An American man has told of his shock after a ring he lost 56 years ago was found by a metal detectorist on a beach in Scotland. Bruce Walker, 76, had not seen the gold ring which he received for graduating from high school since lending it to a friend in Dallas, Texas, in 1968.
However it was discovered more than 4,500 miles away by amateur treasure hunter Andrew Craft when he was searching for Viking gold on the beach in Kirkcaldy. The graduation ring is marked Nacogdoches High School, with 1966 inscribed on it along with the initials RBW.
Andrew emailed the high school’s alumni association who then put him in touch with Bruce, whose full name is Robert Bruce Walker. By chance the retired television executive visited Scotland during a cruise in September with his wife Kathryn and he was reunited with the ring when the ship berthed in Greenock.
It is not known how the ring came to be in Scotland although one theory is it may have been dropped in the sea in the US and made its way across the Atlantic Ocean.
Bruce, of Beaumont, Texas, said: “I received a call from one of my high school senior year classmates and she asked, ‘Bruce, do you know where your high school class ring is?’
“She told me that she had received a call from the Nacogdoches High School Alumni Association asking her if she might know who had lost a 1966 graduation ring with the initials RBW inscribed inside the ring. I told her that I hadn’t seen it since 1968 and didn’t anticipate seeing it again.
“I ‘loaned’ the ring to someone while attending my brother’s champagne wedding reception in Dallas. She was a bridesmaid and I never got it back. I called the school and they told me that I should contact someone in Scotland.
“I was surprised to learn that it had been found in the shoreline by a metal detectorist in Fife. One of our favourite series on Netflix is Detectorists with Mackenzie Crook.
“My wife thinks that it’s hysterical that a detectorist found the ring. I can’t imagine how it got to Scotland but I’m going to try to find out more about its chain of custody.”
Bruce contacted Andrew by email and he sent the ring to the port agent at Greenock in time for the cruise ship docking there. A Champagne reception was held on the ship for the moment Bruce was reunited with the ring as passengers and crew had been captivated by the extraordinary find.
He added: “My wife points out that it is interesting that Champagne was involved when I lost the ring and when I reunited with the ring during a Champagne reception on the Atlas World Voyager cruise ship 56 years later.
“There were around 130 passengers on the ship and by the time we reached Scotland so many people on the ship had heard about the lost ring from others, spreading the word that I was hoping to receive a package with the ring. The cruise director asked me to open the package at a reception so everyone could watch as the package was opened.”
Bruce said he has now given the ring to his wife for safekeeping.
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