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north yorkshire police
North Yorkshire Police (NYP) seemed unaware of exactly what they had found when they posted on Facebook describing the jewelry as a "distinctive silver ring."
But they were given a lesson in Middle Earth lore as hundreds of Facebook users scrambled to comment on the post.
"The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. The ring must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this," one wrote.
"But something happened then the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Police Officer, from the North of the (York)Shire," another commented.
"Kudos to the burglar who did over Sauron's house," a third one said.
The comments kept flowing.
North Yorkshire Police/Facebook
North Yorkshire Police/Facebook
North Yorkshire Police/Facebook
J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings follows the journey of a hobbit named Frodo as he attempts to take the ring of power to Mount Doom to destroy it.
Police said the ring they found, which features Elvin markings as seen in Peter Jackson's film trilogy, had been found among property that had been stolen from a house in York last February.
"Unfortunately we haven't been able to find the owner of the ring and return it to them," Detective Constable Pete Wilson was quoted as saying.
"As it is such a distinctive piece of jewelry, we're hoping that someone will recognize the markings and be able to tell us who it rightfully belongs to."
Within a few hours of it being placed online, the Facebook post had racked up more than 1,000 comments and been shared over 1,000 times.
Officers did eventually realize the special significance of the item.
"Thanks for all the comments – we obviously need to brush up on our movie knowledge!" a comment from NYP read.
"However it is someone's property and we would like to return it to whoever has had it stolen from them. If anyone knows anyone who has had something similar taken in a house burglary please let us know."