ghostly run-in

DeepseekerADS

Gold Member
Mar 3, 2013
14,880
21,725
SW, VA - Bull Mountain
Detector(s) used
CTX, Excal II, EQ800, Fisher 1260X, Tesoro Royal Sabre, Tejon, Garrett ADSIII, Carrot, Stealth 920iX, Keene A52
Primary Interest:
Other
I can't. I get freaked out if I delve into it too much. It was downright horrible. We must only keep our minds on God, and the good. Thank you. Besides, I'm really am afraid I might catch its attention again. It was that powerful. Enough!

You're right. Our Father will always protect us - when Our Deepest Faith is in him.

I cannot NOT believe considering the things I've witnessed.
 

dts52

Bronze Member
Jun 20, 2015
1,598
2,284
NW CT
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Equinox800 / AT Pro / AT Gold / Makro Racer
Vibra-probe / TRX pp
Primary Interest:
Other
I had been doing some research to find new areas to metal detect when I discovered a field behind a local supermarket that was a park from 1925, to 1980. I decided to try and get to the field with my metal detector and see what I could find. When I pulled into the back of the store I didn’t see any other cars. I got myself together as quickly as I could and got on into the woods before somebody from the supermarket could tell me I was trespassing.

Studying the site with old aerial photographs from the 1940s, and newer satellite imagery on Google Earth, did not prepare me for how difficult it would be to get through the heavy tangle of brush and thistles. I really had to fight my way through thorn bushes and brambles that caught my hat, pants, sleeves, and skin with almost every step.

After a few minutes, some scratches and a lot of cussing, I finally made it to the clearing. I took a quick look around the large field, turned on my machine and dialed in my settings. I decided to start working my way to the far side of the field and turned around to start swinging my detector. Well, I almost jumped out of my skin!

There was an older man using a metal detector not 100-feet away from me. His back was to me as he swept his coil back and forth, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t seen me either. When he got over to the other side of the field and turned around, I waved to try and get his attention. He either didn’t see me or, just decided not to acknowledge me.

I shook it off and walked down to the east end of the field to give him plenty of room. I started finding some coins from the 1970s, and even a few silver coins from the 1950s and ‘40s. I had pretty much forgotten about the old man when I heard a voice ask, “Finding anything?”

He was standing about 10-feet from me, with a pleasant smile and easy demeanor. I said, “A couple of silver dimes and a war nickel so far, how about you?” He told me he hadn’t found anything yet, but that he was really looking for his daughter’s lost wedding band. He seemed like a gentle fellow, probably about 70 or so, but in pretty good shape for his age. What struck me was his metal detector. It was an old Garrett machine from around 1975, and it looked brand new.

He said his daughter had bought a house around the corner and was down here playing with her kids when she lost the ring. He explained how it had belonged to his now deceased wife before he had given it to his daughter. A sad look came over him as he said, “When I got it for my wife, I had it engraved with ‘R.I. Loves C.I.’ which is our initials. My Wife died before our Daughter got engaged, but it turns out the initials on the ring were perfect for Ray and Cindy, because his last name is Ingram, ours is Ivers, so I knew her Mother was looking down on her, and I wanted her to have it.”

I told him I would give a holler if I beeped it. He touched the bill of his tweed cap, said he appreciated it, and started swinging back toward the other end of the field. After a moment, I had the thought I should ask him how to get back out to the parking lot without getting all scratched up. I turned around and started to take off my headphones to ask him, but he was gone.

As I began swinging the coil of my machine over the grassy field again I got a signal almost immediately. “Zip-Zip!” The signal was strong and the tone was high and sweet. I turned 90-degrees to the target and swept it with the coil again. Zip-Zip! I dropped down on my knee and pulled out my digging tool, cutting a generous plug in the damp soil. As I folded the turf flap out of the hole I saw it immediately – a small gold ring! For a second or two I just knelt there looking at in the dirt.

I did a little happy dance right there on my knees, and picked up the ring to clean it off. It was a plain gold wedding band marked 18K, and inscribed “R.I. Loves C.I.” A very strange feeling came over me. I was happy about finding the ring but, something about the old guy was still bothering me. I still couldn’t figure out how he had left the field so quickly.

After finding the ring I decided to call it a day. I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find the path the old guy and his Daughter were using. After about 15-minutes of frustration I finally went back the way I came in, getting scratched up and bleeding like I had been in a fight with a herd of feral cats.

That evening I cleaned up my finds and laid them out on the kitchen table to admire. I had done pretty well for myself detecting several old silver coins, about $2.00 in modern coins, and the gold wedding band. After dinner, my wife went through the phone book, and found a “R. Ingram,” on a street about a block from the supermarket. I called the number and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number and said I thought I had found their wedding band. Over the next week I left several more messages but got no response.

I finally decided to drive by the address and see if there was anyone home. After picking up my Wife from work that afternoon, we drove over to the house. There were a couple of cars in the driveway and the lights were on inside, so we pulled up and parked. I rang the doorbell and an attractive woman in her 40’s answered the door. I asked, “Are you Cindy?” The woman looked surprised, and then angry! She said, “Are you the guy that keeps calling here about a lost wedding band?” I started to say yes, but she didn’t give me a chance.

She stepped outside and closed the door behind her saying, “I don’t know what kind of scam you two are trying to pull on my Mother, but I’m here to tell you I’m going to have you arrested! You have caused a lot of pain in our family and I will not stand for it!” Both my Wife and I just kind of stood there with our mouths open in total shock. I finally said, “Hold on miss, I’m just trying to return a wedding band I found over behind the supermarket. I don’t want anything from your Mother.” The woman angrily asked, “What makes you think it belongs to my Mother?” At that point I was pretty sure this had been a huge mistake.

“Look, I apologize,” I said. “I met this old gentleman, a Mr. Ivers I think. He was metal detecting over behind the supermarket, and he told me his Daughter had lost her wedding band over there while she was playing with her children. Obviously I have made a mistake.” The woman looked confused, almost dazed. My Wife asked her if she was alright.

“Can I see the ring please,” she asked softly. I took the ring out of my pocket and gave it to her. As she looked at it she began to cry. My Wife put her hand on her shoulder and again asked her if she was alright. The woman was weeping now. A man came out of the house and asked her what was wrong. She put the ring in his hand and said, “He found Mom’s wedding ring.”

The woman looked at me and said, “What did the man in the park look like? What did he say?” I had a bad feeling about the whole situation and said, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but if that’s your Mother’s ring then just keep it. I don’t want anything from you.” I took my wife’s hand and started for the car when the woman said, “I’m sorry, please, wait!”

“My Mom lost that ring in 1975. I was seven, and he was nine,” she said, pointing to the man on the porch who was still examining the ring. “We were throwing my Brother’s new football around and she lost her ring somehow. She was heartbroken because it had belonged to her Mother before her.” My Wife was out of the car now with her arm around the teary woman’s shoulder. I said, “So who is Mr. Ivers, the guy that told me about the ring at the old park?” The woman began crying uncontrollably again.

My wife was trying to comfort her, offering a tissue from her pocketbook. I hadn’t noticed the man walking over to the car until he took his Sister’s hand. “Mr. Ivers was our Grandfather,” he said in a soft, gentle voice. Hugging his Sister he continued, “Pop-pop had a heart attack and died in that park 36-years ago. He was looking for Mom’s ring with his new metal detector.” My legs suddenly became rubbery and I sat down on the curb, stunned.

It had been almost eight-months since my encounter with Mr. Ivers, and today we were guests at his Great Granddaughter’s wedding. We stood as “Here Comes the Bride” flowed joyously from the organ and filled the small church with music. A ray of sunshine came through the stained glass windows, illuminating the gold band the Bride wore on a delicate chain around her neck. I smiled as I caught sight of him standing at the back of the church. He smiled back at me, tipped his tweed cap then disappeared.


Amazing! No other words can describe your experience. You did a great thing. Kudos.
HH
dts
 

GA_Boy

Bronze Member
Jul 30, 2006
1,433
1,579
Jefferson, Ga
Detector(s) used
BH LRP
1265X,
GoldBug II
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
This morning I was dusting some things in the Foyer and noticed one drawer from a small round cabinet was sitting about 6 feet from the cabinet. I asked the Wife if she had put it there and she said no, she had not been in the Foyer.
I know I didn't move it either but I remembered that last night I was wondering about the folks that lived here before.
Anyway, strange that I found the drawer moved this AM.
Marvin
 

Holyground

Hero Member
May 17, 2014
579
826
Not in the can
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT GOLD, Garrett ATX
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Sooooo Sweet! Thank you for that. Why can't I have GOOD ghost encounters like that!?
 

digger460

Silver Member
Sep 19, 2015
2,972
3,295
Southeast Grundy, Illinois
Detector(s) used
EQ600, EQ800 and a Carrot
Primary Interest:
Other
I had been doing some research to find new areas to metal detect when I discovered a field behind a local supermarket that was a park from 1925, to 1980. I decided to try and get to the field with my metal detector and see what I could find. When I pulled into the back of the store I didn’t see any other cars. I got myself together as quickly as I could and got on into the woods before somebody from the supermarket could tell me I was trespassing.

Studying the site with old aerial photographs from the 1940s, and newer satellite imagery on Google Earth, did not prepare me for how difficult it would be to get through the heavy tangle of brush and thistles. I really had to fight my way through thorn bushes and brambles that caught my hat, pants, sleeves, and skin with almost every step.

After a few minutes, some scratches and a lot of cussing, I finally made it to the clearing. I took a quick look around the large field, turned on my machine and dialed in my settings. I decided to start working my way to the far side of the field and turned around to start swinging my detector. Well, I almost jumped out of my skin!

There was an older man using a metal detector not 100-feet away from me. His back was to me as he swept his coil back and forth, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t seen me either. When he got over to the other side of the field and turned around, I waved to try and get his attention. He either didn’t see me or, just decided not to acknowledge me.

I shook it off and walked down to the east end of the field to give him plenty of room. I started finding some coins from the 1970s, and even a few silver coins from the 1950s and ‘40s. I had pretty much forgotten about the old man when I heard a voice ask, “Finding anything?”

He was standing about 10-feet from me, with a pleasant smile and easy demeanor. I said, “A couple of silver dimes and a war nickel so far, how about you?” He told me he hadn’t found anything yet, but that he was really looking for his daughter’s lost wedding band. He seemed like a gentle fellow, probably about 70 or so, but in pretty good shape for his age. What struck me was his metal detector. It was an old Garrett machine from around 1975, and it looked brand new.

He said his daughter had bought a house around the corner and was down here playing with her kids when she lost the ring. He explained how it had belonged to his now deceased wife before he had given it to his daughter. A sad look came over him as he said, “When I got it for my wife, I had it engraved with ‘R.I. Loves C.I.’ which is our initials. My Wife died before our Daughter got engaged, but it turns out the initials on the ring were perfect for Ray and Cindy, because his last name is Ingram, ours is Ivers, so I knew her Mother was looking down on her, and I wanted her to have it.”

I told him I would give a holler if I beeped it. He touched the bill of his tweed cap, said he appreciated it, and started swinging back toward the other end of the field. After a moment, I had the thought I should ask him how to get back out to the parking lot without getting all scratched up. I turned around and started to take off my headphones to ask him, but he was gone.

As I began swinging the coil of my machine over the grassy field again I got a signal almost immediately. “Zip-Zip!” The signal was strong and the tone was high and sweet. I turned 90-degrees to the target and swept it with the coil again. Zip-Zip! I dropped down on my knee and pulled out my digging tool, cutting a generous plug in the damp soil. As I folded the turf flap out of the hole I saw it immediately – a small gold ring! For a second or two I just knelt there looking at in the dirt.

I did a little happy dance right there on my knees, and picked up the ring to clean it off. It was a plain gold wedding band marked 18K, and inscribed “R.I. Loves C.I.” A very strange feeling came over me. I was happy about finding the ring but, something about the old guy was still bothering me. I still couldn’t figure out how he had left the field so quickly.

After finding the ring I decided to call it a day. I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find the path the old guy and his Daughter were using. After about 15-minutes of frustration I finally went back the way I came in, getting scratched up and bleeding like I had been in a fight with a herd of feral cats.

That evening I cleaned up my finds and laid them out on the kitchen table to admire. I had done pretty well for myself detecting several old silver coins, about $2.00 in modern coins, and the gold wedding band. After dinner, my wife went through the phone book, and found a “R. Ingram,” on a street about a block from the supermarket. I called the number and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number and said I thought I had found their wedding band. Over the next week I left several more messages but got no response.

I finally decided to drive by the address and see if there was anyone home. After picking up my Wife from work that afternoon, we drove over to the house. There were a couple of cars in the driveway and the lights were on inside, so we pulled up and parked. I rang the doorbell and an attractive woman in her 40’s answered the door. I asked, “Are you Cindy?” The woman looked surprised, and then angry! She said, “Are you the guy that keeps calling here about a lost wedding band?” I started to say yes, but she didn’t give me a chance.

She stepped outside and closed the door behind her saying, “I don’t know what kind of scam you two are trying to pull on my Mother, but I’m here to tell you I’m going to have you arrested! You have caused a lot of pain in our family and I will not stand for it!” Both my Wife and I just kind of stood there with our mouths open in total shock. I finally said, “Hold on miss, I’m just trying to return a wedding band I found over behind the supermarket. I don’t want anything from your Mother.” The woman angrily asked, “What makes you think it belongs to my Mother?” At that point I was pretty sure this had been a huge mistake.

“Look, I apologize,” I said. “I met this old gentleman, a Mr. Ivers I think. He was metal detecting over behind the supermarket, and he told me his Daughter had lost her wedding band over there while she was playing with her children. Obviously I have made a mistake.” The woman looked confused, almost dazed. My Wife asked her if she was alright.

“Can I see the ring please,” she asked softly. I took the ring out of my pocket and gave it to her. As she looked at it she began to cry. My Wife put her hand on her shoulder and again asked her if she was alright. The woman was weeping now. A man came out of the house and asked her what was wrong. She put the ring in his hand and said, “He found Mom’s wedding ring.”

The woman looked at me and said, “What did the man in the park look like? What did he say?” I had a bad feeling about the whole situation and said, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but if that’s your Mother’s ring then just keep it. I don’t want anything from you.” I took my wife’s hand and started for the car when the woman said, “I’m sorry, please, wait!”

“My Mom lost that ring in 1975. I was seven, and he was nine,” she said, pointing to the man on the porch who was still examining the ring. “We were throwing my Brother’s new football around and she lost her ring somehow. She was heartbroken because it had belonged to her Mother before her.” My Wife was out of the car now with her arm around the teary woman’s shoulder. I said, “So who is Mr. Ivers, the guy that told me about the ring at the old park?” The woman began crying uncontrollably again.

My wife was trying to comfort her, offering a tissue from her pocketbook. I hadn’t noticed the man walking over to the car until he took his Sister’s hand. “Mr. Ivers was our Grandfather,” he said in a soft, gentle voice. Hugging his Sister he continued, “Pop-pop had a heart attack and died in that park 36-years ago. He was looking for Mom’s ring with his new metal detector.” My legs suddenly became rubbery and I sat down on the curb, stunned.

It had been almost eight-months since my encounter with Mr. Ivers, and today we were guests at his Great Granddaughter’s wedding. We stood as “Here Comes the Bride” flowed joyously from the organ and filled the small church with music. A ray of sunshine came through the stained glass windows, illuminating the gold band the Bride wore on a delicate chain around her neck. I smiled as I caught sight of him standing at the back of the church. He smiled back at me, tipped his tweed cap then disappeared.

What an experience! How can you ever , ever have a "Return to owner" find to top that one. Mr. Ivers was waiting for you for 36 years. Amazing:notworthy:
 

chub

Bronze Member
Apr 23, 2017
1,503
2,242
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75, Minelab Soveriegn XS 2
Nokta pinpointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Great story Terry,
did you ever return to the park?

Chub
 

OP
OP
GB1

GB1

Gold Member
Jul 12, 2017
7,428
21,863
East TX
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
Teknectics eurotek pro
bounty hunter time ranger
bounty hunter quick draw 2
used a teroso compadre.
Primary Interest:
Other
I had been doing some research to find new areas to metal detect when I discovered a field behind a local supermarket that was a park from 1925, to 1980. I decided to try and get to the field with my metal detector and see what I could find. When I pulled into the back of the store I didn’t see any other cars. I got myself together as quickly as I could and got on into the woods before somebody from the supermarket could tell me I was trespassing.

Studying the site with old aerial photographs from the 1940s, and newer satellite imagery on Google Earth, did not prepare me for how difficult it would be to get through the heavy tangle of brush and thistles. I really had to fight my way through thorn bushes and brambles that caught my hat, pants, sleeves, and skin with almost every step.

After a few minutes, some scratches and a lot of cussing, I finally made it to the clearing. I took a quick look around the large field, turned on my machine and dialed in my settings. I decided to start working my way to the far side of the field and turned around to start swinging my detector. Well, I almost jumped out of my skin!

There was an older man using a metal detector not 100-feet away from me. His back was to me as he swept his coil back and forth, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t seen me either. When he got over to the other side of the field and turned around, I waved to try and get his attention. He either didn’t see me or, just decided not to acknowledge me.

I shook it off and walked down to the east end of the field to give him plenty of room. I started finding some coins from the 1970s, and even a few silver coins from the 1950s and ‘40s. I had pretty much forgotten about the old man when I heard a voice ask, “Finding anything?”

He was standing about 10-feet from me, with a pleasant smile and easy demeanor. I said, “A couple of silver dimes and a war nickel so far, how about you?” He told me he hadn’t found anything yet, but that he was really looking for his daughter’s lost wedding band. He seemed like a gentle fellow, probably about 70 or so, but in pretty good shape for his age. What struck me was his metal detector. It was an old Garrett machine from around 1975, and it looked brand new.

He said his daughter had bought a house around the corner and was down here playing with her kids when she lost the ring. He explained how it had belonged to his now deceased wife before he had given it to his daughter. A sad look came over him as he said, “When I got it for my wife, I had it engraved with ‘R.I. Loves C.I.’ which is our initials. My Wife died before our Daughter got engaged, but it turns out the initials on the ring were perfect for Ray and Cindy, because his last name is Ingram, ours is Ivers, so I knew her Mother was looking down on her, and I wanted her to have it.”

I told him I would give a holler if I beeped it. He touched the bill of his tweed cap, said he appreciated it, and started swinging back toward the other end of the field. After a moment, I had the thought I should ask him how to get back out to the parking lot without getting all scratched up. I turned around and started to take off my headphones to ask him, but he was gone.

As I began swinging the coil of my machine over the grassy field again I got a signal almost immediately. “Zip-Zip!” The signal was strong and the tone was high and sweet. I turned 90-degrees to the target and swept it with the coil again. Zip-Zip! I dropped down on my knee and pulled out my digging tool, cutting a generous plug in the damp soil. As I folded the turf flap out of the hole I saw it immediately – a small gold ring! For a second or two I just knelt there looking at in the dirt.

I did a little happy dance right there on my knees, and picked up the ring to clean it off. It was a plain gold wedding band marked 18K, and inscribed “R.I. Loves C.I.” A very strange feeling came over me. I was happy about finding the ring but, something about the old guy was still bothering me. I still couldn’t figure out how he had left the field so quickly.

After finding the ring I decided to call it a day. I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find the path the old guy and his Daughter were using. After about 15-minutes of frustration I finally went back the way I came in, getting scratched up and bleeding like I had been in a fight with a herd of feral cats.

That evening I cleaned up my finds and laid them out on the kitchen table to admire. I had done pretty well for myself detecting several old silver coins, about $2.00 in modern coins, and the gold wedding band. After dinner, my wife went through the phone book, and found a “R. Ingram,” on a street about a block from the supermarket. I called the number and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number and said I thought I had found their wedding band. Over the next week I left several more messages but got no response.

I finally decided to drive by the address and see if there was anyone home. After picking up my Wife from work that afternoon, we drove over to the house. There were a couple of cars in the driveway and the lights were on inside, so we pulled up and parked. I rang the doorbell and an attractive woman in her 40’s answered the door. I asked, “Are you Cindy?” The woman looked surprised, and then angry! She said, “Are you the guy that keeps calling here about a lost wedding band?” I started to say yes, but she didn’t give me a chance.

She stepped outside and closed the door behind her saying, “I don’t know what kind of scam you two are trying to pull on my Mother, but I’m here to tell you I’m going to have you arrested! You have caused a lot of pain in our family and I will not stand for it!” Both my Wife and I just kind of stood there with our mouths open in total shock. I finally said, “Hold on miss, I’m just trying to return a wedding band I found over behind the supermarket. I don’t want anything from your Mother.” The woman angrily asked, “What makes you think it belongs to my Mother?” At that point I was pretty sure this had been a huge mistake.

“Look, I apologize,” I said. “I met this old gentleman, a Mr. Ivers I think. He was metal detecting over behind the supermarket, and he told me his Daughter had lost her wedding band over there while she was playing with her children. Obviously I have made a mistake.” The woman looked confused, almost dazed. My Wife asked her if she was alright.

“Can I see the ring please,” she asked softly. I took the ring out of my pocket and gave it to her. As she looked at it she began to cry. My Wife put her hand on her shoulder and again asked her if she was alright. The woman was weeping now. A man came out of the house and asked her what was wrong. She put the ring in his hand and said, “He found Mom’s wedding ring.”

The woman looked at me and said, “What did the man in the park look like? What did he say?” I had a bad feeling about the whole situation and said, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but if that’s your Mother’s ring then just keep it. I don’t want anything from you.” I took my wife’s hand and started for the car when the woman said, “I’m sorry, please, wait!”

“My Mom lost that ring in 1975. I was seven, and he was nine,” she said, pointing to the man on the porch who was still examining the ring. “We were throwing my Brother’s new football around and she lost her ring somehow. She was heartbroken because it had belonged to her Mother before her.” My Wife was out of the car now with her arm around the teary woman’s shoulder. I said, “So who is Mr. Ivers, the guy that told me about the ring at the old park?” The woman began crying uncontrollably again.

My wife was trying to comfort her, offering a tissue from her pocketbook. I hadn’t noticed the man walking over to the car until he took his Sister’s hand. “Mr. Ivers was our Grandfather,” he said in a soft, gentle voice. Hugging his Sister he continued, “Pop-pop had a heart attack and died in that park 36-years ago. He was looking for Mom’s ring with his new metal detector.” My legs suddenly became rubbery and I sat down on the curb, stunned.

It had been almost eight-months since my encounter with Mr. Ivers, and today we were guests at his Great Granddaughter’s wedding. We stood as “Here Comes the Bride” flowed joyously from the organ and filled the small church with music. A ray of sunshine came through the stained glass windows, illuminating the gold band the Bride wore on a delicate chain around her neck. I smiled as I caught sight of him standing at the back of the church. He smiled back at me, tipped his tweed cap then disappeared.

wow that is really cool great story
 

kray

Full Member
Mar 21, 2010
228
135
SW Ct. Formerly N Va.
Detector(s) used
Equinox 600
E Trac
AT Pro
Nautilus 11Ba
MXT
M6
6000 DiPro
Omega
Bounty hunter TR550
Heathkit homemade
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Awesome story TS. Love the conclusion.
 

Treasurehunter133

Jr. Member
Jan 11, 2018
74
249
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
This didn't happen to me but my grandfather in the early 80s. He was born 1915 during ww1. He was drafted in 1938 fought for the Wehrmacht. He had taken part in the battle of France then was transferred to the eastern front. Fighting from 1941-1944. He was captured by the western allies after being injured and then transferred to the western front. Well it was 1982-1984. Somewhere around there. He had got a metal detector for something to do in his older age. Since he was one of the first to start; he was finding gold rings, silver coins , ww1 finds and most of all ww2 finds. He had fun doing it but finding the ww2 stuff had him ambivalent. Well, he wanted to hunt the halbe forest. It was a large battle between the soviets and Germans with the loss and capture of the Germans. It was winter so the forest ground had yet to freeze so he thought it would be fun to hunt there. Upon arriving it was cold out with a light snowfall. He had walked for about 2 miles. Then he started. After half an hour he had found battle badges awardes and felt like he was time traveling back to when he was young. As he looked up he saw a young german man in a uniform like him clutching his k98 carbine out of breath and said "whelcher weg is west". He pointed him towards the way and he ran. He looked away to stand back up and looked back and he was gone. He was wearing his old trenchcoat as it was cold outside. This at first confused him then he decided it's time to leave. After walking half way there he heard loud yelling in a language he said he couldn't understood but could tell it sounded Russian. That's when he heard gun shots. He jumped behind a dead log with dead leaves as cover and in front of him a group of german men ran across the path into the woods with soviet men also trailing behind. That's when 1 stops with his rifle ready to shoot looks around and takes off towards the others. Grandpa had dropped everything and ran for the car. After this he suffered a near mental breakdown as he still had horrors from it. There he was feet within the enemy and past he was trying to forget. He had written this down and I tweaked it and it's not word for word but this has the main details.
 

Kace

Bronze Member
Aug 15, 2017
2,099
4,910
Detector(s) used
Whites DFX, Whites Bullseye 2 Pointer, Audio 200 D Headphones,
Garrett AT MAX, Garrett Pro-Pointer AT, MS-3 Headphones,
Lesche Digger, Lesche Shovel, 4' T Handle Probe.
GoPro, RC Truck, Drone.
Primary Interest:
Other
I had been doing some research to find new areas to metal detect when I discovered a field behind a local supermarket that was a park from 1925, to 1980. I decided to try and get to the field with my metal detector and see what I could find. When I pulled into the back of the store I didn’t see any other cars. I got myself together as quickly as I could and got on into the woods before somebody from the supermarket could tell me I was trespassing.

Studying the site with old aerial photographs from the 1940s, and newer satellite imagery on Google Earth, did not prepare me for how difficult it would be to get through the heavy tangle of brush and thistles. I really had to fight my way through thorn bushes and brambles that caught my hat, pants, sleeves, and skin with almost every step.

After a few minutes, some scratches and a lot of cussing, I finally made it to the clearing. I took a quick look around the large field, turned on my machine and dialed in my settings. I decided to start working my way to the far side of the field and turned around to start swinging my detector. Well, I almost jumped out of my skin!

There was an older man using a metal detector not 100-feet away from me. His back was to me as he swept his coil back and forth, and I was pretty sure he hadn’t seen me either. When he got over to the other side of the field and turned around, I waved to try and get his attention. He either didn’t see me or, just decided not to acknowledge me.

I shook it off and walked down to the east end of the field to give him plenty of room. I started finding some coins from the 1970s, and even a few silver coins from the 1950s and ‘40s. I had pretty much forgotten about the old man when I heard a voice ask, “Finding anything?”

He was standing about 10-feet from me, with a pleasant smile and easy demeanor. I said, “A couple of silver dimes and a war nickel so far, how about you?” He told me he hadn’t found anything yet, but that he was really looking for his daughter’s lost wedding band. He seemed like a gentle fellow, probably about 70 or so, but in pretty good shape for his age. What struck me was his metal detector. It was an old Garrett machine from around 1975, and it looked brand new.

He said his daughter had bought a house around the corner and was down here playing with her kids when she lost the ring. He explained how it had belonged to his now deceased wife before he had given it to his daughter. A sad look came over him as he said, “When I got it for my wife, I had it engraved with ‘R.I. Loves C.I.’ which is our initials. My Wife died before our Daughter got engaged, but it turns out the initials on the ring were perfect for Ray and Cindy, because his last name is Ingram, ours is Ivers, so I knew her Mother was looking down on her, and I wanted her to have it.”

I told him I would give a holler if I beeped it. He touched the bill of his tweed cap, said he appreciated it, and started swinging back toward the other end of the field. After a moment, I had the thought I should ask him how to get back out to the parking lot without getting all scratched up. I turned around and started to take off my headphones to ask him, but he was gone.

As I began swinging the coil of my machine over the grassy field again I got a signal almost immediately. “Zip-Zip!” The signal was strong and the tone was high and sweet. I turned 90-degrees to the target and swept it with the coil again. Zip-Zip! I dropped down on my knee and pulled out my digging tool, cutting a generous plug in the damp soil. As I folded the turf flap out of the hole I saw it immediately – a small gold ring! For a second or two I just knelt there looking at in the dirt.

I did a little happy dance right there on my knees, and picked up the ring to clean it off. It was a plain gold wedding band marked 18K, and inscribed “R.I. Loves C.I.” A very strange feeling came over me. I was happy about finding the ring but, something about the old guy was still bothering me. I still couldn’t figure out how he had left the field so quickly.

After finding the ring I decided to call it a day. I thought I would take a look around and see if I could find the path the old guy and his Daughter were using. After about 15-minutes of frustration I finally went back the way I came in, getting scratched up and bleeding like I had been in a fight with a herd of feral cats.

That evening I cleaned up my finds and laid them out on the kitchen table to admire. I had done pretty well for myself detecting several old silver coins, about $2.00 in modern coins, and the gold wedding band. After dinner, my wife went through the phone book, and found a “R. Ingram,” on a street about a block from the supermarket. I called the number and got an answering machine, so I left my name and number and said I thought I had found their wedding band. Over the next week I left several more messages but got no response.

I finally decided to drive by the address and see if there was anyone home. After picking up my Wife from work that afternoon, we drove over to the house. There were a couple of cars in the driveway and the lights were on inside, so we pulled up and parked. I rang the doorbell and an attractive woman in her 40’s answered the door. I asked, “Are you Cindy?” The woman looked surprised, and then angry! She said, “Are you the guy that keeps calling here about a lost wedding band?” I started to say yes, but she didn’t give me a chance.

She stepped outside and closed the door behind her saying, “I don’t know what kind of scam you two are trying to pull on my Mother, but I’m here to tell you I’m going to have you arrested! You have caused a lot of pain in our family and I will not stand for it!” Both my Wife and I just kind of stood there with our mouths open in total shock. I finally said, “Hold on miss, I’m just trying to return a wedding band I found over behind the supermarket. I don’t want anything from your Mother.” The woman angrily asked, “What makes you think it belongs to my Mother?” At that point I was pretty sure this had been a huge mistake.

“Look, I apologize,” I said. “I met this old gentleman, a Mr. Ivers I think. He was metal detecting over behind the supermarket, and he told me his Daughter had lost her wedding band over there while she was playing with her children. Obviously I have made a mistake.” The woman looked confused, almost dazed. My Wife asked her if she was alright.

“Can I see the ring please,” she asked softly. I took the ring out of my pocket and gave it to her. As she looked at it she began to cry. My Wife put her hand on her shoulder and again asked her if she was alright. The woman was weeping now. A man came out of the house and asked her what was wrong. She put the ring in his hand and said, “He found Mom’s wedding ring.”

The woman looked at me and said, “What did the man in the park look like? What did he say?” I had a bad feeling about the whole situation and said, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but if that’s your Mother’s ring then just keep it. I don’t want anything from you.” I took my wife’s hand and started for the car when the woman said, “I’m sorry, please, wait!”

“My Mom lost that ring in 1975. I was seven, and he was nine,” she said, pointing to the man on the porch who was still examining the ring. “We were throwing my Brother’s new football around and she lost her ring somehow. She was heartbroken because it had belonged to her Mother before her.” My Wife was out of the car now with her arm around the teary woman’s shoulder. I said, “So who is Mr. Ivers, the guy that told me about the ring at the old park?” The woman began crying uncontrollably again.

My wife was trying to comfort her, offering a tissue from her pocketbook. I hadn’t noticed the man walking over to the car until he took his Sister’s hand. “Mr. Ivers was our Grandfather,” he said in a soft, gentle voice. Hugging his Sister he continued, “Pop-pop had a heart attack and died in that park 36-years ago. He was looking for Mom’s ring with his new metal detector.” My legs suddenly became rubbery and I sat down on the curb, stunned.

It had been almost eight-months since my encounter with Mr. Ivers, and today we were guests at his Great Granddaughter’s wedding. We stood as “Here Comes the Bride” flowed joyously from the organ and filled the small church with music. A ray of sunshine came through the stained glass windows, illuminating the gold band the Bride wore on a delicate chain around her neck. I smiled as I caught sight of him standing at the back of the church. He smiled back at me, tipped his tweed cap then disappeared.


GREAT STORY Terry! WOW!

Kace
 

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GB1

Gold Member
Jul 12, 2017
7,428
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East TX
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used a teroso compadre.
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i went back there this evening i didn't hear anything but i felt like i was being watched i didn't detect it i just walked around and looked for some stuff but didn't find anything
 

sandchip

Silver Member
Oct 29, 2010
4,351
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Georgia
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Terry, not only is yours a great story, but also very well written. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.
 

namxat

Sr. Member
Feb 2, 2017
465
646
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This didn't happen to me but my grandfather in the early 80s. He was born 1915 during ww1. He was drafted in 1938 fought for the Wehrmacht. He had taken part in the battle of France then was transferred to the eastern front. Fighting from 1941-1944. He was captured by the western allies after being injured and then transferred to the western front. Well it was 1982-1984. Somewhere around there. He had got a metal detector for something to do in his older age. Since he was one of the first to start; he was finding gold rings, silver coins , ww1 finds and most of all ww2 finds. He had fun doing it but finding the ww2 stuff had him ambivalent. Well, he wanted to hunt the halbe forest. It was a large battle between the soviets and Germans with the loss and capture of the Germans. It was winter so the forest ground had yet to freeze so he thought it would be fun to hunt there. Upon arriving it was cold out with a light snowfall. He had walked for about 2 miles. Then he started. After half an hour he had found battle badges awardes and felt like he was time traveling back to when he was young. As he looked up he saw a young german man in a uniform like him clutching his k98 carbine out of breath and said "whelcher weg is west". He pointed him towards the way and he ran. He looked away to stand back up and looked back and he was gone. He was wearing his old trenchcoat as it was cold outside. This at first confused him then he decided it's time to leave. After walking half way there he heard loud yelling in a language he said he couldn't understood but could tell it sounded Russian. That's when he heard gun shots. He jumped behind a dead log with dead leaves as cover and in front of him a group of german men ran across the path into the woods with soviet men also trailing behind. That's when 1 stops with his rifle ready to shoot looks around and takes off towards the others. Grandpa had dropped everything and ran for the car. After this he suffered a near mental breakdown as he still had horrors from it. There he was feet within the enemy and past he was trying to forget. He had written this down and I tweaked it and it's not word for word but this has the main details.

Just out of curiosity: What kind of metal detectors did thy use in Eastern Germany?

Greets Namxat
 

Treasurehunter133

Jr. Member
Jan 11, 2018
74
249
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Just out of curiosity: What kind of metal detectors did thy use in Eastern Germany?

Greets Namxat

I don't know. He lived in west Germany but he was allowed to cross over if he submitted it ahead of time and what you were carrying. They would make you stay at certain hotels and charge you 5x the price or regular citizens. More of the issues of crossing were around Berlin. He went through Karl Marx stadt
 

namxat

Sr. Member
Feb 2, 2017
465
646
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I don't know. He lived in west Germany but he was allowed to cross over if he submitted it ahead of time and what you were carrying. They would make you stay at certain hotels and charge you 5x the price or regular citizens. More of the issues of crossing were around Berlin. He went through Karl Marx stadt

Ahh, he was a west citizen. I thought somebody over there detected with an old soviet minesweeper or an do-it-yourself thingy....

With reagard to travelling in the GDR lets not forget the "mandatory foreign exchange", were you got the lousy communist money on a bad rate, for which you could buy nothing for. Espcially the Leipzig Trade Fair was a scam operation.

My regards to your Grandpa! Detecting Halbe, Oderbruch or the Huertgen Forest is scarry enough without ghosts.

Greets Namxat
 

bearbqd

Bronze Member
Jun 20, 2007
1,094
624
Shenandoah Valley
Detector(s) used
Minelab EXP II w/ Sunray X-1 probe, Garrett AT Pro/Propointer
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Great stories, especially the ring returned. I grew up in a haunted house and things still happen there from time to time with just my elderly mother living there now. I’ve had hundreds of experiences and witnessed dozens of entities. The supernatural seems to follow me. I have experienced creepy feelings in some of the places I’ve detected but I’ve only had one really odd experience while detecting. I like to explore old abandoned houses I come across while detecting and some of them can be pretty dangerous with rotten floor boards so you really got to watch yourself. I usually explore possible hiding holes for caches inside these places so I’m usually inside them for awhile. I usually have a flash light with me as there can be some very dark areas that I explore inside these places.

Anyway, one time I was exploring this one house and made my way up towards the attic. The rooms were pretty empty aside from a few pieces of broken furniture. The attic was accessed by stairs through a top level bedroom as is typical of a lot of older homes. I had just started up the stairs when I suddenly heard a loud commotion like a raccoon get gettin goosed or attacked. It was kind of like a loud hiss, the sound of something being knocked over, and loud scurrying sound. It sounded like it was just outside the room that led to the attic. I jumped back into that room and into the hallway to investigate but heard and saw nothing. There wasn’t even any furniture in that room to be knocked over. The room was empty. Oh well, I just blew it off and continued up to the attic to check things out.
 

Treasurehunter133

Jr. Member
Jan 11, 2018
74
249
Primary Interest:
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That's why he was happy to get injured then transferred towards the western front. They took prisoners while The fighting was still happening but after Berlin fell. Many were sent back east to the Russians. He wanted to hunt the halbe because that's the last the 9th fought. He fought with the 9th army. Wanting to find stuff that he felt connected with. Like visiting your old home town.
 

sheep.dog

Jr. Member
May 30, 2017
96
490
Vermont
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I've had some housemates that weren't of our world over the years, but have yet to have a ghostly encounter while detecting. I have had a few times detecting old sites out in the woods by myself when the hairs on my neck stood up and I felt another's presence, but I always just assumed it was an animal.
 

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