Ring return - Need opinions

[cudamark]

I post all my decent finds on CL to try and find the rightfull owner. I keep the ad very vague and don't post a photo or value of any kind. I haven't been contacted by the police yet but if I do, I'll give them some junk ring I have laying around and tell them that's what I found. I have serious doubts that they will want to waste valuable police time giving us a hard time when we're spending our time trying to find the owner ourselves. All it will accomplish is that nobody will list finds at all and the loser is totally out of luck getting their property back.

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[norbyx]

Well I don't live in a beach to have the same experience of finding lots of lost items. One thing is for sure, if I found something, and someone else called me and told me it was theirs and they lost it, I would ask for some proof of previous possesion, I would ask a description, a picture of the item that would somehow make it recognizable. I mean it is easy to say " I lost a ring" and to the answer on how was it " round" is not good enough to me. Anyhow I haven't found that many jewels so far to have that type of problem. And if someone asked me to go find a lost item in their proprety I would at least charge the gas to get there, I am a detectorist and I do this for a hobby I am not a humanitarian fundation that has a metal detector and have time to spare to make favors to others. Might sound rude but it's the truth, no one does anything for free now days.

[LiquidAsset]

I find wedding rings pretty often. There are tons of them lost. What I do is hold them for 1 month and check for adds for missing jewels in the local paper and craigslist. That is all. Never, ever would I ask a life guard or a cop. Taking to much of a risk for the item to be stolen. Just chill out, watch adds or even place one and if no answer, go ahead and reap the benefits of your hard work. Cheers.

[kiana7]

Very ,very informative,thank you

[91wm6]

I think you need to drive back out there and return it to the ranger station asap. On the way there you should stop by a local dept. store and purchase a costume ring that looks similar to the ring in question. When you leave it with the ranger( the costume look a like) attach a note with your name and phone number and a short paragraph stating you frequently find rings and maybe even have a couple more rings at home that are similar to the ring in question. That way you can say you really did try to find the owner and if they don't call you can keep it with a clean conscious. In this economy there is entirely too much temptation for honest people to help themselves rather than do the right thing...I certainly wouldn't trust a random park ranger to do the right thing when there is nobody to hold them accountable... sad but true.

[Tom_in_CA]

mark, you say:

" I have serious doubts that they will want to waste valuable police time giving us a hard time when we're spending our time trying to find the owner ourselves "

You're right, it seems a far stretch to think police would waste their time with lost & found laws like this, trying to see if a CL person is violating value-threshold laws. But one time I found a pair of prescription glasses on a touristy beach-town beach. I was about to pitch them, when I figured "heck, some poor fellow would probably like to get these back, and they look freshly lost". I was contacted by the police of this small beach-side resort town, when they saw my found ad. In my ad, I'd put "found with a metal detector". The police answered the ad, because apparently someone had come in to the dept. the day before, and made a report of lost glasses on that very beach! (so in case someone turned them in to the police). As it turns out, my glasses did not match the description of the ones the police were keeping a watch for.

But what followed next, in the email exchange with the police, sort of "put me on edge": They warned me that in the future, to please take anything of value I find with my metal detector, to the police station. And if the station is closed (d/t it's a smalltown with limited office hours), that "there's a night-slot box to drop it in". And they alluded that I need to be doing this, to "... be in compliance with the law". It was at that point that I started looking at what the heck they were talking about, as to some supposed "law" that required me to take anything I find to them. Doh!

So yes, it would be very rare that any cop would think to chase down CL people who post "found" items. But as you can see from my little exchange, ....... hmmm..... anything's possible. But yeah, I think they have more important things to do normally. Mine was probably an exception, because they just happened to helping someone out, by seeing if something had shown up on CL.

[cudamark]

Tom, I believe you, it just seems a bit bizarre to me.....and counterproductive.....since now you will just keep quiet on anything you find. You'll keep what you want and pitch the rest. Ridiculous, since you're obviously doing the right thing by trying to find the rightful owner. I would bet most departments wouldn't spend as much time as you did either. Around here you have a hard enough time to get them to respond to a burglary. They won't even show up to a auto accident anymore unless someone is dying and they want to hassle an honest citizen? Incredible......

[Tom_in_CA]

Yeah you're right Mark. That would be the exception. This was a high-end ritzy tourist town, with a well-staffed police dept, that does nothing but cater to the jet-set golfer crowd who lives here (mostly vacation homes at the beach-side enclave). And they weren't even necessarily trolling to find "violaters" in my case either. It was just a coincidence, and apparently when lady cop saw the term " ... metal detector ..." the wheels in her head must've started turning.

The email back to me was along this lines:

"You might also find other valuables on the beach with your metal detector. Therefore in the future, we would appreciate it if you would stop at the dept, on your way out of town, and drop them in the night slot, so as to be in compliance with the law. Because our dept. receives lost jewelry reports from time to time".

At first I thought "what the heck is she talking about ... "... to be in compliance with the law ..." Until I started sleuthing CA lost & found laws, and saw what she is talking about. Oooops. Then it only made me wonder "gee, if this is against the laws for persons to make their own attempts to re-unite things over a certain value [that they are to be turned over the police, not your own methods], then ........ what's to stop a district attorney from merely trolling craigslist, see what items appear to be over XX value, and presto, start prosecuting people?".

I mean, heck, you can look at ANY craigslist, in ANY city in the USA, and always see items there for the "found" section. Ie.: found mountain bike, or found ring, or found ......... .whatever. Right? But no, your right, it's probably more akin to a "blue law", that's simply meant for actual usage/implementation when in cases of a Brinks armored car door opening up on the freeway, or your neighbors cow wanders into your yard, etc...

[cudamark]

Sounds like you're talking about Carmel or Pebble Beach! Some of those PD's have nothing better to do than cater to the looney whims of the mega-rich snobs. Next time, find a stray dog and tie it to their door knob and ring the bell! Have you seen the rewards offered for lost dogs on CL? I bet they change their tune if they start getting 'valuable" items like that from people.

[SusanMN]

Thanks again everyone. I thought that I would let you know my decision - which was not to turn in the ring. I hadn't given the park my name, but I did tell them the find was posted on CL. In the end I decided that if the park worker really wanted to get the ring back to its owner that they should have at least called the person and told them to check CL. They obviously didn't do that because I never received a response from anyone claiming to have lost their ring. So I'm hanging onto it. It's not about the monetary value, these thin little bands aren't worth much in gold, and the tiny diamonds are close to worthless but I think I'm more likely to locate the owner than the park.

[Tom_in_CA]

Hey Mark, good guess! It was Carmel! Yup, a lot of rich golfers or retirees buy there, so they can show up once or twice a year for a country club appearance or something. Nice beach though! Lots of affluent tourists who show up here to golf or whatever.

Susan, oh well you tried! Your heart was/is in the right place. You'll get a class ring some day, and those are much easier to return. They almost have a "whodunnitt" mystery of solve-able pieces

[Benjamin Linus]

As far as keeping things of value that I find, I look at it like this: It's the "Lost & Found Fund". When I lose an item I am making a 'deposit'. When I find an item I am making a 'withdraw'. Helps ease the conscience.

[beckleeson]

I'm new to MDing but I would never describe something I found to someone, that's there job to describe it, to let you know there legit!

[AC1955]

I'd try looking on the Lostmystuff.net website. Folks post there looking for someone to help find their lost property. The person who lost the ring, may have posted there for someone to help her look for it. (Check out the site to see how this works). Quite the conundrum you've got there....good luck with your decision!

Anita

[mccloud39]

Definitely keep it to sell it or melt it, finders keepers loosers weepers. A class ring you should definitely try returning but something like this you shouldn't for sure! You bought a MD for one reason and that is to find lost items!!

[cudamark]

Definitely keep it to sell it or melt it, finders keepers loosers weepers. A class ring you should definitely try returning but something like this you shouldn't for sure! You bought a MD for one reason and that is to find lost items!!

And do what with them? Hock them? Most often you'll find you get much more by returning them to their owner than any thing else. It's not only the metal and stone value either. Sentimental value can't be overlooked. If you returned a piece of jewelry and seen the tears of joy running down their face, you'll know what I mean.

[Tom_in_CA]

Cuda-mark , what you're saying is true , presuming the owner could be found . But as i understand the question here, is should we all just indiscriminately give things to lifegaurds , rangers , police , etc...

[dholland02]

I think I would just keep what I find to help pay for an upgrade detector
The people sould be more responsible with jewelry

[mccloud39]

Exactly if your that irresponsible to loose jewlery, someone shouldn't have to go out of there way to give it back!

[BigBeefy]

I just found a nice 5 stone white gold ring. The owner asked me to help find it in the sand. She went to take a shower while I looked.
I told them to come back in an hour. That was two days ago.
If she comes back, I'll give it to her, if not I have a nice gold ring.