Tag Archives: lost ring Jersey Shore

2 Rings Lost 20 Years Apart, 1 Found

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Janet sent me an email asking if I could help her. About 6 months ago she lost a family heirloom ring that was her grandmothers’ wedding ring while gardening. I followed up with a lot of questions: do you have an idea where you lost it? What is the ring made of? Are there any metal items in the search area? And many more. She mentioned that she lost another ring about 20 years ago, while gardening.
 
A few weeks passed as our schedules didn’t line up. I traveled to Howel Twp NJ on a very humid Sunday afternoon. Janet showed me the area where she thought she lost the ring 20 years ago, then directed me to the area she lost the most recent ring.
 
I started in the area where she thought the ring was lost 20 years ago. There are a lot of metal items in the ground here. Mostly iron objects. I searched for an hour with no luck. I will have to return for another try.
 
I moved to the second area for the most recent loss. There aren’t as many targets in this area. About 30 minutes in I got a good signal. About 2 inches deep was the ring I was looking for. Janet had just come out to check on my progress while I was digging up the target. She was amazed that I found it. She had tried using a metal detector and said it was constantly beeping. The look on her face when I handed her, her grandmother’s ring was priceless. I was surprised how deep the ring was in the ground in only 6 months. The ring was dirty so I told her to use a little toothpaste and a brush.
 
I was feeling good, so I went back to the first location to try a smaller coil to try to snipe the other ring in between all of the iron targets. I gave it an additional 30 minutes with no luck. I was hot & soaking wet. Time to rehydrate and make the 1-hour drive home.
 
Janet was very happy to have the family heirloom ring back on her hand. All cleaned and shiny!
I love my hobby!
 
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Lost Wedding Band – Lost on the South Jersey Rugby Football Field in Cherry Hill Found By Dave Milsted

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Chris sent me an email asking if I could help him. He lost his wedding band the night before while at rugby practice. I did a quick Google map search of the field, and it looked pretty barren. So I decided to walk the field before work. When I get there, the field was a solid grass carpet about 5 inches tall. It’s not going to be found by a quick walk.
 
There was a guy on the field with a human-powered push mower. I asked if his name was Chris. He looked at me with a concerned look, as I was in my work uniform, which makes me look like a police officer. He said yes, and I told him that he sent me a message that he lost a ring. There was relief on his face. He showed me the areas that he was in during practice, pretty much the whole field.
 
I told him that I wouldn’t get there until the weekend because of work and another recovery that I have today after work. He told me that his wife didn’t know he was at the practice, and he didn’t tell her that his ring was lost. They just celebrated their 4th anniversary a few days earlier.
 
I went to the beach that night to search for the other ring; I need to get into the water at low tide. There was a thunderstorm when I arrived and when the storm passed the ocean was angry. Large, powerful waves were kicking my butt. I couldn’t complete the search, so I will have to return.
I called Chris and told him that I would be at the field in an hour and 15 minutes if he wanted to meet me there. He said he couldn’t, that his inlaws were over, and he didn’t tell anyone that his ring was lost. He left the room when he saw that I was calling to answer the phone. I told him that I would spend about an hour there tonight, but it could be a several-day search because it is such a large field.
 
I knew where he placed his bag & drink. So I started there. No luck. So I started at 1 corner of the field and decided to search length-wise. I figured 1 down and back would take about an hour. There are a lot of targets. A lot of “can slaw”, cans that have been cut up by a lawnmower, leaving many aluminum pieces.
 
I got about ¾ of the way down my 1st path, and I got a good tone. I located the ring with my pinpointer. I was amazed I found it in about 30 minutes. My mom must have helped. I took a picture and sent it to Chris. He called me back about 10 minutes later, just as I was getting in my car as the skies opened up. He was in total shock. He said after he got the picture, he told his wife what happened. He said he was going to be in the dog house if I didn’t find the ring.
 
We met the next day to return the ring. Chris said he was allowed to go back to rugby practice.
 
I love my hobby!!
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Lost Ring in Bellmawr NJ While Doing Yardwork, FOUND!

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Ernie sent me an email requesting my services. Sometime this morning while doing yard work he lost his tungsten wedding ring. I had some time this evening to search.

I met Ernie at his house and he showed me what he was doing earlier. He spread a lot of mulch and rinsed his hands a few times with a hose. The yard has a lot of thick zoysia grass. 

I started my search and found a few small pieces of aluminum siding. After about 10 minutes Erie went into the house. 5 minutes later his wife pulled up as I was getting a signal. It was Ernie’s ring. I put my finger over my mouth to give the signal to be quiet. I went over to the front door and asked Ernie to come out because I had some more questions. 

I pointed to behind some bushes asking if he was back there, his ring was on my finger. It took a while for him to realize that it was there. Another awesome look on his face. We took a few pictures and he said he would chat up my services on social media. 

2nd successful recovery of the day!

I LOVE my hobby!

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Playing With A Toddler In The Backyard…

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Miranda was referred to me after posting on Facebook that she lost her rings. She contacted me 2 days ago and our calendars synced up for an early Saturday morning search. Miranda explained that she had placed her engagement ring & wedding band in her back pocket. She forgot that they were there, and started playing with her 3-year-old son in the backyard. 

The yard is a good size. She was in many spots, around the shed, sitting on the deck, and around the fort. The fort was the last stop on our tour, so that is where I began my search. 

Miranda went to move her car as I got started because she was also around her SUV in the driveway. I started to search and 3 swings in, I found both rings. They were buried deep in the grass. Less than 1 minute of searching. They couldn’t be seen without separating the blades of grass. I really thought this was going to be a very long search. I took a few pictures before she returned. 

When she came back like 3 minutes later I asked a few more questions. She was looking around the yard, as I was holding up her rings. It took a minute for her to notice them. The look on her face was priceless! She went from being depressed to being ecstatic. She couldn’t believe I had found them so fast!

I love my hobby!

 

 

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Beach Sand Almost Claims Another Ring or 3…

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Charlotte called me yesterday asking if I could find her ring. She was on the beach playing a tossing game. When she tossed she lost her ring. I had plans today but told her I could be there this morning, bright & early. She agreed.

I got to the beach at 7:30 am. It was empty & I got an excellent free parking spot! She told me she was to the right of the trash cans, so I texted her saying I was there and started to search before she got there. Within 5 minutes I had an awesome shallow tone on the detector. I scooped up the sand and had a big silver ring in my hands. 

I was very surprised that I found it before she arrived. As I was taking pictures of the ring, Charlotte arrived. I asked her what her ring looked like, as I was going to surprise her when she described it to me. She said it was a yellow gold ring with a pearl in the center. Oh, that is not the ring I found, bonus!

She showed me the area she was in when she lost her ring. The ring was her grandmother’s ring, which has a lot of sentimental value attached to it. She said she spent several hours sifting through the sand with family looking for it. She is in the area for a family reunion. She explained to me that just last week she lost another ring on a beach in Virginia, that a family friend found with a metal detector. She didn’t learn a lesson with that loss. 

I started to grid the area she sent me to. Within 5 minutes I had that special gold tone on my detector, scooped and there was her ring. She was so happy & relieved. I asked her if she learned any lessons. She said YES, I’m never wearing rings to the beach again. She had to go back & pack as they are returning home today, to Virginia. 

I stuck around to search a little more and found another silver ring. Not bad, it was a beautiful morning on the beach!!

I Love My Hobby!!

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How to Find a LOST Ring in Oaklyn NJ, Call Dave Milsted the Metal Detecting Man

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Karen emailed me earlier in the week to see if I would be able to search for a lost tungsten ring. Her fiance lost it while doing yard work a few weeks ago. I asked the usual questions, where? When? How? Any buried items? And so on…

We made arrangements for me to search Thursday after work. Of course, Mother Nature would play games and threaten with a Severe Weather Warning that afternoon. John was waiting for me. He showed me the 2 main areas of concern. He was working on removing a railing from the porch and then he was washing cars. My heart sank a little when he said while working on the porch he was throwing items into a large metal dumpster. It was pretty full with a lot of hazards. If John has my luck his ring is in the bottom of the dumpster. John also told me that the yard was cut at least once. 

I started my search around the porch. John asked if he could watch. He wanted to know about my detector, a Minelab Equinox, and I showed him how my pinpointer also worked. There were a lot of signals, most of them 2+ inches deep. I didn’t bother looking at those, as I was trying to beat the storms. 

After about 15 minutes I got a good tone, started to spread the zoysia grass apart and there was a nice looking black & gold ring. I pulled out my phone to take a picture & John was right there. He called me a “lifesaver” no pun intended. He was very happy! As we are both fully COVID vaccinated he gave me a big handshake. He said he would spread the word about my service. 

I love my hobby!

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Lost Well-Head Found By Dave Milsted in Winslow NJ

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I received a message from Gary asking if I could find a well-head. I had to ask if it was made of metal, as I don’t know anything about well-heads. He said yes, so I said yes. Then he said it was paved over with asphalt. I said I would try.
 
We met the following weekend. Gary showed me the area that he thought the well was in. It is in the parking lot of bustling strip stores. There are 12 well-heads on the property. They know where 11 of them are. I asked if he had blueprints that I could see. He didn’t, but he had an old hand-made drawing that didn’t have the additions of the new buildings. I looked at the picture and hoped that the driveway was in the same place before the new construction.
 
I started my search. Within 10 minutes, I had 2 good hits that could be what we were looking for. I went over to one of the known wells to check out the signal it gave off. It gave off 2 loud signals within 3 feet of each other, just like I found. Gary painted marks on the parking lot. Gary said that he would have one of his construction crews dig it up the following day.
 
The next day Gary sent me a picture of the well-head. He said that he wasn’t aware that a service like this was available. He works for a large construction company that is always looking for metal objects. I told him to keep my information and number, and I would be glad to help him out. He said he would be calling a lot.
 
I love my hobby!
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Snow Shoveling Temporarily Claims Another Ring in Berlin NJ

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Tiffany posted a desperate plea on the Winslow Talk Facebook page, asking if someone could help find her husband’s wedding ring. He lost it in the snow yesterday while shoveling. There were two people who referred me to help: Brian, a friend of mine, and Nicole, who has used my service in the past (a one-minute successful search http://www.metaldetectingman.me/successf…/sicklerville-nj/).
 
I made arrangements to look for the wedding band after work. It is a thin yellow gold wedding band. They have only been married for 3 months. After Korey lost the ring, he stopped shoveling. So there are about 8 inches of snow on the ground. She did mention that he heard something hit the house when he threw some snow off of the shovel.
 
That was a great piece of information. I only had to search for about 5 minutes before I uncovered the bright and shiny yellow gold ring. It was within 3 inches of the foundation for the house. Tiffany was shocked that it was found, let alone so fast.
 
I love my hobby!

 

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Bad Tuesday in the Snow, Lost Keys

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Koree was having a very bad day this past Tuesday. Eastern Pennsylvania was in the middle of a Nor’easter snow event. He also got into a fender bender and needed his vehicle towed. As he was waiting for the tow, he lost his only key for his car in 6+ inches of snow. While he waited the 3 hours for the tow service, it continued to snow at 1-2 inches per hour. Koree searched with no luck and gave up for the night. He came back to the parking lot the next day without finding his keys. That’s when he turned to the internet and found me. We made arrangements for me to search after work.
 
We met at the lot at 5 pm, it was already dark out, but the fresh snow cover provided enough light to search. I was afraid that the lot was paved and would have rebar, but it turned out to be a gravel lot. Koree showed me the area he thought he lost his keys.
 
I started detecting, getting signals frequently. This lot is along the Schuylkill River and an exercise trail. Obviously, a party area by the amount of beer bottle caps I was uncovering. There were also a lot of coins. Koree got excited at every signal I searched. He told me the dealer said it would cost $700 to replace his key and fob.
 
After 45 minutes of searching, I finally uncovered his key. He was so happy. His day just got a lot better. Due to COVID restrictions, no handshakes, fist bumps, or hugs were exchanged. Koree said he would spread the word about the Ring Finders!
 
I love my hobby!

 

 

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Lost Necklace & 3 Rings in Medford NJ Found

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I received a call from a woman earlier this week, let’s call her Zoey, asking if my detector would find rings & a necklace. Last weekend she hosted an outdoor party and lost 3 silver rings and a necklace. Her concern is that after having too much to drink, she hid them somewhere in the house. I explained my machines work great outside, but with all of the nails, wires, and pipes they can’t be used inside. If she wanted me to search inside it would be a visual search.
 
She wanted her backyard searched around the bar and firepit. I agreed to meet her on Saturday. She showed me the area that needed to be searched. It took maybe 15 minutes to search the yard with no luck.
 
I asked if there was anywhere else she wanted me to search. There was a small outbuilding that housed all of the wood for the firepit. I used my handheld detector for that search. No luck. She asked if I could search a few areas in the house. So inside we went.
 
We searched on the first floor with no luck. So we moved to the second floor. The walls had a lot of decorations, pictures, and knick-knacks. With my handheld detector, we searched the pillowcases. I asked if she wanted to search her clothes drawers. She searched them with the handheld detector. No luck. There was limited light, so I was using a flashlight. As I was looking at all of the interesting items on the wall, the light from the flashlight caused something to sparkle. It was kind of hidden by the curtain around the window. It was the necklace, hanging from a knick-knack. On the necklace were the 3 rings. SUCCESS!!
 
It looks like she removed the necklace and put the 3 rings on it, refastened it, and hung it on the wall. She was so happy that we found the jewelry. She said the day of the party she treated herself to the necklace, she said it was expensive.
 
I love my hobby!!
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Lost Stud Earring in Wilmington DE, Found in the Rain By Dave Milsted

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As I was heading home from an unsuccessful search Roderick called me about a lost yellow gold diamond stud earring. He was down I-95 in Wilmington DE. I met him about 40 minutes later. It was now raining.
 
He showed me the area of the loss. He was on a riding lawn mower when a tree branch hit the side of his head causing his earring to fall out. He placed his matching earring in a sandwich bag, so we wouldn’t lose it as I tested the readings on my metal detector.
 
I got my detector and started to search, about 30 minutes later it started to pour. I went back to my truck and got an umbrella. As soon as I got back to the search area, I got the sound & ID number on my metal detector that I wanted to get. Using my pinpointer I separated the grass and saw the side of something gold. It was his earring, It must have been stepped on while they were looking for it, as it was pushed into the mud.
 
He was so happy & thrilled! A few F-Bombs might have been dropped. He said that he searched earlier in the week with a metal detector that he bought. After he couldn’t find it he decided to call a professional. I was soaked but it was worth it.
 
I love my hobby!!
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Not The Right Ring!

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Samantha emailed me, asking if I could help find her father’s ring he lost 2 summers ago. They are getting ready to move soon. I asked her where they were located, and she said Connecticut. Hmmm, that’s kind of far, but after hearing the story, I told myself this one is for me.

 
Her dad retired from the NY City Fire Department in 1969 after 9 years on the job. He was seriously injured in the line of duty during a building collapse. He was on Truck 40. The ring he lost is the ring that the NYFD gave him upon retiring. It was his prized possession.
 
I made the 2.5-hour trek on Saturday morning. Samantha showed me a small search area. Ken was trying to clear a blocked small stream to allow the water to drain from their pond. They were on the bank when they heard the ring hit a rock and then heard a splash. They looked and raked the stream with no luck. They have looked on many different occasions.
 
I start detecting, and there is a lot of metal in the area. There is a fence-like structure on the banks under the dirt. There is also a lot of nails in the water. I searched about 30 minutes in the rain when I got a good tone high on the bank. I dig a hole, and Samantha sees gold. Samantha pulled a big gold ring out of the hole. We can’t believe we found it. I said we should surprise him.
 
I packed up my gear, and when Ken got down here, I started asking more questions. I pointed to the area where he told me the splash was. The ring was on my finger. When he saw it, I handed it to him and showed him where we found it. He didn’t show much emotion. He kept talking about a gold ring with the NYFD logo on it and a diamond in the center. This one was not that ring.
 
I asked if this was his ring and he said yes, he didn’t know that he lost this one. So I guess I’m going to continue the search. I got suited up again in hip waders and a raincoat. I looked for 2 more hours and couldn’t find the other ring. I can say with confidence that the other ring is not in this area.
 
I am disappointed that I couldn’t find the ring I came up to find. I wanted to help put a smile on the face of another first responder. But I was able to return another ring.
I love my hobby!
 
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Ring Lost 18 Years Ago Found By Dave Milsted in Middlesex NJ

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Jason sent me an email last week, asking if I could search for a ring his mother lost 18 years ago. It is a diamond platinum ring that belonged to his grandmother. His mom lost it while gardening. We made plans for me to drive up to the town of Middlesex today.

I met Jason & his mom, Audrey. She explained that she was gardening in the front yard, and when she went into the house, the ring was missing. She also was in the back yard shed, where she keeps all of her tools.

She is moving to Florida in a couple of weeks and would really like to have her mother’s ring back. When she lost it, it caused a lot of drama between her mom and herself. She said she had another professional detectorist search for it several years ago with no luck. My optimism faded big time.

I searched the garden and found a ton of roofing nails and foil (from potted plants). I searched the front lawn. Someone must have had holes in their pocket because the path to the driveway was loaded with coins. I searched down to the sidewalk.

Jason said, “I guess we should look in the back yard now.” I said, “let me search the strip between the sidewalk and the street.” He didn’t believe it would be there. With about 4 feet left to search in the strip, I get an excellent 8-9 on my detector. I think it is another piece of tin or foil. It is right up against the curb. About 4 inches deep, I see the beautiful ring.

I wanted to surprise them, so I pulled out my cell phone and acted like I am texting someone. But I’m taking pictures. Jason comes running down to me, asking me what I found. So I just told him that I found it. He couldn’t believe that I found it. So he picks it up and shows his mom sitting on the porch. She lets out the loudest blood curtailing scream. Her elderly neighbor 2 doors down came out of the house to make sure everything is ok.

Audrey didn’t care about social distancing. I got a big hard hug. Audrey shed a lot of tears of joy. It looks like 100 pounds of weight has been lifted off of her. I was so happy that I could find a ring that was missing for 18 years, even after another detectorist searched.

I love my Hobby!!

A note from Jason:  I contacted Dave to look for my Grandmothers wedding ring that my mom lost 18 yrs ago. He showed up and is very professional. After 1 hr of nails, screws, and bottle tabs. He was almost done with the front yard and searched a patch of grass right on the edge of the curb. Long behold he found the ring that gave my mom so much heartache for years. Thank You Dave for making her the happiest I have seen her in a long time.

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Football on the Beach Strikes Again, No Touchdown in Ventnor, NJ.

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Saturday, I was just sitting down to dinner when Josh called. He was on the beach in Ventnor and was playing football. His older brother grabbed at him and caught his chain. The chain broke off of his neck, and the game stopped. Both the thin chain & a Star of David pendant are missing. He kind of marked off the area.
 
My wife was nice enough to keep dinner warm while I made the journey to the shore. Parking was difficult as NJ continues to open up after being shut down for COVID-19. I found a parking spot 2 blocks away after doing several circles waiting for someone to leave.
 
Josh was waiting on the beach for me with his father and his younger brother. They showed me the area they thought the items would be. The chain is thin, and the pendant is about the size of a dime.
 
I started my search in a circular pattern from the spot they thought the items should be. After about 20 minutes, they adjusted the location, and I moved there. 5 minutes later, I had the pendant in my scoop. You would have thought that Josh and his family won the PowerBall the way they were celebrating. I searched for another hour for the chain. It did not appear. Thin chains and stud earrings are some of the hardest things to find. I tried multiple settings on my detector. I found everything but the chain. Because it was small, I believe it broke into numerous little pieces, not leaving enough metal for me to locate on the heavy mineralized sandy beach.
 
Josh was a little disappointed but said it was ok. He really wanted the Star of David pendant back, which he now has.
 
I Love My Hobby!!
 
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Lost Hearing Aid in Bryn Mawr Pa, During Storm Cleanup

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Frank was out in his back yard, cleaning up debris from the latest storm. While throwing some branches into a waste pile, one of the branches caught him on the right side of his head, sending his very expensive hearing aid into the garden somewhere. He searched the internet and found me.

I called Frank on the way home from work. He told me the story. I know how expensive they are because I wear a set of hearing aids. I wanted to find it as soon as possible so it wouldn’t be exposed to moisture.

Frank wasn’t there when I got there. His wife showed me the area and had the other hearing aid for me to see & hear what I was looking for. It has a small wire, and I thought it might be stuck in a bush somewhere. It barely made a sound on both of the detectors, I brought with me, even after trying multiple settings. I searched for like 40 minutes without finding it.

I took out my small handheld pinpointer and tested it with the other hearing aid, a much better result. So I got on my hands and knees and starting searching. We were looking in a fern patch. These plants can easily hide a hearing aid. Fifteen minutes more of searching resulted in uncovering the missing hearing aid.

Frank was relieved. A set of hearing aids can cost well over 6k. His wife thought that I was going to give up. I told her I don’t give up easily. Social distancing prevented us from shaking hands or receiving a bro hug. The smiles on their faces were awesome.

I love my hobby!!

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Bryn Mawr, Pa

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Lost Hearing Aid in Bryn Mawr PA After Storm Cleanup (June 9, 2020)

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Football on the Beach = Lost Chai

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Dean called me, late afternoon on May 24th, asking for help in finding a lost Chai charm, solid gold about the size of a quarter. He was down visiting his parents in Margate. He took his son and some other boys to the beach to play football. During the game, someone grabbed his son and got his gold chain, it snapped, and the charm went flying. He had the general idea of the area. I had to check with the Mrs. because it was 5 pm and we hadn’t had dinner yet.

I called Dean back and told him I would be down in about an hour. He went back to the beach and sent me pictures of the area because he wasn’t sure if I was coming down tonight or early in the morning. I left home while it was sunny and 70. I took the Atlantic City Expressway, rocking out to the Led Zeppelin channel on Sirius. I get to the beach; it is overcast, windy, and 56. Guess who didn’t bring a jacket?

I texted Dean and started to search. Dean came down about 10 minutes later and adjusted my location. There must have been one heck of a party here last year because there were so many rusted bottle caps. Any fresh drops would be immediately covered with sand because of the wind.

About 35 minutes into the hunt, I get a good tone, look down and see just a sliver of gold. Brushed the sand away, and it was the Chai charm I was looking for. Dean was amazed. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. His smile said it all. He told me the charm was given to him many years ago by his mom. He never wore it. His son mentioned to Dean that all the kids in school were wearing chains with charms, so Dean gave this charm to his son to wear. He said his son was devastated when he lost the gold charm today. He was going to be so surprised when he got back.

I love my Hobby!

Comment from Dean:

“Dave is the Man. Right after my son lost it, the lifeguard mentioned to me there are people with metal detectors who may be able to help. It was a blessing I found Dave. He was so concerned the beach would be cleaned in the morning, that he was there within a few hours. My son, myself and my entire family are still amazed Dave found it. It really makes for a great memory and story, but more importantly that there are people like Dave who just want to help. Cannot thank you enough Dave. Thank you again. 🙏🙏”

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Yard Work Claims Another Wedding Ring…

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Paul was doing some yard work in his backyard, pulling up ivy from around a shed and some trees. When he was done, his wedding ring was missing. He emptied the bags of debris he made and searched without finding the ring. His wife suggested to buy a metal detector and search for it. Paul instead searched the internet for a metal detecting guy and found me.

Paul called me today and asked if I could help him find his ring after a brief description of what happened. I told him I would be able to come over after work.

I met Paul, and he showed me the area. There is still a lot of ivy in the yard. He only thinned it out. He told me a little bit about his property. The front part of the house is an old mill built in 1805. In 1906 they added an addition to the back of the building and converted the mill into a residence.

I started my search and immediately found a can pull-tab. The next signal within a minute was the ring. It was a large white gold ring with a nice design etched into it. Paul couldn’t believe how fast I found it. He spent a long time looking for it. I couldn’t see his smile, because he was wearing a face mask, but I could see his amazement in his eyes.

He told me that I could come back at a later date and search the property for artifacts, BONUS!!!

I love my hobby!!

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COVID-19 Lost Wedding Ring While Doing Yard Work in Westmont NJ

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I received an email early in the morning from Mischa. He reports that he lost his wedding ring the day before while adding new mulch to his flower beds. We made arrangements for me to search after work.

I met Mischa and asked him several questions. He showed me the search area. All of the flower beds are up against a chain-link fence. I started to search with the smallest coil I have.

I searched all of the beds with no luck. I moved to another detector to search his travel paths to see if it fell off out of the beds. No luck. Mischa was thanking me for looking. I told him I wasn’t done yet.

I went back to the beds, on my hands & knees, pulled all of the mulch away from the fence and searched with my pin-pointer. Next to the last bed, I found it. The chain-link fence was too big for my metal detector to find the smaller ring. He was so happy. We maintained social distancing, no hand shakes or bro hugs. The search took a little over an hour.

I love my hobby!!

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COVID-19 Lost Wedding Ring Recovery, Playing Field Hockey

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April 5th, 2020 was going to be the most beautiful day of the week. So I had made arrangements to meet Mark at his parent’s house. This is where his wife lost her wedding ring a week ago playing field hockey in the backyard.

The area was beautiful, foggy, and a nice wet lawn, easier to track where I have been detecting, so I don’t miss anywhere. Mark wasn’t there yet, so I met his dad, Dennis. We did the whole social distancing thing.

He showed me a vast backyard, where they played field hockey last weekend. I asked if they were in any particular area, and he pointed to more then half of the yard. Oh boy, this could take a while. I went back to my SUV and got my detector.

I just started to search, and I heard someone say hello, I had headphones on, so I began to look around. It was Mark. I asked him a few questions. He was able to narrow the search area down a little. I was going to start my search at the swing set.

I started to search, and I got a good signal. I couldn’t see anything because the grass was so thick. I used my pin-pointer and spread open the grass, and there was a beautiful white gold wedding ring with several small diamonds. Less than 2 minutes of searching, it was in my hand. I needed that. I took a few pictures.

Mark was up on the deck. I started walking towards him and asked is there any area that his wife was in the most. I said that I didn’t want to be here all day. I said I had another question that might help. Does her ring look like this? And I opened my hand. The look on his face was priceless. No hugs or handshakes. Just smiles.

I asked for his wife’s cell number and sent her a few pictures. Within 30 seconds she called Mark in total disbelief. She worried all night that I wasn’t going to find it. I had told Mark when he contacted me earlier in the week that if it were in the yard, I would find it. He believed me until his wife changed his mind overnight. I love my hobby!!

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Lost Gold Cross Found By Dave Milsted in Haddonfield NJ

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Kim called me earlier in the week; She wanted to know if I would be able to find a small gold cross. Her son Quinn was playing football in a schoolyard field. A girl had grabbed his collar and got a hold of his chain with a gold cross on it. They have the chain, but the cross is missing. The cross was given to him from his grandparents for his First Holy Communion, very sentimental.

We met after school on Friday. Quinn showed me the area of the field he believed that he was in when the chain was broken. I didn’t think we would have any luck finding it as there is very little grass on the field. It looks well used. I was fearful that another kid found it and didn’t turn it in. Kim already contacted the janitor of the school and he didn’t find it, and no one turned it in.

I started a grid pattern. I had a lot of little friends following us around. They have hundreds of questions. Every time the detector beeped, they all would ask, “Is that it?” Quinn would get on the ground and say please, please be it. After about an hour, Quinn had to leave for lacrosse practice. I told Kim that I would let her know if I found it.

When they left, the other kids left too. I was by myself. Five to ten minutes later, I got a good tone. I looked down and could see a gold loop. I found the cross. See the 1st picture. I took a few pictures and texted them to Kim.

She called me and decided to keep it a secret. We would meet sometime on Saturday and surprise Quinn. We decided to meet at the Westmont Party Store. We would make it look like a chance meeting. We caught it on video. The look on his face when I finally told him that I found it was priceless!!

Below is a link to the video of Quinn’s reaction when he realizes that I found it:

https://youtu.be/3DQh6AlrLEA

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Dirty Dog Equals Lost Gold Diamond Ring in Townsend Delaware

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Taylor contacted me a week ago, asking if I would travel to Townsend Delaware to search for his wife’s lost white gold ring.

She had come home after work back in October and found their puppy in its crate, where he had an accident. Covered in poop she raced him outside to wash him off with the hose. He was not cooperating. When she was finished and back inside the house, she noticed her ring from her grandmother was missing.

I traveled down early this morning in the dense fog. I met Taylor and he showed me the search area. He said he bought a metal detector shortly after the loss, but the unit was always beeping.

I got started and understood why his machine was beeping. There are a lot of coins on the path his wife took to the hose. I didn’t dig any and left them for Taylor.

Five minutes after starting I got the signal I was looking for. I took out my pinpointer and got a surface hit, but couldn’t see anything. I scraped away a layer of mud and I could see the outline of a ring. I called Taylor over to have him see what I was looking at. He couldn’t believe it. He said no wonder why all of the time I spent on my hands and knees looking I couldn’t find it.

Either his wife or the dog, who is close to 100 pounds must have stepped on it shortly after it was lost. I dug it out and cleaned it off the best I could. It was a small white gold ring with 5 diamonds. The look on his face was priceless. I got a couple of man hugs!. I took a few pictures and started my journey home.

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Playing Basketball in the Cold & Lost a Little Hoop…

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Amanda called me today in a panic. Her husband was in the backyard playing basketball and lost his wedding ring. They searched for a while with no luck. I told her if it is there I will find it. The kicker is they were married 5 days ago. The ring is a little to big and they have discussed getting it sized. The chilly air today didn’t help the cause.

I drove down to Williamstown tonight after work. It is dark and raining. Amanda showed me the area that the basketball court is located. It is a grassy area covered in leaves. The area is about 50 feet by 50 feet. There are no lights, so it was pitch black.

I decided to start close to the hoop. It could have been anywhere due to dribbling and shooting motions. 3 signals in and less than 5 minutes I found the ring! It was under some leaves.

Amanda was standing in the rain watching me. I walked over to her and I guess she thought I was going to ask some more questions. When I showed her the ring she was so surprised that I found it and couldn’t believe that I found it so fast. I got a hug! I’m glad my wife doesn’t get jealous, because I get a lot of hugs doing this service!

It was nice to have another quick find. After seeing the size of the area and it being so dark, I thought for sure that I would be there a very long time.

I love my hobby!! Another happy client!

 

 

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Hustle & Bustle of the Holidays Cause Lost Wedding Ring

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Thomas sent me an email today asking if I could look for his lost wedding ring. He lost it this past Saturday while putting Christmas lights up. I told him I could be there after work today. Westmont is only 5 minutes from my house.

We met, and he showed me 2 areas that his tungsten ring might be. He also said that this is the second time he lost this ring, a replacement since he lost the original. His daughter found it in a river where they were tubing. The original is still missing. He searched the area with no luck. He was fearful that it was hung up in one of the branches in the bushes.

I searched the 2 areas with my metal detector, both areas near concrete, with rebar in it. So my detector was constantly beeping. I decided to use my hand-held pinpointer detector and searched the areas with that. No joy! Pennies, bottle caps and pieces of aluminum siding were present. So I expanded my search. About 3 feet away from the second search area I was able to find his ring. He couldn’t believe it.

This was a nice quick search with another happy client. This hobby is awesome!!

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Ring Lost Years Ago Found by Dave Milsted in Abington PA

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Walt called me back in September after seeing an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer that I was featured in on metal detecting. He asked if I could find a wedding band that was lost in his back yard several years ago. Our schedules didn’t align at the time. I gave Walt a call yesterday, and we were both available today, Saturday, November 23. He lives in Abington Pa.

I arrived about 20 minutes early, and Walt is already outside waiting for me. He showed me the area in the back yard. His wife, Sharon, was sitting on the porch and dropped her ring. They heard it hit the cement and then nothing more. The porch is surrounded by pachysandra.

There were a lot of metal items lost in the pachysandra. Several nails, s-hooks, an old tarnished silver bracelet, and bottle caps. After about 15 minutes I found the long lost white gold wedding band.

The look on Walt’s face was priceless. He had spent many hours combing through the plants looking for this ring. He said that their Wedding Anniversary was Nov 20th and that this Monday is Sharon’s birthday. I asked if he was going to wrap it up for a present. That is when he told me that she had died this past March. He was so happy that I called this week, as it has been a very sentimental week for him.

Walt is retired from the Philadelphia Fire Department. I love returning all lost items, but when I can help out a fellow 1st responder, that has a special place in my heart.

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