Childhood possessions. Jewelry from old sweethearts. Photos before the days of digital cameras.

Some folks lovingly hold on to such items as they journey into adulthood. But as we accumulate more items over the years, where do you draw the line between becoming a pack rat and cherishing memories?

Do you keep that “perfect attendance” certificate from the fifth grade? How about that trophy from your days in the band?

Or ever imagine something of yours turning up 50 years later that was found by a stranger?

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Woman gets back ring she lost in lake in 1954
Associated Press

LUDINGTON, Mich. — A woman who lost her class ring in Lake Michigan in 1954 has it back, thanks to a metal-detector hobbyist.

Robert Savage told the Ludington Daily News for a story Saturday that he found the ring about 12 years ago but only recently began looking for its owner.

He did a bit of detective work by looking at the initials and the year on the ring. He found a Ludington High yearbook for 1955 and found that Jan Pedersen was the only person in the class with the right initials.

Now Jan Zacharda, she says she had forgotten about the ring she lost at Ludington State Park. And she’s even more puzzled that Savage found it in a lake about a dozen miles away.

Zacharda now wears the ring on her index finger, where it fits better.
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Ever lose something that miraculously turned up years later? Or ever find something that you barely remember why you kept in the first place?

How do you decide when to toss out possessions from years past? Are there some items that you absolutely have to keep — whether to display, store or to show your great-grandkids?