Great Sacandaga Lake from an overlook, Paul Wieland, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Two detectorists found a 1988 high school class ring under a rock on the shore of Great Sacandaga Lake, 28 years after it was lost, and tracked down its owner through her old school.
In 1998, Kim Rasbeck, who graduated from Red Creek High School in New York State in 1988, lost her class ring on a trip with friends to Great Sacandaga Lake, about three hours' drive from Red Creek.
Twenty-eight years later, in the summer of 2026, two metal-detecting enthusiasts, Michael Siegle and Dylan LaPort, found it under a rock on the lake shore. American class rings are made to order, and this one carried plenty of clues: the school, the year, the nickname "Razz" on the side and the initials "KAR" inside.
On 20 August, Mr LaPort posted about the ring on Facebook, asking people to share it. He also rang Red Creek High School. The secretary was wary at first, but once he described the ring, she was happy to help: she had been in the year above Ms Rasbeck, and it was a small school. She knew at once whose it was.
Ms Rasbeck offered to pay whatever it cost to post the ring back to her. The pair refused, saying they just wanted her to have it, and mailed it to her for free. She said she had never expected to see it again, and that people going to such lengths restored her faith in humanity. Mr Siegle said that is simply what they do: find rings, give them back, and treat anything else as a bonus.
Reported by People (6 September 2026), from CBS6 Albany. Written for Global Finds from that report. Photo: Great Sacandaga Lake from an overlook, Paul Wieland, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Those four are for England and Wales, where the Portable Antiquities Scheme records finds and the Treasure Act decides what must be reported.
Scotland runs its own system, and every find is reportable there — not only treasure. Treasure Trove Unit ›
The Republic of Ireland is different again, and severely so. Searching for archaeological objects without the Minister’s written consent is a criminal offence carrying fines or imprisonment, and the definition is broad enough to cover coins, buttons and buckles of almost any age. Do not assume British rules travel with you. The law, from the National Museum ›
Northern Ireland is stricter still. The Treasure Act applies and finds go to National Museums NI within fourteen days, but any searching that involves digging — metal detecting expressly included — needs a licence, and licences are only granted for archaeological projects. National Museums NI ›
This site covers discoveries from all over the world, and so does the variation in the law — from a recording scheme that thanks you, to a criminal offence. Wherever you are searching, find out what applies there before you go, not after.
