#old Orchard Beach metal detector rental Tag | The Ring Finders

Engagement Ring Lost in The Sabattus, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I received the following text, on Friday, January 31st, 2025

“Hello. My daughter lost her engagement ring in our driveway under snow. Can you help to locate? What is approximate charge?
I live in Sabattus Maine. I have the area near my driveway and lawn about 10×30 area identified. No trees Or obstacles”.

I replied

“Hello, So sorry to hear this. When was the ring lost?
I do not charge for my time or service. I do however have a Transportation Fee. This is to cover my gas, tolls, wear and tear etc..
I will tell you that I am not available today. I will be able to go up there, 1st thing tomorrow morning.
I have 3 appointments today, including a Physical Therapy session, after my recent left knee replacement”.

His reply
“Ring lost Wednesday two days ago. We sifted thru the snow, melted it in house tub but found nothing. I would like your help to check area by car in driveway? Tomorrow is fine”.

I then asked for some more information, his name, address and what the metal was that the ring was made of.
Gary N****** is his name and the ring was 14K White Gold. I told Gary we would be up around 9:00am and I would bring some test rings, to set the detectors up with and to show them how metal detecting works.

Saturday morning, Gary Hill picked me up at 7:45am and we made the approximately 1 hour drive to Sabattus, just a little northeast of Lewiston, Maine and Auburn, Maine. I still have not been cleared to drive, after my recent Total Left Knee Replacement and with Gary driving, it was all good. I am very close to being cleared and hopefully be driving again, soon. Until then, I’ll follow Dr’s orders. It was still snowing as we drove to Sabattus and with the stiff winds, the temperature was only 4 degrees. So glad we have all of our cold weather gear as who knows how long we will need to search.

Once we arrived at the search area, in Sabattus, Gary Hill and I were met by Gary N. and his daughter, Samantha. Gary Hill had already turned his detector on, and searched the driveway, as we walked, up the driveway. I was talking to Samantha and her Father and they were
Explaining that Samantha had been cleaning the snow, off of her car, Wednesday morning, after the overnight snowstorm. Samantha was standing next to her car , shaking the snow, off her hands, when she felt the ring go flying off her finger. She was uncertain, as to which way the ring went flying but was confident the Engagement Ring, was somewhere, on the front lawn, not to far from the vehicle, she was cleaning off.
As Samantha was telling me the circumstances, leading up to the ring being lost, Gary Hill had been searching the area, approximately 6 feet out from the car and as he took a step closer, to the car, Gary had a very nice signal on his VDI screen, reading 12. A definite low conductor and Gary said the tone sure sounded like gold. As we watched on, Gary moved some snow away, with his hands and pinpointer. Then, THERE IT WAS, the engagement ring was clearly visible to all of us. Smiles broke out, happy tears were flowing and all in less than 5 minutes. I never even turned my detector on and the ring was back with Samantha, where it belongs.
Samantha then told us that she recently became engaged, back in October, while on a trip to The Grand Teton National Park, in Wyoming. Samantha’s fiancé had even had the proposal videotaped, under the guise of videotaping some animals. Samantha was totally surprised and unaware of the proposal and it was all caught on camera, to watch over and over again. Samantha also told us that her fiancé, designed, this very special ring.
Gary Hill and I are extremely happy to have been able to help Samantha, in her time of need and to see her smile and happy tears as she put the ring, back on her finger. There is no better feeling than to see the smiles on the faces of our clients. Samantha will now be in The Ring Finders of Maine, “Book of Smiles”, forever. Gary and I wishing Samantha and her fiancé a wonderful wedding and marital blessings ❤️🙏

Engagement Ring Lost In A Pile Of Hay, In Shapleigh, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Friday morning, January 17, 2025, my phone rang but because of my recent knee surgery, I was unable to reach it quickly. When I did reach it, I had the following voicemail

“Yes, Hi Dennis, this is Nick ****** calling. I found your information on the Internet that you are able to find rings. Anyways, my sister has lost her ring, in the hay. My parents have a farm and I was wondering if that was something you’d be able to help us with If it is, if you wanna give me a call back 207-***-****, thank you very much…”

I immediately called Nick back and he explained that the previous night, his sister, Rebecca , had gone out, to feed the cows, at the farm, in Shapleigh Maine. After throwing a bunch of hay down, in front of the cows, Rebecca had noticed her Engagement Ring was missing. It was extremely cold and she thinks her fingers had shrunk, just enough, that the ring came off. I was a little concerned that the cows had already eaten the ring or the ring was lost, somewhere else, on the property. Nick said his sister wasn’t positive about the exact location, the ring was lost in but that the hay, would be the first place to search. They had all visually searched the area, last night, but the ring was not found. The search would expand to other areas, if not found in the hay.
I also let Nick know that I would be unable to personally search, because my left knee was replaced 10 days ago and it just isn’t healed or ready to get back out there, just yet. I told Nick that I have a friend, Gary Hill, that goes out and searches for me, when I am unable. I immediately called Gary and he said he would head right out, to the farm, in Shapliegh, Maine, from his home, in Hollis Center, Maine.

Gary arrived in Shapliegh, at 9:20am. Once shown the cow feeding area, and hay on the barn floor, Gary saw just how difficult this search could end up being. There was a lot of metal, all over the barn, which may interfere, with the Emergency Metal Detecting Search. Gary got to work. Steve, Rebecca’s husband was there to help Gary, by using a pitchfork, to remove some hay, as Gary searched with his metal detector. The hay was quite high and when Gary searched an area, Steve would then remove a foot or two, of the searched hay, exposing new hay below, for Gary to search. Because of all the metal, in the barn, Gary had to use his small 8” coil, so as not to pick up as much iron targets, keeping the White Gold Ring, isolated and given a better signal. After approximately 40 minutes of Steve taking layers of hay off the pile, Gary received a very promising 16-17 on his Minelab Manticore’s, VDI screen. Definitely in the gold range and certainly not a nail. As Gary searched through the pile of hay, with his pinpointer, he saw the ring, at the bottom of the pile of hay. Gary was extremely relieved the cows hadn’t eaten the ring and now Gary wouldn’t have to check the cows dung. A great day indeed.
Steve was extremely happy that his wife’s engagement ring had been found, as was Nick. What they all thought would be an extreme long shot to find, ended up with smiles on everyone’s faces.
The Ring Finders of Maine, take great pride, in being able to get to a local as soon as possible. Today is another example of me getting a call at approximately 8:10am, calling Gary and Gary arriving on scene, in just over an hour, at 9:20am. This includes the drive, out to the farm, in Shapliegh.
This was literally a ring in a haystack and thankfully, Gary was able to make the recovery. There is no better feeling, than to be able to quickly help people like Rebecca, Steve and Nick. It is also a great feeling knowing that Gary has my back, when I am unable to search. Thank you Gary, from all of us!👏👏👏

50+ Year Old College Class Ring, Lost In Ogunquit, Maine Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I received a phone call, from Diane, on Friday January 3rd, 2025. Diane explained to me that 2-3 days earlier, she and her husband Jerry had come up to Maine and were staying at The Beachmere Inn, in Ogunquit, Maine. They had come up with friends, to celebrate the New Year and had attended a New Year’s Eve event, at Jonathan’s Ogunquit, which included dinner and a show. After enjoying the dinner and show, they all went back to The Beachmere Inn and proceeded to sit around one of the fire pits, outside. It was cold and a little wet outside, so they all called it a night and retreated back to their rooms. Once back in their room, Jerry realized that he was no longer wearing his 1973 Boston University Class Ring. As Diane told me, Jerry was heartbroken and they searched the room, to no avail. To place a timeline on when Jerry may have lost the ring, he and Diane looked at some photos, from that evening, to see if they could pinpoint when he had the ring on and again, when he didn’t have it on. They found one photo, of him wearing the ring. The photo was taken at the Beachmere Inn, just prior to them leaving, to go out to Jonathon’s Ogunquit. This means that the ring could be anywhere on the premises of The Beachmere Inn or Jonathon’s Ogunquit.

Once Diane finished telling me the events leading up to the ring being lost, I asked her a few questions. Did they search or notify The Beachmere Inn or Jonathon’s Ogunquit? She replied that both businesses had been notified and had actively searched for the ring but had not found it. Both businesses would continue to search and would notify Diane, should the ring be found. Diane also told me that they notified The Ogunquit Police Department , just in case someone found it, at one of the businesses and turned it in. The Ogunquit PD had not seen the ring, turned it.
I then asked Diane if it could have been lost in one of the parking lots, as Jerry entered and exited the vehicle and if the parking lots were asphalt or gravel. She replied the parking lots were asphalt. I told her that after 2-3 days, the ring would have been found, on the asphalt lots and those would be a visual search only. The asphalt parking lots would not be searched, with a metal detector. So, since I can’t search the inside of the businesses or the asphalt parking lots, with my metal detector, I told Diane that the only area that makes sense, for me to search, was around the outside fire pits, at The Beachmere Inn. Diane agreed this would be the only place to search, with my metal detector. I also told Diane that if I didn’t find the ring, around the fire pits, I would walk the parking lots and give it a visual search, just to be thorough.
Once I arrived at The Beachmere Inn, I let the front desk know why I was there. Paul actually escorted me to the fire pits and I assured him I would not be digging up the lawn, as the ring would still be on top of the ground, not under it.
As I stood there, surveying the area and deciding how to approach this search, Sarah, the owner of The Beachmere Inn, stopped by and introduced herself and told me that she follows my Facebook Page and loves my stories. She also was offering any help I would need, in the event I needed to move any of the furniture or the heavy fire pits themselves. I was very appreciative and told her I didn’t think I would need any help, but would let her know, if I changed my mind.
I decided to search the fire pits, starting with the one, on my left side first, as it was the closest to the building. The grass area wasn’t very large and even moving the 5-6 chairs, out of the way, it only took me 6-7 minutes to search that area. Unfortunately, Jerry’s ring was not found. I then started searching the grassy area around the second fire pit and nothing was found on the left side of that fire pit. I replaced those chairs, to where I found them and went to the other side of the pit, and moved those chairs out of the way, so I could see and get up nice and close, to the fire pit, with my metal detector. Once I started searching, the right side, I had taken 2-3 steps and BANG, there was a large gold ring, laying in the grass. I actually saw it, before I could even get my coil, over it. It was just sitting there, in the grass. I couldn’t believe it. It’s been sitting out there for almost 3 days, in the grass area, near the fire pit. I took a few photos of Jerry’s ring, right where I found it and then picked it up, to verify it was a Boston University Class Ring and yes it was. I then sent a photo of the ring, to Diane and just said “Congratulations”. Once Diane saw the photo, she replied

“OMG!!!! NO WAY!!!!
“It says BU???!!”

I then sent her a second photo, showing the Stone and crest, of the ring. She replied once again

“THATS IT!!!! YOU EFFING ROCK, BABY!!!
If the weather isn’t bad tomorrow can we drive down to pick it up??
WE ALMOST JUST PASSED OUT!!!
He wants to know if his handwriting is still on the inside….. LOL”

I then took a photo of the inscription, on the inside of the band and sent it to Diane and Jerry. The reply came back

“OMG!! Jerry just said “thank you so much” (he’s chocked up)
We will be in touch later after we hear the weather report for tomorrow, etc
You must be touched by God”

I then went back inside The Beachmere Inn and let the front desk and Sarah know that the ring had been recovered. I also let them know that Jerry and Diane had been notified and were in disbelief and would be driving back up to Maine, in the next few days, so I could return Jerry’s precious Class Ring. Sarah and I then had a photo taken, with the ring, in front of The Beachmere Inn’s Christmas tree. I couldn’t help but think that Jerry was to be getting a belated Christmas present.

We in fact did talk later that evening and we made plans to meet, on Sunday, January 5th, at 1:00pm, to return the ring. Cheryl and I met Jerry and Diane, as planned and Jerry was extremely happy to have his very sentimental ring back. He has been wearing it, for more than 50 years and is extremely proud of his accomplishment, of graduating from Boston University. Both Jerry and Diane mentioned that they thought the ring was gone forever and are so grateful for me driving down to Ogunquit and finding it for them. Now Jerry has his ring, back on his finger, where it belongs and no longer has to worry, if he will ever see it again. There isn’t any better feeling than seeing the smiles, on the faces of people getting their lost items back. It truly is a blessing, to be able to help people like Diane and Jerry. They will now be in my growing, “Book of Smiles”, for eternity.

Gold Heirloom Ring Lost In The Windham, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

At approximately 6:30pm, on Tuesday December 10th, 2024, I received a call from Chris. Chris told me that he had just lost his wedding ring and wanted to know if I could come up and find it. I then asked Chris, if he could tell me what happened and where did he lose it.

Chris explained that he had been cleaning his wife’s car off and his hands were cold and wet. So, before getting into the car, Chris shook the snow off his hands and once inside the vehicle, he noticed his wedding ring was missing. I asked Chris if he had felt or seen the ring come off. He hadn’t! But, he knew where he was standing when he shook his hands and had been searching the snow, in that area, but it was fruitless. No wedding ring was found.

His wife, Erin, then put a Facebook post out, on a local Windham, Maine community page, .

Once Erin had done that, she started getting many referrals, to call me. It was at this point, that Chris called me. Chris wanted to know if I could come search tonight. I suggested I could do it the next day, but then remembered that I was having a crown put on, a broken tooth. I also remembered that tomorrow’s weather was going to be heavy rain and very high winds. I wouldn’t be able to search tomorrow. The day after that, I was already booked, in Auburn, Maine and Friday I was taking my mother to her Dr’s appointments and then my wife and I needed to be in Portland, for 5:00pm. Saturday, I have tentatively scheduled a search, in NH. This means if I didn’t go tonight, I probably wouldn’t be able to search for Chris’s ring until Sunday. So I told Chris that I would search tonight but just need to load my equipment up and drive the approximately 40 minutes or so, to Windham.

I left Saco at 6:50 pm and arrived at Chris’s home at 7:30pm. I then asked Chris to show me the area that he had been cleaning the car and where he had shaken his hands. Chris showed me and I could see the disturbed and packed down snow, of where he had unsuccessfully searched. I would search this area first and if I wasn’t able to locate the ring, I would start expanding the search area.

I started searching, at the road and worked my way, onto the lawn, approximately 10’ deep. No ring but lots of high conductivity metals, where gold is considered a low conductor. So, I turned around, took a 1/2 step, to my left and headed towards the road. Still no ring. Turned around and headed back onto the lawn and still nothing. Turned around, heading back to the road and almost immediately received a very loud target. The VDI was reading higher than normal for gold but it was such a great sounding target. I slowly put my pinpointer into the snow and located the target. I started gently pushing the top layer of snow, off the target, when I caught a glimpse of something yellow and metallic, under the bright lights of my headlamp, that I was wearing. I looked up at Chris and said, “I found your ring”. Chris was almost in disbelief, “Really”, he asked. I then had Chris come over and I showed him the very small piece of yellow, showing in the snow. Chris was now smiling ear to ear and couldn’t believe I had found his ring, approximately 5’ from where he thought it was and where he was searching. Chris kept thanking me for coming so far to help him and he also told me that the wedding ring, was his deceased father’s ring p, that had been passed down to him. WOW, another Heirloom Ring recovered and returned. I am so happy to have been able to help Chris and Erin, in their time of need. As I always say, every ring has a story and Chris’s ring now has another story, to go with its history. I get to add another smile, to my “Book of Smiles”.

 

Four Generation Gold Diamond Heirloom Ring, Lost In The Snow, In Acton, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Thursday afternoon, I was driving home, from Norway Maine, after recovering a lost ring. I stopped to fill the car up with gas and that there was a Facebook PM. The PM stated, the following

“I lost a very special white gold and multi diamond ring on a trail behind my house this morning. I have walked the trail 3-4 times and borrowed a friends metal detector with no luck. At this point, I think I should wait till the 2″ of snow melts first before trying again. the only thing that goes on this trail besides me are turkeys and wildlife. would you recommend a different approach?”

I replied to Gail and asked where she was located and if I would be able to call in approximately a 1/2 hour, when I arrived home. Gail replied that she lived in Acton, Maine and I could definitely call her, once I arrived home.
Once arriving at home, I called Gail and she told me the previous evening, she had taken off a very sentimental ring, going back 4 generations. She then placed the ring in a small pocket, on the backside of her phone and intended to put the ring back on, the next morning. The ring was a little tight, on her finger and she didn’t want to wear it to bed, that night.

The ring was White Gold and contained the diamonds of not just her Engagement Ring, but the diamonds and rings, of her Mother’s, Grandmother’s and Great Grandmothers. WOW!!! What a ring. Gail also sent me a photo of the ring and also told me the gold from all 4 generational rings were melted down and that gold was used to make the current ring and setting, that the diamonds were placed in. I could hear the anguish, in Gail’s voice and told her that I could search for the lost Diamond Ring, the next morning, after rescheduling a search, due to the snow banks, along a road, I am to search. I told Gail that I would be at her home, in Acton, at approximately 8:00am. I also told Gail that I would be bringing a friend and fellow Metal Detectorist, with me, to search such a large area, Gary Hill. Gail had told me the search area would consist, of an area, of her driveway, yard and also a trail, through the woods, for approximately a 1/2 mile. Gail had stopped numerous times, in the yard and the trail, to retrieve her phone, to answer calls and text messages, along with taking photos, of the freshly fallen snow. Gail was certain that the ring would be in her gravel driveway where she was talking, on the phone, or one of the multiple places she stopped at, on the wooded trail and had taken the phone, out of her pocket .
Gary and I arrived at her home at approximately 8:15am. We would have made it on time but my GPS took me past her home and down an extremely long and steep mountainous road. Once at the bottom of this mountain road, all packed snow and ice, I could not get back up the mountainous road. My tires were spinning so much, we could smell the burning rubber. Gary’s face was going ashen, with concern. I backed down the hill, since I couldn’t go up and called Gail. She said, “ You didn’t go down that hill, did you?” Yup, too late, that’s where I am. She told me to get a good start and gun it up that hill. I did just that and after 15 minutes, I was about 1/2 way up the hill. I told Gary to walk, to the top of the hill and see if Gail had any sand, we could throw on the road. After Gary left the vehicle, I continued to burn rubber, going up the hill, inch by inch. I was approaching the 3/4 mark, up the hill, when Gary and Gail came to the rescue. Once they threw some sand down, I made it to the top of the mountainous road. Just another adventure story, in our Ring Finding. Now, we need to get down to business and find a lost ring.

With temperatures in the mid to high teens, winds at 15 to 18mph and gusting up to 25-30mph, the feels like temperature was near ZERO, BRRRRRRR🥶🥶🥶. Gail showed us the area, in her yard, she thinks the ring may have been lost in. I took out my White Gold setup and test ring, so Gary and I could properly calibrate our detectors. Once we were both good to go, it was decided that I would search the property near the house and Gary would follow Gail, into the woods and search the trail, behind her home. This is truly going to be a “Needle in a haystack” search.

I saw Gary and Gail, enter the woods and out of sight and I continued to search the snowy driveway area. I was getting lots of low conductors targets but once I removed the snow, the targets were all below the frozen ground. After approximately 35 minutes, I was almost done, in the driveway area, when I could hear some loud screaming, coming from deep in the woods. I kept my eyes, on the area where Gary and Gail entered the woods but couldn’t see them. I could still hear the loud excited voices and only one of two things were happening. 1) Gary found the ring, 2) Gary fell on the snowy trail and broke his hip😉. A few minutes later I see Gail and Gary walk out of the woods, so I knew Gary hadn’t broken his hip. Gary was carrying his metal detector and not searching, when I see Gail raise her hand and yell down to me, that Gary had found the ring. AWESOME JOB GARY!!! When they arrived at the driveway, they told me that the ring was found at the last spot Gail had been at, before turning around, on the trail and returning home. She had taken her phone out, at that spot and had taken a photo of the wooded wintery scene. The ring was out of sight, buried in the snow and as they were brushing back the latest snow fall, the ring appeared, standing straight up, with the beautiful diamonds pointing towards the sky.
Gail was very emotional and I could see her keep wiping tears away. It’s such a great feeling for Gary and I to have been able to reunite Gail with this amazing sentimental heirloom ring. Gail kept thanking us and was just so pleased with the outcome and so were we.
There is no better feeling that to be able to help people like Gail, in their time of need. Thinking her extremely sentimental heirloom ring was lost forever and then to see her tears of happiness and smile, makes this such a rewarding experience. A true blessing, for Gary and I to help. Tonight, Gail will be sleeping well, knowing her ring is back on her finger, where it belongs.
I would also like to give Gary a BIG SHOUT OUT, for helping me search such a large area and for finding Gail’s ring, deep in the snowy woods. Thank you so much Gary❤️🙏

Men’s Gold Wedding Ring Lost While Changing Tire, Found With A Metal Detector, in Saco, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Monday night, November 18th, I started receiving Facebook notifications, for both my personal Facebook account, Dennis Boothby and for The Ring Finders of Maine. People were tagging me about a lost wedding ring that had posted to the Bidd Saco Group Facebook Page. I read the post about the lost ring, in Saco, but no location was given, by the poster, Karla Ann. This is exactly what someone should do, when posting about a lost piece of jewelry. You never want to give the location of a lost piece of jewelry, that was lost in a public place. Even though 99% of people are honest, there is always that 1% that is out for themselves. Only reveal the location to someone you can trust, including me, The Ring Finders Of Maine, I will be happy to help. If you post about a piece of lost jewelry, you may mention the town and say that you lost your ring and describe the ring. Hopefully someone honest will find it and turn it in.

So, after reading the post by Karla Ann, I sent her a PM and made a comment, on her post, mentioning all the comments mentioning me. My comment said

“Thank you everyone, for thinking of me and the referrals. I truly appreciate your support ❤️🙏

Karla Ann, If there is anything I can do, please message me on my Facebook Page, The Ring Finders of Maine or call me at 207-423-3027.

Thank you and prayers for you getting your wedding ring back 🙏🙏🙏”

I did hear back from Karla Ann and she replied

“Hi Dennis,

Thank you for your reply.

We think the ring was dropped in a parking lot. Not buried at the beach or anything.

We went back to look for it.

It was the lot at the Saco heath preserve, my husband changed a flat tire. Thinks it was lost at that time”.

After some more messaging back and forth with Karla Ann I told her I would absolutely search for her husband, Naz’s, wedding ring, first thing in the morning, as soon as I dropped my 7 year old granddaughter, off at school. Once I walked her to school, I came home and immediately drove to the Saco Heath Preserve. I parked opposite of where they had parked, to change the tire. I started up my metal detector and decided to search all the leaves, along the edge of the dirt parking lot. Nothing found but the usual trash of pull tabs and foil. When I reached the corner of the parking lot, I turned around and took a 1/2 step, to my left. I would now be searching the actual gravel parking lot. As I started across the parking lot, I received the low tone I love to hear and I was between a 1/4 to 1/2 way across the lot. The signal was coming from underneath a fallen leaf. I moved the leaf and there was a bright yellow gold ring, staring back at me. I had found Naz’s ring in less than 10 minutes. I immediately made a video and sent it to Karla Ann and showed her the ring. We made plans to meet back at the Saco Heath Preserve at 10:30am and Naz would be getting his ring back.

Once Cheryl and I arrived, we saw Naz and Karla Ann already there. After introducing ourselves, I handed a very happy Naz, his ring back. Karla Ann was fighting back tears and I could see her eyes were watering up. Always a great feeling to to able to help people out with such a sentimental piece of jewelry.

I asked how the ring became lost and Naz told us that he and Karla Ann had come down to Saco, to have their snow tires mounted, for the upcoming winter. Once the left the Rt 1 Saco dealership, they were heading home to Waterboro, when they got a flat tire. They pulled into the parking lot on the Saco Heath Preseve and Naz changed the flat tire. Once back in the vehicle and on the road, Naz noticed his wedding ring was missing. They went back to where they had changed the tire, but didn’t see the wedding ring in the area, around the car. Not knowing if he lost the ring, prior to the flat tire, they drove back to the dealership and searched there. Still no ring was found at the dealership. That’s when Karla Ann made the Facebook Post.

As we were exchanging the ring, Naz showed us where he had parked his vehicle, to change the tire and asked where I found the ring. Where I found the ring was approximately 15-20 feet from where the tire was changed. Naz and Karla Ann hadn’t searched that far out because they thought the ring would be right next to the vehicle. It appears that the ring either rolled away, when he lost it or it flung off his finger. When the ring was found, it did not appear to have been run over or hit by a car.

After saying goodbye to Naz and Karla Ann, they decided to walk the trail of the Saco Heath Preserve. A beautiful easy trail everyone should try. Me, I am told by my better half that I need to mulch leaves. I’d rather be putting smiles on peoples faces, like Karla and Naz, than do yard work but that is where we are at. Congratulations Karla & Naz and thank you for placing your trust in me, The Ring Finders of Maine😀

14K Gold Wedding Ring, Lost in a Saco, Maine Backyard, Found Visually, While Searching With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I had just returned home, after picking up my granddaughter, at Fairfield School, in Saco, Maine and walking home. I wasn’t home 5 minutes, when I received the following text, from Christina

“Hey! Found your number on ring finders. We think my husband lost his ring in our back yard and can’t seem to find it. Would you be able to help? Thank you”

I immediately replied and I asked some questions

“So sorry to hear this. Where are you located?

A few questions

1) How long ago, was the ring lost?

2) What makes you think it was lost, in the backyard? Did he see or feel the ring coming off?

3) How large is the yard and what type of terrain? So, is it woodland, grass, bushes, etc? This will let me know size coils to bring.”

Christina replied

“ Saco, off of 112. Ring was lost today but we do not know exactly when. I took a picture of his wearing it around 9am and he noticed it was missing around noon. I have checked all our sinks and shower if it may have come off there.

My husband was tinkering with the power washer that he could not get to work about 5 feet from the back of our house.

Back yard is mostly grass where we think it may be. I would estimate the total back yard as 100 feet by 40feet. I am happy to provide a picture if that helps.”

Christina did send me a few pictures and I told her I would be there, by 3:30pm. It was now 2:50pm and I just needed to change and get my equipment, into the car. I arrived at their home at 3:15pm and was promptly met by Christina’s husband. He introduced himself as Justin and told me he was the one, that lost the ring. Justin explained that he was working on the pressure washer, out back, when a bunch of hornets came at him, from under the back deck. Justin was getting away from the area,as fast as he could, as he swatted the hornets away. Once inside the house, Justin cleaned up and was ready to head to Lowe’s, to purchase a new pressure washer. As he was getting ready to leave, Justin noticed that his wedding ring was not on his finger.

Justin and Christina searched inside and out the house, particularly in the area he had been working. When their search didn’t result in finding the ring, Corina contacted me.

Once Justin showed me the areas, he thought the ring would be in, I showed and explained to Justin how my detector works and threw 3 different test rings, into the grass, so he could see and hear, the detector find the rings. This seems to soothe or calm my clients some. I then come up with a game plan, so to speak and told Justin, I would start searching on the side of the house , where he had been walking. I would then grid the back yard, going approximately 1/2 down the yard, turn around and head back towards the house. I would continue doing this, while Justin visually searched, for his wedding ring. I find that my clients like to be involved, whether it is using, one of my detectors or visually searching. Once I am onsite, it’s all hands on deck and a group effort.

My first pass , on the side of the house and halfway down the backyard, resulted in nothing but a few deep coins, that I didn’t dig. I took a 1/2 step to my left, explaining to Justin that by only taking a 1/2 step, to the side, this allows me to overlap my swinging of the coil, so I don’t miss any area of the yard. As I made my way, back towards the house and about 10 feet, from the house, I heard Justin say something. I looked up and Justin reached down and picked up his wedding ring, in the crushed rock, along the house. I could see his big smile and was so happy, for another successful recovery. I had Justin put the ring, back on the crushed rocks and swung my detector over the ring and it came back a nice and loud, repeating low tone.

So when I arrive on the scene, or a search, we all work together, as a team, to get the best results. I often bring extra detectors and let my clients search also. I have actually had 3 successful recoveries while doing this. I don’t care who actually finds the ring, as long as the ring is found. After a few photos of Justin and his ring, I left with a big smile. Maybe not as big as Justin’s, but big. I just love being able to leave, on a moments notice, to go and help people like Justin & Christiana.

Sterling Silver and Turquoise Ring Lost in the Old Orchard Beach sand, Found With a Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

Recovery and Return #76, for The Ring Finders of Maine

As my wife and I were on a 13 mile bike ride, I saw I had a Facebook PM, from an hour earlier, from Jessie. It said
“Hi!! My bf lost a ring in the residential area of Old Orchard Beach, Maine (near puffin st). Could you help us located it please? It’s circled in Red”.
I asked her a few questions about the location of where the ring was lost and she replied,
“The ring was lost very close to the house (Puffin St) on the beach. Right near the walkway to the road”.
Jessie then told me she was at work and her boyfriend, Matt would be calling me with more information. Matt call a few minutes later and told me that the ring would be in front of his Uncles house, on Puffin St, just 10 to 20 yards, out on the beach, going towards the water. The previous day, Sunday, September 15th, Matt and his cousins were throwing a football around, on the beach and Matt felt the ring come off, after throwing the football . Everyone in the group searched, for the ring, but it was already under the sand and out of sight.
Matt then sent me a photo of the ring and a photo, with a circled area, in which Matt was confident the ring would be in. Matt wasn’t sure just how far the ring flew off his finger, but was sure, it would be in the circle. Matt asked me if I could get down there in the next two or three days and search for his ring, he would appreciate it. I told Matt that I wasn’t waiting and would be searching, within a 1/2 hour, after finishing talking with him. A ring lost on the beach, should be searched for asap and as it was now, a full day has passed. If the beach cleaning machine had cleaned the beach already, the ring was probably lost forever. Another possibility is that another metal detectorist may have found it already. I just needed to get there asap and search.
When I arrived at the location, I saw that the beach had not been cleaned, by the beach rake. That was a huge relief. I decided to start at mid beach and grid the area, south to north , working my way towards the house. This was decided as I was communicating with Matt. I was on the beach and sending Matt photos, of the area, to try and verify the area, as best as we could. Once Matt told me

“That’s the house and spot, though it won’t be far from that location. Perfect!!! It would be closer to the houses, than the water, but that should do the trick”.

Now with the location verified, I started the grid search. I was finding very few targets as I was going along. A few pull tabs, a piece of foil and 1 quarter. The beach was very clean. After 35-40 minutes of searching and as I worked my was towards the houses, I finally received a really good target, right in the area, Matt had been throwing the football around. A very loud high tone and a 12-45/46 on my Minelab CDX-3030 VDI screen. Absolutely in the Sterling Silver range or possibly another quarter. I pulled my pinpointer out and stuck it into the sand. As I was moving it back and forth, Matt’s Sterling Silver ring with a blue and a white turquoise stone popped up and became visible to me. I didn’t even need to dig it, as it was barely under the surface. Wow, I knew Matt would be extremely happy and I sent him a text saying, “How does it feel”? Matt replied “Pardon”? I then sent Matt a photo of his ring, still in the sand, exactly as I found it, with the pinpointer. Matt then replied

“OMG! You’re incredible!!!!!. My deepest and endless thanks my friend. WOW! You’re a legend, for real”.
I sent back two laughing emojis 🤣😂

We then made plans to meet at my house, the next night, as Matt was going to be in Saco, Maine anyways. When Matt did arrive he was so polite and thankful and to,d me the ring was very special because it was a gift, from his girlfriend, Jessie. I am just so happy to have been able to help him, in his time of need. Being retired gives me the flexibility to leave anytime and search. I was afraid of the beach rake getting the ring but it all worked out and Matt now has the ring back on his finger and a smile, ear to ear.
S

Key Fob Lost In The Ocean Park, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

I received a phone call at 5:00pm and the caller identified himself as Bob. Bob had lost his key fob, on the beach, in Ocean Park, Maine, but wasn’t 100% sure, it was actually lost, on the beach.

Bob explained that he had parked his vehicle, on Temple Ave, across from the store and then walked the streets and sidewalk, to Randall Ave. Bob remembered locking his vehicle, prior to walking, to Randall Ave and THINKS he put the key fob, in his beach chair. After a while, Bob, his wife Karen and their friend Anne had picked up all their belongings, chairs included and moved approximately 75-100 feet north, of their original position, on the beach. As the group were enjoying the last few days of their trip, to Ocean Park, Bob realized he couldn’t find his key fob. The three of them searched the area around the chairs and the area they had originally been sitting at. No key fob was found. Bob then called me to see if I could come down, to search for the key fob.
I arrived at Randall Ave, in Ocean Park, along with my wife Cheryl, at 5:50pm. We were met a few minutes later by Bob, Karen and Anne. I asked Bob to show me and explain to me, once again, what had happened, when he lost his keys. Bob walked me down to the first location, that the group had been sitting in. As I usually do, I demonstrated how my metal detector works, to the group. I took my key fob, placed it, on the beach and ran my Minelab Manticore’s coil, over the fob. This is to show the client that detector will pick up the signal and the sound I will hear, through my headphones.
I then told the group that I would perform a grid search, of the first area they had sat. If I didn’t find the key fob, in this area, I would then search the path they took, to the second area and then the second area, they had been sitting, would be searched.
As I gridded the first area, I was finding the usual beach trash. Pull tabs, bread ties, staples and foil, were the most found items, in the 1st section, but no key fob was found.
I then started searching the pathway, to the second sitting area and no key fob was found there either. I was grid searching the second sitting area and wasn’t finding much at all. As I was about to turn around and start my last grid line, in the area, I received a promising signal and found the target with my pinpointer. As I put my hand into the sand, I felt around and pulled out Bob’s key fob. I turned around, held the fob, up in the air and told the group, “I found it”.
Bob, Karen and Anne jumped off the bench, they were watching me from and made a beeline, to me. They were all so excited, happy and beaming ear to ear. The three of them told Cheryl and I that Karen and Anne were leaving the next day, going home to the Binghampton, NY area. Bob was going to be staying, in Ocean Park, for an extra two days or so, before heading home. If I hadn’t found the key fob, Karen and Anne were going to get the spare key fob, in Binghamton and somehow get it to Bob, in Ocean Park. In the interim, Bob would be without a vehicle and that was going to be a huge inconvenience. No they do not have to worry about this.
Thankfully, I was able to recover the key fob, in approximately 30 minutes and all three of the group, let out a big collective sigh. You could just see and feel the relief, on all three of them. All three of them were also in awe of me finding the fob and Bob said he couldn’t believe it. I am just so fortunate, to be able to help people like Bob, Karen and Anne. Seeing all those smiles will always be a very special feeling for me.

Palladium Wedding Ring, Lost In The Goose Rocks Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

On Wednesday August 28th, I received a phone call from Melissa, at approximately 6:45pm. Her husband had lost his wedding ring, on GooseRocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine. I asked Mellisa if her husband had lost the wedding ring, in the water of in the dry sand. She told me he had lost it in the dry sand and the entire family has been searching for it, but couldn’t find it. She asked me if I would be able to come and search for it tonight. I told Melissa I would load my equipment and head right there. I also asked her to text me the address where we could meet. As I was loading two of my metal detectors, the Minelab CTX-3030, Minelab Manticore , pinpointer and sand scoop, Melissa texted me the address.

Cheryl and I immediately left our home, in Saco, Maine and started the approximately 20 minute drive to Goose Rocks Beach, Maine. We arrived promptly at 7:15pm and with a 7:24pm sunset, I needed to find the ring quickly, so I wouldn’t have to search in the dark. To make matters worse, I forgot my headlamp, that would make the night search much easier.
We were promptly met by Melissa, her husband Matt and their three young children, Abigail, Lucy and William. As Abigail and Lucy led the way to the area, where they had been spending a beautiful summer day, on the beach, I asked Matt, if he could tell me, what had happened, when he lost the ring. Matt told me that earlier, in the day, he had taken the ring off and put it on his beach chair, so he could go swimming. He then completely forgot about the ring and at the end of the day, the family packed everything up and went back to his father’s house, across the street. It was then that Matt realized he didn’t have his wedding ring on. The family went back and searched for the ring but were unable to find it. That is when Melissa called me.
We arrived at the area, where they all had spent the day. I could see the disturbed sand, where they had been searching. They had made an approximate 10-15 foot circle around the area the ring most likely would be in. If I didn’t find it inside the circle, I would have to search the route they had walked, back to Matt’s parents home. With the sun setting fast, I was hoping for a quick recovery.
I decided to start on the left side of the circle and perform a grid search, from the beach, down towards the water, turn around and go from the water side of the grid, back up the beach, towards the road. First pass I had no targets. Second pass, still no targets. Third pass a received a low tone, but I knew it would most likely be a piece of aluminum and it was. I handed the aluminum to Abigail and continued on. Just a few steps later, I received a nice low tone and a reading of 12-17 on my CTX-3030. Definitely a non-ferrous target but it could be gold or a pull tab. As I looked down at the sand, I could see just a small piece of, of a pull tab. I also gave that to Abigail and continued on. As I arrived at the end of the circle m I received another really nice, repeatable low tone and with a VDI reading of 12-24, I just knew this had to be Matt’s ring. Cheryl passed me my pinpointer and I located the target, in the sand, at a depth of about 3 inches. I put my hand into the sand and pulled out Matt’s wedding ring. I showed it to Abigail and the turned to Matt and Lucy and showed them the ring. It was now 7:25pm. Thankfully, I had found the ring within 10 minutes of arriving at Goose Rocks Beach and there was still a little daylight left.
Smiles were ear to ear and everyone was just ecstatic, that Matt had his wedding ring back. I’m just thankful that I am able to just up and leave, when the call comes in. It’s such a privilege to be able to help people like Melissa and Matt, in their time of need.