Tim was spending a sunny afternoon on a small beach along the bayside of Long Beach Island, tossing a football and enjoying time with friends. At some point, after they had finished playing, he realized his ring was missing. Everyone returned to the beach and searched for a while, but had no luck locating it in the sand. Frustrated and unsure what to do next, Tim decided to Google metal detector services, and that’s when he found my page.

He called, inquiring about the process of recovering his lost ring. I explained how it worked, and we arranged to meet at the beach shortly after. By the time I arrived, Tim was already there, eager to get started. I grabbed my machine and scoop, and we stood together while he explained the situation.

He pointed out the two main areas where they had been playing — one side of the beach near a playground, where they’d been tossing the football back and forth, and the other side where they switched after a while. There was also a slight chance it could have fallen near the water, where they had rinsed off the football, but Tim thought that was unlikely.

We began searching the first area, but all I found was a handful of trash and a few coins. After covering that section thoroughly, I moved to the other side of the beach and began tracing out a perimeter. Just a few swings into my second pass, the detector signaled that sweet low tone of gold.  I dug down and there it was — Tim’s ring safely in my scoop.

He was absolutely amazed that I found it. The wedding ring was a cherished keepsake he had worn for many decades. His relief and gratitude were clear, and it was another successful recovery on the Jersey Shore.

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