I met my customer . he said that he was waving his hand to one of his friends and his ring flew off. he was saying that it flew about 20 feet. but after searching for a while there I asked more questions. I found that it must not have gone that far. so I reexamined the area closer. I was only getting a target that sounded like a penny. but guess what after checking the target out .. it was his ring. he was very happy. and left me this beautiful testimonial.
Testimonial……………………………………………..
Waving to a friend, my wedding band flew off my hand. First time ever in 60 years the ring left my hand. Looked in the grass unsuccessfully .
Sent text to Craig Marten explaining my issue at 10:15 PM. He was at my home ready to search at 10:00 AM the next day.
10:45 AM he found my ring.
Very grateful of his quick response and successful result.
I Found Old Cash Hidden Under Floor Boards in this Attic!
If grandpa grew up in the great depression, there are probably tales of hidden silver certificates somewhere in the house. DO NOT disregard these rumors of hidden loot! After years of failed attempts, this family grew tired of figuring out if a metal detector would work indoors and even hired a construction contractor to find the treasure supposedly hidden under the floor. The family eventually found me online and hired me to figure out where grandpa hid his money.
When I arrived, we began by touring the attic. The family members showed me where people have looked in the past and where a recently hired contractor pulled up the floorboards. I reopened some of the floors where the carpenter previously worked. Now I could better look at the floor joists and see any potential metal objects under the floorboards. Turning on my metal detector, I walked over to where light from the two windows intersected. The rumor was that a person could see the box through the floorboards when the light shined into the room. Naturally, I started in the middle of the floor, looking for cracks where light could shine through. As I swept and my metal detector just above the attic floor, I realized every signal I heard so far was directly underneath and damaged piece of the flooring. The damage was either claw marks from a hammer or split wood where someone recently pulled up the flooring. The damage told me that someone already looked there, so I didn’t waste much time in the center of the room. I did notice some loose floorboards, so I took the opportunity to open the floor and tune my metal detection equipment. As I moved across the attic, I used a crayon to mark every significant signal I came across. I also identified the floor joists to make sure I knew where the center of each cavity was underneath the floorboards. The next step of my plan was to go back and investigate floor markings by drilling a pinky-sized hole in the board above the potential target. Finally, I would view the underside of the floor by dropping my 8.5-millimeter endoscope camera into the hole. Using this process of drilling a small hole and using a snake camera, I could see the floor cavity and see if I was dealing with electrical wiring, piping, or treasure without causing excessive damage or wasting much time. The old pine tongue-and-groove floorboards were fragile, and I did not want to remove them unnecessarily.
As I approached an hour of searching with my XP Deus metal detector, I had already heard many signals and seen even more evidence of other people removing floorboards. But I hadn’t heard any signals I felt were worth stopping and conducting an immediate investigation, mostly because of the fresh claw marks in the wood above almost every signal heard. I decided to inspect outside the rumored area and get closer to the attic space’s sloped ceiling. I figured focusing on the outskirts of the attic might show me something new, considering everybody else before focused on the center of the room. I started checking closely in the areas where the roof slope intersected with the attic floor. Due to the lack of headroom, I got on my hands, knees, and belly to check this area. I noticed a loose board, so I popped it up and shined my flashlight inside. I could see some insulation, but we only had rumors of the treasure being hidden under the floor, so I didn’t want to make a mess by removing insulation unless I heard an excellent signal. I reached inside to gently move the insulation and see if it was even possible to hide something underneath. I learned of a few spots across the whole attic where there was space to hide something under the insulation, so I was not too concerned about checking underneath. I figured the treasure was big enough that it would take up a decent amount of space.
I heard a choice signal in the very back corner, so I slowed down and began inspecting closely, looking for other clues. I also noticed there were four rough cuts at 45-degree angles in the floorboards. The two sets of jagged saw marks were side-by-side and lacking the fresh wood color of all the other recent board cuts I had been checking over the past hour. Each of the four saw cuts had a slight bow in the cut direction. Cuts of this nature were done with an older type circular saw or by someone inexperienced in woodworking. Maybe even a reciprocating saw or possibly a hand saw. Something else that looked odd was one of the boards had two parallel splits down the center. Splits like this typically happen during forced removal, possibly with a prybar. Splits like this would not have been done during the installation of the floor seventy years ago. My conclusion – this looked like the work of a homeowner hurriedly removing boards and warranted a closer inspection. I grabbed my endoscope camera and set it up. This particular endoscope camera wirelessly connects to my phone, allowing me to record directly to my iPhone. I figured whatever the suspect target is, there are a couple of different ways to access it. I wanted to check four or five other access points, so I took a hammer and popped up a few trim pieces covering up these places. I began inspecting under the floor and behind the walls with my endoscope camera. When I finished with the first hole, I realized many spider webs were obstructing my view, so I used a stick to clear some of them out. With a clearer image, I thoroughly inspected a couple of spaces. I decided to call the family member over to see what I was doing and understand the benefit of my technology. I pointed at my screen and explained what we were viewing. She seemed to understand what was in the floor cavities. When I dropped the endoscope camera into the next access point, I saw a small round, shiny circle displaying letters and numbers. We discuss the object for a moment as I brought my camera into focus and began to use the recording feature. The family member was observing the screen and suggested a pipe of some sort. My first thought was a coin was dropped and slipped through the flooring. Bringing the object into focus, I realized a slot in the center of the silver hole. OH MAN, THIS IS A KEYHOLE, I yelled! The first question that came to mind was, what is a keyhole doing under a floorboard? I pulled the camera further away from the item, and I could now see the edges of the box wedged between the floor joists and on top of the insulation. Call it denial if you want, but I still was not ready to admit that I had found a lockbox hidden underneath the floorboards.
I took a deep breath and convinced myself we have something serious. This is the essence of treasure hunting – it’s game time. The family member notified her relatives, telling them I was inspecting something of interest. My next move was to figure out the best way to access the box. I removed a piece of plywood covering the floor joist, rafter, and header joist’s meeting point. I managed to view the box by sliding on my belly and squeezing my head between the rafters. I reached for the cash box with a clear view down into the joist cavity. This was the most incredible treasure I’ve ever seen! As the event unfolded, I explained my every move to the family members as they have been very patiently waiting to find out what is inside the lockbox. As treasure stories go sometimes, the contents turn out to be time capsules, pictures, notes, and other keepsakes. Just because you find a lockbox doesn’t mean there’s necessarily something of monetary value inside. I try not to get a person’s hopes up, at least in the beginning. When you find a hidden lockbox, you hope for a hidden fortune but suspect the least exciting content. This way, the people are not as disappointed if the contents end up being something other than valuable treasure.
I grabbed the box and pulled it, and to my surprise, it was longer and heavier than I initially thought. After a few attempts, I realized I couldn’t remove the box due to the confined space and angle of the roof. I had to go back and remove those two suspiciously cut floorboards that I saw earlier. After removing the floorboards, careful not to do any additional damage to the pine boards, I could access the cavity just as the original pirates did. At this point, I realized the rumors of light shining through the window, into the floorboards, and onto the box was impossible. This metal cash box was covered up with multiple pieces of loose trim and scrap wood. Whoever put this box in here thought that it would help disguise it some more. Possibly like a type of camouflage in case someone pules up the floorboards in the future. I slid the box into view for the family to admire. Of course, I had to get a selfie with the treasure! As I pulled on the heavy metal box and felt it break contact with the surface below, a wave of guilt came over my body. I thought, “I am undoing what the original manager of this treasure intended.”
Anticipating a treasure guardian dropping through the ceiling, I remove the box from its 63-year old hiding place. In shock, we all stared at the box in disbelief. There was a brief second of panic when we realized there were no keys for the lock. I recognized the type of lockbox and knew the piano hinge was its weak point. Disassembly of this type of hinge was easy due to the construction around the spline. I used a small punch to tap out the spline. The two parts of the hinge could now be separated with a pull of the lockbox handle. As soon as I cracked the box open, I saw the old banknotes bundled with currency straps and knew I had found the treasure.
Cash was packed to the lid. All denominations were in the bundles, and individual bills were dated 1934, 1935, and 1950. The date “December 19, 1958,” along with the teller number, was stamped on each currency strap. Silver certificates were visible in three of the bundles. The highly collectible silver certificates are banknotes representing a stated amount of silver bullion payable to the bearer on demand. Silver was viewed as a type of insurance, just in case the dollar value suddenly dropped. Four other packages included bundles in fancy currency packaging labeled “$5,000” each. The cache of vintage banknotes totaled $46,000 in face value. The purchasing power of $46,000 in 1958 was equivalent to $421,603 in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a price increase like this means 2021 prices are 9.17 times higher than the average prices in 1958.
Most people know of The Great Depression and the hard times brought on by this period. People born during this period endured pain that would scar them for life. Perhaps the children of the depression were hit harder, or at least as hard as the adults. Being an adult and the family provider was a heavy task due to little work and money available. But more so than the adults, the kids would spend the rest of their long lives with the hard times taste in their mouths.
After a 2021 discussion with my grandfather, Louie, I learned about the life of a depression baby. Louie remembers growing up on the fifth floor of their 49th Street apartment in the Bronx. Railroad apartments were the low-cost option his family had. In 1941 his father made 8 dollars a week and paid 11 dollars a month in rent, so low-cost living was their only option. Louie lived in railroad apartments which were a series of connected rooms with public bathrooms. The kerosene heater was the crown jewel of these rooms and the lifeline of the apartment. To survive the winter months meant sticking as close to the heater source as you could. The bathrooms were outside in the hallway, requiring a cold walk he didn’t want to make very often. “Leaving the kerosene heat meant the possibility of getting sick.” Things didn’t get easier once someone finally arrived at the bathroom. “We couldn’t afford toilet paper, so we used old crinkled news newspaper. We rubbed the papers together to make it soft enough to use,” said Louie. The bathroom and other odors were never really an issue because the smell of kerosene took over everything. Clothing didn’t smell like laundry detergent and choice fragrances as they do now. Clothing only smelled of heating fuel. “The families that didn’t smell like kerosene were the rich families,” said Louie. “We couldn’t afford long pants, so knickers and stockings are what we wore. I got my first pair of long pants when I was 18 years old.” Living on a low income and the government home relief program didn’t leave many options for Louie and his family.
According to a 2012 interview with Delbert Keith Gordon, The Great Depression settled into peoples’ lives even if they were well off. Living on the family farm, Dilbert remembers going into town on Saturday nights with ten cents his parents gave him to spend. Dilbert dreamed of that big ten-cents Hershey bar or that nickel ice cream cone. As the great depression tightened its grip, the allowance dwindled to a nickel. Then suddenly, the spare change was gone, and Dilbert’s parents broke the news. The family couldn’t afford to give a child spare change; the amount of coins people nowadays don’t bother picking up off the sidewalk.
Could events like this follow Louie and Dilbert into adulthood? How could they not! Along with the cash hidden in this attic were antique tins of flour and boxes of nails from the original 1950s house construction—evidence of even the wealthiest of families being touched by these challenging times. To most, it might seem strange to save nails and baking flour when you can afford to hide a stockpile of cash. Unless you grew up during The Great Depression were survivors and clung to every material in their possession.
If you are in search of something valuable, contact Keith Wille now.
I got a call from a man Steven saying he lost his ring on Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida. We set a time and met up . and very quickly I was able to help him. Please see the wonderful Testimonial and pictures below.
Testimonial:
I lost my wedding band in knee deep water at the beach. The current & waves were strong that day, so I knew the likelihood of finding it was slim to none. As I was looking for metal detector rentals in my area, I found Craig & the Ringfinder website. I reached out to Craig (who responded back quickly) and we had an appointment scheduled to meet the following day in the general area where I lost my ring. I had personally looked for hours the day I lost it & Craig was able to find it within 5 minutes… Truly unbelievable! A very simple & straightforward process & I would recommend anyone to contact him in the event you have lost something of value. Thanks Craig!
March 15th 2021: Found a wedding band and engagement ring lost while playing softball.
Jocelyn, her husband and friends were playing family style softball in a field behind their house. She removed her beautiful rings and put them in her pocket before starting to play. After the game, she found her rings missing! Family and friends searched the field for several hours. They even borrowed a metal detector and a rake, to no avail.
Field
Jocelyn then turned to the internet to seek professional help. She found my contact information on The Ring Finders site (https://theringfinders.com/Rob.Ellis/) and texted me the next morning. I made the 2 hour drive to Midlothian, Virginia to assist Jocelyn. When we met, I could see the disappointment in her eyes. She probably thought the rings were gone for good. After showing me the field, I assured her there was a good chance of recovery.
First Ring
I began my search pattern in the area behind “home plate” and worked toward the “outfield”. I searched into the woods several feet on either side of the field. Within 40 minutes I located Jocelyn’s wedding band to the right side of the home plate area. I left the ring exactly where I’d found it, marking the location by sticking a pencil into the ground.
2nd Ring
Over the next hour and 20 minutes, I searched the rest of the field. I then expanded the search area behind “home plate” and recovered the second ring. I marked the location of the second ring using a softball.
I sent a text to Jocelyn asking her to join me. When she arrived, I showed her the pencil indicating the location of her wedding band. She was incredibly happy to have her wedding band back, but the engagement ring held more sentimental value. I then asked her to pick-up the softball and, to her amazement, there was the ring. We both shared the delight and relief of finding her treasures.
Smiles!
Please see this short video for a recap of the search, recovery and return:
I am expert detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Call/text/email, (703)-598-1435,Rob.Ellis@TheRingFinders.com
Call Ray @ MyGoldFinder for lost items 571.258.7217.
I received a text message early Saturday morning from Todd in Bristow, Virginia requesting my assistance in locating his yellow gold wedding band which was lost somewhere in his backyard the night before. Todd has been enjoying the beautiful weather we’ve been having these past few days here on the East coast; spending time cleaning up the yard, doing some trimming of the bushes and vines, doing a general cleanup and hanging around his hammock. At some point during the evening he realized his ring was no longer on his finger, like many men including myself we tend to ‘feel’ the ring constantly as a nature of habit and that’s when he noticed it was gone. He spent several hours at night looking for the ring, unfortunately with no luck. As many customer tend to do he almost was tempted to purchase a metal detector himself, I’m glad he called me instead! Most if not all of the customers I’ve met who have purchased a lower end detector were not successful in finding their treasure as the unit may not have been sufficient to isolate the ring from many other hits, and new customers tend to not have the experience to fully utilize the detector’s features.
I arrived at Todd’s beautiful home in the early part of the afternoon, then after a brief description of his ‘yard’ activities I initially started a quick sweep to see if I could get a hit. With the quick sweep not showing any significant results I started a more detailed grid of different sections of the yard, still no ring. The yard was not significantly large, but was broken up into nice little sectional areas; hammock area, birdbath, stone walk, bush areas. After hitting most areas several times I started to focus on the bush areas next t the fence which also had heavy vines growing on them. I borrowed a rake and cleaned most of the leaves and debris from the bush bedding area and still after a few grid searches no good hits.
I was then laying on the ground running the detectors further in to reach past the heavier bushes that’s when there was something sparking as bright as the ring from Lord of Rings, there was Todd’s beautiful golden wedding band. Even with a detector it would have been difficult to get a hit on this one as it was positioned between two closely nestled bushes. Sometimes you just have to get dirty! Todd was so excited to see his ring back and immediately placed in on his finger, hopefully never to come off again.
Great customer, thank you Todd for using theRingFinders network.
Gold Wedding Band found in Bristow Virginia back yard.
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Brandon’s lost gold wedding band in the snow.
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Brandon contacted me during our Seattle 2021 snow event about his 14k gold wedding band that got lost in his neighborhood. When I arrived he showed me a residential street that had a really good angle to it where they have been snow sledding two days prior. By this time most of the snow had melted away and the road was down to bare asphalt. I knew I had to act quickly if the ring was to be found before all the snow milted away. In high traffic areas there is always a high potential for some one to eyeball the item making the recovery process that more uncertain and added steps to take.
After he described what took place and pointing out the key areas he went back to his home to tend to his work. I quickly got my gear and got to the mission at hand. As I have done so many times in the past I quickly divided the area up in to priorities and the roadway was my prime focus. Active traffic, and only a few small bits of snow quickly milting away I knew I had to clear this section without delay.
As I got just past half way down the hill in the middle of the street I made a statement of how amazing it would be to find his ring in one of the snow drifts. As I was detecting a very thin patch of snow in the middle of the road I let out a prayer that God’s hand of protection would be upon his ring and that it would be recovered and before I could get the words out of my mouth completely God answered my prayer! My detector rang out a strong solid signal, a quick swipe of my pin pointer and I had his ring in my hand! Thank you Jesus his ring was recovered less than an inch away from a tire tread that went straight through this very patch of snow of where the ring was recovered. God certainly did protect his ring as there was not even a scratch on it. Beautiful, clean and pristine 14k yellow gold with a wood grain pattern carved into this piece constructed of heirloom gold from his father’s wedding ring made this a very special recovery.
We are so happy for Brandon’s wedding ring recovery.We trust in God that my prayer will continue on for the protection of this ring as its story continues on with Brandon’s life long adventures.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Professional Soccer Player Ally Watt’s Texas A&M Aggie Diamond Ring Wrap!
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Professional Soccer Player Ally Watt connected during our 2021 snow event asking for some help. Sadly she told me she had just lost a gold diamond ring throwing a snow ball for a photo. I asked her if this was a wedding ring and she no and did not offer any further details of the ring. She had learned of my services from my local metal detection shop when calling to rent a machine. The weather was quite crazy as we don’t typically get that much snow so it generally catches us off guard in the Seattle area. Ally had been out near Point Defiance when she lost her ring. Due to the snow and all the was taking place I was not able to meet her that same day. However she lives very close to the area she lost her ring so I did all I could to help her over the phone until I could make the trip. She came out the next days and searched for her ring. At first she didn’t realize she had been over a parking lot of snow. A few days past her loss she had received a cheap metal detector purchased on line and it basically did not perform all that well for her only turning up a simple coin. She tried to detect her friends ring in the snow and said the machine didn’t even respond. Admittedly having no experience with the cheap metal detector it was no surprise she did not locate her ring with the detector. By the time I was able to meet her in the parking lot a few days after the loss I learned more of the story. This is when I learned it was a Texas A&M class ring and that she had just found the ring the day prior visually searching the slushy snow! She also informed me that there was still a missing God Diamond Ring Wrap that she could not find! By they time I arrived the parking lot pavement had been plowed clear of all snow. Having been in the snow the past few days recovering other rings I knew this snow to be soft and light when it first fell. With what she told me I suspected when the ring flew off her finger the ring and diamond wrap separated. The chunky gold Aggie ring sank in the snow as where the Diamond Ring Wrap quite a bit lighter in mass stayed up a little hither in the layers of snow. When the snow plow came thought the parking lot I was hoping the Diamond Ring Wrap got pushed to the edge of the parking lot in the piles of snow. She was very fortunate to have eyeballed her Aggie class ring and to have found it undamaged.
I had a decision to make as we often do, either go right or left. I chose the right side of the parking lot first as the snow bank was not a hight as the other side. Always do the easy low hanging fruit first! No ring wrap, so off to the left side and still no ring wrap. Determined I continued to work up the parking lot when I finally got my first real solid target. I was not sure but had a pretty good anticipation this was it. After a few quick swipes of my detector and pin pointer I had a snow ball in my hand and pulled her Gold Diamond Ring Wrap completely undamaged from its snow packed hiding place! Thank you Lord for protecting this precious diamond ring wrap. She was quite concerned that it could have gotten run over by a car but fortunately we are thankful to report it was recovered undamaged. She was extremely pleased with the results of our efforts. With big proud smiles she put her ring back on her finger ready to live through the next adventure life brings her way.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Cassidy lost gold ring.
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Cassidy’s mother contacted me asking for help in searching for her daughter’s lost rings in the snow. Being that I was a bit delayed and that they already had rented a metal detector I happily provided a lot of tips over the phone on how to search their small neighborhood play park. Cassidy’s dad did all he could do with the rented machine through the cold snow but was not able to locate either of his daughter’s lost rings.
When her grandmother passed away these rings were handed down to Cassidy. It was obvious these heirloom rings hold a deep sentimental value by the whole family. She shared that she basically ran out into the fresh snow and threw one snowball bare handed then walked a few feet over to grab some more snow when she realize both rings were missing one from each hand! It’s quite possible she may have shook her hands a few times after that first throw to clear the cold snow from her bare fingers. These actions along with cold weather are notorious conditions for rings to get flung off the hand. Where rings land quite often can be quite a mystery and very difficult to locate without the proper recovery equipment and experience.
It was a few days before I could arrive and the family did all they could with the rented metal detector with no success. It was now day number four and I’m quite sure each day up to this point the family continued to look nonstop. At this point the snow had pretty much melted away with a few patches here and there. Cassidy was rewarded for her efforts and did spot one of her lost rings a brilliant platinum diamond wedding band. It was found in the park grass where a snow man was previously. She had found it just a few hours before my arrival however the other ring a rose gold diamond wedding band was still missing in action. At this point the rented metal detector had been returned and the family was at a loss as to where the other ring hiding in the park.
After a short bit of time working the grass I got a hot signal that I had been looking for. Under a patch of snow I pulled Cassidy’s second ring, a rose gold diamond wedding band, from the ground. Undamaged and ready to be placed back safely on her finger. Cassidy and her whole family were relieved and very appreciative of the support they found through my services brought to them through TheRingFinders.com directory.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
SeattleRingHunter Lost Item Recovery Specialist LAND & SCUBA Call ASAP 206-618-8194
Watch this recovery video of Dominic’s lost gold ring.
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Dominic contacted me asking for some help in locating a lost gold ring. Due to the cold weather front that had just arrived the night before he was gathering some firewood for the home. While collecting the wood he lost a very sentimental gold wedding band. He had received this ring from his father ten years previous and to this day it has a lot of meaning and connection to his dad. After realizing the ring had gone missing Dominic was cautious not to walk around the wood pile too much as he didn’t want to step on the ring and damage or press it into the ground. He was also quick to make a post to social media looking for a metal detector. This is when someone told him to contact TheRingFinders.com as they had used our services in the past. Later that evening I was at his residence with my equipment in hand. Without wasting time I got the search under way as a full on snow storm was quickly approaching.
Dominic clearly described his actions indicating that he did take some work gloves off during his work. He also used a riding lawnmower to haul the firewood up the driveway to the home. He became aware of the missing ring rather quickly so we had a very strong assumption the ring was most likely lost during his wood gathering actions.
I scanned the easy sections of driveway first, inspected the riding lawnmower then rounded back to the woodpile. Dominic’s ring was recovered just at the start of the wood pile. His ring was visually obscured under a few leaves as rings are much of the time. Dominic was rewarded with a hassle free recovery simply by reaching out to TheRingFinders.com and getting a Lost Item Recovery Specialist involved soon after his loss. He is happy to have his fathers ring back safely on his finger.
If you lost an item of value reach out to me directly for a quick chat so I can formulate a recovery plan for you!
Testimonial:
