PLEASE READ AND BE TRUTHFUL.........

[-Jones-]

I recently found a 14K gold girls high school ring chest deep in water, 5 inches down in the sand, south Miami beach. I mean, this puppy was lost forever.......................

Be truthful, no fakes, don't try to impress the ones that read the post, would you go to the high school web page, contact the school, and attempt to find the one who it belongs to?

Now, I'm sure the ones that try to find the owner would post the results on "Honorable Mention" - Where good deeds get noticed!

 

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[Ascholten]

Id try to return it. Then again, sometimes calling a school and asking for info on students won't get too much in return. With all the privacy rules, security, lawsuits, etc, they can get a bit stiff on just giving that info out anymore. On this though, if the school is decent, and not just your typical government waste of tax dollars and poisoning of young minds, if you explain why you want this info, the school might be able to contact the person for you, give them information to contact you if they are interested. I have had that happen before too.

If you decide to just keep it, that's cool too. It's a personal thing really, and nobody can tell you it's morally wrong or right to keep it, send it back, whatever, after all, it was lost and well... finders keepers.

Ive returned plenty of rings, and I have kept plenty of rings too, afterall they are gas money.

Aaron

 

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[Montana Jim]

I'd keep my mouth shut, keep the ring, and never post here about it because I'd be hated and ostracized... Keeping a class ring as treasure is the biggest detecting taboo on the planet I think...

I also think there are plenty here who keep them, and - keep their mouths shut...

If I was ever respected here at all... I prolly just flushed it down the drain. But you wanted truthful.

Please - nobody bother to respond to my comments... I'm not arguing with anyone about it.

Happy Hunting!

 

[badoscar]

that's a big 10-4 good buddy.

 

[BuckleBoy]

I would return it for several reasons:

1. positive publicity for the hobby, even on a small level--we need it

2. returned rings open doors for future contacts and places to hunt

3. in most cases, it isn't that difficult to return a class ring

4. on the grand scale of rings found in your metal detecting career, this one isn't very valuable. It'll probably be one of the least valuable.

If the owner is identified on the item, why not return it? I think I would feel a little guilty every time I admired it to be honest. I have found a good many class rings in the past 15 years, and returned them all except a 1941 ring that I couldn't find, identify, or contact the school on (and I wrote letters to four schools).

Just my two cents,

Buckleboy

 

[badoscar]

Sounds like you exhausted of your resources on the 1941 ring, well done. Do you still feel guilty for having it in your in your possession?

 

[Sandman]

Of course I would return it as I have many others I have found. Class rings are easy to track down the owner and since it has the year and initials it is personalized and nobody else has the right to wear or keep it.

I would not post it for recognition to myself either.

Things are different when the ring in question could belong to anyone. But if the owner can be found, they should.

 

[muleskinner]

Why not return it. I can't believe your going to get much for it money wise. That ring is so personalized(with initials) it's really only worth something to the person that ordered it. Oh, and it's just the right thing to do. Now if the same person had an engagement ring slip off at the same time and you recovered that also, well that would be different. Kinda weird huh?

 

[Jack(IN)]

Not hard for me, returned because you can find the owner!! I have returned a few rings and put one back in the field I found it.

 

[halfdime]

I'd try to return it, for two reasons. One, the selfish one, it may open doors of permission and opportunity. Two, the person who lost it might really enjoy having it back. Last spring, I was enlisted to find such a ring, and found it; I was thrilled with the discovery and a granddaughter was thrilled to have a gold memory of her late grandmother. On the other hand, I've found wedding rings with engravings, but not enough other information to even begin the return process.

 

[BuckleBoy]

Not hard for me, returned because you can find the owner!! I have returned a few rings and put one back in the field I found it.

Gotta get a zipper sewn on that pouch

 

[adivedog]

I found a class ring not long after starting MD'ing in the 70's. I called the school and told the lady there what was going on and gave her the initials and the class year. She gave me a couple of names and I called both, one lady that answered was very excited and said her daughter had lost her ring only a week or two after getting it. ( 3 years earlier) She said her daughter was at in nursing school in St. Louis . When she picked it up she offered me a reward, which I turned down, and told her it was great just to be able to return it. She couldn't stop thanking me. So my vote is to return it.

 

[re-tek]

i'd try to return it if its a class ring. any other ring i wouldnt bother.

 

[wailinmacs]

karma

 

[re-tek]

karma shmarma....
i'm still waiting for karma to catch up with several cops, some middle school bullies, some store managers, and a few patrons of the museum i work at!

 

[stoney56]

You should'a seen the owner's face of the last one I returned. The class ring (10K) was lying by the curb in front of the shop. I had turned down a car stereo (detachable face missing) and wires cut. Called the school, friend there called his house. Guess mama answered. She was told where he could pick up the ring (pawn shop). He came in later, all pi$$ed off and grabbed the ring. I said you're welcome and I guess he was trying to put it on his middle finger all the way out the door.
Never saw him again--maybe karma was working.

 

[blumax413]

yes

 

[roswellborn]

I haven't found one yet, but if-when I do, I'll at least try to return it. I'd really like to feel that rush of satisfaction I keep hearing about from folks that have had successful returns.

just my 2¢ worth, I guess.

HH
Nan

 

[Tykit]

I returned a West Point military acadamy class ring years

ago and felt good about it at first. It was a massive gold ring. A few days later, I realized it meant nothing to the owner and then I was sorry I returned it. When it no longer fit his finger he gave it to his son to wear on his Boyscout neckerchief, it slid off in an elementary school yard till I found about five years later. At first I was thinking someone is really missing this ring. Not so.

 

[Mainedigger]

What you do with YOUR finds is YOUR choice, personally I try to return any class rings I find, I;ve returned 3 now and am working on finding the owner or the family of a 1940 ring. The gratitude of the owners when you return them makes it very worthwhile, and as BuckleBoy stated its great PR which is always needed for this hobby, and also by word of mouth of whomever you return it to may open new places to hunt. I;ve been granted permission to hunt private yards of people that have known I;ve returned rings and am not sure if they would have granted permission otherwise.
As others have stated on this post I am sure there are some nightmare stories about returns involving the police and ungrateful people,,,however those stories are the exception, not the rule.
What you decide to do is entirely up to you, however if you lost your ring, would you want someone to return it and if they did how would you feel about it? The ring to you is worth nothing more than the scrap gold price a pawn shop will pay, to whoever lost it, it is a cherished treasure and priceless.

 

[Dimeman]

If you found a ring with some type of identification,like a class ring, or a ring with a date /and names, as a decent metal detectorist,and trying to keep detecting in a good light for detectorists....and non-detectorists, you should try and find the owner, and get it back to them.
Now----- if there wasn't any type of identifying marks of any owner on the ring, I would say it was yours, to do as you want to.
(Just my opinion)