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

Wedding Ring Lost And Found, In A Gorham, Maine Potato Field, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received a text from Jenn, on January 21, 2024, with the following message

“Curious as to what you charge? My son lost his ring in our potato field this fall “.

I explained to Jenn that I do not charge for my time or service. All I ask for is a Transportation Call Out Fee, to cover my gas, tolls, wear & tear, etc. I then told her for me to travel to Gorham, ME, my Transportation fee would be $25.00, and that’s it.

Jen replied with

“I know an approximate area. We were digging a row when he stopped by to help. I probably don’t know the exact row now but general area. I would say it covers maybe a half acre but probably less. I would think early spring when snow is gone and I can see where rows were would be best in narrowing things down. “I used a metal detector one day and found some very large nails, but did not find the ring. “That could be do to operator error”.

I replied,    “Absolutely willing to help”.

Jenn replied,

“Great, his ring is tungsten. I will reach back out when I can see the ground and narrow down the search area. How « deep » do the detectors go? The day we were working, we would run the old potato digger down thru the row. We would then pick up these large clumps of weeds and dirt and throw in the previous row, then run the potato digger back down the row to uncover more potatoes.  So there is the possibility it came off while throwing weeds and dirt and be buried that way or just buried from the digger”.

Jenn then told me she would reach out to me in the spring, after the snow melted and the ground wasn’t frozen. Jenn and I did communicate, in mid April. Because of our individual schedules. We booked Tuesday, April 23rd as the day I would go to her farm, and search for her son’s wedding ring.

I arrived at her farm, in Gorham, at approximately 8:30am. We made small talk and she told me the story of her farm. The name of her farm is Findview Farm and has been a generational working farm, since 1820.  WOW, a farm serving the local community for over 200 years. I love supporting these farms and local businesses. 

I then started searching for the wedding ring, after Jenn showed me the approximately 1/2 acre potato field. I decided to perform an East/West grid, across the width of the field. I searched for approximately 3 hours that day with my CTX-3030 detector, with a 17 inch coil, to cover as much of the field as possible. I ended up finding 4-5 spent shell casings, other small brass items, nails, pieces of old farmhouse equipment, etc.. Unfortunately, no wedding ring.

I told Jenn I would return, in the next week or so and this time, I would bring a smaller coil, to see if I could get better depth, in the deep troughs, of the potato rows. My 17 inch coil couldn’t get down into the actual rows, that had been plowed and would just glide over the top.

On Sunday April 28th, I returned to Findview Farm and resumed my search. While I was searching, Jenn’s son Tom, came over. It was Tom’s ring, that was lost. Tom explained that he felt the ring coming off, as he was throwing some of the potato plants, out of the rows, after harvesting the potatoes, themselves. A visual search was not successful. Tom also pointed out the area, of the field m he thought the ring would be in. Unfortunately the field had been plowed, last fall and the ring may have been moved or pushed down deeper, into the fertile farm soil.

I then went to the area that Tom pointed out. I would perform a North/South grid today. I wasn’t finding many targets at all. After approximately an hour and 45 minutes I received a nice, repeatable tone and a 12-32 on my detector screen, indicating a non-ferrous target, which I was hoping for. The target was in one of the deep troughs of the potato rows. I dug about 4-5 inches down and couldn’t see anything. I took my pinpointer and located the target, in the hole. I started to wipe away some of the dirt and I saw the ring, I had found it. I the called Jenn and She and Tom, came right over, from the corn field, out back that they were working in.

I showed them the hole the ring was located in and they were both extremely happy. After approximately 7 1/2 months, Tom was wearing his wedding ring again. I absolutely love reuniting people with their lost items.

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Property Marker Found With A Metal Detector, In Cape Elizabeth, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Tuesday evening, April 9th, I received a call from Angie. She and her husband, Adrian, had purchased a home in Cape Elizabeth, last fall. They now wanted to put a fence up, in their backyard. The fence would run from the back right side of the property, to the back left side of the property, only. No fence would be put up alongside the home, or in the front. Unfortunately, they were unsure where the exact property line was, in the backyard. They had been quoted $3000.00 for a survey of the property, but if we could find the markers, they could save the $3000.00. They had a map of the property, showing the distances between the property markers but were not exactly sure how to start.

Now, property markers can be tricky because of many different factors. Are they even made of metal? There are lots of granite and rock property markers, here in New England.

I once was called to search for property markers, when a neighbor was caught, moving them. All I found was a lot, and I mean a lot of nails.

Another time, I searched for 4 property markers, finding just two. The other two, had been moved or washed downstream, in a flood, which also changed the direction of the stream. The same flood caused road damage and a new culvert was put in, either moving the marker or burying it, with all the fill that was used for the new culvert. I also know that people have removed property markers, because they were in the way, when mowing the lawn. So, as you see, property markers may be a hit or miss proposition.

I arrived at Angie and Adrian’s home promptly at 8:00 am. I was told that a neighbor had a property survey performed , a few years back and the neighbor had a property marker put in, on the left backside of the backyard. As we walked to the right backside of the property, Adrian also showed me a granite marker, in the ground, on the left front side of their home. Adrian was not sure if it was an actual property marker or not. Once we arrived at the right backside of the property, Adrian told me that the telephone pole on the far side of the property, was supposed to line straight up, to the right backside property marker. As I lined up the telephone pole, to close to the street, where the right backside marker should be, I received a strong Ferrous signal, on my Minelab CTX-3030 metal detector. After digging the target m it turned out to be a rather large and old nail. As I started swinging again, I received another strong Ferrous signal, less than a foot from the nail. I dug the target and SUCCESS, we had found the metal rod property marker. I then told Adrian, that I would like to measure the distance between the property marker, I just found and the granite marker, on the right front side of the house. The distance should be 103.67’. I then secured one one of my 300’ tape measure and walked it down, from the granite marker, to the metal rod marker, I had just found. When I looked at the measurement, I had to smile, as the measurement was exactly what it was suppose to be, 103.67’. We just verified the granite marker was, in fact their property marker, for the right front of the house.

I then wanted to measure from the marker, I had found, to the marker that the neighbor had put in a few years back, and near the telephone pole. The measurement should be 207.87’. As I arrived at the neighbors marker, near the telephone pole, I looked at the tape measure and we had another match. The measurement was 207.87’, just like it was suppose to be. Now, just one more marker.

I walked the tape measure down to the left front of the house, from the neighbors marker, in the back left of the property. The measurement should be 103.67’ and when I got to 105 feet, I stopped and started searching, with my metal detector. I found another 5-6 nails, but no marker, in the area, it should have been. The area has been disturbed, as there is a culvert, telephone pole, looking fairly new. There is also a rock wall that looks fairly new and could have been built over the marker.

Angie and Adrian were extremely pleased that I was able to find their one metal rod properly marker and then measure it out, to the known neighbors marker and the granite marker, in the left front of the property. They can now use the $3000.00 they didn’t spend on a property survey and put it towards their new fence. 

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Lost 1982 Class Ring Found in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, with a Metal Detector. Returned to Owner

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday , February 9, 2024, I decided to brave the cold windy beach conditions and take advantage, of the negative low tides , here in Maine. We have had some big winter storms in the last month and a lot of sand has been moved.

I found lots of crusty coins, a Milwaukee Electric Saw (crazy things under the sand) and a 10K 1982 Class Ring. As soon as I got home, I got the magnifying glass out and determined the ring was from Billerica Memorial High School, in Billerica, Massachusetts. Billerica is approximately 90 miles from the resort town of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, that I found the ring in.

The ring is very small and most likely a woman’s ring. I then searched the inside of the band, saw a 10K mark and the initials of JMG. I then performed an internet search and to my amazement, I found an online yearbook, for the 1982 school year. I found two different students, with those initials. One was a male and the other a female. I just knew it had to belong to the female, because of the very small size.

On Monday, when the school reopened, I sent an email to the principal, of the High School and explained I was trying to return the ring and if they could help with contact information. His reply was that they do not have contact for past students, but the Alumni Association, may be able to help. I contacted the Alumni Association but they would not respond, other than one time and never responded back to me again.

I then posted the found High School ring on many of the local Billerica Facebook groups, including Billerica Memorial High School Class Of 1982. I received lots of comments and everyone knew that the ring must belong to Jean, a 1982 graduate. I was able to get a phone number and when I called, I was able to speak with Jean’s Husband, Bill. I explained to Bill what was going on and he wasn’t sure if Jean had ever lost her ring, but he would ask her when he got home.

Bill called back and yes, Jean did not have her ring, as it wasn’t in her jewelry box. As a matter of fact, Jean didn’t even know that the ring was missing. When I told them the ring was found in Maine, Bill told me the only place it would have been lost in Maine, was in Old Orchard Beach, where they often went to, on vacation. When I mentioned I found the ring with my metal detector, down in the wet sand, at low tide, I was told they the family would always lay on the beach, in front of Palace Playland, an amusement park, right next to the Old Orchard Beach Pier. Well, that is exactly where I found it. As far as Jean not knowing the ring was missing was easily explained. Jean’s daughters would often wear the ring and also a granddaughter. They were allowed to wear it but were to put it back, when not wearing the ring. Although, none of the daughters or granddaughter will admit to it, It most likely was being worn by one of the girls, when it was lost, as they swan, in the water. The ring was most likely lost sometime between 2012 and 2019, as the family hasn’t been back to Old Orchard Beach, since Covid started.

On Saturday, March 16th, my wife and I drove to Billerica to return the ring. Unfortunately, something unexpectedly came up and Jean could not be there to get her ring back personally. She instead, sent her Husband, Bill and youngest daughter, Katie. Although it was disappointing not to meet Jean, I was extremely happy to have returned the ring to her family.

There is no better feeling than to return these precious items back to the rightful owner.

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Very Sentimental Gold Necklace Lost In The Water, Waves and Sand, At Low Tide

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Saturday, July twenty 29th, 2023, I saw a post on Facebook, by Kelli,  about a MISSING GOLD CHAIN WITH A CROSS, being lost on the beach. Later that morning, I received a text from Kelli wanting to know if I could help. After talking with Kelli, I found out the Gold Chain and Cross Pendant had been lost 2 days earlier, in the surf, approximately 1 1/2 hours after the low tide. Since it wouldn’t be low tide for another 4 hours, I told Kelli that I would meet her in 2 hours at the Old Orchard Beach, Maine location, where the necklace had been lost, 2 days earlier.
Once I arrived, I met Kelli and her boyfriend, Jake. Jake explained that the waves were really rough that day and the necklace somehow came off his neck and disappeared, into the Waves, Water and Sand. I told them that I would grid the beach, parallel to the water and follow the tide out, hoping the necklace would then appear in just the wet sand and no longer under the water.
I was performing the grid search for approximately 1:20 minutes, when Jake came down to me , near the low tide mark. He explained that he and Kelli had to leave and and were leaving tomorrow morning to go back home, In Massachusetts. I told Jake that I would contact him if I found it and if not, I would be back the next day, at low tide and expand the search. After Jake left, I decided to try the shallow water, as low tide was now upon us. I started a grid search in the water and was working my way towards shore. I finally received a decent low tone signal, reading 12-04 on the Minelab CTX-3030 and put the scoop into the wet sand. I caught a glimpse of 1 gold link of a chain in the wet sand. I reached down, grabbed the link and pulled it out of the sand. I had Jake’s necklace. On 20 minutes had passed since he had left and I immediately called him. Jake and Kelli came right back and I returned the necklace. Jake the told me that the necklace had belonged to his father and that his father just passed away, 6 months earlier. Jake explained that he has  absolutely devastated , the past 2 days and thinking he would never see it again. I am so proud and happy to be able to help people like Jake, in their hour of need.

 

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