Tiburon detectorist works to reunite people with their lost items

Tiburon resident Laura Peters, seen with partner Nicholas Schoichet, scans the Old Rail Trail with a metal detector March 5 looking for valuables and artifacts. She runs GeekyBeach, which helps people recover lost items. (Elliot Karlan photo / For The Ark)

When she goes to the beach, Laura Peters grabs a metal detector instead of a beach towel.

The 38-year-old Tiburon resident runs her own online metal-detecting business called GeekyBeach, scouring the sandy shores of the peninsula each day not for seashells or sand crabs but for items others have lost.

“The best thing in the world is seeing someone’s reaction when I find their precious item,” Peters says. “Their eyes fill with such joy, and they can’t help gasping and giving me a big hug. That’s the absolute best feeling you can get when metal detecting.”

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