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Lost Ring Found at Devil’s Lake State Park – Baraboo, WI

  • from Madison (Wisconsin, United States)
Contact:

Ring Found at Devil's Lake State Park

It was my 3 year anniversary, and my wife and I were celebrating at Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin.   We hit the beach, and I decided to play some catch with a football.   I noticed that my tungsten carbide ring was a little loose on one of the throws, and I probably should have taken it off, but I didn’t.  On the very next throw I looked down and my ring was gone.  I wasn’t sure if it flew off on the throw, or fell off when I put my hand down.  I was sick to my stomach.  There were a number of people on the beach that day, so we rounded up 6-7 of them to help look for my ring.  However, after a long search, nothing turned up.  I thought for sure I would never see my ring again.

I called around trying to find a metal detector to rent that could be used in the water, but after calling a number of places … no luck.  I turned to Google and found the www.TheRingFinders.com website.  I contacted one of the members on the directory, but after a couple of emails back and forth, communication stopped and he didn’t seem interested in helping.  I then reached out to Dan, and he responded almost immediately.  Unfortunately, he was out of town on vacation, but he kept in touch and said he would help out if he could.  He lives in the Madison area, so I was impressed he was willing to drive close to an hour just to help me out. On Father’s Day weekend, he made the trip up to Devil’s Lake to search for my ring.

Dan asked tons of good questions to get an idea on the location, what I was doing at the time, how deep in the water I was, where I was standing and what my ring looked like.  He then performed the search on his own along with his 11 year old son, which I thought was cool.  He said after 2 hours, a handful of bottle caps, pop tops, $0.39 cents in change … he was about to give up and then got a promising hit on his metal detector – my ring.  Dan later called me and told me the entire story, I couldn’t believe it – he had found my ring.   Later that day we met at the park and he handed the ring back to me.  My wife and I both fought back tears, what am amazing feeling.  My wife and I can’t thank you enough Dan and Carter for finding and returning my ring!

Jonathan P.

06-14-2014

 

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Tungsten Carbide Ring                                              Devil’s Lake State Park Beach

 

 

 

 

Lost Ring Posted on Madison Craigslist Website Found in Backyard

  • from Madison (Wisconsin, United States)
Contact:

Date: May 26, 2013

I had taken a week of vacation in order to complete various projects around the house, as well as tend to my gardening.  Midweek just as I was heading out the door to run some errands, I realized my wedding ring was not on my finger.  I quickly checked my pockets and it was not there, however I proceeded to run my errands.  Upon returning home, I looked in the two most likely places and unfortunately it was not in either spot.   I am a creature of habit and will put my ring in my pocket if I am putting on hand lotion, etc.  My husband quickly pointed out that the shorts I was wearing had a hole in one pocket.  We scoured the house for days looking high and low.  We even cleared out all of the closets to check the floors, but sadly we found nothing.  I was convinced I had lost my ring inside the house, but my husband thought it had fallen out of my pocket while I was gardening on my day off.  After a couple of days, we decided to post an ad in the “Lost and Found” section on www.Craigslist.com as a last resort.  That’s how we found Dan.  He quickly responded to the ad offering to help.  Since we had already searched the entire inside of the house, we thought it was worth a shot for Dan to come over and search our backyard with his metal detector.

I met Dan at our home on Saturday morning along with his young son.  He was very professional and it was clear that they had done this together many times.  I was impressed with the way he was using this task to teach his son the skills of metal detecting, as well as the importance of helping out others.  Together they swept the front yard and found quite a few coins, but no ring.  They did a very thorough search of both the front and the back yard, but initially did not find the ring.  The entire time they never gave up, and then suddenly Dan called me over … he had found my ring in the lawn along the side of the house.   I don’t know how many times we might have walked past it in the days since it was lost, but it was found.

I am very cautious when responding to an ad from Craigslist, but through the back and forth email with Dan to setup the appointment, I felt comfortable meeting him at our home on my own.  He was professional and very respectful of the fact that I had lost something very dear.  I cannot thank him enough and can only give him a glowing reference.

Thanks again,

Jean K.

 

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Lost Wedding Ring in Trophy Club, Tx while digging a trench in his yard!

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

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On Sunday afternoon we got a call from a gentleman who had lost his wedding ring.  He had been working all day in his yard digging a trench to relieve some standing water.  After completing the several hour project he realized his wedding ring was gone.  He and his family search for 2 hours and had no luck.  He found « The Ring Finders » website and gave us a call.   We spent about 20 minutes covering the area which was crazy with signals due to a power line running under his backyard.  I decided to re-check the trench with full descrimination, looking only for gold.  I got a hit near the end of the 15ft trench about 6 inches down.  As  I bent down and used my pinpointer through the mud and water in the trench I saw a glint of GOLD in the hole.  The wedding ring was stuck in the wall of the trench about 4-6 inches down.  I turn and ask the homeowner,  I said, « I have a questions for you » « would you like to have this back and I handed him his ring« .

He and his wife were so excited they could not believe we found it… they kept saying « you guys are good, you guys are so good« .  The wife came out and gave us hug… it was another successful hunt for the « Dallas Ring Finders ».

Don & Ellen

Gold Ring Found Edmonton, Alberta Canada

  • from Edmonton (Alberta, Canada)
Contact:

photo 2MattIMG_0585

Received a call yesterday afternoon from Matt in regards to finding his ring which was lost last November after his girlfriends chucked it over the fence into somebody’s back yard after having a disagreement, I asked Matt why it took him this long to try and find his ring he said since it had snowed that day his ring would be buried and it would be safe there until spring, yesterday he was searching on the internet and found me and the rest is history.

Matt told me he had permission from the owner to look for his ring. Made arrangement to meet this morning at the lactation, arrived in the back yard where there was around two feet of snow lucky for me the yard size was only 33’ x 50’ with a deck and fenced; Matt told me it was a heavy gold ring with his initials. Searched the area for about 30 minutes with no luck, then bingo ring found! Underneath the table on the deck somehow the ring must have bounced off something and ended up there as you can see by the picture the ring was very large. Mat & Sam was very happy to get the ring back once again. Thanks Matt for entrusting me and the TheRingFinders to search for your ring.

Lost Ring Kemah, Texas (Recovered)

  • from Sugar Land (Texas, United States)

  01/18/2014 I received the following e-mail

Subject: Missing Ring

 Hi my name is William and I lost a gold ring.  It is very dear to my family and I would like your help.  It is in Kemah.  Can you come by this week?

 Thanks

 WHT

 01/19/2014 William and I spoke on the phone and he outlined some of the details regarding his missing ring. William said he and several friends where at another friend’s house down in Kemah, Texas.  He said they were all out on the ground level deck visiting and enjoying the outdoors when his girlfriend dropped her 18kt ring.

 William said they heard the ring hit the deck; it bounced of his shoe and disappeared either into the grass or under the deck.  He said they search for the ring and later found www.theringfinders.com website and sent an e-mail.

 A few lesson learned on this search, I normally ask and get a pretty through « CAN » report which is an acronym for Conditions, Actions, and Needs (Firefighter Terminology).

 Gathering all relevant information as normal I scheduled a trip for Thursday 01/23/2014.

  I made the trip out to Kemah on Thursday as scheduled and met William at the location provided. As I arrived, I could see some time had been spent looking for the ring. The large wooden deck had been jacked up in one of its corners with a large bumper jack. (The point is coming), « the actions portion of the CAN report. »

 After introductions and a firsthand account of how the ring was lost, I began searching the grassy area around the deck and then began the process of crawling under the deck to find the lost ring. To be expected, the deck had its share of beer tabs and bottle tops, but no ring. I spent an hour working the areas around and under the deck with no positive result.

 It was at this point the decision was made to lower the jack and move it to the other side of the deck. The plan was to jack up the opposing corner of the deck and check the areas I could not reach. As I examined the jack, I thought to myself Williams a pretty sharp guy; he used the large steel water utility cover as a footing for the jack.  I started looking for something to use on the other side as a footing for the jack. I again ran my hand held around the edge of the cover checking for the ring, but no luck.

 It was at this point William grabbed the large steel utility cover off the ground (OK, will stop here with the story)

 William had brought the steel utility cover along with him to use as a footing for the jack. I couldn’t believe it; it looked like it belonged there, and had been there a long time.

 Well, I think we all know where the ring was found, under the cover WOW. William had put the large steel cover right over the ring.  I went around that darn cover 20 plus times; knowing in my mind, that the utility cover was their long before any of us. (wrong). This was where I failed in my CAN report, « Actions » what actions had been taken. 

 One can never ask enough questions. I am still laughing about this one.

 William was glad to get his girlfriend’s ring back, all in all a good day for everyone.

 

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 CTX 3030

Pin pointer Pro

Tylenol

Lost Ring Found in Snow Bank – Middleton, WI

  • from Madison (Wisconsin, United States)
Contact:

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I got a call from Brian, who was referred to me from Jean, a woman I had helped out the previous year. She had lost her ring in her backyard while gardening. When she had heard that her friend Brian had lost his ring, she immediately told him to give me a call.   The day was January 6, 2014. The temperature was -17 degrees, with a -41 degree wind chill. Let’s just say it was cold. My son and daughter were home from school, due to the historically low wind chills. After I got off the phone with Brian, my wife said – “You’re not actually going to go look for it in this weather, are you”? Well, Brian was in Middleton, which is my home town, so it wasn’t much of a drive. She just shook her head. We brought our metal detector along, but it was simply too cold to do the hunt. We were able to get the story on how he lost his ring, as well as a general idea on the search area.

Earlier in the week, Brian was over at a neighbor’s house for dinner. Shortly afterwards, he became sick to his stomach and said he had to return home, which was about 4-5 houses away. Unfortunately, Brian did not make it home. He threw up shortly after leaving, stumbled and fell into a snow bank. He said the next thing he remembered is waking up in his own bed, but he had no idea how he got there. After he woke up, he asked where his wedding ring was – it was not on his finger. He figured someone had taken it off while helping him up to his bed. However, no one had removed the ring and no one knew where it was. He thought back to the night before and remembered that he was not wearing gloves when he walked over to his neighbor’s house. His best guess was that it had slipped off when he passed out in the snow bank.

The next day, Brian had attempted to shift through the snow himself looking for his ring, but had no luck. As a last resort, Brian like so many others, rented a metal detector with hopes of locating it. However, after hours of frustration he gave up. You see, using a metal detector isn’t overly difficult, but figuring out what all the beeps and tones mean is something that takes practice and a lot of patience. You wouldn’t believe all the metal junk that is buried in the ground.

Once the weather had warmed up a little (literally back up to 0 degrees – the winter in WI that year was one of the worst), my son and I returned to Brian’s neighborhood to begin our search. Brian had given us a general area to search. We could see the piles of snow that he had searched through already. After about an hour of searching, we had nothing.   It was cold, and we were about to call it quits when I told my son, “5 more minutes”. Well, it only took 2 and we had a strong signal. A couple scoops of snow and right there staring back at us was Brian’s shiny tungsten carbide wedding ring.

Carter and I got a quick picture with our find, and then handed it back to Brian. He still couldn’t believe that we found it, because he had search and searched on his own. He figured someone had picked it up and he would never see it again. Brian gave us a nice reward, which went toward two nice hot glasses of hot chocolate!

 

Brian S.

01-06-2014

DSC00542_crop         snowbank

Tungsten Carbide Ring                                             Snow Bank

Lost 3 Ring Wedding Set Raking Leaves in Backyard, in Cedar Hill,Tx

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

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We received a call from Christine about 3pm on Sunday afternoon.  She got our name and number from a friend she had told that she had lost her wedding set of 3 rings.

Christine lives on about a acre of land, she had gone out to the back of the property to help her husband bag up some leaves that he had been raking together.  They worked together for about a hour and finished up and carried the bags of leaves up to the garage about a half acre away.   That was when she realized that her Wedding Set (3 rings) was missing.  In a panic, she and her husband looked all over the yard, they dumped the leaf bags out but did not see anything.  They spent several hours looking with no luck.   Later in the day while talking with her friend, she told her about the lost rings.  Her friend said, wait a minute I heard about this website of people who find rings.  She Googled and found « The Ring Finders » website and called Christine back and gave her our number.

It was about 3pm when Christine called and she lived 41 miles from us.  I told her we would be there in about and hour & a half.  We needed to hurry as I was concerned it would get dark and it was already quite cold, and the darkness would only make it colder.   We arrived and got our 2 Garrett AT Pros and Pinpointers out then Christine walked us to the back of the acre of property.  She showed us all the places she walked and was helping her husband with the leaves.   Ellen and I chatted about what area we would grid off visually and began to detect.   Within 10 minutes I hear Ellen say « Here’s One »,  I joined her as we looked through about 4-6 inches of leaves in a pile but nothing else rang up on the detectors.   I told Ellen to keep looking and I ask Christine to show me the bags of leaves, my thinking was that if one ring was in the pile of leaves that they had been bagging then it was likely the other rings would be in the bags of leaves near the garage.   I began to scan the full plastic bags of leaves with my detector and got 3 very light hits.   I kept scanning but nothing else hit so I backed up to the bag with something metal inside.   I tore a small hole in the bag and began to stick my Pinpointer into the bag.  As I got a signal, I used my hand to begin pulling out whatever the metal was.  1st hit was piece of wire, the second was a metal screw and the 3rd hit I could not see it.  Finally I saw a glint of Gold in the bag.  I began to smile but had to fight the leaves to find it, and finally the smallest of the 3 rings rings was found.   Christine was standing right beside me and could not believe I found it.  Now the only ring missing was the most expensive, the diamond solitaire with several small diamonds around the band.   After determining that nothing else was in the 4-5 bags of leaves, I walked back to the rear of the property and told Ellen that I had found one but that one was still missing.  She had been working out visual grid and I went back and started back over the grid working the opposite direction.   I made several passes checking every 2inch or less hit that I got regardless of the type of signal.  Then I got a shaky 44-46 hit that was very weak,  as I was checking everything I almost kept going but thank goodness I did not.  I reached down and moved the leaves and grass and there it was, the diamond solitaire twinkled at me.  I reached down and picked it up and ask Christine, « Would this make you Happy! »  She and her husband were so excited and grateful.  It is so much fun to see the reaction of our customers when we are successful.

So 3 rings, 1 in the leaf pile, 1 in a trash bag a 1/2 acre away and one in the grass 5-6 feet away from the 1st one.

Another successful hunt for « The Ring Finders ».

Don & Ellen Wilson – Dallas/Ft Worth

Lost my Texas Aggie College Ring while Toilet Papering a friend’s home!

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

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We got a email from a young man who on Saturday evening was having some innocent fun with friends and lost his Texas Aggie College Ring.   I responded quickly to the email and called the man and we chatted about where the ring was lost, what kind of ring it was, and the address where the ring was lost.   He told me that Saturday evening he had been playing football in the front yard of a friend’s  home and his ring flew off and he could not find it in the thick grass.

We set a time for us come out, this was 3 days after he lost the ring.  He was there to meet us.  I ask him to show us where he was standing and how he threw the football.  He looked at us and said well the truth is we were here « Toilet Papering » my friends home and then he pointed up!  We looked up and the trees still had toilet paper waving around.  I told him I thought it was great he could have that kind of fun, we had a nice laugh and began to search.  It did not take long before Ellen hollered « Is This Your Ring! »,  he jogged over to where she was and was so excited.  Ellen is 2 for 2 on our last hunts! It is so great to be able to enjoy this hobby with my spouse of 39 years.

Another successful hunt for The Ring Finders!

Don & Ellen Wilson – The Dallas Ring Finders!

 

Lost my Wedding Ring Playing Volleyball!

  • from Dallas (Texas, United States)
Contact:

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We got a email from an very nice young man who was in a little bit of a panic.  He was playing volleyball  with his team at the local « Bump & Drink Volleyball Club » and realized his wedding ring had come off sometime during the evening.  This was about 8pm, he had spent the next 2 hours on his hands & knees with his friends going through the really deep sand on the court he had played on.

His wife is 8 months pregnant and he really dreaded going home without his wedding ring and then having to tell his wife about it.

He found « The Ring Finder » website and sent us a email.  I responded immediately because I knew exactly what Volleyball Club he had been at, we had been called in before to find rings for other customers.  I immediately call the club and spoke to the manager, most of the Volleyball clubs are very strict about not allowing detectorists on to their courts, but this manager remembered us and said we could come in the next day 30 minutes before they opened.

Ellen & I arrived at 3pm on a Friday and began our hunt.  Understand this sand is awesome, but it is 12-20inches deep all over the 8 courts.  We had to use our beach scoops as we detected.  We knew what court he had played on and where he had wash off the sand at the end of the night, so we began our hunt.

We cover the court 3 times with no luck, I began covering the area I believed the customer would have walked to the wash off station »aka water hose!  Understand that Ellen & I both use Garrett ATPro’s and Garrett Pinpointers, I was digging in the sand and Ellen walks over and says « what did he say his ring looked like », as I looked up she had this sheepish grin on her face and on her finger was a Platinum Wedding  Ring.   I started to get up, and she said don’t stop looking this might not be his ring!  We have had that happen more than once, we found a different ring than the one we were hired to find.

Well the customer was on his way, he was stuck in Friday afternoon Dallas 5pm traffic..YUK!  When he arrived, we shook hands and I said « my wife has a question for you »  she walked up and said « is this your ring ».  He was awestruck, his mouth dropped open, he was so excited.  He must have told us 3 times how much his wife was going to be happy…

This hobby is so much fun.

Another successful hunt for The Ring Finders!

Don & Ellen – Dallas/Ft Worth

Local Man Hunts Your Lost Treasures in Newark, OH.

  • from Newark (Ohio, United States)
Contact:

Newark man searches for treasures

Baughman uses metal detecting to reunite people with lost jewelry

NEWARK — Jon Baughman could be considered a modern-day treasure hunter.

But he isn’t in it for fame or fortune. He’s most interested in reuniting people with lost jewelry that is important to them.

For several years, Baughman has spent his spare time using metal detectors and other gear to search for rings in Licking and Franklin counties.

“They are a person’s most precious item, especially when they are passed down from generation to generation,” he said.

“I enjoy giving peoples’ lost treasures back to them.”

A Utica resident, Baughman was inspired to learn about metal detecting from his wife’s grandfather, Ed Collins, and his father-in-law, Jim Jolliff.

Whenever the three men get together, they enjoy going out to parks with their metal detectors and seeing what they find. Baughman has also participated in several seeded hunts, where participants compete to see who can find the most items buried in the ground.

When he discovered the website, theringfinders.com, Baughman found a way to turn his interest into a business.

Theringfinders.com is a large database of metal detecting specialists so clients around the country can search for a ring finder in their area.

“The main thing is they are willing to help you out,” he said.

He joined the site in February 2012. Last year he got about 20 calls. So far this year he’s gotten six.

A calibration tech at Abbott Laboratories, Baughman keeps his gear in his truck so he can respond to a call as soon as possible. He travels with several metal detectors, including one that’s hand held, shovels, and scoops to search in sand and water.

Although he doesn’t search for lost jewelry in people’s homes, he’ll search any outdoor space, including beaches, parks, lakes and yards.

When customers call, Baughman tries to get as much information about the ring or piece of jewelry as possible. He needs to know where they lost it and how long it has been missing.

If it’s in a public place, such as a parking lot or a park, he has to move quickly. If it’s on private property, he has to get permission to search the area.

When he’s searching for a ring he uses his metal detectors, putting small flags into the ground behind him so he knows were he’s been.

If the jewelry is buried, he has to dig for it, using his hand held detector.

“I’m there to help them and search everywhere I can,” he said. “I keep talking to them and get some more details and some new (information) pops up.”

Baughman works on a reward basis but charges a $30 call out fee to every customer to cover his travel expenses. If he finds the ring, it’s up to the client to decide how much he gets as a reward, he said.

Some of his customers have thrown their rings after a fight with their fiance or spouse. Others have lost it swimming or had it fall out of their pocket.

One woman called him to help her find her husband’s wedding band, which fell off his finger when he was pulling leaves off a rake. She was thrilled when he was able to find it.

He also was able to help a man in Gahanna who lost his ring playing football with his sons and a woman in Mount Sterling who lost two rings in a barn.

Although he’s had many successful finds, there have also been times he couldn’t find the ring.

Some have sunk to the bottom of the lake and others have been picked up by someone else. But he never gives up the search until the customer tells him its over.

“At least they have closure,” he said. “When you have something that’s lost, you want to know if it’s there or not.”

While he’s hunting, Baughman often comes across lots of metal objects, from cans and pop tabs to horseshoes and bottle caps. He picks up what he finds and stores it in a bucket in his garage.

“I was in Scouting, and we leave it better than how you find it, so I always pick it up,” he said.

When it comes to ring hunting, it’s important to be patient and thorough, Baughman said.

“Practice is the biggest thing and knowing your equipment,” he said. “There is a lot of detective work.”

His favorite moment is being able to tell someone he’s found their ring.

Once he returned a class ring to a woman who hadn’t seen it in 29 years. She was so happy she cried.

“You always get that rush when you find one,” he said. “I always get a big smile on my face because I know I made them happy.”

ajeffries@newarkadvocate.com

740-328-8544

Twitter: @amsjeffries

October 07, 2013

http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20131006/NEWS01/310060029/Newark-man-searches-for-treasures

About this series

“Aces of Trades” is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs — whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at advocate@newarkadvocate.com or 740-328-8821.

Looking for something?

For more info about Jon Baughman, call 740-334-7293 or go to theringfinders.com/Jon.Baughman/#us-oh-newark

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Jon Baughman, an experienced metal detecting specialist and member of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service, demonstrates how he uses different metal detectors and equipment to find customers’ lost rings and other objects. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

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Jon Baughman, an experienced metal detecting specialist and member of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service, demonstrates how he uses different metal detectors and equipment to find customers’ lost rings and other objects. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Baughman, an experienced metal detecting specialist and member of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service, demonstrates how he uses different metal detectors and equipment to find customers' lost rings and other objects. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

Jon Baughman, an experienced metal detecting specialist and member of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service, demonstrates how he uses different metal detectors and equipment to find customers’ lost rings and other objects. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

 

Jon Baughman often finds himself digging up trash instead of precious rings and notes the variety of objects he finds from old horseshoes and bent spoons to beverage can pull tabs. Baughman pockets all trash he finds and disposes of it later. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

Jon Baughman often finds himself digging up trash instead of precious rings and notes the variety of objects he finds from old horseshoes and bent spoons to beverage can pull tabs. Baughman pockets all trash he finds and disposes of it later. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

 

Jon Baughman, an experienced metal detecting specialist and member of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service, demonstrates how he uses different metal detectors and equipment to find customers' lost rings and other objects. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate

Jon Baughman, an experienced metal detecting specialist and member of The Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service, demonstrates how he uses different metal detectors and equipment to find customers’ lost rings and other objects. / Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate