Thoughts on finding wedding rings

[GrizLeeBear]

I was reading another post tonight about finding a child's ring and how sad it seemed:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/336077-saddest-find-i-ve-ever-made.html

I have found a number of lost wedding and engagement rings over the years and was, on a few occasions, able to find the original owner. But for the most part they were lost by parties unknown. I sold them and the cash was nice. However, it was always a bit sad. Imagine losing something that should be so precious to you. Most of us know how to go and recover something we have lost, but for many it is not an option. Sometimes our finds to carry a note of sadness in the joy of the find.

 

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[cudamark]

I found an 10.000 year old Indian artifact
what should i do
ever since then I get this thought of an Indian standing there with white paint on his face and black lines dressed in buck skin
It probably make banner If I could post it

What do you want to do? Sell it? put it on your shelf? donate it to a museum? I think it's safe to say the one who lost it isn't going to care one way or the other. Keep in mind that the antiquity laws and Indian repatriation/reburial laws may apply so make sure your find is legal before you decide. If it were me, I'd claim it was a yard sale find and let those who care, argue over it's source.

 

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[cudamark]

Here's a story about an older gentleman who found and returned a young girl's lost class ring. This is a feel good story, and the man is local to my area:
Metal Detecting News

I didn't say it would bother me to find valuables or that I would return anything or everything I found. I said I would at least make an attempt on items of high sentimental value - especially things like wedding rings or class rings. Maybe other things if they were engraved or otherwise identifiable. When you get a class ring, you have a school, a year, a male or female ring, a ring size, and probably initials. That's alot of information! So you contact Jostens or whatever company handles the rings and see if you can find the owner. Jostens has a page for lost and found class rings:

Class Rings - Jostens - Lost & Found Rings


Wedding rings could be alot harder, I don't know enough about those - but I'd probably start with a jeweler and see what they could tell me.

I think I would be much more interested in things like very old coins (and the older the better) than someone's lost personal items. Finding a gold coin would be the biggest thrill I could imagine. (I know there are people on the site here who have done it, too!) I guess older coins like seateds or caps wouldn't be half bad, either.

Matching the ring you find with the one who lost it isn't all that hard to determine. If they have a photo or a detailed description of the ring (including size) and where it was lost that should be enough. I mean how many rings of that exact description do you think were lost in that spot?

 

[BillW212]

I found an 10.000 year old Indian artifact
what should i do
ever since then I get this thought of an Indian standing there with white paint on his face and black lines dressed in buck skin
It probably make banner If I could post it

You shouldn't have dug it. This is the stuff that makes the archies hate us so much. Archeology laws for ancient objects are not the same as local lost and found. Indian artifacts are even more complicated. For starters, make sure there are NO eagle feathers. You will do hard time for that. Seriously.

 

[BillW212]

Here's a link to a summary of Tribal Art laws covering Native American artifacts

http://www.atada.org/Art_and_the_Law.html

 

[dholland02]

If that is your criteria, you wouldn't return the wallet either, right? What difference does it make which item it is and how long the item was lost? A day? A week? A year? 50 years? If you find a silver wedding ring, what are you going to get for it when you sell it? A few bucks? If it's someone's wedding ring, they might give you a few hundred as a reward for returning it. If all you care about is the money you'll make, it seems to me that returning it would benefit you more, or am I missing something here?

I would return a wallet thats completely different ur life can get screwed up when u lose that totally different I dnt care what u says its not the same.

What ur missing is I have different feeling on returning rings I DON'T CARE I FIND THEM THERE MINE simple as that. If your so high ans mighty that clad u find isn't and wasn't urs to start but I bet that goes jn your pocket right? Maybe you sould turn that into charity since it wasn't urs tk start with.

 

[Keppy]

If that is your criteria, you wouldn't return the wallet either, right? What difference does it make which item it is and how long the item was lost? A day? A week? A year? 50 years? If you find a silver wedding ring, what are you going to get for it when you sell it? A few bucks? If it's someone's wedding ring, they might give you a few hundred as a reward for returning it. If all you care about is the money you'll make, it seems to me that returning it would benefit you more, or am I missing something here?

... You are missing something ...you are missing a lot ..... If you want to return what you find we don't care do it......... and if we want to keep our finds what do you care..? We are all different people here........ But there are the treasure hunters and detector users here that like me that don't try to make our selves look like we are just wonderful people and bragg about how nice and wonderful we our ... We tell it like it is we know that every one is not the same don't knock us we don't knock you.......................................................................................
..

 

[cudamark]

I'm not saying that what you find is not yours.......all I'm saying is, if you want the most money for your finds, returning rings pays more on average than hocking them. Talking about returning coins is kinda ridiculous. There is no way to accurately match a particular coin with the one who lost it. Jewelry is another matter.

 

[Keppy]

I found an 10.000 year old Indian artifact
what should i do
ever since then I get this thought of an Indian standing there with white paint on his face and black lines dressed in buck skin
It probably make banner If I could post it

..... lift loop..... that was not a indian ghost,....... that was me ........... you need glasses..........

 

[Keppy]

I'm not saying that what you find is not yours.......all I'm saying is, if you want the most money for your finds, returning rings pays more on average than hocking them. Talking about returning coins is kinda ridiculous. There is no way to accurately match a particular coin with the one who lost it. Jewelry is another matter.

.... But i love jewelry it is a quick buck $$$$$ looking for the owner takes time ..To me wasted time.....

 

[boris]

I was reading another post tonight about finding a child's ring and how sad it seemed:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/today-s-finds/336077-saddest-find-i-ve-ever-made.html

I have found a number of lost wedding and engagement rings over the years and was, on a few occasions, able to find the original owner. But for the most part they were lost by parties unknown. I sold them and the cash was nice. However, it was always a bit sad. Imagine losing something that should be so precious to you. Most of us know how to go and recover something we have lost, but for many it is not an option. Sometimes our finds to carry a note of sadness in the joy of the find.

My first gold was a 14K band, I used for 25 years until she went poof and said I should "marry a metal detector", however I got two beautiful daughters, a home ,retirement and peace of mind now, and still have MD job I can do when weather is better. Sold many gold rings in 40 years too. HH Boris

 

[GrizLeeBear]

"Every state has lost & found statutes on the books. *Technically* speaking, anyone finding an item of $100 value or more (value threshold varies from state to state, some are $200, etc...) that you must turn the item in to the police, for proper lost & found procedures."

Yes, this is known as Escheat. This normally refers to a person dying with no know heirs. However, if you leave a company and they owe you money and cannot find you, they must turn it over to the state. If a company writes a check to a vendor and they never cash it or ask fr the money, it must be given to the state. This can apply to insurance companies who cannot find the beneficiary of a policy.

You want a real treasure hunt? Each state has a listing of all the property and the known names associated with it. You can look up most of them on line by your name. Maybe some long-lost uncle left you a fortune!

 

[GrizLeeBear]

...... You are a true treasure hunter sir.... A man after my own heart..........

So Keppy, let me ask. You have a party and you look down and see a nice ring on the ground, so you scarf it up, put it in you pocket and bless the stars. Then fifteen minutes later your best friend's wife starts crying because she lost her ring. Too bad for her......Finder's Keepers! Losers Weepers!

So, exactly where do you draw the line?

 

[wvwildman]

yeah and how do ya know who owns the ring anyone can say its there's

 

[Keppy]

So Keppy, let me ask. You have a party and you look down and see a nice ring on the ground, so you scarf it up, put it in you pocket and bless the stars. Then fifteen minutes later your best friend's wife starts crying because she lost her ring. Too bad for her......Finder's Keepers! Losers Weepers!

So, exactly where do you draw the line?

.....Yes but that's my friend i don't screw my friends... but people i don't know i don't give a dam...... I am not one of the goodie goodie people when i find something.... I don' pretend to be one... like a lot here do so they can look good to every one ..... And those ones could be worst than us bad ones.who keep our finds.... What dark side does the wonderful people that try to return every thing have ?.. We reveal.... our dark side ... you ones hide your dark side..........

 

[biggmike]

I would return a wallet thats completely different ur life can get screwed up when u lose that totally different I dnt care what u says its not the same.

What ur missing is I have different feeling on returning rings I DON'T CARE I FIND THEM THERE MINE simple as that. If your so high ans mighty that clad u find isn't and wasn't urs to start but I bet that goes jn your pocket right? Maybe you sould turn that into charity since it wasn't urs tk start with.

I'm not inferring that you are right or wrong. I like your answer about the wallet and understand better now. Keppy is right that everyone is different and none of us are always right or wrong. If we all agreed on everything what fun would that be?

 

[GrizLeeBear]

I don't return many items simply because it is often impossible. When I can, I do. I don't do it because I am hiding my dark side, whatever that is. I don't do it to be a Goodie Goodie, whatever that is. It is a mistake to try and assign your values and motives to the actions of another. I do it because it makes me feel good. You either get that or you don't. I do not begruge you your position and I certainly did not start this thread thinking it would go in this direction. As I said, "To thine ownself be true." I can live with what I do and I expect you are just as content. I am not going to change your mind and you are not going to change mine. Be happy my friend.

 

[biggmike]

yeah and how do ya know who owns the ring anyone can say its there's

Mostly it's class rings that some hunters try to return. The original owners are fairly easy to locate. The other rings are next to impossible to find the owner. Some people post wedding bands on CL but I don't. The people who do post them on CL could just as easily say I'm wrong for not doing that, but then there are the people who turn it over to the police and they will say the one's who post on CL aren't doing enough so I guess everyone just does what they are happy with.

 

[Keppy]

I'm not inferring that you are right or wrong. I like your answer about the wallet and understand better now. Keppy is right that everyone is different and none of us are always right or wrong. If we all agreed on everything what fun would that be?

... it would be no fun........

 

[Keppy]

I don't return many items simply because it is often impossible. When I can, I do. I don't do it because I am hiding my dark side, whatever that is.

... Every one on the face of this earth has a DARK SIDE.That means that at one time or another..... or even now...... They have done something that they do not want any one to know......And might still be doing it........... It is there own little dark secret that no one knows about..That they don't want any one to know about....................

 

[GrizLeeBear]

... Every one on the face of this earth has a DARK SIDE.That means that at one time or another..... or even now...... They have done something that they do not want any one to know......And might still be doing it........... It is there own little dark secret that no one knows about..That they don't want any one to know about....................

Again, do not apply your motives and values on others. You may 'think' what you say is true, but that does not make it so. Have I embarassed myself at times? Yes, of course. I get that. But to call that a "dark side" seems a bit strong. I think Jeffery Dahmer had a dark side. Me, I just get goofy from time to time. When I do, I try to apologize. To me a Dark Side does wrong, enjoys it and does not understand why it is wrong. Most of us make mistakes and try to learn from them. But, as the man said, "Opinions vary."