John Wyckoff often stumbles upon lost items at his White Township tree farm -- usually things like gloves, sunglasses, keys, and children's toys. But one morning in April, he found something he'd never before encountered.
As another worker drove a tractor across a field on the 65-acre farm, Wyckoff rode in the back sticking trees into the ground. But as they passed one spot, something caught Wyckoff's eye. He called for his employee to stop the tractor.
"I just caught a glimpse of something," he said. "I wasn't sure what it was."
He reached down, took a handful of soil and sifted through it.
"Lo and behold, it was a wedding band," he said.
Now, Wyckoff is hoping to find the ring's owner before Christmas. The ring has a distinctive pattern on the outside and an inscription on the inside, revealing the wedding date and that the ring was given to a husband by his wife.
"To David. Love, Nancy," it reads. But Wyckoff is withholding the wedding date to guard against any deception. He said he plans to request a wedding certificate to prove the authenticity of any claims.
"I'm not just going to give it to anybody," Wyckoff said.
Wyckoff regularly gets calls about lost items that have tumbled out of pockets or slipped from children's fingers into his soil. About once a year, a wedding ring will come up -- customers will often remove their bands before starting to saw. But on the vast property the chances that he'll find something specific -- especially the size of ring -- are diminutive.
With his rare luck, Wyckoff wanted to reunite his find with its owner. But the farm keeps him busy, and he wasn't sure how to get the word out. The ring, cleaned off, has remained on his window sill for the last several months waiting for a call.
So if you happen to know a David married to a Nancy, who has visited Wyckoff's Christmas Tree Farm, get in touch. Send any information to trees@wyckoffs.com.
Andrew Doerfler may be reached at adoerfler@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @adoerfler or on Facebook.