A blip on the detector radar could yield something as valuable as a rare coin or an item as common as a soda can tab, says Burt Hurdle, of Victoria, who started metal detecting two years ago.

Hurdle, who moved to Victoria from Chester, said the town’s age can yield some interesting items.

“The town is very old, so you never know what you can find,” Hurdle said.

Hurdle didn’t know he would recently uncover a lost item and a rich story behind it.

Before his discovery, he had been metal detecting at the site of the old Victoria High School on July 26 when he dug up a ring.

Hurdle discovered that the ring had belonged to the daughter of his wife Ruth’s coworker. It was a class ring from the 2010. The coworker’s daughter graduated from Central High School.

Hurdle said particularly if he finds personal items, like rings, he works to locate the owner.

“If I am going to find a ring, I’m definitely going to locate the owner,” Hurdle said. “That’s one thing you try to do in metal detecting. You try to find the owner — you don’t keep that.”

Hurdle said he has received permission from several land owners to go into fields and other properties. He said he waits until the fall to go into the woods to avoid potential threats, such as poison ivy and snakes.

Hurdle said he uses a Garrett AT Pro metal detector, which he purchased online. He said he has gotten a lot of tips from online videos centered on metal detecting.

Among other treasures, Hurdle said he has found a lot of modern coins. He said the oldest he has found was an old quarter and a generic, gold-plated Marine Corps ring.

“Sometimes (the indicator) could say it could be a ring or it could be a pull tab,” Hurdle said. “You have to go with how it sounds. …”

Hurdle compares the hobby to fishing.

“Some days you will have your good days, and some days you won’t. It’s given me a lot of patience just to be out there metal detecting. It’s quiet. It’s fun for me.”