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Lost Philadelphia Textile Institute Ring Found by Dave Milsted in Adelphia NJ

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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I received an email from Joe last night. His 81-year-old father lost his 1959 Philadelphia Textiles Class Ring while attending an outside event last night. A few texts back & forth and we decided we would meet today around lunchtime.

The loss was in Adelphia NJ, I never heard of it, it is near Freehold. I met Joe at the location and he showed me what they did yesterday.

They had eaten dinner in one area and then walked back to the car where it was parked about 200-300 feet away in the grass. The entire event was in the thick grass. All of the tables and other landmarks were gone. We were going by where the grass and been beaten down.

I grabbed my gear and started where they sat in the grass for dinner. I did a very tight grid pattern. Found coins, small paint brushes, lots of bottle caps and other assorted junk. A little over 2 hours in, we were getting near where the tempory parking area was. When I hear “Oh my God”, from Joe. He was about 5 feet away from me and now on his knees. He saw a glimmer of gold in the grass & mud. With his hands, he dug out his dad’s ring. It had been pushed into the soft ground by being walked on or driven over.

He had walked over that spot probably 20 times between last night with a flashlight and today, just trying to find the ring. He was elated. He couldn’t stop laughing and smiling. He is the recovery story from Joe:

My 81 year old father and I attended a family picnic for a group we support that took place on the grounds of the Adelphia, NJ firehouse yesterday. We knew he had the ring as of about 4:30 pm, but when we got home at 6 pm it was not on his finger. He has lost some weight recently and knew it was loose, but still wanted to wear the college ring he has worn now for almost 60 years. We went back immediately and searched the area with flashlights since it was now after dark, to no avail. I came home and found Dave on TheRingFinders.com, went to his website and inquired. We texted back and forth and met up at the firehouse this afternoon. I went this morning myself and walked the area again in daylight for over an hour – nothing. Dave then arrived and meticulously searched everywhere my dad could have possibly dropped it, in a grid pattern over a grassy area of what I’d say was more than 1/4 of an acre – maybe 1/2 – no small feat. I walked a few feet in front of him still looking myself, and after about 2 hours, out of pure dumb luck, I saw it there, buried in the dirt where a tire or foot had apparently pushed it into the ground. Another 5 minutes and Dave would have been right over the spot himself. I could have so easily missed it – there was just a sliver showing. Had it not been for Dave’s meticulous searching, I would have given up hours earlier. He did a fantastic job and I really appreciate him coming out immediately to help me and my dad – who is ecstatic to have his sentimental ring back (which I will get resized before he wears it out again).

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The Ocean Tried To Claim Another Wedding Ring, Ocean City NJ

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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I received an email early yesterday morning, from K asking about my fees to look for a lost wedding ring at the shore. I replied saying that I don’t have a fee. We sent emails back & forth getting all of the details. The only issue was I would be able to make it down till Friday, and today is Tuesday.

K’s husband R was playing in the ocean with their son in waist-deep water at high tide. As R was throwing his son into a wave, his wedding ring of 11 years went flying into the surf. K posted the incident on Facebook. One of her friends recommended me as I had found his lost ring before.

The best time to search for this ring would be at low tide, which is 11pm tonight. After some adjusting of my schedule, I traveled to Ocean City for the search on 9th st.

At 7:45 the beach was still pretty crowded. I called R and told him that I was there. He said he would come up and show me where the loss occurred. I searched for a while finding just a few coins. After a while, R approached me. I was on the wrong beach. They had entered at 9th street and went right. They were swimming at the 10th Street Life Guard stand.

R gave me the details and the general area. I did a grid pattern and came up with just a few coins. I expanded the search area, and on my 1st pass of the extended area, I had R’s ring in my scoop.

The happiness on R’s face was awesome. I got a firm handshake followed by a “bro” hug. He said he thought that this search was not going to find his ring. He had thought that it was gone forever. I said that you should probably call your wife. He said he would wait to see her reaction in person.

As we were leaving the beach K called asking about our progress. R told a white lie and said that we were still looking. When we got back to my truck, R paid for my parking, Thank You!! He asked for several business cards to spread the word. I found out that R is a 1st responder in PA, he is a police officer. I love helping other 1st responders!!

Update: The Philadelphia ABC Affiliate 6ABC did a story on this recovery. There was supposed to be an interview but the news crew got diverted to a helicopter crash: See the news story here

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Long Beach Island NJ Lost Wedding Rings Found

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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I will let Jeanette explain the circumstances of our meeting…

Life Lesson 63: Never wear jewelry to the beach.

Life Lesson 64: If you do, never take it off to apply lotion.

And so it happened …

A beautiful, relaxing summer afternoon at the beach turned into the loss of my Cartier trinity ring. I had ignored those two life lessons, gotten distracted and now I was in a frantic search for my precious wedding band that had disappeared in the sand. We retraced my steps, sifted through piles of sand, all to no avail.

Early the next morning, while combing the beach again, I met a fisherman who told me about Dave, “the metal detecting man.” He said he had great results. I contacted him and explained my tale of woe. Dave, who lives at least an hour from Long Beach Island, promised he would do his best, but it would take some time.

On a rainy Saturday morning, about 10 days after my misfortune, I got a call from Dave. He had recovered my ring. My precious ring is back on my finger again.

We need more Daves in this world. He took the time to help a stranger in need – a life lesson in itself. Dave exemplified how to live. And I’m not the only lucky one who has been helped. Dave has been doing this for many years and has a treasure chest full of heartwarming stories to share. In a time when headlines are dominated by self-interest, here is a story of selflessness. People like Dave should be highlighted and celebrated. Thank you, Dave, the metal detecting man.

Jeanette Johnson

Crestwood, N.Y., and Long Beach Township

The above appeared in the SandPaper, a local newspaper on Long Beach Island. Read it here!

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Lost Engagement & Wedding Rings Found in Westampton NJ

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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Sunday I get an email from Carrie asking for assistance in finding her rings. She thinks that they were lost in Westampton Burlington County during a softball tournament. She coaches a girls team and took her rings off and put them in her pocket that she also put her phone in. Well several innings later along with calls and texts she notices that her rings are missing.

They looked all over and couldn’t find them. They drove back in the dark to look again. She thought that they were gone forever. She explained that they drag the field after every game. I am thinking to myself that this will not have a good outcome. Someone found the rings at one of the games later that day and took them to a pawn shop. They had to be on the surface. Infields are hard surfaces.

I couldn’t head up on Sunday due to a half marathon I was running in and it was pouring in the afternoon. I said that I would search on Monday after work. Carrie would have to get permission for me to search the field. Permission was secured.

My wife & I drove to the fields on Monday. We came prepared with boots that we could get muddy, and it was a good thing we did. The field was muddy and had a lot of deep puddles.

Carrie had explained where she was during her time at the field. I decided to search the grassy area 1st as I thought that would be the spot that would provide cover for the rings. Nothing, very few signals at all. They do a good job of keeping this field clean.

Next, I went to the area between the dugout and home plate. After a few iron tones, I got a good tone, Boom! The engagement ring was in the mud about 1/2 an inch down. Wow, only 15 minutes into the search and I have 1 of 2 rings. The other one has to be close by, right?

Well, 20 minutes later I’m starting to think that the dragging machine moved it very far away. I sent a message to Carrie to call me. I wanted to know if there was any other place that she could have lost the 2nd ring. I continued to search.

Another 10 minutes into the search on the 3rd base side of the field, the 1st ring was on the 1st base side. I get a good tone. Boom!! I now have the 2nd ring. It was also about a half inch down. We did the best cleaning we could do in one of the many mud puddles. We took several pictures.

We left a message on the way home, asking for a return call, not letting on that I had found the rings, As I was unloading the truck Carrie called back, Edwina was there with me. I asked Carrie if there was any other location that she could think of that the rings could be. When she ran out of ideas I told her that I had found them. She started to cry, Edwina started to cry because Carrie was crying.

We met after dinner so Carrie could get her rings back. Carrie and her husband were very happy. Another happing ending!!!

If you lose something, call a professional. Don’t waste your time renting or buying a metal detector. It takes years to learn how to properly use one.

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Lost Keys in Cherry Hill Found By Dave Milsted

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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I received an email from John, seems while he was raking leaves and dumping them down a ravine he lost his keys.

We met 2 days later. At the back of John’s yard is a steep ravine to a creek down below. While he was dumping some leaves he dropped the trash can. When he went to get the trash can he took a tumble down the hill. After he was done later in the day he noticed that his keys were gone. He thought that the best place to start is where he tumbled.

I got started and immediately got iron hits. There are all kinds of cement with rebar and pipes down this steep hill. This is going to be a tough hunt. I almost lost my footing several times. I turned the sensitivity way down to try to combat some of the signals that I was getting.

The leaves were piled up about 2 feet deep. After about 5 minutes I get my first non-iron hit. It was John’s keys. What a relief. Now to get back up the hill to give John back his keys.

He was very happy and stated that one of the keys would have cost over $200 to replace. Another successful recovery in very short time. I love my hobby!!!

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Lost Wedding Ring in Medford NJ Found By Dave Milsted

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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Melissa called me earlier in the week. Her husband of 1 year lost his wedding ring. They think he lost it in the yard doing yard work 3 weeks ago. Wednesday afternoon would be the day I could search.

They had looked into buying a replacement but, the new ring was much more expensive then it was a year ago.

I get to the location, and I am greeted by Chris & Melissa. Chris explains that he has lost some weight and his ring was loose. He put it in his pock while he was cutting the grass. It was the same pocket that he put his phone. He took the phone out a few time to change the music he was listening to. He did this a few time in the front yard. The property is about an acre.

They had borrowed a metal detector from a friend but didn’t have any luck. It was constantly beeping.

I started in the front yard. At about 1 hour and 45 minutes into the hunt, I did most of the front yard, from the road towards the house. It was getting to be dinner time, and the mosquitoes were getting hungry. I decided that I would search near the front steps, then go to the backyard and search around the shed before calling it quits and returning this weekend.

15 minutes later I get a really good tone, had to get down on a knee and pull back the grass, and there is a cobalt ring with 14k rose gold inlay. Awesome looking ring.

I was about to ring the doorbell when Melissa showed up at the door. I showed her the ring, and the look on her face was priceless. I got a huge hug. Chris was very happy to see his rig. He didn’t believe that I found it near the front steps. He said that it had no chance of being there.

Another success story!!

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Ring Lost Several Years Ago in Levittown PA, Found by Dave Milsted

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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Several months ago I received a call from Trisha. She lost a ring several years ago in the yard of a friend in Levittown Pa. We texted back & forth and set up a date. The day before we were to look for the ring she sent me a message that there was a problem and she would get back to me. She kept in touch.

This week she texted and asked what my availability was. We agreed on Sunday morning at 8 am. I started packing up my truck at 6:30, and it starts pouring. Ok, better pack my rain gear and switch my detector to waterproof.

We met, and it is raining. I put on my bright yellow rain gear, pants, and jacket. I look like I am going to be on the show Deadliest Catch. Trisha takes me to the area that she believes the ring is located in. She was playing volleyball with friends and went to serve the ball. When she hit the ball, her ring went flying. She had warned me that there are a lot of bottle caps and pull tabs in the area, she was right!! Her husband had looked several years ago with a metal detector and didn’t have any luck.

About 10 minutes into the search her friends said that she was in a different area of the yard. So I expanded my search.  2 spoons, and several trash targets later I get the tone I am listening for. About an inch down in the dirt is a beautiful gold & ruby ring.

Trica comes running down off of the porch, and I get a very big hug. She then explains the history of the ring. The ring is her best friends mothers ring. It was given to Trica after the mother past away. Her best friend had an identical ring made while her mother was still living. She hasn’t been able to tell her friend that she lost the ring. She just saw her friend yesterday, and she was still wearing the identical ring. Trisha now says that she will tell her friend the story of her ring. So much sentimental value.

Trisha stated when we met before the search that the rain would bring good luck. She also reminded me that when we first spoke on the phone that I said if the ring was in the yard, that I would find it!!

I love my hobby!!!

 

If you have lost a metal item, don’t waste your time renting or buying a metal detector. It takes years of practice to learn what a metal detector is trying to tell you. Call a professional.

 

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Stone Harbor NJ Lost Wedding Ring Found by Dave Milsted

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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I received a desperate email from a devastated woman. I was Mary’s last hope. The day before she went with her family for a day trip to the beach in Stone Harbor NJ. While her husband in the water with their daughter, he watched his ring fall off his hand and sink into the sandy bottom. They searched for a while with no success.

They drove back home thinking that the ring was gone forever. A search of the internet, later that night brought Mary to the Ring Finders site since I have made other recoveries in Stone Harbor. She sent me an email around midnight.

I didn’t see it until after my 6-mile run the next morning. I answered her email asking all of the questions needed when doing a water search. I also followed up with a phone call. Mary answered all of my questions, but she said there was someone else already looking for the ring. I said to let me know if she needed me when he was done.

Later in the morning, I called the other detectorist. He said that he didn’t have any luck in finding it. So Mary and I were in touch again. I told her that I would go look for her.

On the drive to the beach, I was getting a gut feeling that this wouldn’t be successful. Someone else already searched the area. I asked for help from above from my mom & my mentor.

I got to the beach and got another bad feeling. I waited till the lifeguards left. I was in the water at 5 pm. I didn’t get my first signal till 5:10 pm. It was a very promising sound and number on my CTX 3030. It was the ring that I was looking for. I left the beach to get my phone to take some pictures. I sent one to Mary. She called right away and I could tell that she was crying. We made arrangements to meet the next day to return the ring.

I got plenty of hugs when we met. It’s a good thing that my wife doesn’t get jealous!!!

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Wedding Ring Lost In Margate NJ Found By Dave Milsted

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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Yesterday at 7am I received a text message from a friend of mine. One of his friends lost her rings on the beach at Margate NJ two days prior. He said he gave my information to her.

Dina & I texted a few times, she thought that she wouldn’t need my services because she and her son were heading back to the beach with a borrowed metal detector. I told her to keep me posted with their progress.

3 hours later I get a text that they need my help. I told her that I would head down after work. I wasn’t sure if I would have the stamina for a long search as I just had back surgery 8 weeks ago.

It took just over 2 hours but we found both rings. Below is Dina’s story:

Here’s how it happened, so we can ALL learn a lesson from my mistake: I went to put on sunscreen, but didn’t want my rings to get all goopy, so I took them off and put them in the cup holder of the beach chair. When I was done applying the sunscreen, I got distracted, and went off to play with my kids, not putting the rings back on. Then I forgot all about them.
Hours later, my husband slung the chair over his shoulder to carry it back to the truck. (Btw, he followed the path of our two year old niece on the way out, so it could have fallen out ANYWHERE.) It was not until we got home, when I was taking off my jewelry, that I remembered what I had done. If you know what “plotzed” means, that’s what I did!!! I froze, my heart stopped, and fear set in.

Of course we immediately checked the chairs and the truck, to no avail. I wanted to drive right back down to the shore (exhausted, in the dark), but my amazing husband, Hector, who was miraculously calm and had a clear head through this entire debacle, spoke to reason, saying, “It’s just a thing. It can be replaced. We have insurance. It’s not like someone was hurt or died.” (Btw, when I pointed out to him how amazing he was being, and he said that I’d do the same for him, I said, “No, I wouldn’t! I’d be freaking out at you!!” … Can I just say, I am such a lucky girl.)

The next day, my Aunt Barbara went to the beach to look, and spoke with the lifeguards, but with no luck. I called Margate Police and Margate Public Works, to leave my contact info, just in case someone turned them in. Then I borrowed my friend Susan’s metal detector, and went down yesterday with my son at 6:30 am to hunt for myself. I had no hope, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t at least try. I swear we even looked where they were ultimately found! But after looking for two hours, the best decision I made was asking for help.

I am so thankful everything turned out okay. I am still in a state of disbelief!! Thanks again to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, suggestions, ideas, and support. A special and humongous thank you to my son, for sacrificing the hockey practice that he really looks forward to, and to Dave Milsted, the metaldetectingman.com for working so methodically for over two hours, and saving the day (and to John Hill for heavily encouraging us to give him a call)!!

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Survey Markers Found in Cherry Hill NJ, By Dave Milsted

  • from South Jersey (New Jersey, United States)
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Art sent me an email asking if I would search his yard in Cherry Hill. He needed his property markers found.

We agreed to meet after work a few days later. I take three different machines with me on each hunt. For this hunt, I chose my Minelab Explorer II. I ran it wide open with no discrimination. The whole search took less than 10 minutes; It took longer to pack my truck than it did for the search.

The markers were buried beneath 1 inch of dirt and grass. Art was a very happy man. He stated that he has been looking for them for a very long time. He didn’t want to have to have his property resurveyed.

Art didn’t want any pictures taken.

If you have lost something metal in Southern NJ, the Jersey Shore, SE Pennsylvania or Northern Delaware, give the Metal Detecting Man a call. I can search land and shallow water. Check out https://theringfinders.com/Dave.Milsted/  for some of my recoveries over the last 20+ years. Don’t waste time renting or buying a metal detector, give a professional a call.

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