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:shrug: I have several class rings that were foolishly lost by someone years ago. Should I return them!!?? :shrug:

C

Cupajo

Active member
I have returned more rings in my years of metal detecting than anyone I know and I been thinkin about the "returning rings thing" and am trying to decide how long a piece of jewelry needs to be lost and out of the owners life forever for me to consider it mine!!!!

I have a class ring from1972 and another from 1973, lost for 40 and 39 years respectively and wonder if my financial needs should superceed the moral obligation to return the ring to the person foolish to lose it in the first place and who likely considers it lost forever anyway!!

One inclination I have is to keep my finds to myself and only return one if the person comes to me in an honest effort to recover their ring.

I do feel more strongly about returning wedding rings that are clearly marked!

Only one or two rings I have returned didn't bring me as much pleasure as I have had in returning the rest.

One of those has never been acknowledged to this day several years later.

The other brought the wedding band looser and me joy, but never culminated in the dinner promissed by the rings delighted recipient after I took time off and traveled a half hour to find the ring, which took more time and return it.

Seems like a good thread to start...........

CJ
 
If you find them they are yours. Having said this I always make an attempt to locate the owner of class rings. I enjoy the "hunt" and have found the owners are thrilled to be reunited with their ring. But if I cannot locate them I feel good about scrapping it. Just my 2cents!!
 
I guess there are alot of considerations here..Time gone by and battery money are a couple..I still have every ring,chain,etc....that i found from day one,ex GF took a few things(she did give me my first detector)but i never have wanted to sell anything yet,I'm still a hoarder with my finds.....I have a number of inscribed bands that would be easy to return to the owner since i have that personal info,but your limited to their listing it in the paper or CL,which i do check often.The class ring i just found has been an adventure in people finders and other attempts to locate the girl,but i hit walls every time....still i will most likely hold on to it along with the rest,.after seven years i still look at my collection and think "what a great hobby"....I got 2 returns so far,its a great feeling knowing that you made that person so happy...but they came to me and they were fresh drops...I would really like to return a ring that i have found,that has been lost for years,just to know the time it spent lost......after so many years it is forgotten about,and what ever effort you make to return it is more than they will ever know.. if it ends up remaining in your possession...HH GL
 
i guess i'm lucky in that the class rings i have found have not had any names or markings to find the owners so i get to keep them,if i find one i'll try to return it,if i find the owner it will be returned,and if i can't it will go in the gold pile(as small as it is)after about 3 months i would say keep it its yours to do as you want becouse you found it and put in the time and work it adds up to about 3.00 an hour and that not even min. wage
 
If the ring or piece of jewelry has enough information on it to allow you to search for the owner or post a lost item report on a web page, then you should do that. If there is a cost involved in returning an item, the person returning it should feel free to ask the recipient to cover his or her costs. If they do not want to cover the costs, then the item is yours to keep. I also put a time limit on how long I will hold on to something before I scrap it or sell it. If I've done my due diligence and held on to it long enough for someone to claim it and no one comes forward, then it's mine to do with what I want.
 
If I know the person who lost the ring or if someone asks me to find a ring for them, then yes, I will return it. But....I sure didn't spend $1000 for a water machine to find a gold ring and then return it, some may not agree with me and that is there right, but I don't care what anyone thinks. My $.02 worth.......I still have a girls 1966 class ring that I never got any info from the school, they completely ignored my letters and phone calls, I won't contact them anymore. I won't sell that ring because I am also from the class of 1966, just a different school.. HH
 
I used to be really dedicated to trying to find the owners but slowly changed my view on this. The last few times I tried I couldn't locate the owner in a phone book or anything so called the school the ring was from. The schools were less than enthusiastic about helping me. I wasn't asking them for any personal information on the student, just that I had found a ring with the date and their name and could they please try to contact them and have them contact me. The schools didn't want to be bothered with it. Then I finally located one of the students and they seemed excited but never got back to me. This was several years ago when I was hunting a lot. I have since quit metal detecting but thinking about starting back just because I miss the walks on the beach. Now I feel that my equipment is expensive, gas is expensive and time is time so if you lose it and I find it it's mine. But, if you find a college ring and it has the fraternity on it they will contact the student right away. Only way I will bother from now on. Waste of time contacting a school.
 
I found a White Gold wedding ring w 6 large diamonds walking into a Wal-mart a few months back I turned it in at customer service telling myself it was the right thing to do. I went back to check on it several times, i was told no one turned in a ring! Let your conscience be your guide.

Mudslinger
 
class rings are returnable and i would make the effort to do so. i lost mine 30 years ago and would love to have it back!!!!
 
mudslingers8 said:
I found a White Gold wedding ring w 6 large diamonds walking into a Wal-mart a few months back I turned it in at customer service telling myself it was the right thing to do. I went back to check on it several times, i was told no one turned in a ring! Let your conscience be your guide.

Mudslinger
Click to expand...

oh no!!! i would never do that! if its going to get returned i will do it and not trust someone else to!
 
If I am asked to help someone find something, I will do all I can to help them, whether or not they reward me, that is up to them. My last experience of returning a ring that had been lost some time ago was less than good, and I was left with the feeling that I was sorry I had made the phone call. They were happy enough to take the ring, but the attitude towards me left me with a sour taste in my mouth. That leaves me with the feeling that I am not so enthusiastic to go chasing after people. I have handed in a lot of stuff to police stations (who hold if for about 3 months for someone to claim), but nearly all of it has been returned to me, so now, if I reckon the article has ben in the ground for more than 10 years, I dont bother handing it in. (The police here have system for returning lost property if it is handed in). Most stuff I find in the ocean I dont bother handing in, because the former owners just dont bother reporting it lost. That's my experience anyway. HH
 
Personally, I look at returning initialed lost rings and jewelry the same way I look at returning a lost wallet. I would not feel right about keeping a wallet, nor would I feel right about keeping a ring when I can locate the owner. That being said, I can understand the argument in cashing in the gold and would never fault another detectorist for doing so.


I returned a gold class ring this past Winter (Lost in 1967) and while the $240 in scrap would have been nice, I would have spent it a long time ago and the only thing I would have to show for it would be my guilty conscience. . :lol: Now I have the thank you card from the owner and no regrets about spending the small reward that he gave me.
 
I lost my classring in 69 and I wish all the time that someone would find it and return it to me. I would be so happy. A class ring is such a personal item sort of like a wedding band. That's what I have to say on the subject.
 
:)You can't discount the value of "doing the right thing"!!:thumbup:

Just what the right thing is must be decided on a case by case basis.:shrug:

#45 contacted me, described the ring in the smallest detail and showed the upmost respect and gratitude for me and my efforts on his part. (A $25.00 contribution toward new batteries was gratefully accepted!

The longest period one of my returned rings was lost was 40 years! (I had been asked by a friend to watch for it among my finds and a year or so later I found it which resulted in heart-felt gratitude and a nice article in the Hartford Courant!)

Of the 45 rings only 2 were less than satisfying experiences, but in dealing with humanity 2 out of 45 ain't bad!!!

I would do it again in a heart beat, but each of those returned rings had a story attached and I only wish I had recorded them all.

A video of #45 would have gone viral with the emotional response the family exhibited.

Regards to you all,

CJ
 
The gold wedding bands I find I generally try to return as they are sentimental to all. The class rings that are real old 70's etc I junk the 90's I try to return. Most wedding bands was to be paid a fee for finding but I have yet to be paid by a looser yet. Been detecting 42 yrs and found a bunch of rings but a wedding ring I just cant keep without trying to find the looser. shortribs
 
Here is my take on the situation.....all morality aside CJ. If I'm asked to help find a lost item, or specifically paid to go on a recovery, I'm GOOD with giving it back.

If I find a worthless class ring, ie stainless, even silver I ALWAYS attempt to call the school and find the person. One recently(the father)gave me $50 and I accepted it, why not?......They would have never seen it again if I didn't take my time to make the effort.

In regard to gold, sorry dude it's gone! I couldn't give a rip if George Washington's name is on the thing, it is going to the refinery. WHY would I EVER consider handing over $400-$500+ to someone for a gold class ring?

Let me break it down fer ye, to settle your morality breakdown. Lets just say for example they had insured the ring(a good example was Max's class ring he returned). Do you think for even a MINUTE that the loser would contact the insurance company and turn it back into them? I mean after all, it belongs to the insurance company, right?

Where gold is concerned, hunt it, keep it and don't tell about it. What can I say? I'm a pirate!
 
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