Ugly J
Jr. Member
Hey everyone,
This is something I’ve been meaning to share for a while, especially after seeing a couple posts from Lawrence the MD’er about crematorium tags and even gold crowns. It kind of hit home because I’ve been sitting on a similar experience for years.
About 15 years or more, I found a crematorium tag while detecting in Southern California. At the time, I didn’t know what it was. Like most of us, I enjoy the research side as much as the finds, and once I figured out what it actually was, it definitely changed how I looked at it.
I’ve heard all the opinions—bad juju, return it immediately, don’t keep it, etc. Truth is, I didn’t return it right away. Life moved on, and that tag ended up living in my wallet for years, right alongside a few lucky coins and other keepsakes. I didn’t look at it as something negative. If anything, I felt like I was carrying it with me—every hunt, every trip, every new place. Kind of like it was still “out there,” still part of the adventure.
For perspective, my wife keeps a small amount of her mom’s ashes with us in the car—we joke about it, but it’s also meaningful. I guess in a way, I looked at the tag the same way. It wasn’t forgotten, and it wasn’t disrespected.
Fast forward to last month—we took a family cruise through the eastern Caribbean. Somewhere along the trip, I knew it was time.
We ended up at the Baths – Virgin Gorda. If you’ve been there, you know it’s a beautiful spot—clear water, rock formations, and by the time we left, boats had started filling in. It just felt like the right place.
While snorkeling, I found a shell that the tag fit into perfectly. I took a moment, said a few words, and let it go. Nothing dramatic—just a simple send-off in a place that felt right. A place people come to enjoy, explore, and experience.
That was it. After all those years, it finally went back—not where I found it, but somewhere meaningful.
First hunt after that? Two rings right off the bat—one gold, one cheap toe ring. Take that however you want. Luck, coincidence, or just being back in the swing of things.
At the end of the day, we all come across things out there that have a story—sometimes more than we realize at first. This was one of those for me. If I found one again now, I’d probably handle it differently right away. But I don’t regret the path this one took.
Just wanted to share the experience.
This is something I’ve been meaning to share for a while, especially after seeing a couple posts from Lawrence the MD’er about crematorium tags and even gold crowns. It kind of hit home because I’ve been sitting on a similar experience for years.
About 15 years or more, I found a crematorium tag while detecting in Southern California. At the time, I didn’t know what it was. Like most of us, I enjoy the research side as much as the finds, and once I figured out what it actually was, it definitely changed how I looked at it.
I’ve heard all the opinions—bad juju, return it immediately, don’t keep it, etc. Truth is, I didn’t return it right away. Life moved on, and that tag ended up living in my wallet for years, right alongside a few lucky coins and other keepsakes. I didn’t look at it as something negative. If anything, I felt like I was carrying it with me—every hunt, every trip, every new place. Kind of like it was still “out there,” still part of the adventure.
For perspective, my wife keeps a small amount of her mom’s ashes with us in the car—we joke about it, but it’s also meaningful. I guess in a way, I looked at the tag the same way. It wasn’t forgotten, and it wasn’t disrespected.
Fast forward to last month—we took a family cruise through the eastern Caribbean. Somewhere along the trip, I knew it was time.
We ended up at the Baths – Virgin Gorda. If you’ve been there, you know it’s a beautiful spot—clear water, rock formations, and by the time we left, boats had started filling in. It just felt like the right place.
While snorkeling, I found a shell that the tag fit into perfectly. I took a moment, said a few words, and let it go. Nothing dramatic—just a simple send-off in a place that felt right. A place people come to enjoy, explore, and experience.
That was it. After all those years, it finally went back—not where I found it, but somewhere meaningful.
First hunt after that? Two rings right off the bat—one gold, one cheap toe ring. Take that however you want. Luck, coincidence, or just being back in the swing of things.
At the end of the day, we all come across things out there that have a story—sometimes more than we realize at first. This was one of those for me. If I found one again now, I’d probably handle it differently right away. But I don’t regret the path this one took.
Just wanted to share the experience.
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