Can doing the right thing get me in trouble?

[Beachkid23]

Before I ever started buying stuff to resell I worked for an electrical company here in Florida and we remodeled historical buildings. We did a lot of the main buildings here where I live and one of them is pretty significant. My boss at the time was into keeping things he found on the site as a memory of being on that job site.

I was going through a couple boxes this weekend and found something that reminded me that I have those things as well. Part of me wants to return them but maybe it's better off left undone? How would you return something that you weren't supposed to have in the first place? Other than saying hey I found these at a yard sale and this guy said they were from here. And I wanted to donate them back is that about the right way to go through with it? I don't need any problems. Granite we should have never taken them and they're not really that significant however we just should not have them I don't think. And they belong where others can see them in there museum on site.

 

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[Loco-Digger]

Pack them/it up and mail them/it from the next town over. Type a note letting them know where they came from (where you acquired them) and that you thought they might make a good exhibit in the museum. You're not lying, and I bet they will be joyed to have the item returned if it is truly museum material.

 

[releventchair]

Conscience strikes again.
I'd note what provenance I knew ,add to box of items (assuming dangerously they fit a box or boxes)and then see that they anonymously make it to a curator near the original site objects were from. Your mentioned museum on site for example.
If in person was only option I would tell whoever ,"these items are supposed to be from here in the past and I consented to dropping them off, see ya". A confession may get you or someone else too in trouble if dropping things off is not enough.
Second choice would be a similar deal with localities historical society.
Just an idea of what I might do. Not in your position though. Good luck.

 

[BigWaveDave]

I am intrigued on the details... but other than that, I would say, umm....keep it to yourself. What they don't know wont kill them, if you get my gist.

 

[NHBandit]

Good plan.. Your conscience tells you to return things you stole to their rightful owner so you want us to tell you it's ok to lie about how you got the stuff... You asked for opinions. Sorry if you don't like the answer.. The title of your post needs to be changed. Lying about it isn't "doing the right thing". You are to be commended for at least considering returning the stuff. My advice is to either admit you took it and then give it back or forget it and move on with your life. I fail to see how being deceptive about how you came to have the stuff in the first place is going to make it right. It just means you're still making bad choices..

 

[diverrick]

No good deed goes unpunished.

 

[Beachkid23]

Good plan.. Your conscience tells you to return things you stole to their rightful owner so you want us to tell you it's ok to lie about how you got the stuff... You asked for opinions. Sorry if you don't like the answer.. The title of your post needs to be changed. Lying about it isn't "doing the right thing". You are to be commended for at least considering returning the stuff. My advice is to either admit you took it and then give it back or forget it and move on with your life. I fail to see how being deceptive about how you came to have the stuff in the first place is going to make it right. It just means you're still making bad choices..

Hey look I don't feel mega guilty that I have the stuff. We were told to remove it. To remove all the old electrical work from the building so we removed it. Set it in a bucket next to the building and it sat there the whole time we worked on the job. In fact we found out five years after the project is over they were going to use the stuff and put it into a museum. So at the time grabbing a couple Momentos probably wasn't the worst thing in the world. I've done a lot worse stuff in my life.... shoot I bet you have too.

I guess though I don't really need what I have but I was just wondering if I took it back and said hey this was off your job site when I used to work here is that something I can say I'm calling the cops or to be anonymous? I mean they already had a museum at the place however afterwards they were going to use the stuff. It was in the newspaper afternoon satin buckets for a long time that they were going to use it on or in the museum.

Whatever I guess I don't feel like a criminal for taking.i haven't let it ruin my life and I haven't lost sleep over it. But I don't want to do something stupid, the wrong way I guess.

I mean I have no arrest record, I don't do drugs I don't break the law except for taking at something I found in the dirt 14 yrs ago when I was a Green electrician , my boss told me to take these and put them in the car. Here I'll show you one. Lol! Sike... It shattered. Guess 100yr + light bulbs don't last forever. The rest is two old knob and tubes.







I'll just drop them in the mail and return them.

 

[LukeTHr]

Those are just old knob and tube wiring insulators.....not that big a deal.....my house still has that stuff in the attic , was never removed when the wiring was upgraded. it is very common in early 1900's homes and building. I wouldn't worry about it

 

[NHBandit]

Those are just old knob and tube wiring insulators.....not that big a deal.....my house still has that stuff in the attic , was never removed when the wiring was upgraded. it is very common in early 1900's homes and building. I wouldn't worry about it

^^^^^^^ This. I thought you were talking about something valuable. My old house in NH still has those in the basement, cloth wrapped wire, etc. Carry on..

 

[Beachkid23]

The light bulb would have been valuable I bet. Too bad! Like $20 maybe. Lol. Unless I could prove where it came from... But the company would not let me have a copy of the blueprint which I really wanted instead of anything else but they said no!

 

[diggummup]

Thomas Edison or Henry Ford estate, I presume? If the stuff was going to be thrown away anyway, why the worry?

 

[Beachkid23]

Thomas Edison or Henry Ford estate, I presume? If the stuff was going to be thrown away anyway, why the worry?

I get it from my mother!!

 

[billn1956]

It is a sorry fact of life,,but doing the right thing can always get you in trouble.

 

[Keppy]

Yes if you are smart you would just keep them no use trying to find trouble .

 

[Gold Maven]

they might be of nostalgic interest to an electrician, but they can't be worth much, they made millions of them.

 

[Keppy]

they might be of nostalgic interest to an electrician, but they can't be worth much, they made millions of them.

Yes they are almost worth nothing ...So why waste your time..

 

[Beachkid23]

Thanks for the advice yall