#Old Orchard Beach Metal Detector Rental And Service Tag | Page 5 of 6 | The Ring Finders

White Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Ocean Park, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Wednesday, July 2nd, as I was driving, I heard a G-Mail notification, on my phone.

“My husband lost his ring in Ocean Park. I don’t have phone service to call because we’re Canadian. Any chance you could come out?
Thanks,
Heather “

I pulled over and replied
“Hi Heather, Did he lose the ring in the Dry Sand or Water?”
Heather replied that her husband thinks he lost his wedding ring, in the water. They are staying on Temple Ave, in Ocean Park, Maine and had walked down to the beach.
I then messaged Heather and told her I would head straight home, get my equipment, and head straight to Ocean Park. We made plans to meet at the beach access path, at the bottom of Temple Ave., in approximately 25 minutes.
After retrieving my equipment, from home, I immediately headed to Ocean Park and I was met by both Heather and her husband Quinton, at the bottom of the Temple Ave, beach access path.
After introducing myself, I asked Quinton to run me through the events, preceding him losing his White Gold Wedding Ring. Quinton told me that once he and his family arrived at the beach, he applied lotion to himself and then walked down to the water, with his children. As the children were playing in the water, Quinton was also playing around with the children and they were in approximately 4’ of water, just prior to low tide. After playing in the water for a while, Quinton noticed his wedding ring, was no longer, on his finger, while in the 4’ of water. After visually searching the ocean floor , Quinton and Heather went back up to their chairs. Heather then put a Facebook posting, about her husband, losing his wedding ring and if anyone finds it, to please contact her. Almost immediately people were commenting on her post and telling her to call me. Heather told me the comments were extremely positive about me being able to help that she decided to contact me, via the email.
As I was walking down to the water I asked Quinton if he knew the area, he was in with his children and what time he noticed his ring missing. Thankfully he knew the exact area but he lost it around 10:00am and it was now close to 12:30am. Not only has the ring been in the ocean for 2 1/2 hours, the tide was now coming in and had been, for an hour and a half. When the ring was lost, it was lost approximately an hour, before low tide and he was further out, in 4’ of water. The water would be deeper now but I needed to try and find the ring. I fired up my detector and headed out into the incoming tide and waves. Quinton accompanied me out into the water, to get his bearings and put me in the right location, which was between the signs on BillowHouse Beachfront Boutique Inn and The Nautilus at Ocean Park Beach. Maybe 100’ to 150’ between the signs and who knows how far out, into the water, would be my grid search area. Once we were in the water we went out as far as we dared. The waves were very large and a few of them literally were over my head. I had to jump straight up to avoid being slammed by the waves. After 15-20 minutes of being battered by the waves, Quinton and I exited the water. There was no way I could get any further out, with the tide coming in. I told Quinton and Heather, I would be back, the next morning between 9:30am to 10:00am. This would give me 2, 2 1/2 hours of searching, by following the tide out. I would search the wet sand, in the event, the ring was moved by the large waves and pushed closer to shore. I didn’t really think this would be the case but I just needed to cover all bases and search the area.
So this morning, my wife Cheryl and I headed to Ocean Park, hoping the waves weren’t as big as yesterday. Cheryl brought along her beach chair to enjoy the day, after her daily 5 mile walk, as I intended to search for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I brought two different metal detectors with me. A Minelab Manticore, with a 15” coil and a Minelab Excalibur, with a 10” coil. I planned to search the wet sand with the Manticore because of the large coil. I could cover the wet sand, fast and efficiently. The Excalibur is a waterproof diving metal detector and to me, is much easier to swing, in the water, waves, currents, etc.. The Manticore is also waterproof but I just feel much more comfortable with the Excalibur, in the water and definitely more comfortable with the Manticore, on the wet and dry sand. My plan would be to spend an hour or so, grid searching the wet sand, waiting for the tide to recede far enough out, that I could reach the area Quinton had been in, the previous day. Thankfully, the waves weren’t as big as yesterday but still big enough to knock you off your feet, if you weren’t paying attention and definitely big enough to just knock you around.
After an hour or so of grid searching the wet sand, I decided it was time to venture out into the water, hoping I wouldn’t get too battered around. Once in the water I would grid search the area by going straight out, as far as I deemed safe and would the take a half step, to my side and head back towards shore. I did this because I can keep a better grid search line by lining up with something on shore. I would just go out, come in, go out, come in and work my way from the Nautilus sign, to the Billow sign. As I made my way towards The Billow House. I saw Heather in waist deep water, with her children, as they caught the waves, with their boogie boards. I had covered a large portion, of the area, and with maybe 45 minutes of searching left, I told Heather it wasn’t looking good. Heather understood the difficulty of the search but kept hope alive. As I made my way to shore, I was about to turn around and head back out to the deeper waters, through those dang waves. I saw Cheryl standing at the water’s edge. I exited the water and updated her on the search. After finishing the update, with Cheryl, I re-entered the water and headed back out towards the deeper water. When I got to about knee deep or maybe a little deeper, I heard a nice loud low tone. This was absolutely the best sounding target, I had had all day. Unfortunately, The target was right where the waves were breaking. I didn’t dare to take my eyes off of the waves, while I tried to juggle my detector and scoop. I yelled over to Heather and asked her if she could hold my metal detector, while I tried to scoop up the target and keep an eye on the ever coming waves. Heather immediately came over and took hold of my detector. I kept the target, under my right foot, as I would brace for the waves. After a few waves went by, I saw an opening and I pushed the scoop into the sand, pulled up a full scoop of sand. I then shook the scoop in the water to wash the sand out. I could hear something in the scoop and when the sand was gone I looked into the scoop. A big smile broke out as I saw a big ring. I then tilted the scoop towards Heather to show her the ring. Her hand immediately went to her heart and she couldn’t believe it. She was so happy and she just kept thanking me. She also waved to Quinton, to come on down. I saw him running down to the water’s edge and Once he arrived, I showed him the ring and he gave me a big hug. He also kept thanking me and was just so overjoyed, at having his ring back. He told me he just felt naked without his wedding ring of 16 years. Now it’s back on his finger, where it belongs and he will sleep well tonight, knowing his ring is not on the ocean floor.
It’s truly a pleasure helping others out in their time of need. There are many, many rings, lost out in the water, that are never recovered. Thankfully, this isn’t one of them
I have the best job in the world.❤️🙏

Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost In The Sand At Scarborough Beach State Park, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

Just before 2:30pm, I received a call from Greg, the Park Manager, at Scarborough Beach State Park, in The Town of Scarborough, Maine. Greg told me that a gentleman had lost his wedding ring, earlier in the day. The person who had lost the wedding ring would be calling me and giving me the location, he thinks the ring was lost in. Greg had an idea and told me that the ring was lost just before the high tide line. With it now being 2:30pm, and high tide around 5:00pm, there wasn’t much time to waste. I told Greg I would leave my house, in Saco, Maine right now and be there very shortly, depending on the traffic. If I arrived at 3:00pm, that would give me approximately 1 1/2 hours to search, without having to worry about the waves and incoming tide.

Once I loaded my equipment in my vehicle, The Ring Finders Mobile, I left for Scarborough Beach State Park . As I was driving in, my phone went off, notifying me that I had a voicemail. At the next red light, I read the voicemail and it was from Ryan and he is the person that had lost the wedding ring. Here is the transcript of the voicemail,

“Hi, My name is Ryan and I was at Scarborough Beach State Park and they had given me your information. I lost my Wedding Ring on the beach today and they tell me you have incredible luck finding rings, so I was hoping to touch base. If you have a second and I’d like to let you know it’s a Tungsten Ring. I think it was Lost around the high tide line maybe a little bit more toward the waterside between the two of the lifeguard stands, um around that area. I can give you more information, if you can call me back at 207- ***-****, Thank you very much. …”

I immediately called Ryan back and told him I was on my way and I was just coming up on Funtown Splashtown USA, on Rt 1, in Saco. My estimated time of arrival was about 20 minutes. Ryan told me he was on his way home but would turn around and meet me there. Ryan told me that he went to SBST, to go surfing, for the day and had taken his wedding ring off and placed it in the beach bag. He didn’t want to lose his ring, out in the ocean, as he surfed. Ryan told me he believes he lost his ring, when after finishing up surfing, for the day, he was walking on the wet sand, to leave the State Park. As he was walking, he stopped to get his sunglasses, out of the bag. As he pulled the towel out, to get the sunglasses, he believes his ring fell out of the bag. Unfortunately, Ryan didn’t realize he had lost his ring, until he got home. He immediately drove back to SBSP and notified the lifeguards and Greg. That is when Greg called me.
Once I arrived at SBSP, the Lifeguards called Greg. Greg had me walk down towards the further lifeguard stand and he would meet me, between the two stands. Once I met up with Greg, he told me the ring should be in the area from where we were, to just past the lifeguard stand. As we were talking, Ryan approached us and Ryan confirmed the location to search. The tide was coming in fast and the waves were rushing up over the search area. We didn’t have long to search and I was already thinking of returning, tonight, to search as the tide was receding, around 6:00pm. I told Ryan to walk out as far out towards the incoming water and walk to where he thinks he took the towel and sunglasses, out of the bag. I would follow his path and then turn around and head back in the other direction, if I didn’t find the ring.
As Ryan started walking, I was right behind him. The waves were rushing up over the detectors coil and I knew we didn’t have much time. About a minute into the search, I received a target. The target was showing up on my screen as a ferrous target, so I didn’t dig it. Most likely a piece of a lobster trap or a bottle cap. We started back up searching and 3-4 minutes later, I received another target. This time it was a non ferrous target but it didn’t seem right. My detectors screen was telling me it was 7-9 inches deep and for being long for just 2 or 3 hours, the ring should not be that deep. The 38 on my screen was definitely in the tungsten range, so I dug the target. I always dig non ferrous targets, because you just never know. After a scoop of sand didn’t contain the target,bI dug another scoop of sand and dumped it to the side. Still no target. A third scoop and the target was out of the hole. I ran my fingers through the pile of wet sand and felt a ring. As I was pulling it out, Ryan saw it and said, “That’s it. That’s the Ring. You’re a lifesaver, you are incredible. Thank you “ No problem, I love doing this.
Thankfully Ryan knew where he had pulled the contents, out of his beach bag and he was pretty spot on. This is why it’s important to meet the client, at the location, whenever possible. Trying to describe an area, over the phone makes it just a little more difficult because what the client described, may not be what I see. Another advantage is the time factor. As soon as Greg called, I left to go search. Being retired allows me to just get up and leave. This is a major reason why I didn’t become The Ring Finders of Maine while still working. I would not be able to just up and leave work, unless I was looking to be fired. As I always say Time Is Of The Essence and this search was no exception. The longer an item is missing, in a public location, the ocean, etc, the more difficult it will be to recover the ring. Thankfully Greg and Ryan contacted me extremely quickly and everything worked out.
I am so thankful and happy that Ryan has his Wedding Ring back on his finger. Seeing the smile on Ryan’s face is such a great feeling. I have the best job in the world ❤️🙏

Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost In The Old Orchard Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Saturday morning, Saturday, June 14, 2025, my wife and I went up to Norway Maine, to visit her sister, who had surgery, earlier in the week. It was raining out and I didn’t think I would have any call outs, today. At approximately 10:25 am, I received the following text

“Hi! We lost a wedding ring on Old Orchard Beach, Maine and were wondering if we can get any help in finding it? Somewhere between The Brunswick and the OOB Pier. We will be checking for it in the morning- please let me know if you are available to assist at all!! Thanks!”

I replied

“Hi Rae, So sorry to hear this. I am in Norway, Maine, until late this afternoon. If you haven’t found it, I would be happy to help, once I get back.
Was it lost in the dry sand or wet sand/water?”

Rae replied

“Sounds great thank you so much!! We will definitely let you know if we find it. It was in the dry sand- thankfully it was also high tide so we don’t think it got washed away. I pinned our location when we noticed it was gone so it should be around this area”

With the text, she sent a photo, of the area to be searched.
She then sent me her husband’s name (Ben) and phone number.

Once I returned home, I gave Ben a call and told him I could be at the search area, around 4:00pm. I just needed to change clothes and get my equipment, into my vehicle. Ben told me he would meet me at The Brunswick and point out the area he thinks the ring would be in. I also conveyed a few concerns I had. 1) If the beach cleaning machine, had gone through the area, the wedding ring would most likely have been scooped up already. 2) Hopefully another detectorist hadn’t been through the area, as they may have found it already.
Once in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, parking was at an extreme premium. I ended up parking, down near Waves Motor Inn, close to a 1/2 mile from the search area and walked the beach, down to The Brunswick Old Orchard Beach.
I then met Ben, at The Brunswick and told him that the beach cleaning machine had not gone through the area. A definite positive for us. I then proceeded to ask him many questions, including why he thinks he lost his wedding ring, in this area and what metal is the ring made from? Ben told me that the ring was made of Tungsten and that he and his wife had been enjoying an evening at The Brunswick Nightclub . They left at approximately 12:30am, just before closing. They then walked down the beach a little bit and decided to take a swim. Ben took off his Shoes, Shirt, Watch and Wedding Ring, prior to going into the water. Ben had placed his watch and ring, inside one of his shoes and placed the shoes, on the beach. Once out of the water, Ben picked up his shirt and shoes, forgetting his ring and watch, we’re in the shoe. Before he knew it, the ring had fallen out, somewhere between where his shoes were, to where he now was, walking towards the street. Luckily he had the watch. He and his wife walked the area but could not find his ring, inside the extremely dark beach. They decided to come back and search, in the daylight, the next morning. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t find his ring and contacted me.
I told Ben that I would start, the grid search , at the top of the banking and grid search back and forth, working my way down towards the wet sand. After a couple of grid lines, I couldn’t go down any further, on the banking, because there were a group of people there. I told Ben I would go back up the banking and search that area, until the group of people left and if I didn’t find the ring, up in the dry sand, I would resume the search, down lower on the banking. Up on the dry sand, I was finding the usual pull tabs, foil and miscellaneous pieces of aluminum. I was also find some coins, but no wedding ring. I then saw the group of people had left and went back down, to where I had left off. As I was approaching the area, the group of people were in, I received a fantastic sound, from my metal detector and a VDI reading 30. I looked at Ben and told him that I really liked this target. I couldn’t guarantee it was his ring but it just sounded so good and definitely in the Tungsten range, with that VDI screening of 30. Ben came over closer to me, as I was searching the sand, with my pinpointer. I located the target with the pinpointer and as I searched the sand, with my fingers, I felt a ring. I pulled it out of the sand, looked at Ben and showed him the ring as I told him, “Congratulations, I got your ring”. Ben just looked at me with a big smile and said, “ Amazing, Thank you so much”. I had asked Ben earlier about how long has he and his wife been married. He told me a little under one year. Awesome, still newlyweds and I just recovered his wedding ring, just in time, for their first anniversary. I was smiling ear to ear myself. I absolutely love being able to provide this service to people who have lost very sentimental items. It’s such a great feeling and very addicting.
Here’s wishing Rae and Ben a very happy first anniversary, with many more to follow ❤️🙏🍾🥂💞

White Gold Engagement Ring, Lost In The Sand At Goose Rocks Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Thursday morning June 12th, I was searching, for a lost heirloom necklace, in Ocean Park, Maine. As I searched, my phone kept going off with both phone calls and text messages. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even see the screen of my phone, because the sun was so bright and I could not see anything but a blank screen, I decided I would get to a shady area and see what was going on, but not until I found this lost necklace. Once I found the necklace, approximately half hour later, I walked up to the gazebo area, of Ocean Park Beach, next to the library and across the street from the Ocean Park Soda Fountain. I was waiting for my wife, Cheryl, to return and pick me up. As I sat on the bench, I noticed two missed calls, voice mails, a text message and a Facebook Messenger notification. The following is from the dictation, from the voicemail

““Hi, my name is Lauren. We are on the beach and one of our friends lost her engagement ring. We just wanted to inquire more about your services. If you can give me a call back at 781-XXX-XXXX, that would be great thank you.…”

Lauren’s text message and Facebook Messenger were the same.

“Hi! My friend lost her engagement ring on Gooserocks Beach Kennebunkport. We were wondering if you may be able to help us?”

With three different forms of communication, I knew someone was frantic and in desperate need of my Emergency Metal Detecting Services.
I immediately called Lauren back and she told me that a group of friends had gone to the beach and after being there for just a short period of time, one of the women noticed she no longer had her engagement ring on. Lauren told me that some of the women went to the vehicle and searched the vehicle for the ring, while the remaining group of friends searched around the circle of chairs they had set up, on the beach. Neither search was successful so some of the group, went back to the house and searched for the ring there. Again, no ring was found. So they went back to the beach and that is when Lauren contacted me and left the messages. I told Lauren that I would be happy to help and I could be there in approximately 45 minutes or so. Lauren told me that the group of friends were on the beach, at the Proctor Avenue beach entrance. I told her that I knew exactly where that was and would be there shortly.

Once Cheryl and I arrived at Goose Rocks Beach, Maine, we entered the beach, at Proctor Ave and we were immediately waved to by a group of 8 women. One of the women walked towards us and introduced herself as Meaghan. Meaghan said it is her engagement ring that was lost but has no idea when or where it came off. She then went through the events of the morning and they were the same as what Lauren had conveyed, to me. Meaghan had her ring on at the house and then at the beach, it was gone. Meaghan thought the most likely scenario was that the ring was in or just outside of the circle of chairs, beach bags, etc., that she had carried down to and placed on the beach. If the ring was not in this area, it could be somewhere in the 75 feet or so of beach, from the access path, to where they had settled in for the day. It could also be out along the street, where they had parked and taken all the beach essentials, down onto the beach. There is a strip of sand along that area of street and I would need to search that also, if the ring wasn’t found, on the beach. It was then mentioned by someone in the group that Meaghan is getting married in September and this is her Bachelorette Get Away. Ok, Take a deep breath, no pressure to find this ring. I really wanted to find this ring quickly. I could see the extreme anxiety on Meaghan’s face and I want to turn that anxiety into a big smile.

I told the group that I would perform a grid search, just outside the chairs, where they all thought the ring most likely was and is the location where everything was placed, when they first arrived at the beach. I just needed to move the metal chairs back a little further, so they wouldn’t interfere with my metal detector and the women all moved their chairs back. I asked Meaghan what the metal is, that the engagement ring is made out of. Meaghan then told me it is White Gold band. I then took out a White Gold Engagement Ring and threw it into the sand. I do this for two reasons, 1) I will get my metal detector setup , to my liking, with the metal I am looking for. 2) It will show the client how the metal detector sounds, when the coil goes over the ring. I have found that my clients enjoy seeing this and after seeing me do this and in a way, comforts them. When I threw the ring, into the sand, I saw a few eyes get really big and a few gasps, from the group. They must have thought I was crazy. I then made a few adjustments to my detector and swung the coil over the sand. When the coil went over the setup gold ring, it went off nice and loud and I could hear the excitement, from the group. I now started my grid search and the area was not very large, taking just 5 minutes or so. I did not find the ring, nor anything else, for that matter. No trash or coins. When I didn’t find it, we talked about grid searching the 75 or so feet, up to the access path. Something told me to search deeper, in the circle of chairs first. This was so I would’t have to come back and search this area, if the ring wasn’t found, going up to the access path. I took a step deeper, into where the chairs were and started searching. As I was approaching the northern end of the area, the detector started sounding off. A nice loud low tone and a reading of 07-08 on the VDI screen. I could see the excitement and anticipation on the faces of the women in the group, when they heard the sound being emitted, by my detector. I told them I couldn’t guarantee this signal was the ring but that I really liked the sound of it. I then took my pinpointer out and located the target, in the sand.I reached into the sand and came up empty. I felt around and felt something solid, looked down and picked a ring up with a diamond on it. I had found Meaghan’s engagement ring and when I held the ring up, for all to see, all kinds of screaming, yelling and celebrating took place. Meaghan came over, got her ring and gave me a nice big hug. I could see her happy tears and others in the group were also misty eyed. Everyone was just so happy for her. What started out a a wonderful Bachelorette get away, turned into a nightmare and then back to a happy place, for the group of friends. Now with the mood much lighter, I could hear some comments being made, from the group. “Hey Meaghan, you going to tell your mother? “Meaghan, DON’T tell your fiancé!” All in good fun and the laughing continued, now that her engagement was back on her finger. Later in the evening, I received some more messages from Lauren, “thank you sooo much Dennis!!! “ Lauren also sent me some photos and a video, that the group had taken. Lauren even put the video out on TikTok and told me it already had 5,000 views. It is always a great feeling when the client reaches back out to me, later and still thanking me. It’s such a great feeling and blessing to be able to help people out, in their time of need.
Cheryl and I would like to wish Meaghan a wonderful wedding this September and a long prosperous life, with her husband to be.💍❤️🍾🥂

Passed Down Heirloom Gold Necklace with Lion Pendant, Lost In The Beach Sand of Ocean Park, Maine, Found With a Metal Detector.

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

Thursday morning, Cheryl and I saw our 8 year old granddaughter off to her last day of 2nd grade. Once the commotion settled down, Cheryl and I decided to go on a bike ride, from Saco, Maine, through Old Orchard Beach, Maine and into the Town of Scarborough, Maine, via the Eastern Trail. This is just over 13 miles round trip and usually takes approximately a little over an hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending how long we stop at the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, while we rehydrate. While at the Scarborough Marsh, I checked my phone and saw I had a voicemail, from someone, this is his message

“So I don’t know if this is Dennis or not but I lost my grandfather’s gold necklace at Ocean Park, Maine, on the beach yesterday, it was like 3 or 4 o’clock, so if you can get back to me and help me with that thank you, bye…”

I immediately called back and my call also went to Voicemail. I told him that I could absolutely help him out but I was in Scarborough, Maine and would be home in approximately 35 minutes and if he could call me then, I will go search, in Ocean Park Beach.
As I was exiting The Eastern Trail, just behind Thornton Academy, in Saco, my phone rang. I immediately stopped and answered. The person identified himself as Dakota. When I asked him to explain to me what had happened, he told me that he had taken his gold necklace off, while at the beach, in Ocean Park. He was going into the water and didn’t want to lose his Grandfather’s necklace, in the water, so he took it off and placed it on his sweatshirt, which was just laying on the sand, next to his beach chair. Once out of the water and back in his beach chair, Dakota forgot about the necklace, on his sweatshirt. As they were leaving for the day, Dakota picked up his chair and belongings, still not remembering the necklace. He and his friend, then left the beach.
The next morning, when he got up and was getting ready for his day, he noticed he wasn’t wearing the Gold Necklace that had been passed down to him, after his Grandfather passed away. Panic set in and Dakota rushed back to Ocean Park, from his home, in the City of Westbrook, Maine. Once in Ocean Park, Dakota visually searched but was unable to locate the necklace. He then drove to Conway, New Hampshire and retrieved his father’s metal detector, to search the area, once he returned to Ocean Park. Dakota told me that he knew nothing about his father’s metal detector and thats why he called me. I told Dakota that I could be in OP in approximately 35-40 minutes as I still had to ride the rest of the way home. WOW, an inherited necklace, passed down from his grandfather. I just had to find this.
Once home, I loaded my equipment into my vehicle and Cheryl and I headed to OP. Once we parked and were walking up Randall Ave, I saw someone with a metal detector walking up the beach access boardwalk and yelled out to him. Dakota held up and the three of us walked onto the beach, where Dakota had been yesterday. Dakota pointed out the area his chair and sweatshirt were and we came up with a plan, where I would grid search an area about 30’ X 75’. He was certain the necklace would be in this area. I asked Dakota if there were any pendants on the necklace. He told me there was a gold Lion Pendant, on the necklace.
I told Dakota that he was lucky that the beach cleaning machine hadn’t gone through the area this morning, otherwise, the necklace would almost certainly be gone forever. I also conveyed a concern I had about the necklace already being found, by a passerby or another detectorist. It is my experience, over the last 25 years that a necklace usually does not just disappear beneath the sand when dropped. There is just too much area mass. Last summer I three necklaces were recovered and THEY WERE ALL STILL PARTIALLY VISIBLE, THE NEXT DAY. The same with most bracelets and watches. They usually disappear, if they get stepped on but until then, anyone walking by could potentially see the necklace and just pick it up.
As I started my grid search, horizontally, to the beach, I was finding very much of anything. Maybe 8-10 pieces of foil, pull tabs and small pieces of other non ferrous metals. After finishing the area, Dakota thought the ring would be in, I asked him which beach access path he had exited the beach from. He told me the same path, we entered the beach from. I then told him I would grid search the area towards the Randall Ave access path. I went approximately 50’ and nothing. I turned around and headed back towards Dakota. At about 20’-25’ , I received my best tone of the search and a reading of 12-13, on my VDI screen. Definitely a non ferrous, low conductive metal and definitely in the gold range. I looked in the area of my coil but couldn’t see anything. I pulled out my pinpointer and found the target. I scooped a handful of sand away and still couldn’t see anything. I didn’t want to damage the necklace so I hadn’t brought my beach scoop. I then took another handful of sand and threw it to the side. That is when I saw a gold necklace. I looked over At Dakota and said “ I found your necklace”. For the first time since I had arrived, Dakota had a smile and came right over. I still couldn’t see the lion pendant but I wanted Dakota to see the necklace, the same way I saw it and didn’t want to disturb it. Dakota arrived, looking at the necklace and said “That’s it”. Dakota just looked so relieved and thanked me again for helping him out and finding his extremely sentimental necklace and pendant, that had belonged to his grandfather. It’s such a great feeling to be able to help people like Dakota. Thinking his grandfather’s necklace was gone forever and now almost 18 hours of being lost, he is walking off the beach with it, along with a smile on his face.

« Do Not Duplicate Key » Lost In Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Found With A metal Detector and Returned To Owner

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
While out on a search, for some lost missing rings, I found a freshly dropped Key. Once home that night, I was looking at the key and noticed it was a “Do Not Duplicate” key and the locksmiths name and phone number was on the key, to call if found. The locksmiths name is Fortier’s Lock, and a Maine phone number is also on the key. After an internet search, I found Fortier’s Security Center, formerly Fortier’s Locksmith and is located in Lewiston, Maine,  approximately 50 minutes north of me. Now, Fortier’s Security Center is the oldest locksmith in Maine. It is family owned and has been in business since 1921. WOW, over 100 years old and still family owned.
So I called the number the next morning, Saturday, but they were closed until Monday. Monday rolled around and I called again. This time I was able to reach them and explained to her, what I had found. She told me they could locate the owner by the serial numbers, on the key. I gave her the serial numbers and she would call the owner. Perfect, I will be able to return the key, once the owner called me, after being contacted by Fortier’s Security Center. Wednesday came and I still hadn’t heard anything. I called Fortier’s Security Center and the employee told me they had left a message for the owner of the key because no one had answered their phone call. They would call the owner again and try to make contact. I received no call on Wednesday or Thursday.
So on Friday I decided to drive toLewiston, Maine and drop the key off myself, to Fortier’s Security Center. Cheryl and I were heading to Athens, Maine, for a funeral, on Friday and we would be driving right by Lewiston, on our way to Athens. We would just get off the Maine Turnpike and drop the key off to Fortier’s Center, on Lisbon Street. As luck would have it, Fortier’s Security Center is just off the turnpike exit and I would be able to get right back on the road. Once I arrived at the location, I went inside and was immediately approached by the owner. I showed him the key and explained the situation. He assured me that the owner would get the key back and they would call them again today. Thankfully the records show who the owner is and the owner will soon have their key back.  So, now I have returned the key and although it may not be as flashy as a diamond engagement ring being returned, it is a return of a key that may  unlock a safe deposit box that holds jewelry and gold coins. Well I can dream, can’t I.

Gold Masonic Ring Lost Doing Yard Work, In Scarborough Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I received the following message, from Sam, on Monday night.

“Hey there, my grandfather lost his Masonic Ring that was bought for him by my grandmother. He is extremely stubborn and insists if he can’t find it he’s going to buy a new one.. He lost it in his backyard somewhere, I haven’t had the chance to look yet, but I hear you guys are the best! Let me know if this is something you could help with!”

It’s always nice when someone tells you that they hear “you guys are the best!” It will also be my first search, for a Masonic Ring. I then replied

“Hi Sam, I am so sorry to hear this. We can certainly find rings, in backyards. So a few questions first, if you don’t mind. 1) How long ago did he lose it? 2) What makes him think it was lost in the backyard? Did he see or feel it come off? 3) What city or town would the search take place? Thank you, Dennis”

Sam replied

“He lost it while working in the yard, he thinks back, but could be the front. It was lost about a week ago. He says he didn’t feel it come off. He’s in Scarborough, Maine.”

I replied

“OK, So fairly recently then. I would recommend that the lawns SHOULD NOT BE MOWED, until the area is searched. We have found damaged and thrown rings, that a lawnmower has hit.
So I do not charge for my Emergency Metal Detecting Services or my time. I do however, require a Transportation Fee, to cover my Gas, Tolls, Wear and Tear etc.. The transportation fee to Scarborough is $25.00 and that’s it.”

Sam agreed to go ahead and search for his Grandfather’s Masonic Ring. I told him I would be at his grandparents home at 8:00am the next morning. Sam told me his grandparents were good, for that time and his grandfather would show me the exact areas, he had been working.
I arrived at 8:00am, as promised and Sam’s grandfather came right out to meet me. He introduced himself, as Lee. Lee then explains that approximately 10 days earlier, he had been doing some yard work. He had planted two new flowers, by digging the holes and bringing the dug up soil, out back and dumped in a pile. He then put new potting soil in the holes and planted the flowers. He had walked back and forth across the front lawn a few times, between the flag pole and the house. That was the extent of his movement that day, up until he realized he no longer had his Masonic Ring on. Lee told me he was extremely sure I wouldn’t find the ring, under the new flowers. He had already removed the flowers and the new potting soil, down to the hard pan dirt. Lee then visually and physically searched the two holes and the potting soil. No ring was found. If the ring was on the property, it would be on the grassy lawn. I asked Lee if the lawn had been mowed, since losing his ring. He confirmed it had been mowed and I just kind of lost a little bounce, out of my step, so to speak. Once a ring has a lawnmower go over it, all bets are off. The lawnmower could have hit the ring, sending it flying in all kind of different areas. The lawnmower can also damage rings, beyond repair. I then confirmed with Lee that the ring is a Gold Ring. I took out a sample gold ring, which happens to be my actual 1974 Thornton Academy High School Class Ring, which most resembled the Masonic Ring, according to Lee. Ithrew it up into the air a few times and each time the ring was still visible, to our eyes, on the well manicured lawn. I then set the detector up, to the best settings, to find the Masonic Ring. I then ran the coil over my class ring and it went off nice and loud, so Lee could see how the detector works. Now to get to work.

I told Lee that I would grid search, from where we stood, in the driveway, to the plants on the other side of the lawn. I would search just inside the flagpole, back ann forth, up to the house. The lawn to be grid searched wasn’t a large area at all and I figured I could cover the entire front lawn in 25-30 minutes. I searched the newly planted flowers at the end of the first line. Nothing under the plants, other than a small nail. I then turned around and took a 1/2 step over and continued the search, now heading back towards the driveway. I repeated this 3 more times and other than coins, buried in the soil, absolutely nothing was found. I started talking to Lee again, about that day. He was certain the ring should have been in the area but it could also be in the discarded soil. So we went out back and I searched the soil there. Nothing again. I then told Lee that the ring may have come off while he was taking the wheel barrel out back, to dump the soil. I explained that I would start grid searching, that area. Wasn’t a large area at all and wouldn’t take long. While standing there I reached down and gave Lee the nail, I had found under one of the plants. He told me that wasn’t one of the plants he had been working on. He then told me it was the two flower plants. One that we were next to and the other plant was two plants over, going towards the street. I had totally misunderstood which plants had been worked on. I told Lee I would check the other flower plant, right now. We both walked over and my first swing, under the flowers, produced a nice low tone. I swung a few more times and saw my VDI Screen was reading between three numbers,, 27, 28, 29. Those are definitely numbers I am interested in, while searching for gold rings. I took my pinpointer and stuck it into the fresh potting soil. Nothing found. I tried again and again. On the third attempt, I located the target and removed some potting soil. Didn’t see or feel anything. I then removed another handful of the soil and I caught a glimpse of something gold. I reached into the hole, grabbed it, stood up and flashed the Masonic Ring to Lee, “I found your ring”. Lee was absolutely stunned. He said “I was absolutely sure you wouldn’t find it under the plants. I had taken them out and searched the soil myself”. Lee kept saying how he just couldn’t believe I had found his ring and he was absolutely certain, I wouldn’t find it. Thankfully for Lee I let my Metal Detector do my looking. I know my eyesight isn’t isn’t what it once was. I also know Lee is one happy man, to have his ring back on his finger, where it belongs. I love helping others out, when they need my Emergency Metal Detecting Services. It’s truly a great feeling to return such a sentimental item back to the owner. Congratulations Lee❤️🙏

Limited Edition Watch Lost In The Wells Beach, Maine Sand,Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I received the following message, from Mike at 11:00pm, last night. I didn’t see the message, until this morning, when I promptly replied, at 5:43am.

“I recently lost a watch on Wells Beach is this something you guys might be able to find?

Somewhere in the red circle the blue is the beach entrance.”

Mike also sent me  a photo, of the area, he thinks he lost the watch in.

My reply to Mike.

“Good Morning Mike, I am so sorry to hear this. I can certainly attempt to find the watch and have found watches, in the past. A few questions first, if you wouldn’t mind.            

1)   How long ago was the watch lost?

2)  This area that the watch was lost in, did you see or feel the watch come off in this area? Just trying to figure out why you think this is the area, the watch was lost in.                                                       

3)   Does the watch have a metal band or other material? What king of watch, Apple, etc.?                                                                                                                                                     

       “Thank you, Dennis”

Mike immediately replied along with a photo of the watch!

“Hey! Thanks for responding Sunday afternoon i lost it, and no I didn’t feel it come off I was with my 2 kids messing around in the sand wrestling around and we took a photo after we started walking off the beach and it wasn’t in the photo. I have a wrist band on the same wrist and had a long sleeve on so must not have felt it. And yes it’s all metal heavy watch Oceaneva is the brand it’s all black. I’ve searched everywhere but the beach dude, to me not living near by there”

My reply to Mike

“Ok, A few concerns. 1) My 25 years experience is that unlike a ring, watches do not immediately disappear under the sand. They usually fall on top of the sand and are visible, until someone steps on it, the wind blows sand over the top, etc.. 2) I am not familiar with the cleaning schedule, of the beach, in Wells. I have been told that Wells Beach has a dedicated beach cleaning machine. Not positive but  it’s likely that tractor-towed sand cleaning machines or smaller, self-propelled machines are used, along with manual cleanups by volunteers. With Memorial Day weekend this weekend, I would assume the beaches are being cleaned, before the rain starts tomorrow. Do you know if the beach cleaning machines have been out yet?

If you are interested, I can certainly search for it this afternoon or very early in the morning, around 7:00am. I am already booked this morning and not sure how long it will take me.. I may even be able to get another detectorist to go with me, to cover a larger area, quicker. I do not charge for my time or service but do require a $25.00 Transportation Fee to Wells Beach and that includes my buddy, at no extra charge, as he will ride with me. The Transportation Fee is to cover my Gas, Tolls, Wear and Tear, etc.. Let me know if this is acceptable and I will get on it today or tomorrow morning.”

As I started to think of the situation, I just knew I had to get to Wells Beach, right now, this morning. So I contacted my client, in Cape Elizabeth and explained the Emergency situation, concerning a missing watch, in a public place, where a beach cleaning machine, could sweep it up and be gone forever. My client was in complete agreement and we rescheduled the search for her property marker, until tomorrow morning, early, before 2-3 days of rain arrive.

I then contacted Gary Hill, to see if he was available to help me search, the fairly large area. Gary was available and on board with helping me. My estimate was a 3-4 hour search, by myself and Gary would help me cut that time in half, by helping me.

So Gary and I set out to Weels Beach, to search for the watch, which had been lost, three days earlier. Once we arrived, the parking situation was very dire. Atlantic Ave is a “No Parking, Either Side of the Street” area. Understandable as the area is extremely busy in the summer and the Avenue is not very wide. The beach entrance, we needed to use, to access the beach, is almost directly across from Seaside Cottages, a summertime favorite of vacationers, visiting the area. I went to the office and met Pauls, the owner and explained the situation and Paula recognized me and enthusiastically, without hesitation, agreed to  let me park, on her property. A BIG SHOUTOUT TO PAULA. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Gary and I then got our gear and headed the the beach. We decided to grid search the area, horizontally to the water. Gary would start up near the beach entrance and I would start down at the high tide mark, in the wet sand. We also decided to expand the search, to the north and the south, by approximately 25-30 feet, just in case the watch was lost, outside of where Mike thought it would be. Back and forth we went, finishing a grid line and then taking a 1/2 step over, turning around and heading back to the area, we had started. The 1/2 step over would also let us overlap our swings, making sure we don’t miss any areas. Neither one of use were finding much of anything at all, a penny, a few pull tabs and some small pieces of foil. After 40 minutes,  I sent a message to Mike , telling him we weren’t having any luck, locating the keys The beach seemed to be too clean and I started to worry the beach cleaning machine may have already gone through. Truthfully, I am not even sure Wells Beach has a beach cleaning machine but assumed so, because other major beaches, in the area, do have them. As time passed Gary and I were getting closer and closer to echoer and the real estate between us was shrinking. Time was running out when I finally heard a strong signal, to my right. I swung my coil back to the area, looked down and could see something black, partially covered in sand. The Watch? Keys? As I took a couple steps over and looked down, I could tell it was a Black Watch. I had found Mike’s watch. I took a few photos of the watch, as I found it and the picked the watch up and yelled over to Gary, “ARE YOU READY TO GO HOME”.? Gary smiled and laughed and came right over.

As we are standing there, I get a message from Mike,

“Ok, maybe someone picked it up already.”

Mike’s message was perfect timing and I replied to Mike

“NOPE! I just found it”

Mike replied

“Nooooo Wayyy. Oh my God. You guys are the best. That’s so crazy

I’ll leave work right now and meet you guys somewhere.

I honestly can’t thank you guys enough.”

We then made plans to stay put and Mike would meet us at the location, we had found the watch. Because he works at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Kittery, he told us he would be there at 12:25pm, approximately 30 minutes later. Gary and I then went and thanked Paula again, for letting us park, on her property, while we searched. Paula was also amazed we ad found the watch and extremely happy, for Mike.

Mike arrived as planned and was extremely happy and in disbelief, the watch had been found. Mike explains to Gary and I the significance of the watch. The watch was a numbered watch. Only 1,000 were made and he had #58/1000. The watch is also a diving watch, filled with helium and able to withstand the pressure, up  to 9,900 feet down, not that he would.The watch was also presented to him, by a family friend, a former Navy Seal. WOW!!! This watch has so much sentimental value to Mike. So much, that he immediately left work, to come and get the wash, right then and there.

It looks like the pin, holding the watchband together, had broken and that is probably why it fell off. This most likely happened as he and his two boys, as they were wrestling and running around the beach. Mike said he has spare parts, for the watch at home and would try to fix it himself, after a thorough cleaning.

It was a pleasure and honor to find and return Mike’s very precious and sentimental watch. To see his beaming smile, when he received the watch back, is so rewarding for Gary and I. Now, Mike can sleep easier tonight, knowing his watch is home, where it belongs.

 

Gold Wedding Ring Lost For 25+ Years, in The Greene, Maine Woods, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I will say,  if this wasn’t the most challenging search for me, it is in the top 2. It all started when I received a text message, from Randy. This is his original text, from March 12th, 2025.

“Hi my name is Randy
Saw your story on Facebook. I lost a ring in our back yard a number of years ago. I live in Greene and are planning to relocate in a year.
I’d like to be able to retrieve it before we leave the area.
Kindly let me know if you are interested in this challenging hunt. Thanks”

I replied

“Hi Randy, So sorry to hear this. Searching for this ring is certainly something we can do. A few questions 1st, if you wouldn’t mind

1) How long ago did you lose the ring and why do you think the ring was lost in the backyard? Did you see or feel the ring come off?

2) How large of an area is your backyard and is it grass, field, woods, etc.. If need be, I can bring someone with me to cover a larger area.

3) Were you looking to have the search, this spring, after the snow melt?”

Randy replied,
“The ring was lost 20+ years
I sadly threw it into a cleared wooded area on my property with about a few pine trees approx 6ft tall

It is overgrown now with 30-40 foot trees however storms have dropped many of trees

As far as timeline for searching, whatever is easier for you.
We still have a fair amount of snow here.
It’s my original wedding ring.”

WAIT, WHAT? 20 + YEARS AND IN THE WOODS?  Randy was certainly correct about this being challenging
I replied
“Ok, So the ring is in the wooded area and you remember the area? I will say that 20+ years is an extremely long time. Not impossible but it certainly would be a challenge. My concern would be a tree or roots are now over it. I can search as soon as the snow is gone and the ground is no longer frozen. I found a wedding ring, last August or September that was lost in 1982. It was only 5-6 inches deep, but on a manicured lawn.

Randy replied,
“Yes I know exactly the direction and approx 150 ft from edge of lawn
I searched by hand years ago but was not successful
I’m retired so just reach out whenever “

So today, just over 2 months after being contacted by Randy, I enlisted Gary Hill, to assist me on such a large and difficult search. We arrived at Randy’s home, in Greene, Maine at just after 8:00am. Randy showed us an orange traffic cone that he had placed on his lawn. Randy told us he was standing there when he threw his ring, “as far as I could”, after a disagreement, with his wife (Hey, it happens and who are we to judge). Randy immediately and seriously regretted his actions and went out in the woods, searching for his ring. Unfortunately he was not able to find it and he continued searching for days and would occasionally search, years later. Now Gary and I headed out into the woods with Randy and he showed us the area, he thought the ring would be in. We put up orange markers on the trees, to the north and south, that would serve as our boundary markers. The plan was to start there and grid search, as best we could, towards the house and orange cone, on the lawn. Unfortunately, the closer we got to the house the thicker the downed trees and branches became. So thick and deep, we couldn’t swing our detectors properly. It was that bad and I even got jabbed by some downed branches, on a tree. It caused a cut on my leg and drew blood, but not serious. We were very careful of the branches that were eye level. Gary and I did’t want to go home blind.

After searching for 2 1/2 hours, in the area that Randy thought the ring would be, Gary and I started to expand the search area, with a consultation, from Randy. He thought the ring may be further into the woods and possibly a little more to the north, of the original search area. I would search deeper into the woods and Gary would search just north, where the downed trees and branches were extremely troublesome. Gary and I told each other that it would be a 1 in a million chance of finding the ring, under all the downed trees and branches. My thinking was that the entire area, closer to the house was very likely the area the ring was in and Gary agreed. We just didn’t think the ring would be as far back in the woods, as Randy thought it would be. But how do you search an area, with dead trees, on the ground. Throughout the search, we would move branches, as best we could, but there were many, we were not able to move. Very frustrating to think the ring could be under one of the trees or branches, that we just couldn’t move. As I was finishing up the area, deeper in the woods, I started up towards the house, to see how Gary was doing. He was 50-60 feet north of the boundary, of where th ring should be and in a thicket of downed branches. I decided to search a little closer to the original area, but still just north of it. We have now been searching for 3 hours and 15 minutes when I hear Gary yell out, “I GOT IT. I FOUND THE RING.” I yelled back, “REALLY, THATS AWESOME.” I then made my way over to Gary and there in the hole was a Gold Wedding Ring, UNBELIEVABLE. GREAT JOB GARY!!!!! I then summoned Randy back into the woods and when he saw his Wedding Ring for the 1st time in almost 30 years, he said ”SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.” Randy then looked around to where the orange traffic cone was and just could’t believe how far north of the search are, the ring was found (Watch the full video of his reaction, posted earlier today.)

As all 3 of us were standing around talking about just how lucky Randy was that the ring was found. After all it was a good 60-70 feet from where Randy thought it was. Gary was expanding the search area and BAM, there it was. Randy the told us he didn’t remember the exact year the ring was lost, other than it was between the years 1997 and 2000. So 25 to 28 years lost in the woods and Randy has his original Wedding Ring back, just in time for his 35th Anniversary. Randy mentioned that he and his wife will most likely renew their vows, on their upcoming Anniversary. Now Randy will have his original Wedding Ring and another Wedding Ring he purchased, just after losing his first one.
Gary and I were just beaming, all the way home, knowing that we have put another smile on someone’s face, once again. Randy was just so happy and in disbelief of the ring being found. No better feeling in the world than to help others find their lost items and return them, to the rightful owner.

Diamond Stud Earring With White Gold Post And Setting, Lost In Wells, Maine Grass,Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I received the following message, from Jennifer, on Friday night, May 9th.

“Hi! I lost a diamond earring in my backyard. Do you think you can help me locate it? We live in the Moodysection of Wells, Maine”.

I replied

“Hi Jennifer, I am so sorry to hear this. Are you sure it was lost in the yard? Did you see or feel it coming off?
Also, do you still have the matching earring, so I may set my detector up with it? Gold stud earrings are the most difficult to locate because there is so little metal on them. With that said, I do have a program that does a great job, on stud earrings. I would just like to use the matching earring, for setup and testing. We can keep it in a zipped sandwich bag, so that doesn’t get lost”.

Jennifer’s reply

“Hi! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!
Yes, I felt my fingers go to my ear and pull. Was being pulled by my dogs. I saw the earring “go flying.” I have a general idea where it could be. Just can’t see it.
I do have the matching earring”.

I then asked her a bunch more questions and she told me that the earring was just lost a hour earlier, at 7:00pm. She also told me that the lawn had been mowed, earlier in the day and the law had no stand water or muddy areas. This was all good to know and would help in the search. I then told Jennifer that I would come down tomorrow afternoon Wells, once the rain stopped, the next day. I would access the situation and see just what the lawn area looked like and just how wet and muddy it was or wasn’t. If I could search after the rain stopped, I would. If the area was bigger than I thought, I could come back in the next few days, with someone to help me. If the area was as small as I thought, I couldn’t have two of us in the same area, because our metal detectors would interfere with each other’s machine. Stud earrings are extremely difficult to find, due to the lack of metal on the post. Any interference would result in false signals and we may not find the earring.
After the heavy rain stopped, I drove down to the Moody section of Wells, Maine, and met Jennifer. She gave me the other earring and I made some adjustments to my Minelab Manticore and the earring was picked up with no problems. My pinpointer also was picking the earring up with no issues.

Jennifer then took me to the backyard and showed me the area she was in, when the dog pulled her forward, resulting in the earring flying off, into the grassy abyss. Jennifer and her family showed me where they visually searched the area, immediately after losing it. They even used flashlights, after dark. Unfortunately the grass was wet from all the rain we have been having and the water on the grass was glistening to much, to be useful. I looked at the area and decided I would grid search, from just behind a pit on the lawn, to the neighbors driveway. I would then take a half step over and head back towards the pit. I needed to make sure I was overlapping my previous grid line, so as to not miss anything. I also was swinging my metal detector extremely slowly, so the processor could pick up all the non ferrous low conductor targets. My first grid line was approximately 30 – 40’ and took me 15 minutes to grid search it. I was going very slowly and being deliberate, checking every target two and three times. I then started back towards the pit and I had a non ferrous low conductor target, ringing up on my VDI screen between 01 and 03. This was the same reading I was receiving , with Jennifer’s matching earring. Unfortunately I couldn’t see anything, in the grass. To be through, I removed my pinpointer and moved some grass, still couldn’t see anything. I then started moving the pinpointer through the grass and the pinpointer found the target. I pushed the grass aside and staring right back at me was a Diamond Stud Earring. I Stood up and saw Jennifer visually searching, while running her fingers through the grass and I said “Jennifer, I found your earring”. Jennifer was very surprised and came right over. I showed her exactly how I found the earring and then stood the grass back up, so the earring was no longer visible. She then told me “You’re my hero” and we then hugged. She was so happy to have her Diamond Earring back, especially since tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I just absolutely love being able to recover and return lost items It’s the best feeling in the world.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mothers out there. I hope you have a FANTASTIC day🌹❤️🙏