High school class rings, keep or return?

[jeweler21]

High school class rings, keep or return? This is just my personal views and a choice each individual has to make for themselves. I started detecting in 1968 at that time there were very few detectorist, good detectors were expensive and for a person to be in the field as either a hobbiest or professional, you needed to retrieve your investment. I was one of the first persons to search several of the older high schools in my area and as a result, I found 38 class rings in the first two or three years. I talked to school officials and they were not very interested in helping locate the original owners. At that time most 10K class rings were less than a hundred dollars. I was the owner of a local jewelry store and put the rings in a case in my store window and ran an ad in the paper offering to return any ring that a person could identify. I ran the ad for about a year at my personal cost. A good many people came in to look, but not one owner was found for a single ring. However, three rings were stolen from the case. Remember this was before the internet and information was not nearly as readily available.
How were these rings lost to begin with? The biggest portion of these rings were lost by girlfriends, either from a chain around their neck or by having enough tape on the shank to wear a ring that was three or more sizes too large. Nearly all of the students dating or “going steady”, the girls call to her boyfriend was “ring me”.
When gold reached a new record of near a thousand dollars an ounce in the early 1980's, I sold all the rings for melt value.
As the price of precious metals escalated, I became a buyer of scrap precious metals and the first thing that people got rid of was high school class rings because they had very little meaning to them.
College or university rings with degrees on them or a different story and I would do my best to return one these should I find it. And in a few cases in my jewelry stores, I repaired or re-shanked high school rings that the person had worn slick. If I was to find one of these rings that I could tell that the person had used it and it meant something to them, I would do my best to return the ring but If I find a ring with an older date on it and very little wear, I would consider this ring to be fair game because the original owner did not seem to care for the ring to begin with. I would no more look for the owner than I would look for the owner of a gold coin that I found.
Call it greed or whatever you like but these are my personal views.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Cry Of The Eagle: History And Legends Of The Cherokee Indians And Their Buried Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Potts]

Return it...I'm sure the owner will be very happy, who know's you may get a reward...

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[a4wdguy]

I've got one that I have been trying to return off and on over the last three years, with no luck. I find that schools and alumni associations are somewhat less than helpful, for some reason.
I graduated in Florida, and lost my class ring in Oklahoma in 1976. I've always hoped somebody would find and return that ring. It's been so long since I saw it, I'd be hard pressed to describe it, other than my initials were inside and it had a blue stone.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I've got one that I have been trying to return off and on over the last three years, with no luck. I find that schools and alumni associations are somewhat less than helpful, for some reason.
I graduated in Florida, and lost my class ring in Oklahoma in 1976. I've always hoped somebody would find and return that ring. It's been so long since I saw it, I'd be hard pressed to describe it, other than my initials were inside and it had a blue stone.

a4wdguy, then you, as a person "on the other side of the coin", can chime in with an interesting perspective, eh? I mean, since you're a person who LOST a ring (rather than like the typical guy on an md'ing forum who... doh.... we're normally talking about FINDING rings, of course, since it's an md'ing forum )

So let's say you ...... for some reason .... found out that I (yes I, Tom in CA) actually had your ring. Just say for a moment (because of course, what are the odds that you would ever know, or that you and I would ever meet or know anyone in common). But just for sake of argument, let's say that through some twist of fate, you knew that I had found your ring. And it's sitting there in my scrap pile waiting for me to get enough scrap gold and silver together to send off to the refiner (which I do about 1 or 2x p/year when I get enough together).

Thus you tell us: Do you figure this ring is MINE now? (as in ... finders keepers), or do you feel that it's yours? Or let's change the scenario a bit: Let's say you lost it JUST YESTERDAY. And let's say that you knew approx. where you lost it, so you figured: "no problem, I'll just come back with my metal detector". But lo & behold, when you get back, "Tom in CA" had coincidentally been md'ing there at that beach .... and .... lucky me, I got your ring. Do you think you have any right (legally lets say) to tell me: "give that to me. It's mine". Heck, we can move it up to right now: If I drop a $20 in the grocery store checkout line, and the person behind me is "quicker to the draw" and picks it up, is it now his, or is it still mine?

You see?

I once helped a lady look for a gold ring, on a commissioned hunt, which she'd lost on a stretch of beach the week before. It had taken a week for her and I to get together, d/t work and schedule restraints on each of ours ends. As she showed me where to look, we began to chit-chat as I hunted. I mused to her that it was entirely possible that .... someone might have already been detecting here, and found it (since, of course, a week had passed, and this was a touristy beach where sometimes others detect). When the lady heard that, she asked me: " ... and what will they do with it if someone else with a detector found it?". That question kind of caught me off guard. I mean, it struck me as odd that anyone would even be asking that question. I mean, of COURSE they're going to keep it, right? (let's be honest, that's what we hope to find on the beach afterall). So ... without thinking, I said "shucks, I guess they'll probably keep it". When the lady heard that, she was totally awestruck. I mean, the way I phrased my answer, was also in the tone of which that I was not discluding that I too had this approach, (ie.: that I wasn't somehow different, and was merely referring to *other* md'rs). The lady just could not believe that people could be so evil, and stoop so low. In her minds eyes, the people would (I guess) turn it in to the police dept, or post lost & founds, etc....

So that really gave me pause for thought, on how .... when the coin is turned, how someone who's LOST a piece of jewelry (with no knowledge of the hobby of detecting) thinks of things.

 

[Digger2]

It would depend on the situation, whether or not I would return a ring. The people I have dealt with,(when returning something) the majority of them, feel as though I owed it to them to return the item to them. I do not feel an obligation to return any of my finds. While the hobby is relaxing, interesting, and down right fun, it is also costly. Gasoline is not free, detectors and accessories are expensive. Whenever my beard get white, and I put on a red suit, I'll probably feel different. Right now, finders keepers, unless the past careless owner, come up with a story that touches my heart.
Its happened before, and it may happen again, but I doubt!

 

[mariposagold]

I can understand why some people would keep them and sell them and I can understand the whole "finders keepers" mentality which is fine I guess since it is a choice that each person must make for themselves. Some items just can't be traced to owners to return or just can't be returned.

Myself...I try to return them when I can if at all possible. Rather than "finders keepers" I try to stay more with "finders keeping it real" You just can't put a price on the happiness that you bring into a persons life when you are able to return an item like that.


Back in November I returned a class ring that had been missing for 31yrs. The owner had thought she would never see it again and it had meant quite a lot to her.

Here are a couple videos about why I try and return these rings. I just returned another one last week that was 12G 10K gold that had been missing for 6yrs.




It's still to each their own but I'll still return. It's the right thing to do and I would hope someone would do the same for me if I were in a position like that.

HH!

I saw this video when you first posted it. It was almost as exciting for me as it was for her. Thanks for reposting it.

 

[EasyriderTX]

If it was like a high school or college ring made pre boomer age the first place I would look for the owner would the the social security death index. If the name is there problem solved.

 

[jeweler21]

I will add another story to this. In the 1980's, I ran an ad in the local paper that I would try
to find lost metal items for people. If successful, I would expect 10% of the value of the item for payment.
I had lots of people call me, The biggest percent of them had wrapped their item in a paper towel
when they washed their hands and either they or a family member had thrown the towel in the trash
with the jewelry in it. Of course I told them no that I couldn't find items in the city dump.
I had a number of people call that had lost their wedding rings in the yard and I successfully found
them and did not ever charge the person or would not accept any payment.
Then one day a young woman in her twenties called and had lost her wedding ring in an area near the lake.
I told her I would be glad to help her find it. Price was not mentioned but as I had normally been doing, I was not
planning on charging her. We arranged a time and place to meet and I followed her to the area, which a grassy
spot in a deserted area off the main road.
She then explained to me that her husband would kill her if he found out that she had lost it and went on to explain
losing the ring in this desolate area. She and a co-worker were having an affair, they had met there and thrown a blanket down on the grass. She didn't want to be wearing the wedding ring and had pulled it off and laid it on the blanket. When ready to go home they had shook the blanket and folded it before she remembered her ring. It didn't take but about ten minutes before I found the ring.
I thought, this I should charge for. It was a white gold ring with about a third of a carat of diamonds, she said the ring cost
about $600, so I told her to pay me $25, which was considerably less than the 10% I had listed in my ad.
She said that she was sorry but she didn't have the money with her, that she would come by my store the next day and pay me. She wrote her name and phone number on a piece of paper, thanked me and we said goodbye. The next day, she
did not come in. The following day, I tried to call her. You guessed it, it was a phony name and number.
This girl was good at cheating!

 

[stringfrenzy]

I saw this video when you first posted it. It was almost as exciting for me as it was for her. Thanks for reposting it.

Thank you very much for your comment. I'm flattered that you remembered the video as well as very happy to hear that you enjoyed it. Both of the video links I posted can be seen through the honorable mentions below my avatar or through my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/stringfrenzy

Comments like that make doing the videos all worth it.

 

[cudamark]

a4wdguy, then you, as a person "on the other side of the coin", can chime in with an interesting perspective, eh? I mean, since you're a person who LOST a ring (rather than like the typical guy on an md'ing forum who... doh.... we're normally talking about FINDING rings, of course, since it's an md'ing forum )

So let's say you ...... for some reason .... found out that I (yes I, Tom in CA) actually had your ring. Just say for a moment (because of course, what are the odds that you would ever know, or that you and I would ever meet or know anyone in common). But just for sake of argument, let's say that through some twist of fate, you knew that I had found your ring. And it's sitting there in my scrap pile waiting for me to get enough scrap gold and silver together to send off to the refiner (which I do about 1 or 2x p/year when I get enough together).

Thus you tell us: Do you figure this ring is MINE now? (as in ... finders keepers), or do you feel that it's yours?

I figure the ring is yours Tom, but, I would still give it back the person who lost it IF they can properly identify it.

Or let's change the scenario a bit: Let's say you lost it JUST YESTERDAY. And let's say that you knew approx. where you lost it, so you figured: "no problem, I'll just come back with my metal detector". But lo & behold, when you get back, "Tom in CA" had coincidentally been md'ing there at that beach .... and .... lucky me, I got your ring. Do you think you have any right (legally lets say) to tell me: "give that to me. It's mine". Heck, we can move it up to right now: If I drop a $20 in the grocery store checkout line, and the person behind me is "quicker to the draw" and picks it up, is it now his, or is it still mine?

No, It's not truly "lost" until you stop searching for it.

You see?

I once helped a lady look for a gold ring, on a commissioned hunt, which she'd lost on a stretch of beach the week before. It had taken a week for her and I to get together, d/t work and schedule restraints on each of ours ends. As she showed me where to look, we began to chit-chat as I hunted. I mused to her that it was entirely possible that .... someone might have already been detecting here, and found it (since, of course, a week had passed, and this was a touristy beach where sometimes others detect). When the lady heard that, she asked me: " ... and what will they do with it if someone else with a detector found it?". That question kind of caught me off guard. I mean, it struck me as odd that anyone would even be asking that question. I mean, of COURSE they're going to keep it, right? (let's be honest, that's what we hope to find on the beach afterall). So ... without thinking, I said "shucks, I guess they'll probably keep it". When the lady heard that, she was totally awestruck. I mean, the way I phrased my answer, was also in the tone of which that I was not discluding that I too had this approach, (ie.: that I wasn't somehow different, and was merely referring to *other* md'rs). The lady just could not believe that people could be so evil, and stoop so low. In her minds eyes, the people would (I guess) turn it in to the police dept, or post lost & founds, etc....

I get that question often. I tell them the same thing.....most will either keep it, give it to someone, or hock/scrap it. I also tell them that anything I find of value gets posted in a found ad where the loser can claim it with the proper I.D. It gives them a little hope that there are still people out there willing to do that. Some will claim that the loser was careless or irresponsible in some way. Sometimes, that is just not the case. Jewelry can break, get lost in a fall or accident, stolen, "borrowed" by a third party and lost, etc.

So that really gave me pause for thought, on how .... when the coin is turned, how someone who's LOST a piece of jewelry (with no knowledge of the hobby of detecting) thinks of things.

Somehow that didn't edit correctly....you'll have to read between the lines to see my comments.....

 

[a4wdguy]

a4wdguy, then you, as a person "on the other side of the coin", can chime in with an interesting perspective, eh? I mean, since you're a person who LOST a ring (rather than like the typical guy on an md'ing forum who... doh.... we're normally talking about FINDING rings, of course, since it's an md'ing forum )

So let's say you ...... for some reason .... found out that I (yes I, Tom in CA) actually had your ring. Just say for a moment (because of course, what are the odds that you would ever know, or that you and I would ever meet or know anyone in common). But just for sake of argument, let's say that through some twist of fate, you knew that I had found your ring. And it's sitting there in my scrap pile waiting for me to get enough scrap gold and silver together to send off to the refiner (which I do about 1 or 2x p/year when I get enough together).

Thus you tell us: Do you figure this ring is MINE now? (as in ... finders keepers), or do you feel that it's yours? Or let's change the scenario a bit: Let's say you lost it JUST YESTERDAY. And let's say that you knew approx. where you lost it, so you figured: "no problem, I'll just come back with my metal detector". But lo & behold, when you get back, "Tom in CA" had coincidentally been md'ing there at that beach .... and .... lucky me, I got your ring. Do you think you have any right (legally lets say) to tell me: "give that to me. It's mine". Heck, we can move it up to right now: If I drop a $20 in the grocery store checkout line, and the person behind me is "quicker to the draw" and picks it up, is it now his, or is it still mine?

You see?
.

Tom,
For me, if I were to discover someone had found "my" ring, I would offer to buy it back, since I would feel a connection to it but not an entitlement.
The money is an interesting scenario. I think most people would fall into two groups - those that would immediately return it, and those that would cover it with their foot until the other person was gone. If I drop something without my knowledge, I've lost it and the finder can claim ownership. If I throw something away from myself with intent to discard it, the item is now trash until somebody picks it up; I've relinquished ownership. If I unintentionally, but knowingly, drop something, but someone else grabs it, I count that as theft.
If I find an item on public property, I would deem it as mine, but return it if I could (legal vs. the right thing to do). However, I feel the owner of private property owns everything in the ground, even if it is inaccessible to that owner. Therefore agreements must be made before hunting there.

 

[NJnuggetpirate]

It's good karma but say if it your first you found it may be hard to give back

 

[NJnuggetpirate]

I personally try to return class rings, by researching through the year-books, match the initials, and so forth. Gets hard after several decades, because obviously people move away from their home towns, women marry and change their names, etc.. But I have been successful on occasions. And as vp-navy & christo000 says, you get a good feeling and a "who-dunnit mystery" solved-type of feeling

HOWEVER, I can understand those persons like dholland says "finders keepers". Here's why. This is a true story:

A buddy of mine was detecting the elementary school yard that was at the end of the block where he lived. He got a signal, and went to dig it. But when he got to his knees to get ready to poke, he parted the grass, and could see the item right there: A women's high school class ring. Apparently barely just lost, as it hadn't even had time to get buried yet. Just obscured by the grass, and seen as soon as he parted the grass.

He took it home, and showed his daughter, who was ... at that time ... a senior in High school She could see, on the inscription, that it was their local high school, the one that she was currently attending. And then she could see from the year printed on the inscription, that it was the current year's class, HER graduating class So she pulls out her year-book, and turned right to the pix of the class-mate. Bingo. Mystery solved So she tells her dad: I know that girl! She lives just down the street from us!

So the dad walked over, and knocked on the door. No answer. So he took the ring back home. The daughter says: I know their phone #. So the dad makes a call, and gets a voice-mail. So he leaves a message to the effect of: "Hi, this is so & so down the street. I've got your class ring. Give me a call, so we can arrange to get it back to you". He made no mention of detectors, or details, and figured he could give more detail when they called.

That night, the family sat down for dinner. There was a knock at the door. Guess who it was?? THE POLICE! They asked if my friend could step outside, while they had a word with him. They said they'd been forwarded a message from the family down the street, about a ring that he had. The cops told him the house had been burglarized about 2 weeks earlier, and the ring was one of the items which had been stolen. So when the people got the voicemail, they figured it was some sort of extortion attempt? At this point, my friend tried to tell the cops that he had "found it with a metal detector", and that ... no, he was not fishing for extortion or anything, and that ... no ... it was not him who burglarized the house. The cops had the look of "sure buddy" (like I guess any thief could merely say "I found it", to avoid supposed fingering?). The cops asked to see the ring. So my friend went back inside to get it. He gave it to them. They said "ok, we'll get ahold of you if there's any more questions. We need to tell them your story, and see what they want to do"

The cops left, and my friend sat back down to dinner. But now, no one had much of an appetite, as .... my friend had the sinking feeling, that he was now suspect in some sort of crime. He debated on picking up the phone and calling those people, but .... decided against it. Figured the cops (?) would pass on his "metal detector" story, and they'd call him eventually? So he waited. Days passed and no one ever called. My friend was never quite sure if .... one day .... a cop would re-appear with charges to press. Apparently when the thieves had left that neighbor's house, they'd taken a short-cut across the school yard, and dropped the ring.

Nothing was ever said. No thankyou's. No sorry's. No nothing. That was about 1980 or '81 (when gold was at record highs then), when the value of a 10k class ring would have fetched a pretty penny for my friend. So .... you can bet .... he was not to happy about the outcome of this mess. He vowed never again to research and re-unite anything.

That's deep stuff I'm sorry for your friend and this is something I'm gonna have to think about

 

[worldtalker]

I found a 1958 Class Ring when I first started MDing,checked with the High School,got the persons name,called and asked if She had lost Her ring years ago, no. Nice chunk of Gold to keep! GodBless Chris

 

[EasyriderTX]

Owners of lost class rings usually know of the general area of where they were when they lost the item. There is nothing preventing them from investing their own detector, renting one, or inquiring at a detecting club for help to find it if they really treasure having it back. Just food for thought.

 

[pennyfarmer]

I recently found a 2014 ring and have been trying to find the owner. Problem being is there are no initials or a name in it. I posted some flyers around town and I will post a flyer at the school when it starts so I hope to get it back. I WILL NOT send the ring to Jostens or give it to anyone but the owner. I figure if it does not get returned I keep it as a trophy.

 

[NJnuggetpirate]

Owners of lost class rings usually know of the general area of where they were when they lost the item. There is nothing preventing them from investing their own detector, renting one, or inquiring at a detecting club for help to find it if they really treasure having it back. Just food for thought.

Thank you for that delicious plate of wisdom a little sarcasm intended lol

 

[cudamark]

Owners of lost class rings usually know of the general area of where they were when they lost the item. There is nothing preventing them from investing their own detector, renting one, or inquiring at a detecting club for help to find it if they really treasure having it back. Just food for thought.

That's presuming they know the technology, equipment, and a skilled user exist. I offer my detecting skills as a service and a lot of the people I've helped didn't know such things were available. I've also recovered many items AFTER the "owner" tried to find them by renting/borrowing a detector. Just because you have a detector, know where the item is lost, doesn't mean you're going to find it. It takes scores of hours with proper hunting technique to get to the point where you "know" what the machine is telling you.....even with previous experience. Don't believe me? Try going from an Ace 150 that you've used for years, to a V3i and tell me there is not an extensive learning curve.

 

[christo000]

Oh theres a Curve learning there I went from a Atpro to a v3i me i like helpi.g people look for lost items is y I joined lost my stuff & ring finders I get a list from both places if theres something in my área im willing to help I like the hunt & also its a new places win win for me

 

[NJnuggetpirate]

Oh theres a Curve learning there I went from a Atpro to a v3i me i like helpi.g people look for lost items is y I joined lost my stuff & ring finders I get a list from both places if theres something in my área im willing to help I like the hunt & also its a new places win win for me

Christo your a saint bro

 

[Sapper724]

Christo, thanks for the info. I just signed up too!