#Portland Maine Metal Detector Rental and Service Tag | Page 2 of 9 | The Ring Finders

Three Rings Lost Cross Country Skiing In Biddeford Pool, Maine Found With A Metal Detector Two Gold Rings And A Gold Emerald And Diamond Ring

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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On Friday evening, February 20th, I received the following message
“Hi Dennis! I just saw a story about Ring Finders of Maine and am SO EXCITED that you may be able to help me! I live in Biddeford Pool. I was xc skiing on the golf course here Jan 22 before the big storm came. I took off my rings and thought I put them in a coat pocket, but alas, I think I put them in a zipper area that was really an underarm opening in my ski shell. 😩 I did a quick look the day after and had a friend help look on that Saturday. It was brutally cold and windy, the snow was on its way!
I have Apple Watch mapping and know two areas I stopped. Just can’t remember exactly where I took my rings off. They can’t be spread all over the course, I was on a short course over lunch.
I was going to wait until spring to try to find them—my gold, emerald and diamond ring and my mother’s 2 small, gold wedding bands. With snow coming again, tonight it seems prudent to keep waiting. Please let me know your availability and thoughts. Thank You!
Desirée S*******”
For reference, the story Desirée mentions is a NEWS CENTER Maine story, about The Ring Finders of Maine. The golf course mentioned is The Abenakee, in Biddeford Pool, Maine, a neighborhood in Biddeford, Maine.
I then replied,
“Hi Desiree, I am so sorry to hear this. I can certainly help you try and recover the rings. Thankfully, The ground is frozen and the rings should be above the surface.
So a few questions and observations,
1) We can certainly search the two areas where you had stopped and can do that, sooner, rather than later, as long as the snow isn’t too deep. If the snow is to deep, I can certainly check the two areas you stopped at and see what happens. Otherwise, we will need to wait until the snow recedes some.
2) With your Apple Watch mapping, do you know or would you be able to show us the rest of the route you took?
3) You say you don’t remember the exact spot you took your rings off. Could you have taken them off, before you started skiing, like in the vehicle?
4) At what point in time did you realize the rings were missing? While you were still at the course or later? Just wondering if the rings could have made their way to another area.”
“Thank you for the quick reply, Dennis!
Some answers:
1) Yes, I have peace of mind that I have two spots I know of for sure. One is by a road though, hoping the snow plow hasn’t pushed them down the road. We’re getting snow tonight and now they are talking more on Monday. I haven’t been to the golf course to see what the depth of snow is lately. I did see some bare grass, but don’t have good sight from the road to one of my stops along the woods.
2) YES! I have the whole route documented!
3) No, I took them off on the golf course. I had taken my jacket and gloves off at different points, as it was warm. I know where my jacket came off. I just don’t know which of the 2 other spots I took my rings off because my pole was hurting my hand from the rings rubbing. I did check my car just in case! And like a crazy person I kept opening every pocket of my jacket expecting a different result!
4) Sadly, I didn’t realize they were gone for almost 24 hrs. I lost them Thursday at lunch, Friday at lunch I figured it out and went to the golf course. It’s was terribly windy, my tracks were getting blown over with snow. I tried to dig at the road, with no luck.
Went back Sat., a friend had a cheap metal detector but we never got it to work. I then walked to spot #2 and just kicked the snow on the track path hoping to see something. It was a windchill day so wasn’t out long. I haven’t been back.
I’m retiring from work next Friday, so with the new snow coming and it probably being a wild week at work, March is probably better to start this adventure. I have confidence they are just sleeping in the snow, they are safe and just waiting for Spring!! I told my friends, “At least they aren’t in the ocean!!!”
And with that, began a slew of text messages back and forth with Desiree. The three rings that had been lost were two very small Gold Bands, that had belonged to her deceased mother. A Gold, Emerald and Diamond Ring that Desiree had designed and made in Indiana, over 30 years earlier, around the time her son had been born. A one of a kind ring! All three rings held extreme sentimental value, with all the memories that came with them. Unfortunately, the rings had been lost a month earlier, on January 22nd and with the snow already on the ground, the day they were lost, more snow hd fallen, in the last month, including a storm that dropped 18 inches, on Biddeford Pool. Desiree and I agreed that I would search the very large area she had cross country skied, once the snow was more manageable or gone all together. Desiree had already been in contact with the Country Club and they had granted me permission to search, on their property. Now, it was just a waiting game.
Finally, on March 10th, Gary Hill met Desiree at St. Martin’s Church, adjacent to the golf course. Desiree had crossed St. Martin’s Road on both her way out and on her way back, on her cross country ski course, 6 weeks earlier. We started there because, at this point , Desiree had fallen, crossing the road and she knowns she still had all three rings on, at that point. There were only two other areas, after falling, that Desiree had stopped at, that day. The first area was approximately a 1/3 of a mile, from where she had fallen. She had stopped because she was getting hot. She had removed her jacket and tied it around her waist. Before tying the jacket around her waist, Desiree had also removed her gloves and rings. She placed her rings, in her jacket pocket and proceeded on with her skiing. It wasn’t until days later that Desiree realized the pocket wasn’t a pocket at all, that she had placed the rings in. It was a zippered arm pit vent and THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE VENT. OH NO!!! After another 1/3 to 1/2 mile, Desiree stopped again, to take a few photos, including a selfie at a flag on one of the golf courses, greens. Her phone was also in her pocket, but a different jacket pocket. After a slight tussle, getting the phone out of her pocket, she took the photos were taken and she finished her trip, back at the Country Club’s parking area. There were no more stops or falls just a slight difficult time, getting up and over the snow back, at St. Martin’s Road. Like Desiree, Gary and I were most interested in the two areas, where she had stopped. The area the rings were taken off and the area the photos had been taken. Gary and I would perform a “snowplow” search, as we headed to the first area, where the rings had been taken off. Nothing found. Once at the first area of interest, we performed a very slow methodical grid search of that entire area. Once again, no ring. While Gary and I searched, Desiree would walk ahead of us, on the course she had taken, that day. She was visually searching the areas that did not have any snow. We all then started heading to the flag pole, where the photos had been taken. Desiree led Gary and I along her route as she continued her visual search and we continued our snowplow grid search. We arrived at the green and Desiree said she had stopped to take the photos at this location as Gary and I peppered her with questions, like “Where were you standing, when you took the phone, out of your pocket?” Where had you gone and stood, when taking the photo?” Once we received the answers to those and other questions, we started searching the entire area around the green. Gary was just to the north of the flag and I took the south side. There was still a lot of snow around this green, some areas deep enough that I wasn’t sure our detectors would be able to penetrate the deeper areas of snow, to find these very small rings. After just a few minutes of searching, I received the tone I had been hoping for. A nice low tone loud and very repeatable. Because of the snow, I couldn’t see the target, I swept the child over the snow, to remove some of it, when I caught a glimpse of a very small area of a GOLD RING and I could see a GREEN STONE, an EMERALD. I was just three or so feet from the flag. I looked over at Desiree, with a sly smile and said, “I got one”. She replied “Are you serious” and I said, “Yup, the emerald one,” Desiree hurried right over and I pointed to the ring, under the snow and I let her remove the ring, as I took a video of her. As Desiree pick the ring up she said, “This is my emerald ring, oh my gosh.”. We were all smiling and some of the weight had been lifted, from everyone’s shoulders. But, There were still two very small gold bands to find and they would be the most difficult. It was decided to search the area around the green very throughly but there was still a lot of snow. Gary and I were unable to locate the rings in the area of snow so we followed Desiree, along the route she had taken, back towards St. Martins Road and the church. We ended the search without finding the two gold bands and we all agreed that more snow would need to melt, before we tried again, in a few days. There were a couple of 50 degree days, in the forecast and a lot of the remaining snow would vanish.
While waiting for he snow to melt, I was looking at the map of, Desiree’s Apple Watch GPS tracking her route. I noticed a few areas that I thought we hadn’t searched. During the search, we may have zigged,, when we should have zagged. In my mind, we didn’t go far enough south of the green, and then a right, back towards the fairway, liked by three trees, on the south side of the fairway. The fairway still had quite a bit of snow and Desiree just couldn’t remember how far out in the fairway, shed had been. Desiree also thought the area where she had taken her rings off needed to be searched again. She was thinking hard about her route and had a feeling, she may have been down, in the rough, more than she thought. So on Friday the 13th, we met again and started the search once again. We decided to search the entire area of the green once again and after coming up empty, we went to plan B. Desiree would take Gary across the golf course and start searching the rough, where the rings were taken off. Gary would then follow Desiree along the route, towards the green. I would start at the green and work the route, backwards, towards Gary and Desiree. An hour or so later we caught up to each other and still the two gold bands hadn’t been found. We then decided that we would go back to the green and follow her route, down the fairway, across the road to where she parked, that day. We would shift slightly on the fairway, because Desiree just wasn’t sure how close to the trees she was. Unfortunately, After another 2 1/2 hours or so, the two gold bands we still missing. With very heavy rain scheduled for Monday March 16, we decided to search again on Wednesday March 18th. The very heavy rain would get rid of the rest of the remaining snow and we needed a new game plan.
I kept thinking in my head, rightly or wrongly that the Emerald Ring was large enough and shaped differently, because of the setting the emerald and diamonds were in, that it was blocking the smaller bands, from falling out first. In my mind, once the emerald ring fell out, the two small bands would follow, but how far down the fairway, towards her parked car were they? Desiree kept mentioning to me that the trees she went by on the fairway were to her left but she just couldn’t remember how far out in the fairway. I decided that I would have Gary and I grid search, from the tree line, to the edge of one of the bunkers. We would grid the entire fairway, from the flag on the green, to the end of the tree line, a distance of approximately 200 yards. If we didn’t find the rings in the fairway, we would go back to where the rings had been taken off and expand the search deeper into the rough and fairways, until we found them. Desiree would meet us there around 9;00am but Gary and I arrived at 7:30am. Once in the fairway, we marked the fairway up so that we knew exactly where to grid search and not worry about her ski route. We knew she went through this area and we would search the entire area and not guess how close to the trees she was. Gary started on the east end of the grid, towards the green and flag. I walked down to the western end of the fairway, to the last tree and we just started swimming slowly. There were many targets, in the ground but nothing close to a small gold ring. After a little more than an hour, Gary and I were only 30 yards or so apart from each other. I yelled her to him that we were running out of real estate to search in this area and we would head to the area where the rings were taken off, as soon as we finished this area. We both headed south towards the trees, turned around back across the fairway. We were now only 20 yards apart and turned south again, towards the trees. My first step and swing produce a beautiful sounding low tone and I just knew in my heart, it was gold. As I glanced towards my coil, I noticed my VDI Screen was reading 14. Another very positive as small gold band will definitely be ringing up in that area. I put my detector down and scanned the surface when a yellow gold band had come into focus. WOW!!! Gary had already heard my detector and also knew that was a gold tone. He came over to me and as he approached me, he spotted the white gold band, with his twin optical scanners. ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? Just two or 3 feet apart, in a perfect line, Desiree’s mother’s two gold band had been found. We started high fiveing each other and doing our happy dance, all the while we were smiling, smiling and did I mention smiling.
It was now close to 9:00am and we saw Desiree and her fried Chris, walking towards us with their dogs. Gary and I had decided to surprise Desiree and had placed a pine cone, atop of each ring, hiding them. Gary pretended to still be searching, with his detector, with Desiree approaching. Once she and Chris arrived, she asked how it was going. I told her what we had searched and if the rings weren’t found, in the fairway, where does she think they would be. I was taping her the entire time and she pointed towards the rough, on the other side of the golf course, where she had taken her rings off. I then asked her if she could do me a favor and pick up the pine cones. As Desiree walks to the first pine cone, she doesn’t stop looking at me and has a slight grin, on her face. As she reaches down, she says”No way”, picks up the white gold band, breaks into a big smile and says “Oh my gosh, Oh my God, Oh my God, no way”. She then reaches down and picks up pine cone #2. The manager of the golf course arrives as she is picking up the cone and with the bright sun, everyone can see the yellow gold band sparkling in the sun. I hear everyone cheering and happiness filling the air. Desiree then gave Gary and I a big, saying things like “I love you, you guys are amazing”, before the happy tears really started flowing. Gary gave her a tissue, so she could pat her eyes, dry. After 3 different days of searching, it was good to see and hear an ego booster like that. Desiree asked if that was where we found them and it was exactly, where we found them. We never touched them, just placed pine cones on top to surprise her. The two gold band were found adjacent to a marker, in the fairway. The marker said “125”. The marker is telling the golfers that the flag/hole is 125 yards away, from the marker. So, Desiree’s Emerald ring fell out next to the flag and the two gold bands rode their way another 125 yards, down the fairway. As the happy tears were still flowing Desiree thanked us for being persistent and not giving up. Gary and I wasn’t going to give up. If we had’t found them today, we were coming back tomorrow and search another area. Thankfully the golf course hadn’t started their ground work yet and won’t start for another 10 days or so. We needed to find them otherwise they would possibly be gone forever or at the least, badly damaged by the mowers, etc..
As Gary and I were leaving, we turned around to see Desirée and Chris embracing. It had been a long and stressful 8 weeks, for Desirée. Hopefully now she will sleep a little better and I know, because she told me, she will no longer wear her extremely precious and sentimental rings, while cross country skiing.
So, not another ring back on the finger but another three rings back on the fingers. See Desirée’s whole reaction to getting her rings back is why Gary and I do this. There is no better feeling in the world, than seeing the emotions of someone getting their rings back, after thinking they were gone forever. We love our jobs. We have the best job in the world. 😀❤️🙏
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Gold Diamond Engagement Ring Thrown Out Of The Car, Lost In Wolfeboro, New Hampshire Snow Bank, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received the following text message on Thursday, March 12th
“Hi, I need your help!!! She lost her temper and tossed her engagement ring out the car window but was parked, she went back today to look some and took this picture .” A photo accompanying the text, showed an intersection of two roads, along with this text, “I took a picture from where I parked, and I tossed it towards that side of the road on the corner of Friar Tuck”
I replied asking about the city or town’s location where this happened and also to whom was I communicating with.
The reply was “Friar Tuck road in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Mike and Terrie”
I replied that I was concerned anyone could have seen it, in either road, just out walking or running. Their response was that Terrie had already gone back, this morning and didn’t see it. Terrie thought it was somewhere, in the snowbank.
We kept texting back and forth, to verify the exact location, as I know how to get to Wolfeboro Bay NH, but I am not familiar with all the roads. Google earth showed me that Friar Tuck Road was just a very large loop. There were two entrances for Friar Tuck, about a quarter to half a mile away from each other, both exiting onto King’s Highway (RT 153). You could drive in one entrance and come out the other end. I didn’t want to drive an hour and 20 minutes or so and end up in the wrong location. Both Terrie and Mike were working and couldn’t meet me, until after work. It was now approximately 1:45pm and if I could leave by 2:00pm, I could arrive just after 3:00pm and start searching. I was a very, very small area and shouldn’t take long. Once all 3 of us agreed that I had the correct location, Cheryl and I took off for Wolfeboro.
Once we arrived, I matched the location with the photo, sent to me by Terrie and Mike. I then took the same photo and sent it to them. They replied I had the correct location. Perfect. I immediately started searching the snowbank, along Friar Tuck Road and around the corner and onto King’s Highway. Nothing was found. I then climbed the snowbank and searched the other side of the snowbank, still nothing. Could Terrie have thrown the ring over all the snow and into the brush and wooded area? I didn’t think so, as she was sitting in her vehicle, on the opposite side of the road, while sitting at the stop sign. So, I searched the snowbank once again, on both sides. Still no ring. I went up into the wooded area and performed a grid search, along the entire area, even expanding the area, just to be safe. Still no ring. The bushes and overgrown thorned bramble was my next victim or was I going to be the victim of the thorns. I put my smallest coil on my detector, for this area. I may be able to get the smaller coil deeper into the horned bushes. After approximately 30 minutes of carefully prodding the bushes, still no ring and I survived with only a few pricks of the thorns. At this point, I decided to start all over again and went back out to the snowbank and searched once again, even expanding the search up Friar Tuck Road and down Kings Highway. Still no ring. I went back up into the woods and bramble and once again, no ring. I was now thinking the ring ended up, deep in the bushes and there is no way to get a metal detector in there because the bushes were extremely thick. They would need to be cut down and I certainly wasn’t going to cut down anything that wasn’t on my property. I texted Mike and sent him a photo, of the bushes and he agreed that he wasn’t going to cut them down either. Mike told me he was on his way and would be there around 5:00pm. I told him I would wait and I searched one last time, still no luck. While searching, a woman walked by with her dog and I asked her if she walks this area often and that I was searching for a lost ring. She told me that she walks her dog multiple times per day, on this route and hadn’t seen a ring. She also told me that many residents of Friar Tuck Road walk their dogs, around the Friar Tuck Loop and that more residents walk the look for their daily walk. Wow, could someone have found Terrie’s engagement Ring already? It was now 4:40pm and Mike would be here shortly.
Once Mike arrived, I showed him the area and detected the snowbank, a fifth time and still no ring. I even put a test ring, in the snowbank and showed him the detector picks it up every single time. Terrie’s ring just wasn’t in the snow bank. Mike then texted Terrie with the news and a photo of the areas I had searched. Terrie replied that the snowbanks didn’t look as big, as she remembered. She then told Mike that maybe she had been at the other end of Friar Tuck Road. So, Cheryl, myself and Mike drove down Friar Tuck Road Loop a a few minutes later, arrived at the other end of Friar Tuck and Kings Highway. The first thing I noticed was that the snow banks were higher, so let’s go. Mike was performing a visual search of the road and snowbank. I was metal detecting the snow bank along Friar Tuck and the around the corner of Kings Highway. No Ring was found. I climbed over the snowbank and stated searching that side of the snowbank. Nothing found, as I made my way to the corner of Friar Tuck Road. Mike was still visually searching maybe 30 feet up Friar Tuck Road. I made it to the corner, swinging the coil and as with every search, I was also searching the area, with my Twin Optical Scanners. As I approached the telephone line, I finally heard the tone, I had been waiting for. A very loud low tone, that got my attention and I quickly glanced at the VDI Screen. It was showing 18-19. A low conductive number and right in the gold and platinum range. I looked down at the top of the snowbank and there it was. An engagement ring, Terrie’s ring. I looked over at Mike and said, “I got it”. Mike said something I couldn’t quite make out but I could certainly make out the very large smile, on his face, as he hurried over. I had left the ring alone, so Mike could see it, for himself. He thanked me, shook my hand and after a video and a few photo’s were taken, Mike picked the ring up and thanked me again, for staying to search both areas and for sorry it had taken so long, because of the mixup, on locations. Hey, it happens and this is why I prefer the client be there and show me the exact area, they had been in. Unfortunately, it just can’t happen the way we would like. Anyways, the ring was recovered and returned, after just a 5 minute search, at the correct location. Cheryl, Mike and myself had great big smiles on our faces, another ring would soon be back on the finger. I love my job. It’s the best job in the world.
Once home, in Saco, Maine, Mike sent me a final text
“Dennis, thank you again and am sorry about the 1st spot and almost didnt even bother trying the second spot but so glad we did. Once she said something about the banks were higher I had a feeling.” Not the first time I have been given a wrong location and I’m sure it won’t be the last time.
Because of the ring being lost, in the manner it was lost, Mike asked me not to use their real names or use any photos of himself. I always will honor the wishes of my client and will not use any photos or their real names. I don’t judge people and neither should you. People throwing rings, happen all the time. Much more often than you would think. Mike did tell me that Terrie regretted throwing the engagement ring, as soon as she threw it. Hopefully tempers have cooled and the ring will stay on her finger, where it belongs.
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Gold Wedding 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, March 9th, I received the following voicemail

“Hey, my name is Patrick. I got your telephone number off of your Facebook page for finding rings. I was hoping you’d be able to find mine. I mean, Portland. If you give me a call. Um, I’d appreciate it. My cell phone number is 860-***-****. Thank you
I called Patrick back immediately after listening to his voicemail, at 2:15pm. I asked Patrick what had happened and he relayed the story that he was building a new porch and front stairs , in Portland Maine. About 45 minutes earlier he noticed his wedding ring, of almost 10 years, was no longer on his finger. He stopped what he was doing and searched the sidewalk, in front of the area he had been working. Patrick had been cutting wood, , building the porch/stairs and walking back and forth to his work van, parked on the street. The ring was not seen and that was when Patrick called me. Patrick had to leave and be in Waterboro, for 3:30pm, to pick his children up, when they got off the bus. It was now just after 2:30pm and I told Patrick I would load my metal detector up and head right right in. My concern, as well as Patricks was that anyone walking past the house, would be able to see the ring and just pick it up. Time is of the essence, when jewelry is lost in public spaces.
As Cheryl and I were driving in, Patrick texted me and told me , “Ive got someone to get the kids off the bus so I’ll be here when you get here. Thank you!” Perfect!!! Cheryl and I arrived a short time later and Patrick showed me the areas of a few snowbanks, some leaves and under the new set of stairs. I asked Patrick a bunch of questions, as I always do. Patrick wasn’t 100% sure he had the ring on, when he left the house, but was pretty sure. He thought the ring may be under the porch, in all the leaves. So, now I just need to grid search the area, snow banks, along the house and under the porch. I grabbed my Manticore and started at the snow bank, to the left of the porch and on the other side of the sidewalk. Nothing found, in the snow. I then moved across the sidewalk and started searching the leaves, along the house. Still no wedding ring but lots of the usual trash. I then was searching underneath the porch but wasn’t getting any targets. Patrick was removing the remaining leaves from underneath the porch, with a rake. As Patrick was still removing leaves the leaves, I went to the small area of snow, just to the right of the porch. Still no ring. I turned towards the street and started searching the snow bank, on the other side and along the sidewalk. As I started searching I received a nice sounding target , ringing up between 32-34, on the VDI screen. As I looked closer, I could see the partial shape of a ring, in the snow, but hidden by a leaf. I looked at Patrick and told him that I had found his ring. He looked stunned and walked over to me. I then reached down, moved the leaf, picked the ring up and asked Patrick if that was his ring. Patrick verified it was his ring and a big smile broke out across our faces.
Patrick then told Cheryl and I he’s had the ring for almost 10 years. He will be celebrating his 10th anniversary on March 21st. WOW!!! He lost his wedding ring just 12 days before his 10th Anniversary. Thankfully we were able to find this extremely sentimental wedding ring and fast. Patrick and his wife will now be able to celebrate a milestone anniversary without any stress of trying to find his ring. This is a perfect example of why I love doing this. This ring meant everything to Patrick and I just get the best feeling, to be able to find these special pieces of jewelry. There is no better feeling, in the world, than to see the joy, happiness and smiles on people’s faces, when they get their ring back.
Another smile on the pile and another ring back on the finger. I love my job, it the best job in the world 😀❤️🙏

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Platinum And Diamond Anniversary Ring Lost In The Snow At Ice Fishing Derby, In Monmouth, Maine Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I received the following voicemail, late Saturday afternoon, February 21, 2026
“Hi, this is Justin L******. I’m calling uh, because I live in North Yarmouth, Maine , and uh, earlier this morning, it seems like my wife lost her ring. We have an idea of where it could be as a general area, but wasn’t sure if uh, you could provide any services to help us locate it. Now, if you could please give me a call back. My number is 207-***_****. Thank you. Bye.”
I immediately called Justin back and after asking him what happened, Justin gave me all the details. Justin, his wife Jackie and their children, had traveled to Cochnewagon Lake, in Monmouth, Maine . The family was attending the “Jacks Traps Youth Ice Fishing Derby”, which is an annual event, attended by literally hundreds and hundreds of people. Anyways, just before arriving to the lake, Jackie took her 10 year Anniversary Ring off and placed it, on a hat, that was in her lap. The very sentimental ring was a gift from Justin and is a Platinum and Diamond Ring. Jackie took the ring off to apply sunblock on her and her children’s faces. They would be out, on the lake all day, with no shelter, from the sun and as I always say, safety first. Once she finished applying the sunblock and they arrived, she exited the vehicle, helped unload all the equipment and then the family went a couple hundred yards, out onto the lake, where the children, enjoyed the fishing derby, around the drilled fishing holes. Towards the end of the day, the family went over to the Awards Ceremony and watched that for a while. While at the awards ceremony, Jackie took her gloves off and her stomach knotted up, her heart skipped a beat, as soon as she noticed her beloved anniversary ring was no longer on her finger. Jackie and Justin immediately going through the days events and thought the ring must have fallen into the parking lot, when she got out of the vehicle or possibly, still in the vehicle. Since they were way out on the lake, they decided to start searching the immediate area of where they were standing. Unfortunately, there was too much snow and to many people, in the area. If the ring was there, it was beneath the packed down snow. They then went back to the area, where the family had been ice fishing. Again, they did not find the ring, in all that snow. They also checked the parking lot and did not see the ring but the parking lot was full of vehicles and people. They went home with a very distraught Jackie thinking of nothing but her missing anniversary ring. Once home, Justin remembered seeing an article on The Ring Finders of Maine, from a few years earlier. Once he searched Ring Finder Maine, he saw many of my posts and that was when he contacted me.
I told Justin that being so late in the afternoon, I could meet him first thing in the morning, at 7:00am, right around sunrise. I would also see if Gary Hill was available to assist, in such a large, potentially, search area. I would also bring a backup metal detector, for him to use, if he would like. Three of us searching, what could be an area of a couple of football fields, large, would definitely be better than just me. Time is of the essence, in all lost ring recoveries. The ring was lost in a public area and someone may have seen it in the parking lot or out on the ice already and picked it up. The other big concern was the upcoming blizzard, in just 36 hours, on Monday morning. If we didn’t find it soon, it may be gone forever or damaged beyond repair, by a snowplow, in the parking lot. Justin signed right up for using my backup metal detector, without hesitation. Justin was closer to Monmouth Maine and he was actually heading back up there to search the parking lot, once everyone had dispersed. He would let me know if he found it. An hour or two later and now dark, Justin called me with the news of the ring still lost. He and Jackie told me the parking lot was very slushy and snow was packed, from everyone driving and walking on it, during the day. As the sun was now gone, they were worried the ring would freeze , in the slush and asked if the metal detectors would be able to find the ring, if it was frozen in the slush or snow. I told them yes, absolutely. I also told them I would bring test/set up rings, including a platinum ring to set up, calibrate the detectors and show Justin what he would be listening for, as he swung a metal detector.
So the next morning, Sunday February 22nd, Gary and I left our homes, at 5:35am, for the approximately hour and twenty minute drive to Monmouth, Maine. Once we arrived, I sent Justin a text , letting him know we were there and he replied he was only 5-10 out, from arriving. Gary and I looked out at the lake and were praying we didn’t have to go out there and search, such a very large area. As we were getting our equipment out of the car, Justin pulled in. After a few pleasantries, Justin pointed out the area they had parked, yesterday and the route Jackie had walked down to the lake. Once we calibrated the machines and Justin was shown how to use the detector, we headed towards the area where we were all hoping the ring would be.
Since our metal detectors will interfere with with other, if they are to close to each other, Gary started going up along the snowbank, towards the area, where they had parked. I asked Justin to search the area, between the two parking lots, but closer to the second lot, so as we wouldn’t interfere with each other . I would follow Gary, in the area he had skipped over. Nothing was found along the snow bank other than a dime and a few targets, in the ground. Justin had come over to see what the targets looked like as I explained why some of the targets could not be a platinum ring. Gary and I would now search the area, closest to the lot Jackie had been in. I would start on the right side, along the snow bank, Gary would be about 8-10 feet behind me, and a few steps to my left. We call this the snowplow grid search. It’s like the snowplows, on the Maine Turnpike. One plow will be in the far right lane, one in the center lane and one in the passing lane, each plow covering ground, the other plows don’t get. After a few steps, Justin had a target and I went over to see what it was. Unfortunately, it wasn’t Jackie’s ring. I i returned to where I had left off and as I arrived, Gary said to me, “Hey, I’ve got a really good target, 14 on the VDI. It’s down in the ice and snow. I grabbed my detector and checked the signal and it sounded really great, but was it the ring? Gary got his pinpointer out, located the target and very carefully, chiseled the ice and snow away. Gary really didn’t want to damage the target. As he was removing the ice and snow, we caught a small glimpse of a silver colored ring, with diamonds. Gary has found Jackie’s anniversary ring, YES!!! I looked over at Justin and shouted out, “We got it, Gary found the ring”. Justin came running over and Gary pointed to the ring still buried in the ice and snow and gave Justin the honor of removing the ring. Once Justin removed the ring and took a photo, he sent a text to Jackie. Justin then called Jackie, with the good news Jackie was pleased, over the moon happy and I can’t be certain but I thought her voice cracked a time or two. Gary and I also noticed a few happy tears coming down Justin’s face. He was extremely happy and he was wearing his emotions, on his sleeve. When I congratulated Justin and stuck my hand out, for a handshake. Justin wouldn’t have it and gave me a big hug with a smile, ear to ear
A beautiful moment for Jackie and Justin. Gary and I do this, for exactly these reasons. There is no better feeling in the world than to be able to help return such sentimental items. As we always say, every ring has a story and now Jackie’s anniversary ring has a new chapter. Gary and I were on cloud nine, as we said goodbye to Justin. Another ring back on the finger. We have the best job in the world. We love our job!!!
Once home, I received the following message from Justin
“Thank you so much Dennis, I am eternally grateful for your help finding my wife’s ring. I’m still taken aback about your willingness to come and help at a moments notice. In today’s world, it makes you remember that there are still so many good people out there, and you stand out.”
Also, Please check out the video of Justin removing the ring, from the snow and ice and Jackie and Justin’s conversation , over the phone.
We have the best job in the world. We love our job!!!❤️🙏
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Engagement and Wedding Ring, Lost In The North Waterboro, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:
With 5 inches of freshly fallen snow overnight, Chery and I were out cleaning up the driveway and walkway, around our home. Once inside, I saw the following text message
“Hi! My name is Whitney, I’m reaching to contact Dennis at the Ring Finders of Maine. I lost my wedding ring in the snow this morning and wondering if you may be able to please help me find it? I received several recommendations to reach out to you, so sounds like you’re the guy we need!!”
I didn’t hesitate and called Whitney back immediately. Whitney told me she had gone out the morning and was between her porch stairs and the door to her garage, when she fell. She had been trying to pull up an extension cord, out of the snow , down near the garage. Once inside her home, Whitney realized she no longer had her Platinum Wedding ring on. Whitney and her husband went out and searched the area but had no luck. Whitney told me the ring should be a very defined area of no larger than 20’ X 20’ and more likely in a 10’ X 10’ area. Whitney had already left home, for a work meeting but would be home in 1 1/2 to 2 hours. We agreed I would meet her in about two hours, at her home, in North Waterboro, Maine.
So, a few hours later, Cheryl and I arrived at Whitney’s house and she said , I saw you on TV last night. I asked her if that is how she had heard about The Ring Finders of Maine and I was told that Whitney had placed a Facebook post, looking for help. Whitney then told me that she had many replies telling her to contact me and here we are. Whitney then showed us the very small area, she thought the ring would be in. I took out a test/set up ring and threw it in the snow. The ring disappeared, under the snow and I then ran my coil over the ring and it made a nice loud low tone. I told Whitney that was the sound we would be listening for. I then told Whitney that I would start a grid search, starting just a few feet out, of where she had fallen and I would follow her footsteps, towards the extension cord and garage door. I started my search and within 30 seconds, I received a loud low tone, reading 21, on the VDI screen. No way, could this be the wedding ring Whitney had lost? Whitney said “that is just about where I fell”. I removed my pinpointer and found the target, under the snow. As I scraped away the snow, I saw what appeared to be the side of a ring and said “We got a ring. I heard a “gasp”, from Whitney, as she quickly made her way over to me and when she looked down at the ring she said “Oh my gosh”. I then asked her if that was her ring and she replied “Yes, I think so”. The ring was still 80% buried in the snow and after taking a few photos, I pulled the ring out and there was no doubt the ring was Whitney’s wedding ring.
After a hug and some photos Cheryl and I left a smiling Whitney, standing approximately where the wedding ring had been found. Thankfully, another ring is back on the finger and another smile, for the smile pile. I love my job, it’s the best job in the world ❤️🙏
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Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost In The Hollis Center, Maine Snow, Found With A Metal Detector

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

I received the following text, at 5:20pm, Super Bowl Sunday,

“Hello, I saw your profile on The Ring Finders! My name is Steven, I lost my ring in my yard this evening in the snow and I cannot find it for the life of me. I live in Hollis Center, Maine, and would very much appreciate your service. Thank you for your time and have a great day!”

I immediately called Steven back and asked him what had happened. Steven told me that after finishing up a few things, he had been doing outside, he was about to enter his house through the back door, to his basement. Just before entering, he shook his hands, to remove the melting snow, from his hands. As he shook his hands, standing directly in front of the door, he felt his Tungsten Wedding Ring slipping off his finger. He then heard the ring, hit the hard packed snow, of the walkway, in front of the door. Steven didn’t hear the ring hit anything else, after the ring had hit the hard packed snow but the ring wasn’t on the walkway and Steven had no idea as to which way the ring had bounced. Had it gone off to the side of him, in front of him, in back of him? He just didn’t know and with areas of snow still up to 18” deep, his search of the surrounding area was futile. Trying to find something as small as a wedding ring in up to 18” of snow is virtually impossible, with the naked eye. Steven knew he needed help and that was when he reached out to me. I told Steven that since it was now dark outside I could come and search the next day, when I would have plenty of sunlight, to assist me. Even with a metal detector, I would need plenty of light because it really is difficult to see a ring, in the snow, even after my metal detector locates it. Plus, This was on Steven’s private property where there was no chance of a plow, shovel, snowblower, etc. would move the ring, outside of the area. There was also no chance of someone walking through the area, seeing the ring, on the walkway. Steven would leave the area undisturbed, until I was able to arrive, the next day.
Once I arrived, Steven immediately came out to meet me and I had brought a Tungsten ring with me to set up and calibrate my metal detector. I told Steven that Tungsten is a Non Ferrous, mid conducting metal and usually rings up in the 50’s on the Minelab Manticore, although I have found a few that have rung up in the high 40’s and low 60’s. I threw the ring into the snow and then show Steven how I hoped to find his ring. My coil found my test ring loud and clear, impressing Steven that he could actually hear the target. I then used my pinpointer and showed him how the pinpointer worked. Once I pinpointed the target, I still couldn’t see the ring, in the close to 12” of deep snow. I kept removing snow and finally it appeared. Thankfully there was plenty of sunshine to help me. Steven then took me to the back of the house, down a walkway, and showed me exactly where he had been standing, when his wedding ring came off of his finger. I looked at the area and my first thought was that the ring most likely didn’t land in front of him. The motion of shaking his hands, suggested to me that the ring would have gone behind him, possibly to his left side. He hadn’t heard anything, other that the wedding ring hitting the hard packed snow. Directly in front of him was his house and the ring didn’t hit the house or another hard object. Again, just lots of snow behind him. I started my metal detector up and stood where he had been standing and searched the snow to the immediate left of where he was shaking his hand. Nothing found. I then turned around and started searching behind where he had been and on just on the outside area, of the walkway. The area was very clean of any metal and just 2-3 minutes into the search, I received a strong signal, reading 56-57 on the Minelab Manticore’s VDI Screen. Definitely a non ferrous, mid conducting metal. I was pretty sure this was the wedding ring, as it was nice and loud and repeating. As I brushed the snow away, the ring came into focus and Steven broke out into a smile and giggle, saying “So fast”. I then asked Steven if that was his ring and he confirmed that it was his wedding ring and saying, “That’s wonderful, Thank you so much. I love this ring, more than anything. We just got married a couple of months ago, in October.” WOW, Newlyweds!!!! That explains this a little more. Cold, wet fingers, a new ring, that probably doesn’t fit quite right. What could possibly go wrong? As you all know, I have helped many newlyweds over the years. Experience tells me that most newlyweds have rings that are not the proper size and before you know it, the ring is gone. Thankfully for Steven, this happened right in his own backyard. I mentioned to Steven that he should probably get a clear silicone ring sizer , for his ring. You can get them at Amazon, Walmart or a jeweler, etc.. Usually less than $10.00 and you would have piece of mind that your ring is nice and snug, on your finger.
So another happy, smiling client and another ring, back on the finger. I love my job and it’s the best job, in the world.

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Wallet Lost And Found In Biddeford, Maine Returned To Owner In Saco, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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So this is a very different Recovery and Return for me. No one called me, I didn’t have a metal detector and the owner didn’t even know, he had lost his item, a wallet.

My elderly mother no longer drives and Cheryl and I take her grocery shopping and to her Dr’s appointments. This morning, my mother had a dermatologist appointment, in Biddeford. I picked her up, from her home, in Saco, Maine and drove her to the appointment, in Biddeford, Maine. When we arrived, I was walking around the rear of the vehicle, to open the car door for her, when I saw a wallet, standing up, on its sides. It was just 2 parking spots over from us and as I approached, I could see some cash and some cards. I put the wallet in my inside coat pocket and helped my mother, towards the door, to the Dr’s office. Other cars were coming in and within a minute, before we were even in the door, to the Dr’s, someone parked where the wallet was. One minute later and I would never have seen the wallet.
Once checked in, I opened the wallet, looking for identification and or a phone number. No phone number was found but the drivers license belonged to a John B******. John’s address was in Saco and I knew where the street was. If John did’t walk into the Dr’s office, I would simply drive the wallet to John, after driving my mother home. His address is only 6-7 miles, from my house, in Saco. As I am sitting in the waiting room, I figured I could do a little internet sleuthing and see if I could find a phone number. I did find a landline number for John, at that address but when I called, it had been disconnected. I then tried Facebook and I found John’s Facebook profile, sending him the following message

“Hi John, My name is Dennis Boothby and I have a Facebook Page, The Ring Finders of Maine. I have found a wallet, in Biddeford and I believe it is yours. Could you please call me I am currently still in Biddeford, while my mother is having a procedure done. Thank you, Dennis” I also sent John a photo of my Rack Business Card, with my photo, so he wouldn’t think this was a scam.

I just wanted John to know his wallet had been found and didn’t want him to be out looking for it and worrying. Once my mother was done, at the dermatologist , I drove her home and then Cheryl and I drove out to John’s home. Once at John’s home, John’s wife, Mel answered the door, looked at me and said, “You look awfully familiar.” I then handed Mel my business card and introduced myself. Mel then says “Oh my gosh, Yes, I follow you and your stories.” Mel then told me John wasn’t home and that he had gone to their church, to help with something. I then asked Mel if John had lost his wallet. She told me that she hadn’t heard he had but would call him and ask. I then pulled out John’s wallet and Mel said that it was John’s wallet and then placed the call to John. The conversation went something like this, “Hi Honey, do you have your wallet?” John replied that yes he had taken his wallet with him. Mel then told John that I had found his wallet and that she was actually holding it. I believe John was stunned for a second, most likely checking his pockets, before saying that he didn’t have it and that he had put his wallet, in his hat, while at the Dr’s office. John surmises the wallet must have fallen out of his hat, as he was about to get in his car. John then thanked me, over the phone and was extremely kind, with his words to me. Mel was also very thankful and asked me for a hug. Mel also told me how lucky they were that I had found the wallet because if someone else had found it, the ending may have been entirely different. I would hope that anyone would have done the right thing and returned the wallet. So, a very different type of return but the gratification was the same. Although I wasn’t able to meet John, I am sure he was smiling, as Mel told him his wallet was safe and sound, at home. I know Mel, Cheryl and myself had big smiles on our faces. I love doing this for others and have the best job in the world.😀❤️🙏

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Cell Phone Lost While Plowing Snow In North Berwick, Maine Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:
On Tuesday, January 27th, I received a message from Donna, a friend of my wife Cheryl and a follower of my Facebook Page. Donna asked if I would be able to find a cell phone, in a snowbank. She told me that a friend of hers, Bob, had lost his cell phone, while out plowing, a few days earlier, on Sunday. I replied that I could absolutely find cell phones but I had a few concerns,
1. How big was the snowbank? If the phone was in too deep, the detector wouldn’t be able to find it, unless we broke the snowbank down, by shoveling.
2. Has he any idea where and which snowbank, the phone would be in?
Donna then replied that she would have Bob call me directly and he could inform me, of what happened. The next day Bob called me and explained what had happened. He was plowing a very long driveway, in North Berwick (Maine) . On his first pass, of the driveway, he stopped after pushing the first plow full of snow, into a big snowbank, from the previous storms. He stopped as he was backing up, from the snowbank, maybe 20-25 feet from the snowbank, because his windshield was all icy and he couldn’t see properly. He exited the cab of the truck, cleared the windshield and returned to the cab of the truck. He backed up a little more and began plowing, up in the area of where he had gotten out of the truck. When that area was clear, he was backing up, further down the hill part of driveway, when his earpiece , for his phone, said that his phone had become disconnected and was out of range. Bob was surprised because he thought the phone was on top of the center console. He searched the cab of his truck, but his phone wasn’t there. Bob drove back to the end of the driveway, where he had pushed the first plow full of snow and his earpiece reconnected, with his phone. He looked around the driveway but couldn’t see the phone. That could mean only one thing, he had plowed his phone, into the large snowbank, at the end of the driveway. I agreed to meet Bob the next day, at 9:30am and Bob said he would be bringing someone with him, to help shovel, if needed. I told Bob I would also brig a shovel and a second metal detector, which someone would be able to use.
So, Thursday morning, January 29th, I met Bob and Jason at the property, where the phone was lost at. It was now 4 days after the phone was lost and Bob’s earpiece would no longer connect, with the phone. The freezing cold, over the 4 days had drained the battery. The snowbank was maybe 20-25 feet long and approximately 6 feet high. That is a lot of snow. Bob showed me where he had gotten out of the truck and where he had plowed, right after getting back into the truck. Bob was fairly confident the phone would be in the of the center of the snowbank. If we looked at the snowbank and divided it up into quarters, Bob thought it would be in one of the two middle quarters. We decided I would search the two middle quarters and if I didn’t find there phone, I would then search the two end quarters. After searching the entire front side of the snowbank, I didn’t receive any targets at all. Bob and Jason would start breaking down the front side of the snowbank, by shoveling and throwing the snow, into the driveway. I would go to the backside of the snowbank and search the backside. As I stepped off the top of the snowbank I literally went straight down into the very soft snow, up to my waist. Bob also, at the top of the snowbank had the same happen to him. We both had boots full of snow and had to remove the snow before starting back up. After searching the backside, still no targets at all. Bob and Jason had shoveled a few feet off the front side and they were exhausted. I started my other metal detector up and Bob started searching the front side. Over the next hour or so, Bob, Jason and myself took turns shoveling and metal detecting, with no luck at all. Bob started losing hope and said he would find it in the spring, when the snow melted. With the snowbank now approximately half the size it was when we started I asked Bob if he could take his plow and push the remaining snowbank back a little bit, to expose the deeper snow, towards the bottom of the snow bank. Maybe a foot or two at a time and I would then search the newly exposed snow. None of us wanted to keep shoveling as it would take an hour os so to finish, just the center area. Bob readily agreed to give it a try. Bob then pushed back a foot or so of the snowbank and I went in to search the area. No targets were found. Bob repeated the process and I once again went back and searched the area. As I searched towards the top of the newly plowed snow, I received a loud target and I knew deep down, it was the phone. We had literally not received any targets at all, in this snowbank and now, BOOM, a loud target. I started removing snow, with my hand as Jason looked on and Bob was still in the plow truck. As the snow was being removed, I saw the black top frame, of the phone. Jason and I turned to Bob and told him we had found it. Bob walked over and saw the phone sticking out of the snow bank and said “Wow, thats amazing”. Bob was very happy and was planning on taking it over to the Verizon store, in Sanford, Maine. They have something that they can do to dry the phone out in an hour and then download all the data, onto Bob’s new phone.
This certainly was one of the tougher recoveries I have done. Bob, Jason and myself were beat, after all that shoveling. But, It was all worth it, seeing how happy Bob was to have his phone back. As you know, phones are very expensive now and by recovering the phone, any insurance plans Bob has would cover any damage and the phone can now be used as a trade in. After an hour and a half or so, I was ready to go home, as were Bob and Jason. As I drove off, Bob had to finish cleaning up the driveway, because of all the snow, we had thrown onto it. You can bet he was using the plow and not the shovels. So, another phone, back in the pocket and another smile on their face. I truly have the best job in the world.😀❤️🙏
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Engagement Ring Lost In The Newmarket, New Hampshire Snow Found With A Metal Detector

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

I received the following message, at 7:30am, Monday January 27th,

“Hello, my name is Marissa B****. I’m located in Newmarket, New Hampshire . Um, I was just calling, um, to see if someone could come out and help me potentially very quickly. Um, I was getting snow off my car and my ring fell off my finger and it’s somewhere in the snow and I’ve just been searching for it and I didn’t know if someone just could come and help me. I live in an apartment building and they’re gonna come plow soon. Um, so I was just wondering if you could help me out, my number is 603-***_****. Thank you very much.”

I immediately called Marissa back and I could tell she was upset by her cracking voice and what sounded like sobbing. Marissa explained that as she was cleaning her vehicle off, her White Gold and Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring had come off and landed in the snow. Marissa and her fiance’ had searched the snow where the ring had fallen but they couldn’t find it. To add even more pressure, the snowplows, that plow the large apartment complex, were just a few buildings away and would be at her building, within two hours. She asked if I could come down there, ASAP, and search. Without hesitation I told Marissa, I would load my equipment up and be there as soon as I could. I also asked her to not have the plows, plow where her car was parked, until I could get there. I knew Newmarket, was just a little SW of Portsmouth New Hampshire and was an hour away, from our home in Saco, Maine, on a good day. This morning the roads were still slick, with black ice and the plows were still out. Hopefully, The Maine Turnpike would be all clear. Marissa agreed to talk with the plow operators, should they arrive, before I do.
Once I was on the road, I called a still emotional Marissa and told her I was already on the Maine Turnpike and gave her an ETA. As soon as I told her that, I could hear a little relief, in her voice . Just knowing someone was on their way to help her, calmed her down. As Cheryl and I made our way down to New Hampshire, the traffic was flowing smoothly, although a little slower, than normal. We arrived at her apartment complex in approximately 1 1/4 hours, about 15 minutes slower, than usual. Once we got out of the vehicle, a cold stiff wind hit us. Temperature at the arrival time was 10 degrees with a feel like wind chill temperature of -2 degrees, brrrrr🥶🥶🥶
We were met by Marissa and she showed me where her car was parked, when her engagement ring came off. It was a very small area and I could see all the disturbed snow, where Marissa and her fiance’ had been searching, without any luck. After throwing a gold test ring, in the snow and showing Marissa how the metal detector works, I got down to business. I performed an east/west grid search. A few targets were heard but I knew they weren’t the engagement ring. I then searched the area again, this time in a north/South grid pattern. Still no engagement ring was found. I had only been searching for 10 minutes and already had searched the very small area, twice, with no luck. I then expanded the search, to just over the piles of snow and within a few minutes, I received the tone I was listening for. A nice low tone, reading 15-16 on the detectors VDI screen. A classic gold target, for a small ring. I grabbed my pinpointer and located the target, in the snow. Once located , I could see the outline of a ring, with some stones but couldn’t make out the color of the stone. I wanted to surprise Marissa so without telling her I had found the ring, I asked her about the color of the stone and she replied “The diamond, yellow”. I then reached down, picked up the ring, from the snow and asked, “Is this it?’ As Marissa walked towards me I could see her eyes welling up and she then thanked me, as she turned away from the camera. Marissa then gave me a hug and I could see the happy tears. What a great feeling it is to be able to help people like Marissa. She was possibly an hour away from having her diamond plowed and lost forever or even damaged, beyond repair. As the weather was brutally cold, Marissa then went back inside her apartment and Cheryl and I quickly jumped back in our vehicle and turned the heat up.
Being retired came into play today because if I was still working, a regular job, , I would not have been able to leave immediately and who knows what might have happened, with the ring. As I always preach, time is of the essence and this was a situation that proves that’s saying. So Cheryl and I went hunting for a HOT Dunkin” coffee for her, for our drive home. Once she got a little coffee in her, Cheryl became a happy camper. I was a happy camper, as soon as I saw Mariss’s engagement ring, in the snow. Another ring, back on the owners finger and I truly have the best job, in the world.❤️🙏

 

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Three Property Pins, Markers, Lost In York, Maine, Found In The Snow, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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I was contacted by Deanna, concerning finding some long lost property pins/markers, on her York, Maine property. Her neighbors had recently sold their home and Deanna would just like to find the pins, dividing the properties. Deanna has lived at her current home for 15 years and has the most recent survey prints, from just before she bought her home, 15 years earlier. Deanna told me that she herself had pulled one of the pins, out of the ground, because it was in the way of her mowing. She now regrets that decision. There are two pins, in particular, Deanna would like us to find. The first, must find pin, is along the road and approximately 380’, from a property pin, in the front of her house, next to a fence. Pin #1 isn’t vital to find, but would make this job much easier. The pin is no longer visible, so we will need to find this pin #1, in a very confined corner, then measure 380’, down the road and search for pin #2, that Deanna wants us to find. If and when we find Pin #2, we will need to measure approximately 102 feet, out into the field, and find the Pin #3, that needs to be found, for Deanna. Deanna would also like to find a 4th pin, but it wasn’t as important as pins #2 & 3. For a job this big, area wise and measurement wise, I called in Gary Hill, to assist. Gary was happy to go with me and I set a date and time with Deanna.

This morning, December 11th, 2025, Gary and I headed to York, Maine. We arrived at just before 8:00am and was promptly met by Deanna. She showed us the area and then had to head into work. Gary and I immediately got to work and went to find Pin #1, in the front of the house, along the fence. This pin was found within 1 minute and we now had a property pin, to measure from and down the road, 380’, to Property Pin #2. This is one of the must find pins, that Deanna wanted us to find. So, Gary and I retrieved the 300’ tape measure and looped it around Property Pin #1. I then walked it down the road 300’ and marked it, at that point. Gary brought the tape up to the 300’ mark and we measured out another 80’. We should now be able to locate Pin #2, in the vicinity. Using a tape measure isn’t as accurate as GPS, now used by surveyors but it will put us very close, to within a foot or so. Gary and I started searching and our first target looked promising. A definite piece of iron, ringing up in the ferrous range. As we dug it, it turned out to be a large spike, from a long, long time ago. As we continued the search, our second target was also a ferrous target and after digging it, we had found what we were looking for. Property pin #2, had been found. Deanna had given us some orange stakes, to place next to the property pins. This pin was a pipe, as was Pin #1 and we placed the orange stake, right into the pipe. This Pin #2 was within a foot of where the 380’ measurement came to. I love it when it works out like this. Now on to Property Pin #3. A must find, for Deanna. Gary and I then measured approximately 102’, into the field and Gary noticed an iron rebar rod, sticking out of the ground, at just about the area, we would be searching in. We dug around the rebar and saw that the rebar had actually been placed, inside a pipe, like the one we had just found, up near the road. This was to easy, so we searched the area, for anymore property pins, but found absolutely nothing. Fantastic!!! Property Pins #1,2 and 3 had been found. Now let’s see if Pin #4, is findable. Deanna had told me that she thought Pin #4 may be in amongst some trees. Only one way to find out, Gary and I measured the 85’ and because it is being measured, at an angle and not a straight line, from Pin #3, we had a slightly larger area, to search. Some of the area, as you got close to the trees, were difficult to search, because the hay was fairly tall and we couldn’t swing the metal detector, very well. This area also has what looks like some sort of small path, for farm equipment or ATV’s. The path area was frozen and difficult to dig. The area also was producing a lot and I mean, a lot of large ferrous targets. We were digging up large iron pieces of old farm equipment. Could these pieces of iron, be masking out, the much smaller iron Property Pin? We did find a large iron Pin but we are not sure if it is the Property Pin. It was found 4’, short of where it should have been found. Gary and I think it may have been part of a fence, at one time. We had been finding fence wire in the area, so kind of makes sense. We decided to call it a day, due to the difficult circumstances and return, in the spring, once the ground thaws, on the path and the hay will be flattened, from this winters snow. I am sure we will find Pin #4, in the spring. I sent Deanna a message about finding 3 of the four Property Pins and two of the pins, were the ones, she really wanted, to have us find. Gary and I were happy to have found the three and were really happy to be getting out of the brutal windy conditions. We now have something to look forward to, this sprig and Deanna is extremely happy to finally know where the Property Pins are.
As a side note, I am not a licensed surveyor. I am just a metal detectorist trying to help others out. I informed Deanna and all my clients that I may find their property pin but I cannot guarantee that the pin is in the correct location. I have no way of knowing if the pin has actually been moved, in the past, or not. Only a licensed surveyor can guarantee the pins are in the correct spot.
Another adventure with property pins and this was a first for Gary and I. We searched fo, the pins, in the snow. We had never done that before and we were actually surprised at how much fun it was. Ok, not that much fun! Thankfully, not all of the ground was frozen and the snow was only an inch or two deep. This up coming spring, Gary and I will head back to York and hopefully find Property Pin #4. Who doesn’t love helping others out. Gary and I are happy, Deanna is happy. A win, win for everyone and smiles all around. We have the best job in the world😀❤️🙏

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