NoThisIsPatrick
Full Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2015
- Messages
- 136
- Reaction score
- 631
- Golden Thread
- 1
- Location
- Washington
- 🥇 Banner finds
- 1
- Detector(s) used
- Minelab Equinox 800
- Primary Interest:
- Metal Detecting
I've told my close detecting buddies this story but figured I would make a TNet post for this one.
Last November, I was out at a local beach doing a night hunt. There have been a couple cool finds there, but nothing too much to write home about. It was a low tide night hunt and I was swinging in an area I've hit a dozen times when I came across a 10/11 signal on the Nox. Fairly clean, and around there you dig all clean signals.
Low and behold, I pulled some GOLD (apologies for the Dr. Seuss rhyme).
To be exact, it was a 1964 10kt Class Ring from St. Raphael's Academy in Pawtucket, RI. How the heck did it end up in Seattle? The only identifying marks on it were the initials "PEB"
I cleaned it up, did some research, and last December, reached out to St. Raphael's Academy's alumni department. The folks there were intrigued by my find, and interested in doing some digging to find out who this ring belonged to.
I reached out again in February after not hearing from them, and learned that they had found the name of an alumni from 1964 who bore the initials PEB. They said they would reach out to some other alumni to inquire as to this PEB's current location and whether he was still alive.
I didn't hear from St. Raphael for months. I tried calling in May and June, but didn't get a response. I thought this was the end of the road.
Finally, in mid August, I received an email from the director of alumni. They had not only located PEB, but they physically went to his house and spoke with his wife. They provided her with my email address and told her to reach out to me.
Once again, I thought this may be the end of the road. Who knows if PEB even wants his ring back?
Yesterday, I got an email from an individual identifying himself as the PEB's brother. He was absolutely blown away that the ring had been found, as he "borrowed" it from his brother in 1979 for his west coast travels and had lost it. I connected with him and listened to his story.
Apparently, he had borrowed his brother's class ring and moved out to Seattle to work locally, and was here for the Sonics championship in 1979. That summer, he was playing with some buddies on the beach and wrestling, and one of his buddies grabbed his hand. The ring hurt him, so he removed it and placed it on a rock. Then, he forgot about it until the tide had already moved in. He was able to identify the exact location that I had found the ring.
According to the brother, PEB had bugged him for almost 50 years about losing his ring. But now, the ring has been found!
The brother lives in Israel, but is traveling back to the US in October/November to visit the family.
I will be coordinating with the school, as well as the family, to potentially make a trip from Seattle to Pawtucket and give the ring back to the brother so he can reconcile with PEB for misplacing his ring 47 years ago. Might make a GoFundMe or similar in case anyone would like to assist and be part of this journey.
These are the stories we dream about in this hobby. If you find something with personal identifiers, there is almost certainly a story behind it, and I can attest that the journey to reconnect with the owner of a lost item is even more of a thrill than finding the item in the first place.
Attached to this post is the original video of me finding the ring, as well as pictures of the ring cleaned up.
to be continued...
Last November, I was out at a local beach doing a night hunt. There have been a couple cool finds there, but nothing too much to write home about. It was a low tide night hunt and I was swinging in an area I've hit a dozen times when I came across a 10/11 signal on the Nox. Fairly clean, and around there you dig all clean signals.
Low and behold, I pulled some GOLD (apologies for the Dr. Seuss rhyme).
To be exact, it was a 1964 10kt Class Ring from St. Raphael's Academy in Pawtucket, RI. How the heck did it end up in Seattle? The only identifying marks on it were the initials "PEB"
I cleaned it up, did some research, and last December, reached out to St. Raphael's Academy's alumni department. The folks there were intrigued by my find, and interested in doing some digging to find out who this ring belonged to.
I reached out again in February after not hearing from them, and learned that they had found the name of an alumni from 1964 who bore the initials PEB. They said they would reach out to some other alumni to inquire as to this PEB's current location and whether he was still alive.
I didn't hear from St. Raphael for months. I tried calling in May and June, but didn't get a response. I thought this was the end of the road.
Finally, in mid August, I received an email from the director of alumni. They had not only located PEB, but they physically went to his house and spoke with his wife. They provided her with my email address and told her to reach out to me.
Once again, I thought this may be the end of the road. Who knows if PEB even wants his ring back?
Yesterday, I got an email from an individual identifying himself as the PEB's brother. He was absolutely blown away that the ring had been found, as he "borrowed" it from his brother in 1979 for his west coast travels and had lost it. I connected with him and listened to his story.
Apparently, he had borrowed his brother's class ring and moved out to Seattle to work locally, and was here for the Sonics championship in 1979. That summer, he was playing with some buddies on the beach and wrestling, and one of his buddies grabbed his hand. The ring hurt him, so he removed it and placed it on a rock. Then, he forgot about it until the tide had already moved in. He was able to identify the exact location that I had found the ring.
According to the brother, PEB had bugged him for almost 50 years about losing his ring. But now, the ring has been found!
The brother lives in Israel, but is traveling back to the US in October/November to visit the family.
I will be coordinating with the school, as well as the family, to potentially make a trip from Seattle to Pawtucket and give the ring back to the brother so he can reconcile with PEB for misplacing his ring 47 years ago. Might make a GoFundMe or similar in case anyone would like to assist and be part of this journey.
These are the stories we dream about in this hobby. If you find something with personal identifiers, there is almost certainly a story behind it, and I can attest that the journey to reconnect with the owner of a lost item is even more of a thrill than finding the item in the first place.
Attached to this post is the original video of me finding the ring, as well as pictures of the ring cleaned up.
to be continued...
Attachments
Upvote
16
