A couple of weeks ago I stopped at a thrift store to see if I could find an old clock or picture frame or something I could turn into a shadowbox to display some of my MD finds. I actually found a shadowbox and it had a display still in it from a baby's birth in 1982. An infant jumper, footprint card, baby's photo, etc., and a card with mom's name, baby's name, nurse and doctor's name. I thought it odd that this ended up in a thrift shop and figured someone might want it back.
I had an investigator friend track the baby down and get a phone number. The"baby' was thrilled to find out I had these mementos - his mom had made the shadowbox and gave it to him years ago. A girlfriend got mad at him and threw out his stuff three years ago and that went with it. He thought it was gone forever. I'll get it to him soon.
How'd it get to the thrift store three years later? Who knows. But in a roundabout way metal detecting is able to find and return another item to its owner.