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How long does a guy try to find a ring owner before he gives up and sells it?:clock:

Here's the technical answer. Let's assume the ring exceeds the value thresholds that your state has, for their lost & found laws. Typically that will $100 (or $250, or whatever). That is, if you find something of that value or more, then technically, you were required to have turned it in to the police, for proper lost & found procedures. The police, in turn, will hold it for 30 days. If no one comes in to claim it, THEN it belongs to you.

And thus, in that case, the answer to your question would be: "After the police return it to you".

Oh, and not sure about your particular state, but in CA, once the item exceeds $250 in value, the police not only hold it for that 30 day period, but they also run an ad in a local newspaper "found property, come in to describe", blah blah, in the classifieds. And if no one claims it, you're more than welcome to get the item after that 30 days. But if you elect to, guess who pays the cost of the newspaper classified posting? YOU DO (if you want to get the item, that is).

Or were you asking for the "realistic" answer? :laughing7:
 

Here's the technical answer. Let's assume the ring exceeds the value thresholds that your state has, for their lost & found laws. Typically that will $100 (or $250, or whatever). That is, if you find something of that value or more, then technically, you were required to have turned it in to the police, for proper lost & found procedures. The police, in turn, will hold it for 30 days. If no one comes in to claim it, THEN it belongs to you.

And thus, in that case, the answer to your question would be: "After the police return it to you".

Oh, and not sure about your particular state, but in CA, once the item exceeds $250 in value, the police not only hold it for that 30 day period, but they also run an ad in a local newspaper "found property, come in to describe", blah blah, in the classifieds. And if no one claims it, you're more than welcome to get the item after that 30 days. But if you elect to, guess who pays the cost of the newspaper classified posting? YOU DO (if you want to get the item, that is).

Or were you asking for the "realistic" answer? :laughing7:

Thanks for the info Tom, now I'll take the realistic answer from a veteran of the hobby.
 

I would say if your at that point where you ask someone if it time to do something with it then..........it's time to do something with it. I guess no one can really put a time frame on it. Due to an increase in home break ins around here Law Enforcement has required local jewelry store owners and anyone who buys scrape gold to document including copying photo identification of the seller. Tom brings up a new point for me about lost and found here in Indiana. I'll have to do some checking to see what our laws are.
 

Thanks for the info Tom, now I'll take the realistic answer from a veteran of the hobby.

Mine was realistic just what I do. I'm not out to return lost rings.its not what I bought my detector for.
 

Mine was realistic just what I do. I'm not out to return lost rings.its not what I bought my detector for.

Agreed, however if someone does wish to try to return a ring or something else of value that is very honorable.

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I guess the first step is see what it is worth then.:icon_thumright:
 

I always check the lost and found ads in the local papers, Craig's list, etc. no matter what the value of a find is I think about if it would seem that the person that lost it would be heartbroken or financial stressed over losing the item, sometime an item may not have a great monetary value but will have a tremendous sentimental value, such was the case of a silver ring I found and I put the word out that if anyone lost a ring in the area it was found to call me, I could tell the ring had been recently lost and not there very long at all, a lady indeed lost the ring and was very distraught over it's lost, she called me and described the ring exactly, I met the lady and her husband at a restaurant where they both me dinner and the ring was returned to her, the story behind the ring is that it belonged to her great, great, great grandmother and had been handed down from mother to daughter over many generations and she was so grateful to have it back, I was also offered a generous reward, much more than the monetary value of the ring, I declined the reward, the dinner along with story of the ring was a great reward in itself, not to mention the look on her face in having the ring returned to where it truly belonged!!!
 

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I always check the lost and found ads in the local papers, Craig's list, etc. no matter what the value of a find is I think about if it would seem that the person that lost it would be heartbroken or financial stressed over losing the item, sometime an item may not have a great monetary value but will have a tremendous sentimental value, such was the case of a silver ring I found and I put the word out that if anyone lost a ring in the area it was found to call me, I could tell the ring had been recently lost and there very long at all, a lady indeed lost the ring and was very distraught over it's lost, she called me and described the ring exactly, I met the lady and her husband at a restaurant where they both me dinner and the ring was returned to her, the story behind the ring is that it belonged to her great, great, great grandmother and had been handed down from mother to daughter over many generations and she was so grateful to have it back, I was also offered a generous reward, much more than the monetary value of the ring, I declined the reward, the dinner along with story of the ring was a great reward in itself, not to mention the look on her face in having the ring returned to where it truly belonged!!!

Excellent story!

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Sorry I'm not there to help people with there lost stuff your lose my gain. Don't care if the ring is worth 6k or 10 bucks. It goes in my pocket.
 

I always check the lost and found ads in the local papers, Craig's list, etc. no matter what the value of a find is I think about if it would seem that the person that lost it would be heartbroken or financial stressed over losing the item, sometime an item may not have a great monetary value but will have a tremendous sentimental value, such was the case of a silver ring I found and I put the word out that if anyone lost a ring in the area it was found to call me, I could tell the ring had been recently lost and not there very long at all, a lady indeed lost the ring and was very distraught over it's lost, she called me and described the ring exactly, I met the lady and her husband at a restaurant where they both me dinner and the ring was returned to her, the story behind the ring is that it belonged to her great, great, great grandmother and had been handed down from mother to daughter over many generations and she was so grateful to have it back, I was also offered a generous reward, much more than the monetary value of the ring, I declined the reward, the dinner along with story of the ring was a great reward in itself, not to mention the look on her face in having the ring returned to where it truly belonged!!!
I do the same with every one I find. Just because you may think it's of no particular value doesn't mean it has no value to the one who lost it. Return something of sentimental value can be more rewarding than any monetary value you may receive.
 

Sorry I'm not there to help people with there lost stuff your lose my gain. Don't care if the ring is worth 6k or 10 bucks. It goes in my pocket.
Hopefully you'll never end up in an emergency room. You'll probably end up declared dead since they would not likely find any pulse.
 

Hopefully you'll never end up in an emergency room. You'll probably end up declared dead since they would not likely find any pulse.

Nope got a great pulse. Not my problem if you dont like how I do things.
 

Nope got a great pulse. Not my problem if you dont like how I do things.


It's none of mine or anyone else's business how you do things, I just hope you never lose anything of great value to you that is never recovered or returned.

I have been there, so I know how it feels to lose and never recover, that is why I do things the way I do, or it maybe just the way I have always been.
 

Bickering from the peanut gallery aside... When ever you feel you have done "enough" to try to find and contact an owner then you are good to sell it.

Many people here have spent a LARGE amount of personal time and energy tracking down owners and returning rings to people who were completely unappreciative and vowed to never waste their time again.

Many have spent their time and effort to return rings to people who could not possible be more grateful.

These are the reasons why you will get many different answers. If make an attempt to return something, then good for you. If you don't make the attempt, then enjoy your find! I make no judgments.
 

It's none of mine or anyone else's business how you do things, I just hope you never lose anything of great value to you that is never recovered or returned.

I have been there, so I know how it feels to lose and never recover, that is why I do things the way I do, or it maybe just the way I have always been.

If its that important then u shoulda been more careful with it.
 

Ring? What ring???
 

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If its that important then u shoulda been more careful with it.

It hard to be careful with something that was stolen when someone broke into your house.
 

If it's a school ring I check with the school. That usually get's them returned. Any other ring on the beach is probably a million to one shot of finding the owner, so I take it to my local gold/Jewelry dealer and sell it. He records my name for jewelry sales only, Gold and silver coins are legal tender and thus no record of them is kept. Frank... golded bird.webp
 

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