[News] Found Ravens Super Bowl Ring Up For Auction

[BR News]

The ring of receptionist Toni Lekas was found in the Chesapeake Bay. The rest of the story gets wackier.

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[raven410]

Uhhh, I'm sorry but that ring should have never been worn on a boat to begin with.

[Bob21043]

Yeah, what kind of dummy wears that ring out on the water, and then keeps it on while docking! Of course, she should have known better to let him wear it anyway, but.... Glad it has a happy ending for her.

[salamander]

Although it was a smart PR move, Smyth was far more gracious than I would have been giving that jerk an engagement ring. I would have told this dirtbag to take a hike and consider himself lucky that he wasn't arrested. Total lack of personal integrity to seek out this missing ring which he knew meant a lot to someone, then plan to profit from the opportunity rather than return it to the rightful owner. So much for those warm and fuzzy random acts of kindness or human decency.

Edited July 15, 2015 by salamander

[cobrajet]

That was a chump thing to do, knowing the ring was lost and going and searching for it to keep it for yourself. How do people lay their heads on their pillow at night to get a good night sleep? It was really cool of Smyth for resolving the situation in the manner they did.

[FloridalovesRavens]

Who are we to say when someone should wear their property? Glad she got it back.

[manofsteel]

Finders keepers, loser weepers. It was 9 months,, what the heck, people. Why u wearing it on a boat after all????!!!!!

[whobilly]

The sadder story is Jamal Lewis selling his SB Ring that was a gift. I'm guessing the millions he made went away.

[sami]

Jamal sunk his money he made into a business and that was right before the recession. He lost his business due to the recession. Not exactly his fault. If the man who found her ring would have given it back he might have gotten a decent sized reward. I guess he did get a free engagement ring.

[itsgametime.com]

Well, if that guy didn't go back there to recover the ring, even out of selfish reasons, she wouldn't have the original ring back and likely never would have. I'm not condoning what he did, but the end result is that she got it back. And I'm happy for her that she did.

[Grapple Raven]

That miscreants behavior for not returning what was rightfully not his was deplorable, reprehensible and he should be reminded that your reap what you sow.

 

Kudos to Smyth Jewelers for their admirable resolution to the situation.  Kudos to Ms. Lekas for her graciousness in refusing to publically name him as it speaks a lot to her character.

 

So glad Ms. Lekas' original ring finally found its way back home.  That is one pretty Super Bowl ring...but it would look so much better with a third Lombardi on it, now wouldn't it? lol

[Drew P]

Even wackier is the auction site is stating they are selling the original "lost" ring that is the same as the players received.

 

"Now fast-forward a bit as the hunt for buried treasure continued and the missing relic was eventually found! Having paid for Lekas' replacement ring, Travelers Insurance took possession of the original and then sold it to recoup their loss. Proudly presented here is that very Chesapeake Bay original, which appears no worse for wear and rates lovely Near Mint condition. Possibly the flashiest Super Bowl ring in history, the Jostens 10K-white-gold, size 10 ring weighs approximately 86.5 grams, measures approx. 1-1/2" wide and 1-1/2" tall, and boasts 243 round-cut diamonds. There is also purple amethyst, yellow gold and red enamel, as well as elaborate shank designs plus additional season information engraved inside the band. This is the exact same ring as the players received. The Travelers Insurance purchase receipt/LOA accompanies".

 

This article is claiming it is the replacement which she returned to Travelers that is up for auction:

 

"The replacement ring, which is not the same ring the players received, is up for auction and is made by Jostens. It features 10-karat white and yellow gold and has 243 round-cut diamonds".

[Rich McG]

Whatever happened to the boyfriend? Good ole Smyth, handled the situation like a Raven.

[20306cab]

At least Jamal wasn't dumb enough to wear his ring on a boat. As a matter of fact, Ms. Lekas is the only person I can think of, who lost a 30,000 dollar Super Bowl ring in the Chesapeake bay!

[roamingcharges]

Let me get this straight; so you guys would feel better if that ring remained at the bottom of the Chesapeake rather than this "thief" or "dirtbag" (whatever you choose to call him) dirtying himself to make a few bucks on a treasure hunt? Is it his job to find that ring for the insurance company? And the insurance company would have written off the payout in taxes... the lady got her ring replaced... In my opinion he deserves something for his effort. I'm not sure this guy is the younger brother of El Chapo as some of the commenters would like you to believe.

[Deep_Purple89]

I know I may be in the line of fire for ridicule, but I don't believe she handled the situation "like a Raven". Instead of name calling and being rude to someone who didn't follow the law, she should have been grateful that it even turned up. The team sacrificed itself that day of the superbowl and she treats it as if she deserves a replica. I say she should surrender her ring so that she learns a lesson.

[BmoreB]

This guy should be inducted into the "Ring of Shame" ... What a jerk.

[salamander]

Let me get this straight; so you guys would feel better if that ring remained at the bottom of the Chesapeake rather than this "thief" or "dirtbag" (whatever you choose to call him) dirtying himself to make a few bucks on a treasure hunt? Is it his job to find that ring for the insurance company? And the insurance company would have written off the payout in taxes... the lady got her ring replaced... In my opinion he deserves something for his effort. I'm not sure this guy is the younger brother of El Chapo as some of the commenters would like you to believe.

It would have been nice if the guy who found the ring received a reward for returning it to the owner. However, that's not what happened. The guy found the ring and he had no intention of giving it back to the owner but intended to keep it and profit from it. Since this was a newsworthy ring, this guy knew exactly who it belonged to and how upset she was. Perhaps he held on to it to have the publicity die down before he tried to sell it but he had 9 months for his conscience to kick in and rethink it that maybe he should return it to Toni. Certainly, within that 9 months, this guy had ample opportunity to research the law and find out that it was against the law for him to keep it and against the law for him to fail to come forward and inform her that he had the ring. Within that 9 months, either he knew he was breaking the law or should have known by then. At any time he could have looked inside the ring and found the name of the owner if he "forgot" and could have called the castle once he found out that he was breaking the law rather than keeping it anyway. Instead, this guy went to knowingly sell/trade a ring which did not belong to him. The fact that he turned white when Toni showed up says it all. So, I could see deserving or appreciating a reward if he returned it but even then, he still wouldn't be ENTITLED to a reward. Doing the right thing should be enough. I think he knew full well he was not legally entitled to keep the ring but tried to get away with it anyway. That's a dirtbag in my book.

Edited July 16, 2015 by salamander

[KidNme]

So the insurance company gets to make a bundle on it (I'm sure it will sell for more than the purchase price) and they guy who found it gets caught red handed trying to "Pawn it".

If he would have turned it in immediately, I could see him getting a nice reward but trying to pull a fast one only netted him a bad name. As it should be.

I guess the insurance company gets ripped off all the time so I guess them making a few buck on this one isn't so hard to take in the grand scheme of things.

[wolfkin77]

sorry, but finders keepers on this one.

[BmoreB]

Apparently the guy that tried to sell the ring read this article. How else would you explain the neg I got for my post below. lol

[ravenryan]

What I cant get around is this young lady walking in and calling someone whom went into the water after the fact and found a ring a hired diver could not find a THIEF .Then it was paid by insurance before she did this .Maryland law or not she should have carried herself a little differently in this matter if indeed she did call him a thief at first sight.by the way if I worked for the RAVENS and got a Superbowl ring it would sit on my mantle for all to see not given to someone to wear out and about .There is many laws in Maryland that many of us do not know about . In my personal opinion she should not work for the RAVENS. ALL personnel should carry themselves with respect .If indeed she called him a thief for finding a ring that was lost and paid for by insurance. Oh does Smyth have a relationship with the ravens.hummmmm

[ravensrock89]

Lekas had no right calling him a thief, This is finders keepers folks plain and simple.When you search for it for a day then hire a diver and cant find it and give in and make a insurance claim its up for grabs. Blame the diver you hired, how does the other guy find it in 10 minutes?

[Postapocalypse Raven]

Finders keepers at it's finest. The second she filed an insurance claim on the ring she considered it a loss. She gave up on it, so the ring was no longer hers. That's what she gets for loaning it out. The only thing the guy who found it did wrong was not removing her name, and not getting rid of it out of state.

[gekaap]

You people saying that the man is not a thief obviously don't know what you are talking about, not to mention are of questionable character.  Regardless of the fact that she filed an insurance claim, the ring lawfully belong to her.  Filing an insurance claim does not constitute a surrender of ownership, anymore than would be the case if you file a claim after a car accident.

Lawfully, individuals have an obligation to return valuable property to their legal owner, either by returning them directly to the owner or by surrendering them to police.  If you cannot find the owner, you must surrender the property to police, who will attempt to locate the owner.  After a fixed time, if the owner cannot be identified, or if the discovered owner does not attempt to recover the property, the finder has a legal right to claim the property.

 

The ring had the woman's name on it.  The man could have easily made arrangements to return the ring, or could have turned it in to police.  He chose not to do so.  It was his own decision to wait for several months and then attempt to sell/barter the ring for a profit.  He chose to break the law, plain and simple.

[MTRavensFan]

Whatever happened to the boyfriend? Good ole Smyth, handled the situation like a Raven.

That's what I want to know. She still dating that guy, or what???

[roamingcharges]

It would have been nice if the guy who found the ring received a reward for returning it to the owner. However, that's not what happened. The guy found the ring and he had no intention of giving it back to the owner but intended to keep it and profit from it. Since this was a newsworthy ring, this guy knew exactly who it belonged to and how upset she was. Perhaps he held on to it to have the publicity die down before he tried to sell it but he had 9 months for his conscience to kick in and rethink it that maybe he should return it to Toni. Certainly, within that 9 months, this guy had ample opportunity to research the law and find out that it was against the law for him to keep it and against the law for him to fail to come forward and inform her that he had the ring. Within that 9 months, either he knew he was breaking the law or should have known by then. At any time he could have looked inside the ring and found the name of the owner if he "forgot" and could have called the castle once he found out that he was breaking the law rather than keeping it anyway. Instead, this guy went to knowingly sell/trade a ring which did not belong to him. The fact that he turned white when Toni showed up says it all. So, I could see deserving or appreciating a reward if he returned it but even then, he still wouldn't be ENTITLED to a reward. Doing the right thing should be enough. I think he knew full well he was not legally entitled to keep the ring but tried to get away with it anyway. That's a dirtbag in my book.

Wow, if I didn't know any better I'd think you're the epitome of human virtue. Good for you.

[RavensFootballFan]

There are thousands of people out there treasure hunting, some with metal detectors, others diving into water. I don't see anything the man did wrong, it's possible he may not have known beforehand at first that there is a law that he has to return a treasure he found only to find out later that he had to return the ring. I did not know there was a law to return items found on treasure hunts till just now. Of course the right thing to do is return it, knowing what he was looking for but that does not make him a dirtbag, he had other motives, just like lots of treasure hunters. What he should have done is if he knew later that he had to return the ring, he should have contacted local media like the Baltimore Sun to record him returning the ring and he'll likely get a reward to use toward his girlfriend's engagement ring and he would have been a hero to his girlfriend and everybody else who follows the Ravens. I would not have kept it as my grandmother used to say to me many times, to undo to others what you would want others to undo to you. For the lady to call the man a thief outright and threatening to call police was not the cool thing to do. She could have kindly explain the law to him and maybe could have understood he was on a treasure hunt and worked something out with him, good thing Smyth Jewelers recognize and understood the situation. The man on his own dime(Gas and whatever else he paid for on the trip to find the ring) as well as his time to go on a treasure hunt. Yes, there are treasure hunters out there trying to hit the jackpot for money and there is nothing wrong with that but the man should have done the right thing and the lady should have been more understanding and kinder, not to mention, also be thankful her ring was found.

[Crusader]

His dumb mistake is he did not ask how much the ring is worth for her and risk his time, life, and money to go into the water to get it. It's called a business deal.

[NNITRED]

I want to know what LAW they are citing that says it's not finder keepers especially after she abandoned the search and made claim with the insurer. This a case of what's called double indemnity. IOW- words you can't collect on a loss from multiple parties. Once she has declared the ring a loss and is given a replacement she has no legal rights of ownership  that allows her to claim to the ring. The jeweler gave him the engagement ring because they had no right to keep it as the ring was not stolen or illegally obtained. If they believed the ring to be stolen they were obligated BY LAW to call the police - not the Baltimore Ravens. That is the law.

Edited July 16, 2015 by NNITRED