Lost Item Recovery
Ask for my help now!
If you’re currently in the location where you lost your item – stay there if you can, take photos of the area, and/or leave a visual marker of the suspected loss area – even if it’s a just a stick in the sand. Call or text me at (415) 968-9752 and I’ll see if I can come help right away or recommend another detectorist if I’m not available. Leave a voicemail if there is no answer. Then when you have a chance, fill out the form below as a record of your item.
If you lost your item some time ago, we will schedule a time to attempt recovery. Unfortunately, the longer it has been since the loss, the lower the chances are for finding it. Fill out the form below as a record of your item, and call or text me at (415) 968-9752 to schedule a time to search. Leave a voicemail if there is no answer right away.
The Basics:
I detect as a volunteer and do not have any standard fees for attempting a search for a lost item within Marin County or a reasonable distance. You also have no obligation to provide a reward. If there are circumstances that make the journey and/or search difficult or costly for me, we can discuss that in advance. Sometimes items are damaged when they are lost. During the search, I will do my best to protect your item so that no further damage occurs.
Tips:
- Triple check in all reasonable places your item may be – pockets, under car seats, trash cans, bags, and even the refrigerator. Items can end up in strange places!
- If your item is valuable (over $100 in value) report the loss to the nearest/local police station and to any parks department or grounds crews, etc.
- Check for posts on sites like Nextdoor, Craigslist, and Lost & Found pages on Facebook. Someone may have found your item and trying to find the owner.
- Do not post about your lost item on websites with details about where it was lost. Unfortunately, not everyone is honest and may try to find your item without returning it. One sign of trustworthiness is a metal detectorist who is a member of the service TheRingFinders.com
- Metal detectors have their limits – when we discuss your situation, I’ll give you an idea of the likelihood of success.
Continue reading below to learn more about how lost item recovery works.
Lost Item Recovery: How does it work?
I help people find lost items of many kinds!
Around age 10 I started as a hobbyist, and I now have many years of experience using my metal detector in different types of terrain. I have recovered lost items in Chicago, Miami, and San Francisco.
This is a happy client after I located her missing sapphire earring.
If you’re in the San Francisco bay area, I can probably help you pretty quickly! Reach out using my contact form and let me know where and when you lost the item and I’ll see if I can help.
How does it work?
We start with a conversation. I will ask you to recreate the scene and provide details about how you lost the item. I’ll want to know when you noticed it was missing, and about where you think it could be. The narrower we can get the search area, the more likely it will be to find!
A metal detector transmits an electromagnetic field from the round or oval-shaped coil into the ground. Any metal objects (we call them targets) within the field retransmit an electromagnetic field of their own. The detector’s coil receives the retransmitted field and alerts the detectorist by producing a response like a sound and/or information on a screen. The more I know about your item – metal composition, size, shape – the easier I can narrow my search to your lost item.
What is RingFinders?
RingFinders is an international directory of metal detectorists (like me)! The goal of the RingFinders service is to “help people find their lost jewelry at beaches, parks, lakes and yards all around the world.” It doesn’t have to be a ring, but when you really need to find it, there are independent metal detectorists like me that can help you.