A Maine beachcomber’s mission to reunite proprietor with priceless heirloom spans years
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — Scores of random folks have requested Steve Dayton the very same query for years: What are you searching for?
That’s once they see Dayton scan the bottom along with his steel detector.
Just like the inevitable query, Dayton’s reply is at all times the identical, too.
“Gold,” he tells them, stating what he thinks is clear. “What else do you suppose I’m searching for?”
His dream is to discover a fats, gold chain with an infinite gold ring hanging off it.
However in a decade of scanning dilapidated Maine homestead websites, shallow lake waters, athletic fields and miles of sandy seashores, Dayton has but to attain something worthwhile sufficient to fund his retirement. As a substitute, he’s had a ball, having fun with the joys of the chase and the glory of discovering fascinating, outdated stuff.
A couple of of Dayton’s extra attention-grabbing finds embody a sword, classic artwork deco earrings, cash minted greater than a century in the past, dozens of wedding ceremony rings and a single heart-shaped, silver locket he’s fairly positive incorporates human ashes.
“I actually don’t suppose it was one thing that any individual simply threw out to the ocean,” he stated. “It has a bit door on prime that you just screw off. It’s bought ashes inside. It’s a hole coronary heart.”
Engraved with the phrase, “at all times in my coronary heart,” Dayton discovered the locket three years in the past below the Previous Orchard Seashore pier. He’s nonetheless looking for its proprietor with periodic social media postings about it.
Previous Orchard Seashore is a particular place for Dayton, who hails from Auburn. As a baby, his household vacationed for every week there yearly across the 4th of July. Now that each one his personal youngsters are grown up, Dayton spends virtually all his sunny trip and weekend days on the seaside there.
“This summer season, I used to be down right here at the least 15 days,” Dayton stated on Monday, as he roamed the seaside whereas the tide went out.
With lengthy darkish hair, a suntan and wraparound shades, Dayton, whose pals name him Slash, resembles an getting old Nineteen Eighties rock star with a steel detector strapped to his proper arm.
He stated one of the best place to seek out treasure on the seaside is beneath the moist sand at low tide.
“See all these folks on the market,” Dayton stated, pointing to sundown swimmers frolicking within the ebbing surf, “Their fingers are getting all chilly and wrinkly and their rings are falling off. They’re shedding bracelets and earrings, too.”
Dayton was additionally ready for low tide on August 29, 2020 when he discovered the heart-shaped locket. At its lowest, he searched below the far finish of the seaside’s well-known pier. Dayton’s steel detector works underwater. Whereas sloshing via two-feet of sea water that day, the machine despatched a sequence of audible blips to Dayton’s ears through a set of headphones.
Then, utilizing a scoop on the top of a pole he carries in his different hand, Dayton dug into the submerged sand and got here up with the locket.
Together with it, connected to the identical chain, was a form of steel attraction, formed like a puzzle piece, with the phrases, “Dad’s champ,” engraved on it. Dayton then stashed them each in a pouch round his waist.
It wasn’t till later, sitting in his automotive, that Dayton realized the locket opened. Pouring ashes into his hand, he feared he could have made a mistake.
“I assumed, oh man, possibly I ought to go throw it again,” Dayton stated.
However he didn’t.
As a substitute, he did what he at all times does when discovering one thing he thinks is significant, like a marriage or class ring with identifiable marks or engravings. He posted about it on Fb and on his YouTube channel. It’s a way that’s helped him reunite people with their valuables up to now.
However no one has been capable of finding the locket’s proprietor but, regardless that Dayton retains periodically posting about it.
“Please share, I’m positive any individual is heartbroken for shedding this,” Dayton wrote in a single Fb publish with virtually 600 shares.
The identical summer season he discovered the locket, he discovered a pink-stoned class ring with a primary identify, a faculty identify and the phrase “honors” engraved on the band. After posting about it, Dayton’s social media followers leapt into motion. A couple of days later their web sleuthing discovered the proprietor.
“I’m glad folks on the Web discovered you as a result of I’d like to return it,” he wrote to the proprietor when she contacted him. “I discover lots of of rings.”
Dayton plans to maintain looking for the locket’s proprietor in addition to his personal massive time gold rating.
“It retains me busy. It retains me open air,” he stated, “And it’s lots higher than sitting round the home.”
