Dennis Boothby, Author at The Ring Finders

Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost In The Old Orchard Beach, Maine Sand, Found With A Metal Detector

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

On Saturday morning, Saturday, June 14, 2025, my wife and I went up to Norway Maine, to visit her sister, who had surgery, earlier in the week. It was raining out and I didn’t think I would have any call outs, today. At approximately 10:25 am, I received the following text

“Hi! We lost a wedding ring on Old Orchard Beach, Maine and were wondering if we can get any help in finding it? Somewhere between The Brunswick and the OOB Pier. We will be checking for it in the morning- please let me know if you are available to assist at all!! Thanks!”

I replied

“Hi Rae, So sorry to hear this. I am in Norway, Maine, until late this afternoon. If you haven’t found it, I would be happy to help, once I get back.
Was it lost in the dry sand or wet sand/water?”

Rae replied

“Sounds great thank you so much!! We will definitely let you know if we find it. It was in the dry sand- thankfully it was also high tide so we don’t think it got washed away. I pinned our location when we noticed it was gone so it should be around this area”

With the text, she sent a photo, of the area to be searched.
She then sent me her husband’s name (Ben) and phone number.

Once I returned home, I gave Ben a call and told him I could be at the search area, around 4:00pm. I just needed to change clothes and get my equipment, into my vehicle. Ben told me he would meet me at The Brunswick and point out the area he thinks the ring would be in. I also conveyed a few concerns I had. 1) If the beach cleaning machine, had gone through the area, the wedding ring would most likely have been scooped up already. 2) Hopefully another detectorist hadn’t been through the area, as they may have found it already.
Once in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, parking was at an extreme premium. I ended up parking, down near Waves Motor Inn, close to a 1/2 mile from the search area and walked the beach, down to The Brunswick Old Orchard Beach.
I then met Ben, at The Brunswick and told him that the beach cleaning machine had not gone through the area. A definite positive for us. I then proceeded to ask him many questions, including why he thinks he lost his wedding ring, in this area and what metal is the ring made from? Ben told me that the ring was made of Tungsten and that he and his wife had been enjoying an evening at The Brunswick Nightclub . They left at approximately 12:30am, just before closing. They then walked down the beach a little bit and decided to take a swim. Ben took off his Shoes, Shirt, Watch and Wedding Ring, prior to going into the water. Ben had placed his watch and ring, inside one of his shoes and placed the shoes, on the beach. Once out of the water, Ben picked up his shirt and shoes, forgetting his ring and watch, we’re in the shoe. Before he knew it, the ring had fallen out, somewhere between where his shoes were, to where he now was, walking towards the street. Luckily he had the watch. He and his wife walked the area but could not find his ring, inside the extremely dark beach. They decided to come back and search, in the daylight, the next morning. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t find his ring and contacted me.
I told Ben that I would start, the grid search , at the top of the banking and grid search back and forth, working my way down towards the wet sand. After a couple of grid lines, I couldn’t go down any further, on the banking, because there were a group of people there. I told Ben I would go back up the banking and search that area, until the group of people left and if I didn’t find the ring, up in the dry sand, I would resume the search, down lower on the banking. Up on the dry sand, I was finding the usual pull tabs, foil and miscellaneous pieces of aluminum. I was also find some coins, but no wedding ring. I then saw the group of people had left and went back down, to where I had left off. As I was approaching the area, the group of people were in, I received a fantastic sound, from my metal detector and a VDI reading 30. I looked at Ben and told him that I really liked this target. I couldn’t guarantee it was his ring but it just sounded so good and definitely in the Tungsten range, with that VDI screening of 30. Ben came over closer to me, as I was searching the sand, with my pinpointer. I located the target with the pinpointer and as I searched the sand, with my fingers, I felt a ring. I pulled it out of the sand, looked at Ben and showed him the ring as I told him, “Congratulations, I got your ring”. Ben just looked at me with a big smile and said, “ Amazing, Thank you so much”. I had asked Ben earlier about how long has he and his wife been married. He told me a little under one year. Awesome, still newlyweds and I just recovered his wedding ring, just in time, for their first anniversary. I was smiling ear to ear myself. I absolutely love being able to provide this service to people who have lost very sentimental items. It’s such a great feeling and very addicting.
Here’s wishing Rae and Ben a very happy first anniversary, with many more to follow ❤️🙏🍾🥂💞

Tags:
Category:

White Gold Engagement Ring, Lost In The Sand At Goose Rocks Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

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

On Thursday morning June 12th, I was searching, for a lost heirloom necklace, in Ocean Park, Maine. As I searched, my phone kept going off with both phone calls and text messages. Unfortunately, I couldn’t even see the screen of my phone, because the sun was so bright and I could not see anything but a blank screen, I decided I would get to a shady area and see what was going on, but not until I found this lost necklace. Once I found the necklace, approximately half hour later, I walked up to the gazebo area, of Ocean Park Beach, next to the library and across the street from the Ocean Park Soda Fountain. I was waiting for my wife, Cheryl, to return and pick me up. As I sat on the bench, I noticed two missed calls, voice mails, a text message and a Facebook Messenger notification. The following is from the dictation, from the voicemail

““Hi, my name is Lauren. We are on the beach and one of our friends lost her engagement ring. We just wanted to inquire more about your services. If you can give me a call back at 781-XXX-XXXX, that would be great thank you.…”

Lauren’s text message and Facebook Messenger were the same.

“Hi! My friend lost her engagement ring on Gooserocks Beach Kennebunkport. We were wondering if you may be able to help us?”

With three different forms of communication, I knew someone was frantic and in desperate need of my Emergency Metal Detecting Services.
I immediately called Lauren back and she told me that a group of friends had gone to the beach and after being there for just a short period of time, one of the women noticed she no longer had her engagement ring on. Lauren told me that some of the women went to the vehicle and searched the vehicle for the ring, while the remaining group of friends searched around the circle of chairs they had set up, on the beach. Neither search was successful so some of the group, went back to the house and searched for the ring there. Again, no ring was found. So they went back to the beach and that is when Lauren contacted me and left the messages. I told Lauren that I would be happy to help and I could be there in approximately 45 minutes or so. Lauren told me that the group of friends were on the beach, at the Proctor Avenue beach entrance. I told her that I knew exactly where that was and would be there shortly.

Once Cheryl and I arrived at Goose Rocks Beach, Maine, we entered the beach, at Proctor Ave and we were immediately waved to by a group of 8 women. One of the women walked towards us and introduced herself as Meaghan. Meaghan said it is her engagement ring that was lost but has no idea when or where it came off. She then went through the events of the morning and they were the same as what Lauren had conveyed, to me. Meaghan had her ring on at the house and then at the beach, it was gone. Meaghan thought the most likely scenario was that the ring was in or just outside of the circle of chairs, beach bags, etc., that she had carried down to and placed on the beach. If the ring was not in this area, it could be somewhere in the 75 feet or so of beach, from the access path, to where they had settled in for the day. It could also be out along the street, where they had parked and taken all the beach essentials, down onto the beach. There is a strip of sand along that area of street and I would need to search that also, if the ring wasn’t found, on the beach. It was then mentioned by someone in the group that Meaghan is getting married in September and this is her Bachelorette Get Away. Ok, Take a deep breath, no pressure to find this ring. I really wanted to find this ring quickly. I could see the extreme anxiety on Meaghan’s face and I want to turn that anxiety into a big smile.

I told the group that I would perform a grid search, just outside the chairs, where they all thought the ring most likely was and is the location where everything was placed, when they first arrived at the beach. I just needed to move the metal chairs back a little further, so they wouldn’t interfere with my metal detector and the women all moved their chairs back. I asked Meaghan what the metal is, that the engagement ring is made out of. Meaghan then told me it is White Gold band. I then took out a White Gold Engagement Ring and threw it into the sand. I do this for two reasons, 1) I will get my metal detector setup , to my liking, with the metal I am looking for. 2) It will show the client how the metal detector sounds, when the coil goes over the ring. I have found that my clients enjoy seeing this and after seeing me do this and in a way, comforts them. When I threw the ring, into the sand, I saw a few eyes get really big and a few gasps, from the group. They must have thought I was crazy. I then made a few adjustments to my detector and swung the coil over the sand. When the coil went over the setup gold ring, it went off nice and loud and I could hear the excitement, from the group. I now started my grid search and the area was not very large, taking just 5 minutes or so. I did not find the ring, nor anything else, for that matter. No trash or coins. When I didn’t find it, we talked about grid searching the 75 or so feet, up to the access path. Something told me to search deeper, in the circle of chairs first. This was so I would’t have to come back and search this area, if the ring wasn’t found, going up to the access path. I took a step deeper, into where the chairs were and started searching. As I was approaching the northern end of the area, the detector started sounding off. A nice loud low tone and a reading of 07-08 on the VDI screen. I could see the excitement and anticipation on the faces of the women in the group, when they heard the sound being emitted, by my detector. I told them I couldn’t guarantee this signal was the ring but that I really liked the sound of it. I then took my pinpointer out and located the target, in the sand.I reached into the sand and came up empty. I felt around and felt something solid, looked down and picked a ring up with a diamond on it. I had found Meaghan’s engagement ring and when I held the ring up, for all to see, all kinds of screaming, yelling and celebrating took place. Meaghan came over, got her ring and gave me a nice big hug. I could see her happy tears and others in the group were also misty eyed. Everyone was just so happy for her. What started out a a wonderful Bachelorette get away, turned into a nightmare and then back to a happy place, for the group of friends. Now with the mood much lighter, I could hear some comments being made, from the group. “Hey Meaghan, you going to tell your mother? “Meaghan, DON’T tell your fiancé!” All in good fun and the laughing continued, now that her engagement was back on her finger. Later in the evening, I received some more messages from Lauren, “thank you sooo much Dennis!!! “ Lauren also sent me some photos and a video, that the group had taken. Lauren even put the video out on TikTok and told me it already had 5,000 views. It is always a great feeling when the client reaches back out to me, later and still thanking me. It’s such a great feeling and blessing to be able to help people out, in their time of need.
Cheryl and I would like to wish Meaghan a wonderful wedding this September and a long prosperous life, with her husband to be.💍❤️🍾🥂

Tags:
Category:

Passed Down Heirloom Gold Necklace with Lion Pendant, Lost In The Beach Sand of Ocean Park, Maine, Found With a Metal Detector.

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

Thursday morning, Cheryl and I saw our 8 year old granddaughter off to her last day of 2nd grade. Once the commotion settled down, Cheryl and I decided to go on a bike ride, from Saco, Maine, through Old Orchard Beach, Maine and into the Town of Scarborough, Maine, via the Eastern Trail. This is just over 13 miles round trip and usually takes approximately a little over an hour to 1 1/2 hours, depending how long we stop at the Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center, while we rehydrate. While at the Scarborough Marsh, I checked my phone and saw I had a voicemail, from someone, this is his message

“So I don’t know if this is Dennis or not but I lost my grandfather’s gold necklace at Ocean Park, Maine, on the beach yesterday, it was like 3 or 4 o’clock, so if you can get back to me and help me with that thank you, bye…”

I immediately called back and my call also went to Voicemail. I told him that I could absolutely help him out but I was in Scarborough, Maine and would be home in approximately 35 minutes and if he could call me then, I will go search, in Ocean Park Beach.
As I was exiting The Eastern Trail, just behind Thornton Academy, in Saco, my phone rang. I immediately stopped and answered. The person identified himself as Dakota. When I asked him to explain to me what had happened, he told me that he had taken his gold necklace off, while at the beach, in Ocean Park. He was going into the water and didn’t want to lose his Grandfather’s necklace, in the water, so he took it off and placed it on his sweatshirt, which was just laying on the sand, next to his beach chair. Once out of the water and back in his beach chair, Dakota forgot about the necklace, on his sweatshirt. As they were leaving for the day, Dakota picked up his chair and belongings, still not remembering the necklace. He and his friend, then left the beach.
The next morning, when he got up and was getting ready for his day, he noticed he wasn’t wearing the Gold Necklace that had been passed down to him, after his Grandfather passed away. Panic set in and Dakota rushed back to Ocean Park, from his home, in the City of Westbrook, Maine. Once in Ocean Park, Dakota visually searched but was unable to locate the necklace. He then drove to Conway, New Hampshire and retrieved his father’s metal detector, to search the area, once he returned to Ocean Park. Dakota told me that he knew nothing about his father’s metal detector and thats why he called me. I told Dakota that I could be in OP in approximately 35-40 minutes as I still had to ride the rest of the way home. WOW, an inherited necklace, passed down from his grandfather. I just had to find this.
Once home, I loaded my equipment into my vehicle and Cheryl and I headed to OP. Once we parked and were walking up Randall Ave, I saw someone with a metal detector walking up the beach access boardwalk and yelled out to him. Dakota held up and the three of us walked onto the beach, where Dakota had been yesterday. Dakota pointed out the area his chair and sweatshirt were and we came up with a plan, where I would grid search an area about 30’ X 75’. He was certain the necklace would be in this area. I asked Dakota if there were any pendants on the necklace. He told me there was a gold Lion Pendant, on the necklace.
I told Dakota that he was lucky that the beach cleaning machine hadn’t gone through the area this morning, otherwise, the necklace would almost certainly be gone forever. I also conveyed a concern I had about the necklace already being found, by a passerby or another detectorist. It is my experience, over the last 25 years that a necklace usually does not just disappear beneath the sand when dropped. There is just too much area mass. Last summer I three necklaces were recovered and THEY WERE ALL STILL PARTIALLY VISIBLE, THE NEXT DAY. The same with most bracelets and watches. They usually disappear, if they get stepped on but until then, anyone walking by could potentially see the necklace and just pick it up.
As I started my grid search, horizontally, to the beach, I was finding very much of anything. Maybe 8-10 pieces of foil, pull tabs and small pieces of other non ferrous metals. After finishing the area, Dakota thought the ring would be in, I asked him which beach access path he had exited the beach from. He told me the same path, we entered the beach from. I then told him I would grid search the area towards the Randall Ave access path. I went approximately 50’ and nothing. I turned around and headed back towards Dakota. At about 20’-25’ , I received my best tone of the search and a reading of 12-13, on my VDI screen. Definitely a non ferrous, low conductive metal and definitely in the gold range. I looked in the area of my coil but couldn’t see anything. I pulled out my pinpointer and found the target. I scooped a handful of sand away and still couldn’t see anything. I didn’t want to damage the necklace so I hadn’t brought my beach scoop. I then took another handful of sand and threw it to the side. That is when I saw a gold necklace. I looked over At Dakota and said “ I found your necklace”. For the first time since I had arrived, Dakota had a smile and came right over. I still couldn’t see the lion pendant but I wanted Dakota to see the necklace, the same way I saw it and didn’t want to disturb it. Dakota arrived, looking at the necklace and said “That’s it”. Dakota just looked so relieved and thanked me again for helping him out and finding his extremely sentimental necklace and pendant, that had belonged to his grandfather. It’s such a great feeling to be able to help people like Dakota. Thinking his grandfather’s necklace was gone forever and now almost 18 hours of being lost, he is walking off the beach with it, along with a smile on his face.

Tags:
Category:

“Do Not Duplicate Key” Lost In Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Found With A metal Detector and Returned To Owner

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:
While out on a search, for some lost missing rings, I found a freshly dropped Key. Once home that night, I was looking at the key and noticed it was a “Do Not Duplicate” key and the locksmiths name and phone number was on the key, to call if found. The locksmiths name is Fortier’s Lock, and a Maine phone number is also on the key. After an internet search, I found Fortier’s Security Center, formerly Fortier’s Locksmith and is located in Lewiston, Maine,  approximately 50 minutes north of me. Now, Fortier’s Security Center is the oldest locksmith in Maine. It is family owned and has been in business since 1921. WOW, over 100 years old and still family owned.
So I called the number the next morning, Saturday, but they were closed until Monday. Monday rolled around and I called again. This time I was able to reach them and explained to her, what I had found. She told me they could locate the owner by the serial numbers, on the key. I gave her the serial numbers and she would call the owner. Perfect, I will be able to return the key, once the owner called me, after being contacted by Fortier’s Security Center. Wednesday came and I still hadn’t heard anything. I called Fortier’s Security Center and the employee told me they had left a message for the owner of the key because no one had answered their phone call. They would call the owner again and try to make contact. I received no call on Wednesday or Thursday.
So on Friday I decided to drive toLewiston, Maine and drop the key off myself, to Fortier’s Security Center. Cheryl and I were heading to Athens, Maine, for a funeral, on Friday and we would be driving right by Lewiston, on our way to Athens. We would just get off the Maine Turnpike and drop the key off to Fortier’s Center, on Lisbon Street. As luck would have it, Fortier’s Security Center is just off the turnpike exit and I would be able to get right back on the road. Once I arrived at the location, I went inside and was immediately approached by the owner. I showed him the key and explained the situation. He assured me that the owner would get the key back and they would call them again today. Thankfully the records show who the owner is and the owner will soon have their key back.  So, now I have returned the key and although it may not be as flashy as a diamond engagement ring being returned, it is a return of a key that may  unlock a safe deposit box that holds jewelry and gold coins. Well I can dream, can’t I.
Tags:
Category:

Gold Masonic Ring Lost Doing Yard Work, In Scarborough Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

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

I received the following message, from Sam, on Monday night.

“Hey there, my grandfather lost his Masonic Ring that was bought for him by my grandmother. He is extremely stubborn and insists if he can’t find it he’s going to buy a new one.. He lost it in his backyard somewhere, I haven’t had the chance to look yet, but I hear you guys are the best! Let me know if this is something you could help with!”

It’s always nice when someone tells you that they hear “you guys are the best!” It will also be my first search, for a Masonic Ring. I then replied

“Hi Sam, I am so sorry to hear this. We can certainly find rings, in backyards. So a few questions first, if you don’t mind. 1) How long ago did he lose it? 2) What makes him think it was lost in the backyard? Did he see or feel it come off? 3) What city or town would the search take place? Thank you, Dennis”

Sam replied

“He lost it while working in the yard, he thinks back, but could be the front. It was lost about a week ago. He says he didn’t feel it come off. He’s in Scarborough, Maine.”

I replied

“OK, So fairly recently then. I would recommend that the lawns SHOULD NOT BE MOWED, until the area is searched. We have found damaged and thrown rings, that a lawnmower has hit.
So I do not charge for my Emergency Metal Detecting Services or my time. I do however, require a Transportation Fee, to cover my Gas, Tolls, Wear and Tear etc.. The transportation fee to Scarborough is $25.00 and that’s it.”

Sam agreed to go ahead and search for his Grandfather’s Masonic Ring. I told him I would be at his grandparents home at 8:00am the next morning. Sam told me his grandparents were good, for that time and his grandfather would show me the exact areas, he had been working.
I arrived at 8:00am, as promised and Sam’s grandfather came right out to meet me. He introduced himself, as Lee. Lee then explains that approximately 10 days earlier, he had been doing some yard work. He had planted two new flowers, by digging the holes and bringing the dug up soil, out back and dumped in a pile. He then put new potting soil in the holes and planted the flowers. He had walked back and forth across the front lawn a few times, between the flag pole and the house. That was the extent of his movement that day, up until he realized he no longer had his Masonic Ring on. Lee told me he was extremely sure I wouldn’t find the ring, under the new flowers. He had already removed the flowers and the new potting soil, down to the hard pan dirt. Lee then visually and physically searched the two holes and the potting soil. No ring was found. If the ring was on the property, it would be on the grassy lawn. I asked Lee if the lawn had been mowed, since losing his ring. He confirmed it had been mowed and I just kind of lost a little bounce, out of my step, so to speak. Once a ring has a lawnmower go over it, all bets are off. The lawnmower could have hit the ring, sending it flying in all kind of different areas. The lawnmower can also damage rings, beyond repair. I then confirmed with Lee that the ring is a Gold Ring. I took out a sample gold ring, which happens to be my actual 1974 Thornton Academy High School Class Ring, which most resembled the Masonic Ring, according to Lee. Ithrew it up into the air a few times and each time the ring was still visible, to our eyes, on the well manicured lawn. I then set the detector up, to the best settings, to find the Masonic Ring. I then ran the coil over my class ring and it went off nice and loud, so Lee could see how the detector works. Now to get to work.

I told Lee that I would grid search, from where we stood, in the driveway, to the plants on the other side of the lawn. I would search just inside the flagpole, back ann forth, up to the house. The lawn to be grid searched wasn’t a large area at all and I figured I could cover the entire front lawn in 25-30 minutes. I searched the newly planted flowers at the end of the first line. Nothing under the plants, other than a small nail. I then turned around and took a 1/2 step over and continued the search, now heading back towards the driveway. I repeated this 3 more times and other than coins, buried in the soil, absolutely nothing was found. I started talking to Lee again, about that day. He was certain the ring should have been in the area but it could also be in the discarded soil. So we went out back and I searched the soil there. Nothing again. I then told Lee that the ring may have come off while he was taking the wheel barrel out back, to dump the soil. I explained that I would start grid searching, that area. Wasn’t a large area at all and wouldn’t take long. While standing there I reached down and gave Lee the nail, I had found under one of the plants. He told me that wasn’t one of the plants he had been working on. He then told me it was the two flower plants. One that we were next to and the other plant was two plants over, going towards the street. I had totally misunderstood which plants had been worked on. I told Lee I would check the other flower plant, right now. We both walked over and my first swing, under the flowers, produced a nice low tone. I swung a few more times and saw my VDI Screen was reading between three numbers,, 27, 28, 29. Those are definitely numbers I am interested in, while searching for gold rings. I took my pinpointer and stuck it into the fresh potting soil. Nothing found. I tried again and again. On the third attempt, I located the target and removed some potting soil. Didn’t see or feel anything. I then removed another handful of the soil and I caught a glimpse of something gold. I reached into the hole, grabbed it, stood up and flashed the Masonic Ring to Lee, “I found your ring”. Lee was absolutely stunned. He said “I was absolutely sure you wouldn’t find it under the plants. I had taken them out and searched the soil myself”. Lee kept saying how he just couldn’t believe I had found his ring and he was absolutely certain, I wouldn’t find it. Thankfully for Lee I let my Metal Detector do my looking. I know my eyesight isn’t isn’t what it once was. I also know Lee is one happy man, to have his ring back on his finger, where it belongs. I love helping others out, when they need my Emergency Metal Detecting Services. It’s truly a great feeling to return such a sentimental item back to the owner. Congratulations Lee❤️🙏

Tags:
Category:

Limited Edition Watch Lost In The Wells Beach, Maine Sand,Found With A Metal Detector

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

I received the following message, from Mike at 11:00pm, last night. I didn’t see the message, until this morning, when I promptly replied, at 5:43am.

“I recently lost a watch on Wells Beach is this something you guys might be able to find?

Somewhere in the red circle the blue is the beach entrance.”

Mike also sent me  a photo, of the area, he thinks he lost the watch in.

My reply to Mike.

“Good Morning Mike, I am so sorry to hear this. I can certainly attempt to find the watch and have found watches, in the past. A few questions first, if you wouldn’t mind.            

1)   How long ago was the watch lost?

2)  This area that the watch was lost in, did you see or feel the watch come off in this area? Just trying to figure out why you think this is the area, the watch was lost in.                                                       

3)   Does the watch have a metal band or other material? What king of watch, Apple, etc.?                                                                                                                                                     

       “Thank you, Dennis”

Mike immediately replied along with a photo of the watch!

“Hey! Thanks for responding Sunday afternoon i lost it, and no I didn’t feel it come off I was with my 2 kids messing around in the sand wrestling around and we took a photo after we started walking off the beach and it wasn’t in the photo. I have a wrist band on the same wrist and had a long sleeve on so must not have felt it. And yes it’s all metal heavy watch Oceaneva is the brand it’s all black. I’ve searched everywhere but the beach dude, to me not living near by there”

My reply to Mike

“Ok, A few concerns. 1) My 25 years experience is that unlike a ring, watches do not immediately disappear under the sand. They usually fall on top of the sand and are visible, until someone steps on it, the wind blows sand over the top, etc.. 2) I am not familiar with the cleaning schedule, of the beach, in Wells. I have been told that Wells Beach has a dedicated beach cleaning machine. Not positive but  it’s likely that tractor-towed sand cleaning machines or smaller, self-propelled machines are used, along with manual cleanups by volunteers. With Memorial Day weekend this weekend, I would assume the beaches are being cleaned, before the rain starts tomorrow. Do you know if the beach cleaning machines have been out yet?

If you are interested, I can certainly search for it this afternoon or very early in the morning, around 7:00am. I am already booked this morning and not sure how long it will take me.. I may even be able to get another detectorist to go with me, to cover a larger area, quicker. I do not charge for my time or service but do require a $25.00 Transportation Fee to Wells Beach and that includes my buddy, at no extra charge, as he will ride with me. The Transportation Fee is to cover my Gas, Tolls, Wear and Tear, etc.. Let me know if this is acceptable and I will get on it today or tomorrow morning.”

As I started to think of the situation, I just knew I had to get to Wells Beach, right now, this morning. So I contacted my client, in Cape Elizabeth and explained the Emergency situation, concerning a missing watch, in a public place, where a beach cleaning machine, could sweep it up and be gone forever. My client was in complete agreement and we rescheduled the search for her property marker, until tomorrow morning, early, before 2-3 days of rain arrive.

I then contacted Gary Hill, to see if he was available to help me search, the fairly large area. Gary was available and on board with helping me. My estimate was a 3-4 hour search, by myself and Gary would help me cut that time in half, by helping me.

So Gary and I set out to Weels Beach, to search for the watch, which had been lost, three days earlier. Once we arrived, the parking situation was very dire. Atlantic Ave is a “No Parking, Either Side of the Street” area. Understandable as the area is extremely busy in the summer and the Avenue is not very wide. The beach entrance, we needed to use, to access the beach, is almost directly across from Seaside Cottages, a summertime favorite of vacationers, visiting the area. I went to the office and met Pauls, the owner and explained the situation and Paula recognized me and enthusiastically, without hesitation, agreed to  let me park, on her property. A BIG SHOUTOUT TO PAULA. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Gary and I then got our gear and headed the the beach. We decided to grid search the area, horizontally to the water. Gary would start up near the beach entrance and I would start down at the high tide mark, in the wet sand. We also decided to expand the search, to the north and the south, by approximately 25-30 feet, just in case the watch was lost, outside of where Mike thought it would be. Back and forth we went, finishing a grid line and then taking a 1/2 step over, turning around and heading back to the area, we had started. The 1/2 step over would also let us overlap our swings, making sure we don’t miss any areas. Neither one of use were finding much of anything at all, a penny, a few pull tabs and some small pieces of foil. After 40 minutes,  I sent a message to Mike , telling him we weren’t having any luck, locating the keys The beach seemed to be too clean and I started to worry the beach cleaning machine may have already gone through. Truthfully, I am not even sure Wells Beach has a beach cleaning machine but assumed so, because other major beaches, in the area, do have them. As time passed Gary and I were getting closer and closer to echoer and the real estate between us was shrinking. Time was running out when I finally heard a strong signal, to my right. I swung my coil back to the area, looked down and could see something black, partially covered in sand. The Watch? Keys? As I took a couple steps over and looked down, I could tell it was a Black Watch. I had found Mike’s watch. I took a few photos of the watch, as I found it and the picked the watch up and yelled over to Gary, “ARE YOU READY TO GO HOME”.? Gary smiled and laughed and came right over.

As we are standing there, I get a message from Mike,

“Ok, maybe someone picked it up already.”

Mike’s message was perfect timing and I replied to Mike

“NOPE! I just found it”

Mike replied

“Nooooo Wayyy. Oh my God. You guys are the best. That’s so crazy

I’ll leave work right now and meet you guys somewhere.

I honestly can’t thank you guys enough.”

We then made plans to stay put and Mike would meet us at the location, we had found the watch. Because he works at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, in Kittery, he told us he would be there at 12:25pm, approximately 30 minutes later. Gary and I then went and thanked Paula again, for letting us park, on her property, while we searched. Paula was also amazed we ad found the watch and extremely happy, for Mike.

Mike arrived as planned and was extremely happy and in disbelief, the watch had been found. Mike explains to Gary and I the significance of the watch. The watch was a numbered watch. Only 1,000 were made and he had #58/1000. The watch is also a diving watch, filled with helium and able to withstand the pressure, up  to 9,900 feet down, not that he would.The watch was also presented to him, by a family friend, a former Navy Seal. WOW!!! This watch has so much sentimental value to Mike. So much, that he immediately left work, to come and get the wash, right then and there.

It looks like the pin, holding the watchband together, had broken and that is probably why it fell off. This most likely happened as he and his two boys, as they were wrestling and running around the beach. Mike said he has spare parts, for the watch at home and would try to fix it himself, after a thorough cleaning.

It was a pleasure and honor to find and return Mike’s very precious and sentimental watch. To see his beaming smile, when he received the watch back, is so rewarding for Gary and I. Now, Mike can sleep easier tonight, knowing his watch is home, where it belongs.

 

Tags:
Category:

Gold Wedding Ring Lost For 25+ Years, in The Greene, Maine Woods, Found With A Metal Detector

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

I will say,  if this wasn’t the most challenging search for me, it is in the top 2. It all started when I received a text message, from Randy. This is his original text, from March 12th, 2025.

“Hi my name is Randy
Saw your story on Facebook. I lost a ring in our back yard a number of years ago. I live in Greene and are planning to relocate in a year.
I’d like to be able to retrieve it before we leave the area.
Kindly let me know if you are interested in this challenging hunt. Thanks”

I replied

“Hi Randy, So sorry to hear this. Searching for this ring is certainly something we can do. A few questions 1st, if you wouldn’t mind

1) How long ago did you lose the ring and why do you think the ring was lost in the backyard? Did you see or feel the ring come off?

2) How large of an area is your backyard and is it grass, field, woods, etc.. If need be, I can bring someone with me to cover a larger area.

3) Were you looking to have the search, this spring, after the snow melt?”

Randy replied,
“The ring was lost 20+ years
I sadly threw it into a cleared wooded area on my property with about a few pine trees approx 6ft tall

It is overgrown now with 30-40 foot trees however storms have dropped many of trees

As far as timeline for searching, whatever is easier for you.
We still have a fair amount of snow here.
It’s my original wedding ring.”

WAIT, WHAT? 20 + YEARS AND IN THE WOODS?  Randy was certainly correct about this being challenging
I replied
“Ok, So the ring is in the wooded area and you remember the area? I will say that 20+ years is an extremely long time. Not impossible but it certainly would be a challenge. My concern would be a tree or roots are now over it. I can search as soon as the snow is gone and the ground is no longer frozen. I found a wedding ring, last August or September that was lost in 1982. It was only 5-6 inches deep, but on a manicured lawn.

Randy replied,
“Yes I know exactly the direction and approx 150 ft from edge of lawn
I searched by hand years ago but was not successful
I’m retired so just reach out whenever “

So today, just over 2 months after being contacted by Randy, I enlisted Gary Hill, to assist me on such a large and difficult search. We arrived at Randy’s home, in Greene, Maine at just after 8:00am. Randy showed us an orange traffic cone that he had placed on his lawn. Randy told us he was standing there when he threw his ring, “as far as I could”, after a disagreement, with his wife (Hey, it happens and who are we to judge). Randy immediately and seriously regretted his actions and went out in the woods, searching for his ring. Unfortunately he was not able to find it and he continued searching for days and would occasionally search, years later. Now Gary and I headed out into the woods with Randy and he showed us the area, he thought the ring would be in. We put up orange markers on the trees, to the north and south, that would serve as our boundary markers. The plan was to start there and grid search, as best we could, towards the house and orange cone, on the lawn. Unfortunately, the closer we got to the house the thicker the downed trees and branches became. So thick and deep, we couldn’t swing our detectors properly. It was that bad and I even got jabbed by some downed branches, on a tree. It caused a cut on my leg and drew blood, but not serious. We were very careful of the branches that were eye level. Gary and I did’t want to go home blind.

After searching for 2 1/2 hours, in the area that Randy thought the ring would be, Gary and I started to expand the search area, with a consultation, from Randy. He thought the ring may be further into the woods and possibly a little more to the north, of the original search area. I would search deeper into the woods and Gary would search just north, where the downed trees and branches were extremely troublesome. Gary and I told each other that it would be a 1 in a million chance of finding the ring, under all the downed trees and branches. My thinking was that the entire area, closer to the house was very likely the area the ring was in and Gary agreed. We just didn’t think the ring would be as far back in the woods, as Randy thought it would be. But how do you search an area, with dead trees, on the ground. Throughout the search, we would move branches, as best we could, but there were many, we were not able to move. Very frustrating to think the ring could be under one of the trees or branches, that we just couldn’t move. As I was finishing up the area, deeper in the woods, I started up towards the house, to see how Gary was doing. He was 50-60 feet north of the boundary, of where th ring should be and in a thicket of downed branches. I decided to search a little closer to the original area, but still just north of it. We have now been searching for 3 hours and 15 minutes when I hear Gary yell out, “I GOT IT. I FOUND THE RING.” I yelled back, “REALLY, THATS AWESOME.” I then made my way over to Gary and there in the hole was a Gold Wedding Ring, UNBELIEVABLE. GREAT JOB GARY!!!!! I then summoned Randy back into the woods and when he saw his Wedding Ring for the 1st time in almost 30 years, he said ”SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.” Randy then looked around to where the orange traffic cone was and just could’t believe how far north of the search are, the ring was found (Watch the full video of his reaction, posted earlier today.)

As all 3 of us were standing around talking about just how lucky Randy was that the ring was found. After all it was a good 60-70 feet from where Randy thought it was. Gary was expanding the search area and BAM, there it was. Randy the told us he didn’t remember the exact year the ring was lost, other than it was between the years 1997 and 2000. So 25 to 28 years lost in the woods and Randy has his original Wedding Ring back, just in time for his 35th Anniversary. Randy mentioned that he and his wife will most likely renew their vows, on their upcoming Anniversary. Now Randy will have his original Wedding Ring and another Wedding Ring he purchased, just after losing his first one.
Gary and I were just beaming, all the way home, knowing that we have put another smile on someone’s face, once again. Randy was just so happy and in disbelief of the ring being found. No better feeling in the world than to help others find their lost items and return them, to the rightful owner.

Tags:
Category:

Diamond Stud Earring With White Gold Post And Setting, Lost In Wells, Maine Grass,Found With A Metal Detector

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

I received the following message, from Jennifer, on Friday night, May 9th.

“Hi! I lost a diamond earring in my backyard. Do you think you can help me locate it? We live in the Moodysection of Wells, Maine”.

I replied

“Hi Jennifer, I am so sorry to hear this. Are you sure it was lost in the yard? Did you see or feel it coming off?
Also, do you still have the matching earring, so I may set my detector up with it? Gold stud earrings are the most difficult to locate because there is so little metal on them. With that said, I do have a program that does a great job, on stud earrings. I would just like to use the matching earring, for setup and testing. We can keep it in a zipped sandwich bag, so that doesn’t get lost”.

Jennifer’s reply

“Hi! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!
Yes, I felt my fingers go to my ear and pull. Was being pulled by my dogs. I saw the earring “go flying.” I have a general idea where it could be. Just can’t see it.
I do have the matching earring”.

I then asked her a bunch more questions and she told me that the earring was just lost a hour earlier, at 7:00pm. She also told me that the lawn had been mowed, earlier in the day and the law had no stand water or muddy areas. This was all good to know and would help in the search. I then told Jennifer that I would come down tomorrow afternoon Wells, once the rain stopped, the next day. I would access the situation and see just what the lawn area looked like and just how wet and muddy it was or wasn’t. If I could search after the rain stopped, I would. If the area was bigger than I thought, I could come back in the next few days, with someone to help me. If the area was as small as I thought, I couldn’t have two of us in the same area, because our metal detectors would interfere with each other’s machine. Stud earrings are extremely difficult to find, due to the lack of metal on the post. Any interference would result in false signals and we may not find the earring.
After the heavy rain stopped, I drove down to the Moody section of Wells, Maine, and met Jennifer. She gave me the other earring and I made some adjustments to my Minelab Manticore and the earring was picked up with no problems. My pinpointer also was picking the earring up with no issues.

Jennifer then took me to the backyard and showed me the area she was in, when the dog pulled her forward, resulting in the earring flying off, into the grassy abyss. Jennifer and her family showed me where they visually searched the area, immediately after losing it. They even used flashlights, after dark. Unfortunately the grass was wet from all the rain we have been having and the water on the grass was glistening to much, to be useful. I looked at the area and decided I would grid search, from just behind a pit on the lawn, to the neighbors driveway. I would then take a half step over and head back towards the pit. I needed to make sure I was overlapping my previous grid line, so as to not miss anything. I also was swinging my metal detector extremely slowly, so the processor could pick up all the non ferrous low conductor targets. My first grid line was approximately 30 – 40’ and took me 15 minutes to grid search it. I was going very slowly and being deliberate, checking every target two and three times. I then started back towards the pit and I had a non ferrous low conductor target, ringing up on my VDI screen between 01 and 03. This was the same reading I was receiving , with Jennifer’s matching earring. Unfortunately I couldn’t see anything, in the grass. To be through, I removed my pinpointer and moved some grass, still couldn’t see anything. I then started moving the pinpointer through the grass and the pinpointer found the target. I pushed the grass aside and staring right back at me was a Diamond Stud Earring. I Stood up and saw Jennifer visually searching, while running her fingers through the grass and I said “Jennifer, I found your earring”. Jennifer was very surprised and came right over. I showed her exactly how I found the earring and then stood the grass back up, so the earring was no longer visible. She then told me “You’re my hero” and we then hugged. She was so happy to have her Diamond Earring back, especially since tomorrow is Mother’s Day. I just absolutely love being able to recover and return lost items It’s the best feeling in the world.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all the mothers out there. I hope you have a FANTASTIC day🌹❤️🙏

 

Tags:
Category:

Dangerous Sharp Shafts, Lost In Gorham, Maine Deep Grass, Found With Metal Detectors

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

Yesterday was a first for me, searching for a Well Cap. Today was another first and really different, from my usual searches. I would be searching for, as many as I could find, sharp metal shafts with plastic insulators, on the top.

I was contacted by Jim, owner of Vienna Farm, in Gorham (Maine). Vienna Farm is a Horse Farm, providing Lessons, Training and Boarding, of horses, of course. Jim had a peculiar request of me. He wanted me to find sharp metal shafts with a plastic insulator, on the top. The sharp metal shaft would be anchored to the top of a fence post and the plastic insulator held a low voltage wire and these would run the length of the fences. Horses would sometimes hit the low voltage wires, knocking the sharp shafts and insulators, onto the grass below. Weather and age of the shafts/insulator/wood, also caused some to fall off. The low voltage wire helped keep horses, in adjacent fields, from trying to get to each other and keep them in their own grazing field. The fences are approximately 600’ long and Jim had three of these fences, that need to be searched, on both sides, of the fences. Jim told me that he and his employees do walk the fence lines, looking for the sharp shafts but knows there are some of these sharp shafts, still hiding in the tall grass. Jim’s concern is that one of the shafts could potentially impale a horses foot, causing an injury to the horse and a very expensive veterinarian bill. Although this has never, ever happened, Jim wanted to be pro active and find as many as possible.
Since this was an extremely large area to searched, I asked Gary Hill to assist me and he gladly agreed to help. Gary and I arrived at Vienna Farm and was promptly met by Jim. Jim proceeded to show us the three fences to be searched and also provided a sharp shaft with plastic insulator, for testing purposes and to set up our Minelab Manticores Metal Detectors. Doing this will help us achieve the best results. Jim had to leave so Gary and I got right to work. I would walk one side of the fence and Gary the other. The search was slow, as the grass was tall. We would receive a signal and we would then use our pinpointers, to determine if the target would need to be dug. If our pinpointers could detect the target, it meant the target was approximately 3 or 4 inches from the surface and a potential danger, to the horses. We needed to dig all targets within the 3-4 inches, to prevent any injuries, to the horses. Any target that was not picked up by the pinpointer, was deep enough to not be a danger and we did not dig those targets.

As we started searching Gary found one of the sharp shaft and insulator, we were looking for. I then found a horse shoe, imagine that. As we proceeded along the fence line. we started finding more of our desired targets and some undesired targets, mostly old nails, probably from fence repairs. As we finished the first fence line, we had 12 shafts and plastic insulators, along with three horse shoes. Gary and I then searched the next two fence lines and we were able to recover 5 more shafts/insulators and 4 more horse shoes, along with more nails. An extreme unusual item to be searching for, but it is made of metal and why not help out a local horse farm. Gary and I loved being out in the fields, looking around the beautiful property and seeing the horses. A great day for us and grateful to know people think of us enough to place their trust in our ability, to help protect their horses. Thank you Jim and Vienna Farm, for having us today.

So, there were 17 total sharp shafts/plastic shafts found and seven horseshoes. Jim told us he was extremely pleased with the results and our effort, to help protect the horses. You could tell by talking with Jim, just how much he cares for the horses and his beautiful farm. If you or someone you know, is interested in horses, please contact Vienna Farm. I promise, You won’t be disappointed.

Tags:
Category:

Lost Well Cap, Found In Freeport, Maine, With A Metal Detector

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

It isn’t always that I am called out to find someone’s lost ring. I have searched and found other items, such as keys, property markers, water shutoff valves, phones, etc.. Today was a first for me, a Well Cap needed to be located, in case the Well Pump failed.
I received a message from Karen. She and her husband had purchased their home 8 years earlier but had never been able to locate the Well, because the Well Cap was not visible, but buried somewhere, on the property. Now, I have never had a well so I knew absolutely nothing about them. I asked Karen some questions and she replied, with the following

“We are in Freeport, Maine. The well cap would be thick metal and approximately 5 inches diameter attached to metal piping. Most well caps stick out of the ground several inches so we think ours was buried possibly under our flower bed when the house was built. We know some parameters such as where the line comes out of the house and how far it has to be from the septic tank and leech field (which we know the exact locations of). Our yard isn’t terribly big”. Karen also sent a photo of a cast iron Well Cap.

I told Karen that I shouldn’t have any problems, finding the well cap, as long as it wasn’t too deep and out of the range of my detectors. We then agreed to meet at her home, today, at 10:30am. I arrived at 10:30am and was greeted by Karen. Her husband had run an errand and would be back shortly. Karen took me to her neighbors homes and I saw two Well Caps, above ground. I then tested the Well Caps, on my detector and they both rang up as ferrous metals, ringing up in the 90’s, on my Minelab Manticore. As I was finishing up my testing, Karen’s husband, Andrew arrived home.
Andrew explained that the Well Cap should be a minimum of 100’, from the leach field and Andrew knew where the leach field is. So we grabbed my 300’ tape measure and measured out 100’ from the leach field. This put the search area, near the flower garden, with bark mulch and a little of the lawn. Since it is supposed to be a minimum of 100’, Karen and Andrew also thought it could be on the other side of the driveway. We decided to start the search, at the 100’ mark and perform a grid search of the lawn, leading up to and including the flower garden. I was finding many ferrous targets, but in my mind, I didn’t think they would be the Well Cap. The targets didn’t seem big enough to be the Well Cap, but we need to check the targets out anyways. If it was a ferrous target, we dug it and on every occasion, the ferrous targets turned out to be many different sized nails. After I finished the flower garden area, I started grid searching the lawn, from the garden, to a tree, next to the road drainage gulch. After 15 – 20 minutes I received a strong signal, in the ferrous range, but reading much lower on my VDI screen, than the test Well Caps, at the neighbors homes. The target was very large, in area and Andrew started digging. At about 5” down, we still couldn’t see anything but my pinpointer was still picking up a large target, just another inch or so, in the hole. Andrew put the shovel, back in the hole and he hit something hard. As he scraped the soil away, the white cover of the Well Cap appeared. We had found it, and both Andrew and Karen were elated. After 8 years of living there, they finally knew where the Well Cap was. No more worrying about a Well Pump failure, they couldn’t fix, because they didn’t know where the Well Cap was. It turns out the Well Cap is just under 100’, from where we measured from, in the leach field and we started searching about 10’, from where we thought it would be. Andrew isn’t sure if we measured from the right location, in the leach field but we were put in the general location. That’s why when you don’t find your target, you just keep expanding the search, until you find it. If we hadn’t found the Well Cap, in this area, we were going to search the other side of the driveway. Thankfully that search was not needed.
Karen and Andrew measured out the Wells Cap location, from an area on their porch and now know the location, whenever they will need to access the Well Cap. Andrew is also going to check into seeing if the Well Cap could be modified, so that it is slightly above ground, rather than buried, 6 or 7 inches deep.
Karen and Andrew’s smiles were big and very satisfying to see. So, even though this wasn’t a wedding ring, engagement ring or another piece of sentimental jewelry, the satisfaction for my clients and myself, was just as great. It’s always a great feeling to be able to help and make people happy 😃

 

Tags:
Category: