some folks with no manners

Macfree1936

Newbie
Dec 28, 2012
1
0
New Bern NC
Detector(s) used
Fisher 1280X
Minelab Explorer1000
Primary Interest:
Beach & Shallow Water Hunting
I just ran across the web site a couple of nights ago and signed up.
I built my first detector in the late 60's with Radio Shack materials... a BF Frequency unit. Did well for years as there was no competition.
Am now using a Minelab 1000, but my real love, an OLD Fisher 1280X. It went to Fisher recently, had a complete rebuild and am now ready to hit the sands again.
As far as previous finds, they number over the years into thousands of coins.. although no gold coins. Lots of gold and silver jewelry. The coins were used for any collections that came around... Christmas, Salvation Army, church and other charities. A few boxes are still around.
As for "find and return", I have done a number, the best was about 5 years ago. Hunting in a newrby lake I found a 14k class ring from Emory and Henry University which had the owner's full name inside the band. I recognized the name from a phone call the previous year from the owner of the ring. At her request I had searched for it for hours without success. On this particular weekend I had already found a gold wedding band with no ID. I then found the class ring perhaps 50 feet from where it was thought to have been lost. Continuing my search in the same area I found some change, but decided to take a break. Standing in the water, leaning against a pier, I swung the detector head under the edge of the pier and received a strong signal. Thinking it was probably a nail dropped during upkeep of the pier, I grubbed up a scoop filled with sand, swished out the scoop and hear a loud clang of metal on the bottom of the basket. I reached in and pulled out an 18K, VERY LARGE signet ring which weighed in at 28 grams!
I walked to the office of the motel which owned the pier. The owner told me that a man still registered at the motel had lost such a ring that day and was really in a bad way about the loss. The ring had been custom made to match one his father received upon graduation from college. The owner of the original ring's son so admired the ring while growing up, that his father had a duplicate made for his son's college graduation gift. THAT was the ring I had just found. The motel owner rang the room of the man who had reported the ring lost and told him someone was in the office with his ring. The guy ran into the office and almost kissed me he was so happy. He had a pint of good scotch in his hand which he offered me. I thanked him but told him I didn't drink... I gave him my business card and asked if when he returned home, could he have someone make a photo of him holding the ring, to be placed in my scrapbook. He agreed to do that and with many more "thank yous" returned to his room. Of course, no photo was ever received.
The owner of the 14k college class ring was contacted the next day when I retrieved her note about losing it the previous year. I telephoned and told her I had found it and would be passing through her town on a trip in a couple of days and would return it. She seemed somewhat vague about the situation... and i wondered what the problem might be. A few days later my wife and I stopped in at her office. She was almost wary.. a strange way to behave, I thought. I held out the ring and she told me that after it was not found the year before she had notified her insurance company and they had paid her off.. and she had replaced the ring. I laid the ring on her desk, told her that was between her and the insurance, but i had told her the year before that if I could find it I would certainly return it... and I did. I said goodby and my wife and I left. So... no photos of either ring.. not even a thank you for the last return.
Anyway... I knew what I had done, and I guess photos really weren't required. Many times I have stopped by beach towels to tell the occupants that they had some very nice rings and neck chains... but they really should not be rubbing all that suntan OIL on their and body. I pointed out that metal jewelry and oil do NOT work well together in water... and that they should remove the jewelry and lock it in the trunk of their vehicle, or it could well belong to me in a day or so.
I hope I saved many of those people some sad rides home from an otherwise fun day on the beach and in the water.
Returning finds to their rightful owners has always been the real enjoyable part of the hunting. I remember a very fine 14k wedding band with not even a "thank you". Some people...! Max Freeze NC Coast
 

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