This hunt began late last night when I received a call from Lance who resides in Arlington, Virginia and was visiting friends on Oahu. While playing volleyball on the beach, Lance noticed his Brass Ganesha Medallion had fallen off but he wasn’t exactly sure when during the volleyball game it happened. Luckily he played in the same general area so the search grid was only about 5 yards by 10 yards in size. I wasn’t quite sure what numbers brass would ring up on the Nox but I figured this area of the beach is fairly clean so we dig it all. First target was an 8 but it was so small the target kept going through the netting of my scoop. Oh well! Not what I’m looking for. Next target was a 20-21 which is usually a Zincoln Cent but to my surprise there was Lance’s Brass Ganesha Medallion in the scoop. Elapsed search time 2 minutes. Another quick successful hunt. Lance by the way is a rapper and his newly released song is hitting the airwaves now. I’m a rock-n-roller so I wasn’t very enthused. But the song did have a catchy beat I’m sure the younger generation will crave for more. Aloha to Lance the Rapper!
Received a text from Karen today seeking help in finding her boyfriend’s lost college ring. She found me in the Ring Finders directory and I returned her text with a phone call to discuss the lost ring. Karen conveyed to me that(1 year ago!) she was mowing the backyard lawn of her home in the Skippack/Collegeville area of PA while her boyfriend, Eric, was also doing some work in the backyard. As she was mowing she saw a large branch in her way and asked Eric to pick it up and heave it out of the way to the side of the yard. In doing so Eric felt his prized college ring fly off his finger in the same direction of the branch…somewhere in the corner of the yard. They searched for hours and even rented a metal detector to try to find with no luck. As the year passed Karen never forgot about the missing ring and was determined to find and return it to Eric…she finally reached out to a “Ring Finder”.
I arrived to her home around 3:30 pm on the same day she contacted me. We went straight back to the area where the loss occurred. As I always do I took a second to demonstrate my equipment with my own ring….I want people to feel confident that if the ring is there…I’m going to find it! She re-enacted the loss and showed me exactly which direction the branch and ring were thrown. I’ve learned over the years to prioritize the most likely search areas first and then expand outward. I was there about 5 minutes and on my 4th signal I knew I had it before I even bent down. It was a clean and solid gold tone 1 inch beneath the surface. I grabbed my pinpointer an targeted its exact location just under the surface and gently moved a 1/2 inch of dirt and saw the gold shine through. Before digging any further I called Karen over and asked her to take a look….she was amazed!!! We gently moved a little more dirt and plucked this beauty out of the ground! As a Ring Finder I always tell people how much more fun it is when you are able to come through and find and return the item! Karen and Eric were very happy!!!!
This Ring Find began as my detecting buddy Terry & I were wrapping up our day hunting for a lost white gold wedding band in Naia Lagoon. We found a total of 4 Gold Rings but none were the one we were looking for. As I was heading to the shower a Gentleman and his wife asked if we found anything. I showed them my carabiner with the four Gold Rings attached. They both immediately said, “That’s my husband’s/my ring” as they pointed at the White Gold Ring my buddy Terry had found 4 hours earlier that morning in the lagoon. He said he could prove it as he had a picture on his phone with that ring on his finger. Sure enough he did and to be sure I asked him where in the lagoon he lost it and he pointed to the exact spot. There was no doubt in my mind it was his. As I looked towards the lagoon where he pointed there was my fellow ring finder Don exiting the water with his assistant that I don’t know. Don asked, “Did you find the ring?” and I held it up for him to see. Don had done a 5 hour hunt for the ring previously but the tide was super high and he wasn’t able to get to the spot without scuba gear. Terry found the ring at a super low tide in neck deep water. Don & I have collaborated on hunts in the past we were both just thrilled that the ring was back on the husband’s finger. We had a few laughs together and then I was asked to hunt for a just dropped Gold Cross you can see in the previous blog. I think it’s going to be a busy detecting Summer. Aloha to all involved and of course the happy couple who had their ring returned.
Chris Turner- Ring Recovery Specialist…Lost your ring?… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP Anytime 778-838-3463
I woke up the other day to a text message asking for help to find a lost platinum wedding band in the ocean. I text back saying I’d be happy to help and that I would called him later in the day because I was on my way to work. Happens that day our cell phone provider was shut down for almost 12 hours but I did manage to reach the young man and arrange to meet the next day as I had it off.
After talking on the phone a bit I learned that he lost his ring at low tide in chest deep water which was a good thing because it didn’t really matter how long it was there, I was pretty certain no one would have found it because the water isn’t that warm this time of year and most people who metal detect would stay to the dry sand.
I went to the location early before low tide to make sure I get a parking spot and there was a rally going on for 420 which is known for a yearly meeting for pot smoker’s. I found out later there was also a rally for not wearing masks and not being told what to do hundreds of people there for that as there was for the 420 event.
Ashley emailed me that his wife would be meeting me to show me the location because he was going to be a little bit late, I met his wife and children and they walked me over to the location then had to leave because they needed to find a better parking spot so they wouldn’t get a ticket.
Just minutes after they left I began to search and found the ring in probably 20 seconds in waist deep water, I was able to surprise her husband who came a later and after that he helped me surprise his wife. It was so fun to see her reaction and what the ring meant to her and with the ring meant to both of them I was so honoured to be able to help continue that story for them, what a lovely couple!
Vancouver Ring Finder Chris Turner- Ring Recovery Specialist…Lost your ring?… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP Anytime 778-838-3463
I have the best job in the world and I love helping people more than anything I’ve ever done in my lifetime. I get to make people smile, I get to hear their stories of what their ring means to them, and how happy they are when I find it for them.
Watch video of the recovery…
I have the best job in the world and I love helping people more than anything I’ve ever done in my lifetime. I get to make people smile, I get to hear their stories of what their ring means to them, and how happy they are when I find it for them.
*** Dan and his wife live 60 miles from Dana Point, CA. Their favorite get a way place is Salt Creek Beach which is an Orange County, CA. Beach Park.
He called me asking for help to find his wife’s wedding ring. Most likely lost in the sand. He described it as a small size 3-1/2 white gold ring with small diamonds half way around the ring.
He said he could drive to the beach later that afternoon. I was ready to get on the road to begin the search a couple hours before he could meet me. We agreed that I could start the search earlier using a marked up Google map screen shot. At the beach, timing is number one priority. It’s also very important that someone can guide me to the general location. Most the time when people leave the area of the loss, it’s confusing to find the exact area.
As it worked out I had another call to take care of and I was still able to meet Dan at Salt Creek Beach later that afternoon. The beach goers we’re clearing out which makes it easier to properly grid search thoroughly. He showed me approximately where they had been. I started at the north end, working south. After an hour I was nearing the end of the site he gave me. He then said it could have been more to the south. That was a good move because I got a small white gold ring signal after three more passes. Amazing to see such a small ring in my scoop. These type rings can be missed by many detectors especially in the sand.
Dan was about losing hope but I got to see his big smile and excitement when he picked the ring out of the scoop. A great day at the beach.
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.
Steve’s Emergency Metal Detecting Service For You if you lost a ring or something precious to you. Please don’t wait until tomorrow, time will work against you, please CALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, CALL NOW! 310-953-5268
I received a call about a lost ring in ice plant at the beach. Michelle had been walking along the strand with her date near sunset, when a bug flew near her causing her to swat at it with the hand which held the Mother’s Day ring she had bought for herself the day before. When she flicked her wrist, the ring flew off of her finger into the thick ice plant, and was gone. It was getting dark, but I let her know that I was on my way for the search.
I got to the beach, and Michelle and her date explained what had happened regarding the loss. They had the area nailed down to within a few feet which made the search doable in the dark. I began using my detector over the ice plant hoping the ring did not go too deep into the foliage. I covered all the area they had showed me, then began to move outward. As I moved further away I finally got a signal, although not a very solid one. It was good, but had a scratchy sound to it, not repeatable, but I investigated anyway. When I looked into the ice plant I saw the glint of gold, reached in, and pulled out a beautiful ring which I held out for Michelle. I realized when I saw the ring, why I was getting such a confused signal, it was because the ring was not concentric, but was split where the two butterflies came together. Needless to say Michelle was very happy to have the ring back, and was able to continue her date that evening. I was so very happy to have helped!
Don’t let the County beach cleaning machines take your lost valuable, call as soon as possible! I will work hard, using the most up to date metal detectors, to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search, Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Northridge, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, Zuma Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, Southern California, and Ventura County.
Jon and Priscilla were were enjoying their day at the beach until he lost his Platinum wedding band.
I was test driving a car with my Son when Jon called me and explained that he was brushing the sand off his hands after putting sunscreen on and that’s when his ring flew into the sand.
By the time I arrived Jon told me they had been searching the sand for over an hour looking for the ring. I took me about 5-10 minutes of searching to find his ring. It was a little bit farther away from where he lost it then he thought.
Antwan and his dear fiance were having a bit of a rough time and out of frustration and anger he grabbed her engagement ring, walked out behind his house and stood on the edge of the lake contemplating what to do next. Some times common sense and good judgement prevail and other times a lack of good sense and angry feelings overwhelm the person and the dreaded throw takes place. And it didn’t take long for the regret and the old feeling of “What in the world did I just do?” to hit him square between the eyes—figuratively speaking!
He realized there was absolutely no way for him to retrieve the thrown ring so he went on line to look for someone who could possibly help him. And to his amazement he came across theringfinders.com. After reading some of the stories Antwan decided to give me a call and I agreed to meet him and do a search. Antwan said the water was only two or three feet deep so I went prepared to wade but after entering the water it was obviously allot deeper the further out I walked. I spent three hours digging cans and fishing lures along the shore and even went out up to my neck but I was not able to find his lost ring. I could tell Antwan was rather sad and I purposed to try again another day. So the following week I returned with my scuba gear and PVC grid frame and began a systematic search out into deeper water. My grid frame is 5 foot by 20 foot and that allows me to effectively search an 11 by 26 foot area very thoroughly and effectively. Two and a half hours into my search I got a loud large signal reading on my Pulse Dive with the 6 inch coil and I dug down 8 inches or so and still could not find the target so I continued on. I surfaced and moved my grid frame over 25 feet and continued my search. Going up the left side I reached the end of the grid in approximately 8 foot of water and got that same signal. I could tell it was the same target as I could feel the hole I had dug a few minutes earlier. As I continued sweeping the small coil across the muddy bottom I instantly got a sharp, small signal and digging my fingers into the mud I felt a small heavy object which was exactly what I was looking for! I immediately thanked my God for helping me find Antwan’s lost ring and calmly made my way to the surface. Five minutes later I rang the door bell and presented Antwan with his special ring! What a joy to see the relief and joy on his face and he was amazed at how beautiful his fiance’s ring actually was.
What an amazing experience and privilege it is to reunite someone with something so precious and sentimental! And it was truly an honor to help this hurting young man.
Lost something and need help recovering it? Call, text or email me and we can discuss your situation.
Mike McInroe….privileged to be a member of theringfinders.com
SRARC Ring Finders Metal Detecting Service – Tampa Bay Area, Pinellas County, Manatee County & Sarasota County
Lost something important? We can HELP! Our services are FREE! Donations to the Club are accepted.
We will send a team of metal detector experts to search virtually any location. Some of the most common are parks, beaches, creeks and even your own backyard. If you have lost your ring or any other precious item, “Don’t Wait – Call Now.”
Don and his wife were vacationing on Clearwater Beach when Don realized his wedding ring was missing. He had been in the water but may have lost it on the beach while in the dry sand. They were given our SRARC Ringfinder info from the Life Guard on duty and contacted Howard Metts several days latter. A hunt was scheduled with Rob Clarke, Howard Metts, Joe Montione, Pat Montione, and Ed Osmar responding. They hunted the dry sand for an hour with no luck. The team hunted the water for another hour before Howard came up with the ring. Howard mailed the ring to Seattle Washington and Don sent back a photo with the ring back on his finger again. Great job team!
