Ed Casterline felt his class ring slip off his finger as he shot hoops outside his family’s Exeter home four decades ago.
The ring bounced off the concrete. The family searched for days, but no one could find the 1985 Seton Catholic High School ring.
A group of men from Lackawanna County gathered this week — ready to resume the search.
The friends stood near the faded basketball hoop, its net long-gone. They glided their metal detectors over the grass near the driveway. Each beep brought promise and hope for what could be buried underneath.
Lee Houser, of Ransom Twp., Lackawanna County, started detecting more than 25 years ago. He would often volunteer to find lost items for people, at no cost, and posted his recovery missions on Facebook.
Group connected on social media
Kevin Klatt, of Dunmore, and Brian Condel, of Scranton, began to join Houser. Together, they formed NEPA Ring Rescue — turning a hobby into a service for those searching for sentimental items they’ve lost, such as rings, pendants and other jewelry. Victor Rosa, of Fleetville, recently joined the group, too. The group’s Facebook page has more than 2,100 members from throughout Northeast Pennsylvania.
“We love doing it,” Houser said. “It's amazing when you can give something that was lost for 20 years, or even a couple days, back to the owner. It's such a good feeling. They have tears in their eyes and some are just filled with joy.”
Casterline’s girlfriend, Kim Dulney, saw the group on Facebook and reached out. Casterline’s parents have died, and the family home will soon go up for sale. If there’s a chance to find the ring — gold with black onyx — this may be it.
Searching for relics
The metal-detecting hobbyists — also known as detectorists — enjoy searching for relics. With the permission of property owners, the men have found old coins, medals and buttons. Finding lost items brings added meaning to the hobby — and a challenge.
“We don't charge anything. We kind of feel it’s bad karma for us to accept money. People let us detect on their properties, older properties, so it's a way for us to give back to the community to help find stuff that they lost,” Klatt said. “It does make us feel good. And it's a good feeling for the people that we find it for.”
Giving back to NEPA
Along the driveway in Luzerne County, sweat dripped from the men’s faces. The humidity made it feel like triple digits. The men paid attention to the range, signal and pitches from their metal detectors.
They used small shovels to dig into the ground, suspecting the ring could be buried 6 to 8 inches after 40 years. They found old keys, coins and soda can tabs. An old nut brought great promise and disappointment.
Dark clouds provided relief from the scorching heat. Drenching rain soon followed, leading to a pause in the search. NEPA Ring Rescue plans to return to Exeter soon — so they can hopefully return the ring to Casterline.
“You're taking a hobby that we enjoy doing, and we would do it any day of the week, and adding into that you're finding something for somebody that they never thought they'd see ever again,” Condel said. “Their faces light up when you hand that object back over to them and say, ‘Here it is.’”
