Dennis Boothby, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 9 of 16

Gold Signet Ring Lost In The Portland, Maine Snow. Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Monday evening, February 17th, 2025, I received the following voicemail transcription.

“Hey how you doing. My name is Ethan M***. I got your number off of Facebook, for the finding thing you do. I am just calling to see if I can get your help I just lost my ring in the snow and can you call me back at 910-***-****, thank you…”

I immediately called Ethan back and he explained that he was shoveling his driveway, when he slipped on a patch of ice and fell to the ground, hard. As he was falling, he could feel his ring coming off, he thinks. Everything happened so fast and he was bracing himself for impact, but he thinks he felt the ring coming off.
Thankfully, he was not injured, in the fall. Once he had composed himself he searched for his ring, in the driveway and immediate area, without any luck. The snow was deep, on each side of the driveway and mostly hard packed snow and ice, in the driveway itself. After not locating the ring, Ethan went inside and called me for help. He told me that the ring was not his wedding ring, but a very special Signet Ring, that was a gift from his wife and is extremely sentimental.
As fate would have it, I had a Physical Therapy appointment at Orthopedic Associates, in Portland, Maine at 8:30am, the next morning and it was only 10-15 minutes, from where Ethan lived, in Portland Maine . I told Ethan that I could arrive at his home at 7:00am, before he left for work and he could go over the events, just prior, to losing his Signet ring. I would be able to search for an hour, before I had to leave for my PT appointment. If I wasn’t able to cover the entire area and find the ring , prior to leaving, I would return immediately after my PT session had ended.
I arrived at Ethan’s home at 6:50am and was promptly met by Ethan. He showed me where he was, in the driveway, when he slipped and fell, on the ice. Ethan also told me that he thought the ring would have flown off directly in front or behind him, into the snow.
I decided to start out near the street, searching the driveway and snow along the driveway, including the area in front of Ethan, where he thought the ring may be. Absolutely nothing.
I then turned around and went down the other side of the driveway, searching both the driveway and snowbank, along the driveway. No Signet ring was found. Once I had ended up back at the street , I searched the snowbanks at the end of the driveway and still no ring. At this point, Ethan needed to leave for work. If I found the ring, I could give it to his wife, who was inside, getting ready for work.
After Ethan left, I kept expanding the search area. I got up in the deep snow of the lawn, in front of the house and still no signals. I then went to the other side of the driveway and searched that lawn and into a thick bush, as best I could. Still no ring. I then researched the entire area and still nothing. Thankfully it is a small area and it wasn’t taking me long to cover the areas Ethan thought the ring was in.
I then decided to search the walkway leading up to their front door. Still no ring. As I was heading back towards the driveway, I decided to search as close to the parked car as I could but couldn’t get very close to it, because all the metal kept setting my detector off. I decided to just swing the coil very slowly, and as close to the vehicle as possible. I was still getting some targets but it was always the car setting the detector off. As I tried one last time, I did get a separate signal, aside from the car. It was definitely a non ferrous target but the conductivity reading on the VDI screen was 55. A much higher reading than I would expect for gold. Gold is considered a low conductor and the reading is usually in the 03 to low 30’s. Since it was such a good sounding target and definitely non ferrous, I just had to check it out. I took my pinpointer, scraped the snow down and then I saw the outline of a Gold Ring. I had found Ethan’s Signet Ring. It had taken me approximately 50 minutes and with the temperature at -2 degrees, with the wind chill, I was ready to leave. My feet and fingers were freezing and the warmth of the car was calling me.

I knocked on the front door and Ethan’s wife answered. I showed her the Signet Ring and she was so pleased. She told me Ethan had been very distressed all night, wanting to find his gifted ring very badly. I told his wife I would send some photos of the ring to Ryan, at work, so he could stop worrying.
I sent two photos of the ring and the following message, to Ethan, at work.

“How does it feel to have your ring back”?
Ethan replied
“You are a life saver!!!!”
I told him that his wife was now in possession of his very special ring and asked if he could have a picture taken, with him holding the ring. He quickly agreed and said he would send it to me, when he returned home, this evening. It is always such a great feeling and pleasure to be able to help people like Ethan out in their time of need. I love putting another smile, in my “Book of Smiles”.

Ethan later, in the evening , sent me the following text message .
“Thank you for all of your help, definitely a weight off the shoulders”. How can I not feel good, after a text like this.

It was also a great feeling to get into a warm vehicle. I’ve had enough of the cold and snow. Bring on the spring 🌻🌸❤️

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Gold Wedding Ring Lost While Snow Blowing, in Gorham, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

As I was watching The Super Bowl, on Sunday night, I received the following Facebook PM, at 9:00pm, from Ryan.

“I Lost my ring, in the snow”.

I replied,
“Hi Ryan, So sorry to hear this. When did you lose it, how and where”?

Ryan replied,
“I was using my neighbors snow blower brought it up to his house in front of his garage and used my hand to clean out the snow from the inside. Then shoveled it to the side as it was in front of his garage door . I looked down at my finger and it was gone”.

Ryan and I continued our conversation and he was 99% sure, his wedding ring would be in his neighbors driveway, underneath the hard packed snow or in the snowbank, along the driveway. With 11 inches of freshly fallen snow and another 6 inches forecasted to fall in a few days, I wanted to get to Ryan’s, asap. The longer, we waited, the better the chance the ring could be moved by the snowblower or the plow, making the ring, that much more difficult to locate. Ryan said he lived near University of Southern Maine, in Gorham, Maine, approximately 20 miles, from my home in Saco, Maine. Ryan asked if I could come out, the next day, Monday, at 3:45pm, when he would be home. I agreed to meet him and now I just needed to charge my equipment up.
I arrived at 3:45pm and Ryan immediately took me to his neighbors driveway and showed me the area he had cleaned the snow out of the snowblower and the area he had shoveled the excess snow , on the the snow bank. The driveway was very hard packed snow. I took out a 14K test ring and buried it in the snow bank . I then started my detector up and showed Ryan what the ring sounded like, on the detector and the VDI reading, on the detector’s screen. The ring let out a nice loud low tone that was crystal clear.
I decided to grid the fairly small area, starting in front of the garage doors and working my way towards the snowbanks, on the side of the driveway. My 1st pass resulted in a few targets but they were under the ice and asphalt. I turned around and headed back towards my original starting point and again, a few targets, but no ring. I turned and started back towards the snowbanks and about 3/4 of the way there, I received a very loud low signal, in the 42-43 range. It sounded great but I thought the VDI reading was a little high, for a gold ring. I took out my pinpointer and located the target, in the hard packed snow of the asphalt driveway. I then started scraping the hard packed snow away, with my pinpointer and all of a sudden, I saw a Gold Ring. I immediately said “There it is” and Ryan said “Thats amazing “. I picked up the ring and handed it to Ryan, who shouted over to his wife, in their driveway, “He found it“ and held the ring up, so she could see it. I could see her smile and another smile broke out, on my face. The entire search only took approximately 7-8 minutes and the ring was exactly in the area, Ryan thought it would be.
I am just so fortunate to be able to help people like Ryan out, in their time of need. There is just no better feeling than to be able to put a ring, back on someone’s finger and a smile on their face. ❤️🙏

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

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

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 ❤️🙏

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

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

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!👏👏👏

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

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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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.

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

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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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”.

 

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Key Fob and Keys, Lost In The Limington, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I had just returned home from a successful Heirloom Ring recovery and return, in Acton, Maine, when I received the following text

“Hi I’m hoping to get in contact with Dennis of Ring Finders of Maine. My name is Tim and I live in Limington Maine (about 45 minutes from Saco, Maine). I’ve been missing my keys since yesterday morning, and my wife and I have torn our house apart looking for them. We believe they may be under a couple inches of snow along the edges of our driveway, I wanted to know if you were able to offer your metal detector services to help find them”

I immediately texted Tim back and told him that I could certainly help him, to try and find his keys. I sent the following text message back to Tim

“A few questions
1) what makes you think they may be in the driveway area?
2) Are these actual keys, a key fob or both?
3) How big and long, is the driveway? I could bring an extra detector, if you or your wife would like to help search.”

Tim replied

“The driveway is about 5-6 car lengths long and 2 cars wide.
There is a fob, but there’s also 4 or 5 metal keys, and it’s on a carbon fiber key organizer.
We think they’re in the driveway because I usually keep keys in one coat pocket and my wallet in the other, and I last had them Wednesday when I went out and came back. I was staking our driveway for our plow guy since we had some snow coming Wednesday night into Thursday and when I went to use my car yesterday my wallet was still in my coat pocket but my keys were not, and between staking the driveway and taking a couple patio chairs off the deck the only explanation for not finding them in the house anywhere is if they fell out of my pocket while outside.
I’m happy to help search if you can teach me what I need to do”

I replied
“Ok, are you available now? I can come up now, if this is ok.
What is your full name and address, I would need to go to? I will bring the spare detector”

Tim said he was home and I told him I would be there shortly. After being home less than an hour, after returning from Acton, Maine, I was out the door, to Limington, Maine. I arrived at Tim’s home, approximately 45 minutes later and was promptly met by Tim. I asked Tim to show me the areas, he thinks the keys may be in. Tim said the keys could be on either side of the driveway, where he had placed some stakes and cleaned back a little snow. They could be out back, where he had moved some patio furniture. The could also be along the walkway, to the front door, coming from the driveway.
I then retrieved both of my detectors, set them up and tested them, with my set of keys and key fob. After placing my set of keys, under the bank of snow, along the driveway, I showed Tim, what he would need to do and listen for, as he helped me search. The detectors were picking up the test keys with no problems, at approximately 10-12 under the snow bank. After watching Tim swing the detector, over the test keys, I asked him which side of the driveway would he like to search. He chose the right side, as you faced the house and I would start on the left side, of the house. As we were searching, we were receiving plenty of targets but definitely not in the key range. As we were finishing up the sides of the driveway, I heard Tim say, “Got em” and I looked up and Tim had found them, at the intersection of the driveway and walkway, to the front door. Tim was very excited and happy, with a smile from ear to ear.He surmised that they fell out of his pocket, while placing a stake, in the area and disappeared, under the surface of the snow and then more snow arrived, covering them even more.
Tim said he had been extremely stressed about his keys and key fob being lost. The key fob was extremely wet, from the snow and Tim was going to place it in a bag of rice, hoping to dry the fob out. Hopefully, it works.
So it’s not always jewelry that The Ring Finders of Maine help recover. Sometimes it’s Keys, Key Fob, Property Markers, Water Shutoff Valves, Cell Phones, etc.. Whatever the item is, I love being able to help people like Tim out, in their time of need. It’s such a great feeling when I am able to return a lost item and add another face to my “Book of Smiles”

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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)
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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❤️🙏

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Sterling Silver Ring With Pink Sapphire, Lost In The Norway, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

On Thursday, December 5th, 2024,  I was returning home from Portland, Maine, when I heard my phone ring. Once home, I had the following message on my Facebook Messenger and a voicemail, on my phone,

“Hello! I just left you a voicemail, my name is Sarah, I’m working at Club Rowe in South Paris. I was outside at the Guy E. Rowe School by the pavilion when my ring fell off my hand into the snow. The kids here and I have been working hard to find it, but no luck. If you can get back to me to talk further it would be deeply appreciated! Thank you so much”.

I immediately called Sarah back and told her I could absolutely come up and help search for her ring. Sarah told me that it was a Sterling Silver Ring, with a Pink Sapphire stone. Sarah also told me she knew the area, she had lost their ring in. She was standing just outside a gazebo, when the snow started sliding off of the roof. Sarah jumped from just outside the gazebo, over the bank of fallen snow and landed, under the roof, of the gazebo. As she was jumping, over the snow bank, she felt the ring come off. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure which way the ring had gone. I told her no problem, I could search the areas, in front of where she jumped, in the back of her and to the sides. I couldn’t imagine the search area would be any larger than a 25’ X 25’ area. I told Sarah I would leave shortly, as soon as I could get all my gear loaded. It was now approximately 12:00 noon.

Once I got on the road, I called Sarah and told her my ETA was approximately 1:25pm, depending on traffic and weather issues. Sarah told me it had started to snow again, in Norway and they had already received approximately 3-4 inches of snow, so far. As I was driving, I was only encountering light rain and drizzle, until I was in the Poland and Oxford, Maine area, when I started encountering snow. Wasn’t snowing hard and should cause no issues in my search.

Once I arrived, Sarah immediately came out of the schools daycare and after a few pleasantries, she walked me over the area she had lost her Sterling Silver Ring in. As I surveyed the area, I thought to myself that this should be fairly quick. Sarah gave me another Sterling Silver Ring, to setup and test the detector with. No issues and Sarah was able to see how the detector would sound, when my coil went over the ring. I told Sarah she didn’t need to stay outside with me, while I searched, since she was working with the children, in the Snow Day daycare.  Once Sarah went in, I decided to search the area to her left and to the front, of where she was standing m when she jumped. This would be the same direction her body was going, when she felt the ring come off. After 5-6 minutes of searching and a few targets investigated, I hadn’t found the ring. I then decided to search the area, behind and to the right, of where she was standing, prior to jumping, over the snowbank. Approximately 2-3 minutes of searching this area, my metal detector started screaming at me. I just knew this had to be the Sterling Ring. The VDI number on my Minelab Manticore’s screen was reading 78 and this was definitely, in the Sterling Silver range. I got my pinpointer out and plunged it into the snow. Once I located the target, I started pushing the snow away, with my pinpointer. I then saw the ring and pink stone. I had found Sarah’s ring.

A few minutes later, Sarah came outside with the children and I called her over. Pretending to not know exactly where she had been standing, when the ring came off, I started to ask her a question, about where she was standing. As she got closer, I asked her if she recognized the ring, on my detector. Sarah was extremely surprised and happy to see up her ring, sitting on my metal detector. If you would like to see the video, of her being surprised, you may find it on my Facebook Page.

Nothing better than to be able to help people, like Sarah out, in their time of need.

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

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

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😀

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