Should I Try to Return this Ring - AGAIN?

[dan]

How far should a treasure hunter go to return lost property?

In this podcast (internet radio show you can listen to anytime on your computer), I tell the story of how I found a class ring and located the now-distant owner. And then, because the owner never got back with me to make arrangements to receive the ring, I lost the owner.

What, if anything, should I do now?

Listen to the story and then tell me what you think.

Click the pink button on the podcast page:

http://thetreasurecorner.com

After you've listened to the story, please hit the COMMENTS link on the podcast page and post your thoughts there. Your advice will help me decide.

Thank you!

[Siggi Palma]

Hey Dan I understand your delema. I think because you are wondering if you should try to contact them again you should. Not for the owner but for you You did your very best to give this back to its owner but maby there is a story behind why you didnt get that call.

Always love listening to your show, Learned alto form them.

Siggi

[ohiochris]

What are you gonna do, stalk him down and force him to take it ? Its only a ring , long lost and probably replaced by now. Dont feel bad about keeping it.

[Wildcat1750 (nyjrbethelct)]

I myself found a high school ring from the 1960s and contacted the school like you did in the mid 1980s. I was even given a name and out of state phone number. After contacting the individual she said it was not hers and hung up.

This year I tried again after getting those same renewed pangs of moral obligation that you experienced. I obtained a yearbook and confirmed the name of the individual, and determined her married name from the alumni association roster. I contacted the president of the alumni association who promised to post that a woman’s ring from that class year was found in the monthly alumni e-newsletter the coming month…he didn’t. At this point I have decided not to waste anymore of my time on this project. I will still hold on to the ring in case anyone contacts me in the future but that’s about it.

I think that you did the best that you could in good faith. Now you should continue to use that ring as a classroom demo, not only for a lesson on pulltabs vs. gold, but also to open up a debate on how hard we should try and return things.

I enjoy the podcasts. Keep them coming!

[tungsten]

Maybe they did not lose the ring maybe they tried to get rid of it Who knows it could have brought back bad memories to them. If I had lost my ring many years ago and thought I would never see it again and then out of the blue you get a phone call and they say that they found it, wouldn't you want it back you tried and that all that matters that you did the right thing I think you should be happy with that.

[Howey01]

Dan you have done all you can so keep it and use it. Howard

[z118]

Originally Posted by ohiochris

What are you gonna do, stalk him down and force him to take it ? Its only a ring , long lost and probably replaced by now. Dont feel bad about keeping it.

I agree!

[maxwell]

Perhaps the father never got a message to the daughter?

[Stang1968]

Some people lose their class rings on purpose...

[z118]

Originally Posted by Stang1968

Some people lose their class rings on purpose...

I threw my high school senior yearbook out on purpose...

[dan]

Originally Posted by z118

I threw my high school senior yearbook out on purpose...

I'm not surprised....I saw your photo....

[z118]

Originally Posted by dan

I'm not surprised....I saw your photo....

Zing!

[Perry]

LOL That's gotta hurt!

[BillZ]

I found a 52, class ring and just dealing with the school has been nothing but a hassle. Nobody had any interest in helping me find the owner.
I couldn't even find anyone that had even a clue of what to do. I had to suggest to them that maybe talking to the librarian would be a good start. The librarian, however, will not return my calls.

[dan]

I can't understand why school personnel wouldn't get excited about helping an alumnus recover their class ring. If it were THEIR ring, you know they'd be jumping all over the place.

Is it just that nice people are so hard to find nowadays?

[Cutthroat]

Screw it, I would not have the patience to bother. Just throw it up on eBay and let the highest bidder get it. If you know the owners email, send them a link to the auction and be done with it.

[gasishigh]

Listened to the podcast. Maybe try one more time and talk to the girl if you can, not the dad. There are many scenarios why you were never contacted. If no luck scrap it while gold is high and move on.