my eyes get big and my face had changed into a big happy face. He knew I had something good. Andrew thanked me many times and shook my hand, saying, “You guys are the best.”. In just 30-35 minutes of searching and the mood had definitely grown happier. I always feel great to hear praise like that. Arthur’s wedding ring was pressed, into the ground, flush. It is my opinion that the ring would never have been seen, in that position. It blended right in with the surrounding grass. It appears that the ring had been stepped on, probably while Arthur was still working in the area, or while everyone was walking around searching, for the ring, 3 weeks earlier. Andrew then called his mother, who had left, to tell her the good news. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet Arthur and reunite him with his 70 year old wedding ring, that he has been without, for the past 3 weeks. Arthur and his wife, are out of town, on a trip. Andrew would be calling him up and telling him the good news. So, another ring is going back on the finger and there are smiles all around. I have the best job in the world.😀❤️🙏

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Seventy Year Old Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Rochester, New Hampshire Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

On Monday morning, November 17th, I received a call from Andrew. His 89 year old Grandfather, Arthur,  had lost his yellow gold wedding ring, three weeks prior, on his property, in Rochester New Hampshire. Now here’s the kicker, Arthur has been married and has been wearing this same ring for 70 years. WOW!!! I need to find this very sentimental, 70 year old wedding ring.

Arthur, although 89 years young still did work around his property and on the day he lost his wedding ring, had been throwing down bark mulch, along the flowers and plants, that ran along the house. Once Arthur had finished and was inside the house, he noticed his wedding ring, was no longer on his finger. Subsequent searches by Arthur, his daughter and Andrew, came up empty. A metal detector had also been used on the mulch beds and still no ring was found. The family’s thought was that the ring may be further down below the plastic that Arthur had put down in the flower beds, before throwing down the bark mulch. Andrew asked if I could come and give it a shot. He told me the area was very small, telling me, “ Facing the house (front) there’s two sections of mulch spread out in about a 20’x20′ area.  The mulching to the left side (while facing the house) is where he believes he lost the ring.   Let me know when you are planning on heading there and I will meet you there.” Perfect, a small area and I told Andrew that I could be there by 12 noon.

Cheryl Sargent Boothby and I left the Saco Main Street area and arrived at Andrew’s grandfathers house, in Rochester, New Hampshire, in just over an hour later. When we arrived, there was no one there. I messaged Andrew and he was on his way and would be there in approximately 15 minutes. I told him I would start searching without him. I looked at the mulch beds and knew I could search the entire area in just 10 minutes. As usual, there is a lot of metal along houses. Rebar in the concrete foundation and stairs, the bulkhead, garden lighting, etc.. I was hoping I wouldn’t get too much interference, from all this metal. As I started my search, Andrew’s mother, Arthur’s daughter arrived. I told her that I had only one target in the mulch bed, that was even remotely close to gold and it was deeper than the mulch. It was under the plastic tarp, Arthur had laid down, prior to applying the mulch. We cut the tarp open and the target was just a piece of  a small aluminum clamp. I finished the mulch beds and still no ring, when Andrew arrived. I showed him what I had found and told me that the ring, is not in the mulch bed but I would search it a second time and asked him if he would like to  use my other  metal detector and search also. Andrew was all for it and after getting the machine set up and a quick lesson for andrew, we search the mulch beds again. 5 minutes later, we finished and the same results, no ring. I then started asking Andrew many questions, “Did your grandfather work anywhere else on the property? Where were the bags of mulch placed, when he was grabbing and opening them? Had he thrown the discarded bags away”. Had he walked around the grass anywhere?”  Andrew didn’t know the answers to these questions, other than the bags of bark mulch had been just a few feet from the bulkhead. I was really concerned that the ring ended up in a discarded bag of mulch and thrown away. He could easily have lost the ring when he was reaching into the bags and grabbing mulch. Andrews mother checked the shed but the bags had already been discarded and were gone. He did lose it three weeks ago, so now the ring could be anywhere. I told Andrew we just needed to expand the search, to the lawn, around the mulch beds. We would start along the house, grid back and forth, working our way further away from the house. I was on the side of the house, near the bulkhead and Andrew was on the front left corner of the house, as you faced the house. My first pass yielded nothing. I turned, took a half step away from the house and headed back towards the bulkhead and left front corner, of the house. Just as I arrived at the bulkhead, I received the unmistakable sound of a non ferrous low conducting metal. Could it be Arthur’s gold ring, foil, aluminum pull tab, another small piece of an aluminum clamp? The detector was going off nice and loud, repeating the signal. Andrew stopped and was watching me. I looked down and it took me a second but I could see a nice round circular piece of metal, pressed into the ground and it was gold in color. It was a ring, Arthur’s ring. Andrew was still looking at me and I said, “I found it, I got the ring.” Andrew just yelled out in joy and told me, as he walked over to me, that as he was watching me, he saw my eyes get big and my face had changed into a big happy face. He knew I had something good. Andrew thanked me many times and shook my hand, saying, “You guys are the best.”. In just 30-35 minutes of searching and the mood had definitely grown happier. I always feel great to hear praise like that. Arthur’s wedding ring was pressed, into the ground, flush. It is my opinion that the ring would never have been seen, in that position. It blended right in with the surrounding grass. It appears that the ring had been stepped on, probably while Arthur was still working in the area, or while everyone was walking around searching, for the ring, 3 weeks earlier. Andrew then called his mother, who had left, to tell her the good news. Unfortunately, I was not able to meet Arthur and reunite him with his 70 year old wedding ring, that he has been without, for the past 3 weeks. Arthur and his wife, are out of town, on a trip. Andrew would be calling him up and telling him the good news. So, another ring is going back on the finger and there are smiles all around. I have the best job in the world.😀❤️🙏

 

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Westbrook, Maine Grass, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I hadn’t been home for 10 minutes, after returning from a successful Heirloom Engagement Rig recovery, in Buckfield, Maine, when I saw a text message come in on my phone. Here is the text

“Good morning. I have lost my ring again. Almost the same situation as last time, only a lot smaller search area. It’s just up by where we found it last time. I lost it yesterday. If you have time to stop by again it would be appreciated. There is no real hurry as it’s not going anywhere. I won’t disturb the area. Thanks.

This is Chuck ********* in Westbrook, Maine”

Now, I remember Chuck very well. Back in early May, 2024, we recovered his wedding ring, on his property, in Westbrook, Maine. Chuck owns 20 acres of old farmland, along the Presumpscott River. It is no longer a working farm but Chuck still plants crops in a few areas, on the 20 acres. The previous year, 2023 Chuck had been working the property, tilling the garden, bush hogging another area and doing something, on his tractor. At the end of the day, he noticed his wedding ring was missing. At the time he lost it, he didn’t know about The Ring Finders of Maine and the wedding ring remained lost on his property, until he heard of our service. After close to 9 or 10 months of the ring being lost, Chuck heard about us and contacted us. Being that the wedding ring could literally be anywhere on approximately 5 or 6 of the 20 acres, I brought a backup metal detector with me, so Chuck could help in the search. Long story short, Chuck ended up finding his own ring, in the area where he had been changing blades, on the Bush Hog.

Fast forward almost 20 months later and Chuck has lost his ring, once again, while working on his property. I called Chuck back immediately and told him I could be at his place within an hour and that I would be bringing in Gary Hill to assist on this search, which may end up being acres of property to search. Gary and I arrived shortly thereafter and Chuck he had lost his ring again but this time, he knew who to call. Felt good to hear that, as always. Chuck then explained his activities, from yesterday. Chuck had picked the remaining gourds, from his garden. He then tilled the garden and removed a bunch of the vines and plants, dumping them down in the woods, driving his side by side, down there to do it. Chuck had also rolled up all his hoses, around the house and put the away, for the winter. He had also moved 4 tires, from the back of his aid by side trailer, to a location, not far away. So there were specific areas to search but it is still a large area. My biggest concern was if the ring was lost on the way to or from where he drove down to the woods, to dump the vines and plants. It was a long trail to search. My thinking however was that people don’t usually lose a ring, while riding a tractor or side by side. Not impossible but most people lose their ring, while doing something, which their hands. Picking gourds, rolling up hoses, removing vines and plants, changing Bush Hog blades, etc.. Once Chuck explained his activities and showed Gary and I the area, we came up with a search plan. We would search all the areas where Chuck had been using his hands, before searching the trail and woods. The garden, hose, tire and a few other areas would be searched first. Chuck made a good point in that if the ring had come off in the garden, the ring could have been moved outside the garden, as he drove the tractor through the garden and up another 10-20 feet outside the garden, to turn around. So Gary and I checked the tire area and the entire garden area. I decided to continue searching outside the garden area, working my way towards the area of the side by side, trailer and tractor equipment, while Gary went with Chuck, to the areas, where Chuck had been working, while rolling up the hoses. We had now been searching for approximately an hour and 20 minutes, with no wedding ring being found. As I approached Chuck and Gary, I told them that it looked like we would need to search the trail to the woods and the brush pile, in the woods. I told them that Chuck could drive Gary down the trail, to the woods and Gary could search the brush pile and then if he didn’t find the ring, he could start searching the trail, coming back towards the house. I would start searching the trail, from where the side by side sat and work my way towards the woods. Just as we were about to implement this plan, Chuck and I heard Gary say something like “Hey, look what I just found”. Chuck and I rushed right over and after moving a little grass, there was Chucks gold wedding ring. Chuck, Gary and myself broke out in big smiles, with chuck just saying “Unbelievable”. Fist bumps and handshakes then ensued with the mood now very jovial. Chuck kept thanking us and told us that after he had lost the ring, the first time, he had taken the ring and had it resized. Over the summer, Chuck has lost some weight and the combination of weight loss and cold wet hands, from rolling hoses, were just enough to let the ring slip off his finger.
As Gary and I were getting in the car to leave, Chuck turned and headed towards his house. As he was walking away from my car, Chuck was shaking his head slightly back and forth and we heard him say, “Just Unbelievable”. The next day, I received another text from Chuck and no, he didn’t lose his ring again. This is his text

“I am happy to report I dropped my ring off at the jewelry store to have it resized. Hopefully you won’t have to look for it again.
A big thanks to both of you yesterday.”

Well thank you Chuck, we love doing this for others. It’s the best feeling in the world. So today, Gary and I were able to put two more smiles on our clients faces, some happy tears, hugs, fist bumps and handshakes. More importantly, two more rings are back on the fingers, of our clients. I will say it again, “We have the best job in the world”😀❤️🙏

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Mailbox Key Lost In The Grass And Leaves, In Well’s Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received the following text message on Sunday, just after noon time.

“I have a lost mailbox key, I live in the Town of Wells, Maine. It’s in my driveway or front yard. Is this something you can help with?”

To make things quicker, I called her back just a few minutes after receiving the text message. I was able to talk with Kim. Kim told me that the previous evening, when she came home after work, she checked her mailbox, at the front of the property and next to the driveway, of the complex. After checking her mailbox, Kim walked across the driveway and lawn, to her front door. When she arrived at the front door, she went to unlock the door and she noticed that the mailbox key was no longer on her keychain, next to her house key. Those were the only two keys, on this particular keychain. Kim told me the keychain had broken recently and she had fixed it but it was now broken again and her mailbox key was no where to be found. Kim told me that she had searched for almost 1 1/2 hours, the previous evening but could not find it. She told me that there were lots of leaves, tall grass in a few spots and the key was gold colored and would blend in with the dead grass. I asked her how big of an area she had walked across and she replied that it really wasn’t a large area but she just couldn’t find it. So, I told Kim I could help her and Kim told me she was at work and she had a friend that was going to look for the key,this afternoon. Kim also wanted to search again when she got home, around 5:00pm. If Kim or her friend were unable to find the key,b she would call me, around 5:30pm.
Neither Kim or her friend were able to find the key and Kim called me, as planned. I told her I could be there in 30 to 40 minutes, with my metal detector. Once I arrived, Kim was standing in the driveway waiting for me. I surveyed the area and saw lots of leaves, around the mailbox. Kim told me that she had moved some of the leaves around but still couldn’t find the key. I came up with my plan of action and would start the search, next to the mailbox. If I didn’t find it there, Kim would take the same route she had taken the previous evening, to her front door. I would follow her and search along the way.
As I was searching around the mailbox, I received quite a few targets, in the leaves. Unfortunately, once I pinpointed the targets, they were all in the ground, other than a Stinking Lincoln penny and the key would not be under ground. Once I finished the mailbox area, I started across the gravel driveway and received a very nice target, with the VDI screen showing it was on the surface, to two inches deep, in the ground. As I ran my pinpointer over the gravel driveway, I found my target. Unfortunately it wasn’t the key, just another Stinkin Lincoln penny. Once on the grass, of the front yard, Kim told me that she didn’t remember the exact route she took but it would be within a 10’ to 15’ wide path. I told her I would perform a north to south grid search and expand it to about 20’, just to be safe and who knows, the key may have been kicked, while kicking the leaves away. My first grid pass had me closer to the street and I searched towards the house. Nothing found above ground and a few targets, pinpointed, were under the surface. I stepped over and headed back to the south and the road. After a few steps, I received a loud repeating signal and when I looked down, THERE WAS THE SMALL MAILBOX KEY. Totally visible now that the few leaves that had been on top of it, were knocked away, by my coil. I turned to Kim said, ‘ Come and take a look at this.” As she walked towards me I pointed to the ground and said, “there it is.” Kim couldn’t believe that they hadn’t found the key earlier. I told her it was hiding, under a few leaves. Kim was extremely happy to have her key back. She didn’t has a spare key and who knows how much it would have cost to get a locksmith to come out and make a new one. Possibly the management company of the complex could have another key made but again, how much would they charge her for losing it? So Kim is going to be buying a new keychain and get a spare made, of her key. After the thank you’s and hug, I left with a nice big smile, knowing that Kim won’t be stressed out this evening, like she was the previous evening. I love my job.😃❤️🙏

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5 Lost Property Markers Found In Cumberland Center, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a call from Jim, concerning some property markers, that he couldn’t locate. Jim related to me that there should be 11 different property markers, on his property, in Cumberland Center, Maine. Jim knew where five of the property markers were. He only really needed to locate three of them, to an adjoining property and he had a good idea, as to where the three markers would be, by measuring from the known property pins. He asked if I would be able to help him locate just three of the missing pins.

I told Jim I would be happy to help him and that I would bring a 300’ tape measure, to measure the distances from one property pin, to the area that missing property pin should be in. I also told Jim that even though it is illegal to remove these property markers, in the State of Maine, many people have removed them. I told him that even at my home, I was only able to locate 2 of the six property markers. I was told by my neighbor, 30+ years ago the front 2 property pins had been removed, by a previous owner, because the previous owner didn’t like them, because of the lawn mowing. I have also searched on other properties and have heard similar stories of property markers being remove for lawn mowing purposes or ascetics , the property owners just don’t like looking at them. It’s always a hit or miss with property markers.
I arrived at Jim’s home and he was totally prepared, with the map of the property, with dimensions and Jim had already measured out the areas and placed a wooden stake, in the ground. The wood stake should be very close to where the property pins should be. Jim took me to the area of where the first property pin he needed to find and there was a wooden stake. Jim told me that it may be under a Rhododendron plant. I started metal detecting on the inside of the Rhododendron plant and I couldn’t locate the property pin, but did find the usual old rusty iron nails. I then went to the other side of the plant and almost immediately received a nice loud ferrous target. I wiped away the leaves and there it was, the property pin. It was barely showing but I could see the yellow cap and a bit of the metal pin. I dug out around it and Jim was delighted that we had found property pin #1. One down, two to go. The next property pin was going to be a straight line, from the pin I had just found. Jim and I measured the distance out to the next pin. I started searching with my metal detector again and there were all kinds of targets but no property pin, in the area. Lots and lots of yard trash and yes, even more nails. Jim was baffled and went to get the map. He said it should be there but it wasn’t. Jim wanted to move on to property pin #3 and this pin should line up, with the pin we couldn’t find. Once again, Jim had measured out property pin #3, from a know property pin and Jim took me up to the known pin and showed me, the location. We then went to the area of property pin #3 and Jim had a wooden stake there, signaling the area, the property pin should be in. Jim and I then walked to the area of property pin #2, that we didn’t find. My metal detector was still there and Jim then proceeded to his house, to get a long handled shovel. I grabbed my metal detector and went to try and find property pin #3. After a few minutes of some more rusty nails, I received a loud high pitched ferrous target. I took my spade and dug the target out and there it was, a metal property marker. This one was broken and was missing the yellow cap but there it was. When Jim returned with the shovel, I showed him what I had found and again, he was delighted, that property pin #3, had been found. Now we just needed to find property pin #2. This time, we would measure from pin #3 and see if the area would be the same, as from measuring from pin #1. Once thee measurement was taken, the area was off by 5 to 6 feet. How could that be? Why was the measurement 5-6 feet closer to pin #3, than the measurement, from pin #1? As Jim scanned the map, he noticed that he had measured, to a fence post, being shown on the map and not the actual property marker. Once this was corrected, the new location was actually in some small trees and bushes. I pushed some branches and bushes away and took a look inside. WOW!! I could see a large iron pipe sticking up through the vegetation. Now we just had to take measurements from both pin #1 and pin #3, to verify this iron pipe is the actual property marker. Both measurements were within an inch of where they were suppose to be. Now all three property markers had been found and Jim was just so happy. Jim was now planning on digging the pins out just a little more, especially pin #3, since it had broken off, in the ground. Jim was then going to spray paint them orange, for better visibility. As we were walking back ti to house and my vehicle, Jim asked if I would mind finding three more property markers. He told me the three I had already found were the important ones, that he needed to know the location of but he would like to just know where the others were. I told Jim absolutely, “I’m already here, lets do it”
So now we needed to find pins #4, #5 and #6. Pin #4 would be directly across from Jim’s house and on the other side of the driveway. The other two pins were at the front of the property, along the road. Starting with pin #4, I started searching near the wooden post, that Jim had already put in the area. Within a minute or so, I received a nice loud target and when I looked down, I could see just a little bit of a familiar looking yellow cap, in the grass. It was pin #4. That was easy. Jim and I then measured down to the location of where pin #5 should be and once again, Jim had already placed the wooden post, in the area. Being near the road, it is my experience that there is usually a lot of trash and my experience was proved correct. Just a lot of different targets that I had to go through. After 6-7 minutes of searching, I received the target I was looking for. I could not see this one and when I dug it, I saw pin #5. It was missing a yellow cap but did have red colored piece of ribbon, tied around it. Wow, to easy when there are no bushes or trees. Pin #6 would be directly down the street, just 80’ from pin #5. We measured out the 80 ‘ and started searching the grassy lawn area. Again, lots of trash and nails but no property marker. I continued to search in a 10” radius, from where the pin should be but it just isn’t there. As Jim and I were still searching, Jim’s neighbor, Casey, came home. Casey came over and we told him we couldn’t find the property marker. Casey told us he knew where his left front marker was and we measured the 164’, from Casey’s property to where the pin #6 should be and we were exactly where it should be. Measured from bot Jim’s hand Casey’s known markers came out the exact spot. Unfortunately , it just wasn’t there. Jim and Casey were ok with that and actually put a wooden in the mutually agreed spot, just to mark the spot. Neither of them have anything planned for the area, but they now know where pin #6 should be.
So a morning spent searching for, ultimately, six different property markers, turned out quite successful. Jim was very pleased that the three pins he wanted to find, were found and two of the other three pins found, were a bonus. Jim thanked me, posed a a photo at pin #4 and thanked me again for helping him. His smile said it all and that always puts a smile on my face. I have the best job in the world.😃❤️🙏

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Gold And Sapphire Wedding Ring Lost In The Beach Sand, At Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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“LOST WEDDING RING: Shot in the dark here but I believe I lost my wedding ring at a local beach this evening. I know I’ve seen posts about folks who look for lost jewelry with a metal detector. If anyone has leads, they’d be appreciated. Many thanks!”

This was a Facebook Post, on a local community page, by Chrissy, on Tuesday evening, August 26th. There were 16 different comments, on her post, to contact me, The Ring Finders of Maine. The referrals are greatly appreciated, thank you all, for your support.

Wednesday morning, Chrissy in fact, did contact me and told me she was really unsure where the ring was lost but thought that Crescent Beach State Park , in the Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine was the most likely place her wedding ring was lost. Other locations included the path between Crescent Beach State Park and Kettle Cove and Kettle Cove Ice Cream. It was now 8:20am and I was tied up until around 10:30am but told Crissy that I would get to Crescent Beach State Park, as soon as my morning commitment was completed, around 10:30am. I then called Gary Hill and asked if he was interested in searching, such a large area. Gary signed up for the search and met me at my house, at 10:30am.
We arrived at CBSP at just after 11:00am and my heart just sank, when I saw the beach. Because of Hurricane Erin’s large waves, over the past 4-5 days, the beach was full of seaweed and I could see where the Beach Rake had gone through the area, that morning, removing seaweed, from the previous high tide. I took a few photos and sent them to Chrissy, to verify we were in the correct area and to let her know the beach had been raked. Her reply was
“Yes, Exactly. Ah, ok. Such a bummer – I wish I could have gotten in earlier this morning. What Timing”
Gary and I were not feeling good about this but we had to search the area anyways. This may have been just been seaweed removal and not an actual rake, in the sand, removing all trash and valuables.
Gary started grid searching, at the entrance path to the beach and I went down to the very thick and heavy seaweed, that had yet to be removed. We decided to extend the grid search area, by about 50’ to the north and south. This is a common practice we use just in case the client was off just a little, in their location. As I was grid searching, I wasn’t getting many targets, at all. A few very deep dimes, in the 7-8 inch deep area, but nothing near the surface and this really concerned me. Did the beach rake get the ring or drag it down the beach? Just had to keep searching. Gary came over and reported the same observation, about no targets. Nothing but a few deep targets and no shallow targets. As Gary and I continued searching the area, we were closing in on each other and the ring still hadn’t been found and I started thinking on how we would search the path to Kettle Cove. Gary and I had only a couple more passes and the area would have been completely searched. All of a sudden, I received that low tone, I had been looking for. Nice and loud, VDI reading of 27 to 29 and only about an inch deep. This was too good to be true and I called Gary over. I told Gary, I was so sure this was the ring that I wanted him to take a video of me recovering the ring. Once I relocated the target, I took my pinpointer out and was brushing the sand, off the top of the target. All of a sudden, I saw a small glimpse of gold. I picked the ring up and looked at Gary, filming, and said “We have a ring. Congratulations Chrissy, we found your ring.”

I then sent the video to Chrissy, saying “Congratulations, We got it” Chrissy replied “Really!!!!!” Before I finished reading her text, my phone was ringing and it was Chrissy. She was extremely excited and was truly in disbelief, as were Gary and I. Chrissy told me she would be there in just 15-20 minutes. As Gary and I were waiting, Chrissy came bouncing across the parking lot, with might be the biggest smile, we’ve ever seen and we’ve seen a lot of smiles. Chrissy was so happy to have her wedding ring back and we were happy she had it. You could just tell how much this ring meant to her. Later in the day, Chrissy sent me the following text messages (Condensed into one message).

“Still buzzing from your ring recovery, Dennis! If you and Gary hadn’t helped so willingly and immediately, my wedding ring might have been found, but it wouldn’t have come back to me. Jon and I got married during the pandemic. We had a beautiful ceremony in New Hampshire, with the backdrop of the mountains, with just our immediate family. It was beautiful but the circumstances were hard. My band is called the “Land and Sea” band by the jewelry maker who made all my rings. The colors of the sapphires represent the colors in nature, on “land and sea”. Hiking in the Catskills, Adirondacks, and then the Whites after we moved to Maine is what brought us joy and reprieve during the pandemic and my wedding band symbolizes that. I’ve worn it summit of Mt. Washington, Katahdin, and countless high peaks across New England and New York. It means so much that you and Gary took the time and care to find it. I am so grateful and so admire you for what you do! “

Chrissy also posted the following, on her original post, looking for help

“The Ring Finders of Maine I cannot stop smiling. I am floored by your generosity of spirit and grateful beyond words! You are truly remarkable humans to do this, Dennis and Gary. 🩵✨”

Well Chrissy , Thank you so much, for your very kind words, Gary and I truly appreciate it. We love being able to help people like Chrissy smile, once again. What she thought was gone forever, is now back on her finger, where it belongs. We have the best job, in the world.😃❤️🙏

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White Gold Wedding and Engagement Rings, With Diamonds, Lost In The Sand, On Hermit’s Island, Phippsburg, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday, August 22nd, I received a phone call, from Nico., at approximately 11:40am. Nico conveyed to me that there is a large and extended group of family and friends, camping at Hermit’s Island Campground, in Phippsburg, Maine. Just minutes earlier a member of the group had just lost her soldered together White Gold Engagement and Wedding Rings. Jacquie, Jax for short,, had taken her rings off to apply lotion to her young children, while enjoying the day, at Sand Dollar Beach, on Hermit’s island U.S.A . Not wanting to get lotion all over her rings, Jax took the rings off and placed them on the beach blanket. It was then, right around high tide, at 11:18am, that a very large wave rushed up the beach, reaching the area of the beach blankets. Jax grabbed the blanket, so it wouldn’t get all wet but had forgotten her rings, were on the blanket. Jax immediately realized what had just happened and that was Hurricane Erin’s very rough surf and waves had just claimed Jax’s two rings, burying the rings, in the sand. The entire group of family and friends immediately started searching, for the rings, without success. It was then that Nico called me. By now it was close to noon time and I told Nico that I would get there, as soon as I could. Phippsburg, Maine is an hour and a half drive for me, if everything goes smoothly. Being a Friday, in the summer, I could certainly get stuck in traffic, on my way, to Phippsburg, ME. I also needed to finish something up, that I was right in the middle of. I told Nico that I could be there by 3:00pm, at the latest.

I was able to get on the road just before 1:00pm and I arrived, at the Hermit Island Campground, at 2:30pm. The check in booth for the Campground was expecting me and gave me a map of the island, to help me get to Sand Dollar Beach, at the northern end of the island. It took me another 10 minutes to find the very secluded beach. Once I got out of the vehicle , Nico was right there, waiting for me. Nico took me right to where Jax and her family were. Everyone there knew the rings were in an approximately 20’ X 20’ area of the sand. Everyone was very supportive and were willing to do whatever it took, to make this a successful recovery. I told everyone that I would grid search the area, starting near the high tide line and go back and forth, towards the sand dunes. On my first grid pass , just a small piece of aluminum. I turned around and headed back, in the other direction and nothing was found. Turned again started my grid pass and almost immediately received a nice low tone, reading 19-20, on my VDI Screen. Could I have just found Jax’s rings? I removed my pinpointer and located the target. After a few scoops of sand, taken out by hand, I felt something heavy in my hand and it fell out of my hand and back into the sand, but not before we all saw that it was Jax’s rings. I heard others yell out that they saw the ring. I then retrieved the ring, held it up to a now cheering and very happy group of people. Jax was so excited and thanked me over and over, for driving up there and finding her rings. The entire mood of everyone, in the group had just changed. Where there was once nervousness and uncertainty there was now laughter and smiles. We all talked for a while and I even found an avid metal detectorist in the group. Unfortunately,he didn’t bring his metal detector with him, but he will now bring it everywhere he goes. Jax, her husband, Nate and the entire group could now relax and get back to the vacation, without the weight of such a terrible loss, hanging over their heads.
One I had returned home, I received the following text message, from Jax

“Thank you so much there are no words on How thankful I am for you !!”

I love my job😀❤️🙏

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Very Sentimental Antique Gold Engagement Ring Lost In An Acton, Maine Pond, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday evening, August 11th, I received the following text, from John

John – “Can you search in water up to 4.5 feet”

Me – “Yes. If in the ocean, it would depend on the wave action.”

John – “Horn Pond near the boat launch. It’s in Acton, Maine.”

Me – “What is the object that I would be searching for?”

John – “An antique 10k gold ring with gems? It was my girlfriend’s grandmothers?”

Me – “Did she see the ring come off and that is why the ring is thought to be there?”

John – “Yes. She was wearing it on a necklace splashing around and the necklace broke.”

Me – “Ok, how long ago was it lost and I’m sure people have visually searched? Is the bottom of the pond sandy?”

John – “It was lost Sunday. Two people searched for about 30 minutes but we had to leave. It’s sandy with a lot of rocks.”

Me – “Ok, I can certainly search for it. Would someone be able to meet me there and show me the location?”

John replied that he could meet me there, on Wednesday, at 8:00am. I told him that I would be there, with my diving detector, the Minelab Excalibur II.
So, Wednesday morning, Cheryl and I drove the 50 minutes to Horn Pond, in Acton Maine!, from our home, in Saco, Maine. We arrived a few minutes early and John was still on his way. He explained the location to me and I decided to start searching for the antique ring, prior to his arrival. I would grid search parallel with the dam, which runs across the state border line, from Acton, Maine, into Wakefield, New Hampshire. My first multi state search, let’s hope it’s successful. I immediately realized that this area of the pond had never been metal detected. I was finding many coins and even a stainless steel fidget or spinner ring. During the first grid line pass, John and his girlfriend, Brooklyn showed up and sat on the dam, as I searched. I explained that I need to start along the dam, because it was where they entered the pond and when the chain broke, Brooklyn’s ring May have flung, in any direction. I needed to know where I had been and where I hadn’t been. I would work my way, to the area where they had been splashing around, just 15 or 20 feet or so away. Brooklyn told me the ring was yellow gold, with a blue gemstone. I told them that if the ring were here, I would find it.
I continued the first grid line pass, but no ring. I then started back towards the Maine shore and more coins were being found, but no ring. For such a small area, there were a lot of coins. I then headed back to New Hampshire and I told John and Brooklyn that I was hoping the ring didn’t end up in the deeper water, on the New Hampshire side, of the pond. I will usually go as deep as my neck, if I feel safe. If the ring ended up in 6 feet of water, I wouldn’t be able to get it. Nothing but more coins found m heading to New Hampshire. I then turned and headed towards Maine, once again. Approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to the Maine shore I received the best sounding tone, in my headphones. Unlike the Minelab Manticore metal detector, that I use, the Excalibur is by sound only. No VDI screen to show me ferrous or non ferrous. No depth gauge and no conductivity VDI numbers. The Excalibur is just by tone and tone alone. I have been using an Excalibur since 2006 and you get to know the sound of different items. Gold has a very low tone that is music to my ears. This target was the sound of gold. I stopped what I was doing and told Brooklyn and John that “this one sounds really good”. I told Cheryl to start the video because I knew if this wasn’t Brooklyn’s ring, it was still going to be gold. Because the bottom of the pond was sand and rocks, I had been fanning the sand, with my hand, because my scoop couldn’t get through all the rocks. By fanning the sand away, I could then see the target. So I knelt and bent over low, slowly fanning the sand away and then I caught a glimpse of a shiny gold ring. It had a blue stone, just like Brooklyn had said. I pick the ring up, raised my hand up out of the water and said, “there you go, I got it.” I then walked it over to the young couple and passed it to John, who then passed it to Brooklyn. She now had her extremely sentimental ring back. A ring that was once her grandmother’s engagement ring, in now back where it belongs. Brooklyn and John were all smiles and still in disbelief that she had the ring back. Just three days earlier, they thought the ring was gone forever and John mentioned to his sister that Brooklyn had lost her ring. John’s sister told him he should call The Ring Finders of Maine and John who had never heard of us looked at his sister and said, “The Ring who?” John and Brooklyn know who we are and told me they will be telling everyone about us and they will be doing it with smiles, on their faces.
I love being able to help people like Brooklyn because a ring like hers is more than just a ring, more than just a monetary value, it is family history. Now Brooklyn will have a chance to continue to add history with her ring. When I see her face and it is no longer sad, but happy, I know I will sleep well tonight. ❤️🙏

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Two Gold and Diamond Rings Lost In The Saco, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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What’s worse than losing a ring? How about two rings?

On Monday July 21st, I received a phone call, from Nicolas. Nicolas told me that his mother had just lost two gold rings, in the water, in the Ferry Beach State Park area, of Saco, Maine. I asked Nicolas when she lost the rings and how deep was the water, when she lost the rings. Nicolas replied , “fifteen minutes ago and about two feet of water.” I knew it was just about low tide and with the tide now coming in, I wanted to try and find them, before the water was too deep. I immediately grabbed my Minelab Excalibur and headed to the Ferry Beach State Park area. I arrived at 3:00pm and met Nicolas, Carole (Owner of the lost rings) and Ben, another of Carole’s sons. The tide had now been coming in for an hour and there was no time to waste. I started searching the water with the help of Carole, Nicolas and Ben. Carole went to the spot, she thought she was, when she lost the two gold rings. Nicolas stood to the south, of Carole and this was to be the furthest south, the rings should be. Ben stood to the north, for the boundary, in that direction. Carole explained to me that she was standing, in the water, with her back to the open sea. As she was standing, in the water, facing the shore, a wave hit her hard and as the wave knocked her forward, it also hit her outstretched hand, taking both rings off. Carole saw the rings come off and tried grabbing them but they disappeared, into the surf. She immediately yelled to her family members, up on the beach and they immediately started searching for the rings, with Carole. Unfortunately, trying to find rings in the water and waves, is an impossible task.

Since the tide was coming in, I wanted to start as far out, as I could. With the depth of the water and the waves, I felt I had a good chance of finding them. I just didn’t know if I would be able to get out fat enough to. I performed a north to south grid search, working my way towards the shore. After an hour of searching, I called it quits for the day. The water was now too deep to perform a proper search. I told Carole and her family, I would be back, the next afternoon and search once again. The vacationing family, from Québec, Canada told me that they were taking the children, to Funtown Splashtown USA, for the day and would not be there.I told them I was comfortable with the area that needed to be searched and to enjoy their day at Funtown Splashtown.
The next day, Tuesday, I returned to resume my search at 12:45pm, for a 3:30pm, 0.07 low tide. Approximately the same low tide as the previous day. I immediately got into the water, following the tide out, until 3:30pm, when the tide started coming in again. I found a few fishing sinkers and some can slaw. I also got hit by a wave, knocking me off my feet and into the water. After 2 1/2 more hours of searching, the rings were not found, once again. I messaged Nicholas and told him the not so good news. I also reminded him that Wednesday, I would not be able to come down and search, as I had a previous commitment. The low tide, the next day, Wednesday, was going to be the same as the low tide I had just searched in. I now had my sights on Thursday morning and a negative low tide of – 0.07. This negative low tide will be way out there, possibly out far enough, that the rings would no longer be underwater and the search would be much easier. Unfortunately, once low tide arrives, it immediately starts coming back in. I wouldn’t have long to search the low tide area. For this reason, I called Gary Hill, to see if he was available, to help me, on Thursday morning. Gary signed up for the search.
Gary and I arrived at the beach at 4:30am, for the 5:22am low tide. It was still dark out and was a little difficult to see, without headlamps. It wasn’t long before the sky started turning beautiful, without headlamps the sun rising. It also meant, the tide wos about to turn. Ben came down at 5:00am and he had a beginner’s metal detector, his children had brought, on vacation. So now, there were three of us searching but again, no rings were found. To understand just how large an area we were searching, try and picture a football field and another half field. It’s a large area and we didn’t have much time to, to cover it all of the changing tide. Losing a ring, in the water, at low tide, is the worst time to lose it. Just not much time to effectively search. I told Ben that Gary and I would be back again, the following morning, same time, to search another -0.07 low tide. I also asked Ben if he would like me to leave my Minelab CTX-3030 metal detector and long handle sand scoop , for him to use, tonight. He wouldn’t be able to go out to deep but he could certainly search close to shore. He would also be able to use it tomorrow morning, when Gary and I returned. For an area so large, we needed all hands on deck, so to speak. Ben readily agreed to help, by using my backup detector.
This morning, Gary and I arrived pre dawn once again and immediately started searching again. Ben came down around 5:00am and after a quick lesson, with the CTX-3030, Ben started searching. I was searching close to shore, along the rocks, Gary was mid beach section and Ben was also searching, in the rocky area. We were all searching north to south. Low tide was going to be at 6:14am and it was decided to go out as close to the water as possible and start grid searching, water towards the shore. I went out the furthest, Ben was next and then Gary. As we all worked our way towards the shore and 5 minutes, past low tide, Ben received and dug a target. He called Gary over to search the dug sand pile, with the pinpointer. I wasn’t paying attention as I was trying to stay ahead of the incoming tide. All of a sudden, I hear Gary say, “He got one of the rings”. That got my attention and immediately rushed over to them. They were standing looking at the first found ring. I ran my coil over the pile of sand and I received a nice loud low tone. I told Ben and Gary, “I bet you anything, this is the other ring.” I was that confident. Gary took out his pinpointer and searched the sand pile. As he was moving the sand around, his pinpointer went off and I saw the others ring. I picked it up, washed it off and handed it to Ben. Ben not only found the rings, he dug both of them from the same hole. Unbelievable! On the 4th day of the search, both rings were now going back on Carole’s finger. Not all searches are completed on day one. This search was 4 days and if the rings weren’t found today, Gary and I were coming back, pre dawn, once again the next morning. Persistence pays off and thankfully, we don’t like losing or giving up easily.
Ben texted Carole and she came right down to us. She was all smiles, giving us all hugs and smiling ear to ear. Carole had told me the previous day that she was going crazy about the lost rings. I told her she would sleep well tonight and not go crazy, anymore. She readily agreed. It’s such a great feeling, for Gary and I to help Carole and her family, when they need us. The will be returning to Canada tomorrow morning but Gary and I have new friends now and they are all smiling. There is no better feeling than to see someone get their lost item back and see them smile, once again 😁❤️🙏

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