I had only just purchased my X-TERRA 705 about a month ago because I wanted a detector with an ID and tones, when I got permission to hunt an old church in Orange County, NC. I had been hunting for about an hour or two without much luck except for a few clad coins and was thinking of calling it a day when I got a clean hit with an ID number that I hadn't encountered before-- in the 20's if I remember correctly. I took my trowel and dug down a few inches and immediately knew I had found something worthwhile. It is not every day you see shiny gold staring you in the face from below ground. I could see it was a large class ring and could read the lettering that said Orange County High School 1965 (Fig. 1).
When I got it home, I could read the interior inscription which had the initials CWD. I called the High School, but they were not much help, so I searched the internet trying to find a list of graduates from that year at Orange High, again without much luck. However, I did find an alumni organization from the high school, and the person I contacted had the old year books.She looked up the initials and told me the person's name. I again used the internet, and found that he still lived in the county. Upon contacting him, he was quite stunned. He said he lost it the summer after graduation and right before he entered the military. As a teenage boy, it didn't mean much at the time when he lost it and didn't remember how or where he lost it. I asked him if it was okay if I showed it to my metal detecting club before I gave it to him, and he readily agree.
He invited me to his house where I met his wife and grandchild, and he was beaming with joy when I presented him with the ring (fig. 2) and he tried it on (Fig. 3). He told me that most people would not have returned the ring. That was all the thanks I needed, and it made my day and his. To date, that is one of the best finds I have made.
Andy - NC, USA.
