Ethics Question

[TulsaBill]

That hundy would make me feel damn good. Take the cash and go. It's a free bill.

 

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[tomhighland]

There are hundred dollar bills?

 

[jeff of pa]

There are hundred dollar bills?

Yes it's been 4 years since one may have passed through my hands when I bought my Explorer. (the one I drive, Not the one I detect With)
I don't remember the consistency of the Wad, I handed over.
If not, it's been about 13 Years since I held one

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I use to carry lots of $100 bills when I was single, now they are rare as hens teeth...

 

[mojjax]

I bought a pair of Ranger insulated boots at a yard sale a few years back for $1.00 . when I got home I went to put them on and I found a baggie of '' Green Bud '' in one of the toes .

 

[mojjax]

Another time I found a pot pipe & money in a pair of cargo shorts from a free pile .
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...ng-free-pile-find.html?highlight=cargo+shorts

 

[Baltimore]

It's funny, clothing is probably 80-90% of what I buy, and to this day I have never found money in a pocket. All kinds of other junk for sure, but never money. I find money on the street all the time, you'd think I would have found it in something I've bought by now.

Regarding the boot money, buy the boots and you're good to go. Tims sell well in just about any condition, so even if they don't fit they're still valuable. the money's a bonus, they probably won't miss it.

 

[clv]

I would have pulled out the bill and ask them if they would take $100 for the boots. They would be happy.

 

[GibH]

What is the difference between this scenario and finding gold or silver in a jewelry lot? I'd have bought the boots and slept just fine.

 

[SEANO]

I was at one of those professional estate sales a few years back. Saw a guy bring up a 1oz $20 gold piece he found some place in the house. He got a thanks from the slim-ball Pro and a "if you wanted it we could sell it to you at PCGS Price Guide -5%”. Gee thanks.

I generally try and avoid those so called expert run sales. I’ve found they generally keep the quality stuff for themselves and bring their own show cases or crap that wouldn’t move in there store/sites.

On the plus side, they don’t know everything, no matter how long the’ve been in business.

 

[dejapooh]

Ethics are pretty easy. How would you want to be treated on the other side of the deal? Those who are walking with the cash, would want someone else walking with their cash. I find that hard to believe. I could understand taking the cash and bringing it back after the sale. I could understand trying to get contact info for the owners and trying to get the money to them. I could even understand the person saying that you grab the boots and $95 more stuff and buy it all for $100. In the end, the money is not yours. If you end up with it, it is theft. If you buy the boots and keep the bill, that is theft.

 

[K1DDO1979]

Ethics are pretty easy. How would you want to be treated on the other side of the deal? Those who are walking with the cash, would want someone else walking with their cash. I find that hard to believe. I could understand taking the cash and bringing it back after the sale. I could understand trying to get contact info for the owners and trying to get the money to them. I could even understand the person saying that you grab the boots and $95 more stuff and buy it all for $100. In the end, the money is not yours. If you end up with it, it is theft. If you buy the boots and keep the bill, that is theft.

So if you bought a painting and got home and there was $100 bill between the frame that would that be ok but if you bought boots and a bill was inside the boots that would be theft? Or is it just the fact you got to see the bill before you buy to be theft? Would you return the money in the painting?

 

[trdhrdr007]

Ethics are pretty easy. How would you want to be treated on the other side of the deal? Those who are walking with the cash, would want someone else walking with their cash. I find that hard to believe. I could understand taking the cash and bringing it back after the sale. I could understand trying to get contact info for the owners and trying to get the money to them. I could even understand the person saying that you grab the boots and $95 more stuff and buy it all for $100. In the end, the money is not yours. If you end up with it, it is theft. If you buy the boots and keep the bill, that is theft.

That's a pretty firm stand. Having said that, what would you do if you were at an estate sale & saw a bag of costume jewelry for $5 that had a $100 gold chain in it.....or a lot of $5 books with a 1st edition worth $100....or a lot of flatware for $5 that had $100 in sterling.....etc?? Finally, if it's theft, why is it understandable if you lump a bunch of other stuff with the boots to get to $100 total?

 

[jeff of pa]

Ethics are pretty easy. How would you want to be treated on the other side of the

I agree with this part of your post.

but the rest ? not so much Perhaps the $100.00 was a party Favor type Gift
perhaps a come-on. once you walk up to pay, they reach in & take the $100 out & charge you for the boots.
perhaps some millionaire walked around placing $100 dollar bills all over the sale or neighborhood,
Better check everything get rich

imo if I am generous, dumb, forgetful or just clumsy enough to leave a $100 somewhere,
and someone needing it enough to scarf it up finds it. More power to them !
I just may do the same

If I'm hurting for Money, you won't find a Memorial cent
in a boot at one of my sales

 

[GibH]

Ethics are pretty easy. How would you want to be treated on the other side of the deal? Those who are walking with the cash, would want someone else walking with their cash. I find that hard to believe. I could understand taking the cash and bringing it back after the sale. I could understand trying to get contact info for the owners and trying to get the money to them. I could even understand the person saying that you grab the boots and $95 more stuff and buy it all for $100. In the end, the money is not yours. If you end up with it, it is theft. If you buy the boots and keep the bill, that is theft.

So if I buy a book and find a hundred dollar bill in it, that's theft? What about this:
Declaration of Independence Found in a $4 Picture Frame - NYTimes.com ?

 

[TheRingFinder]

It's pretty basic - If it's not yours, try to get it back to the rightful owner. That's what I do with the valuables I find.

Many are not being honest with themselves trying to make up different scenarios to prove their point - Just do the right thing.........Please.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

What is right is what the finder feels is right...

 

[Baltimore]

When I lose money, I am bummed of course but I'm also happy that someone will hopefully find it and their day will be made. If I was careless enough to sell a pair of boots with $100 hiding in them, then obviously I don't remember that that money even existed, so what harm does it do? I can say I would like if someone returned it, but I would completely understand anyones motives to not mention it and keep the money.

 

[jeff of pa]

yes this is the main Reason I don't like Ethics questions.
Someone always takes things as an insult or their cue to try and save the world

personally I think it would be pretty Boring if everyone took the Holier then Thou Attitude. and chose the ethical side of everything

 

[DFW_THer]

I get sort of a slime-ball vibe from the estate companies in my area. I have had prices changed on me or 'we can't sell that' upon checking out. It's so ugly. Once I spent an hour going through a large tray of jewelry, mostly bits and pieces, mismatches, etc. The woman I checked out with just happened to be the 'jewelry person' working the sale, and she couldn't believe she missed some gold, looked me in the eye and said, "you know I can't sell these to you for a buck each, right?" I put the other high ticket items I was going to purchase on the table and said "good luck with the sale, but you've permanently lost my business." They tried to discount everything before I could walk out as a saving-grace gesture but I almost flipped the bird on the way out. I was steaming.

But getting to topic at hand, I would pocket the cash and leave the boots completely! Who is to say that $100 was even from the previous owner? It's 'found' money. Say you're grocery shopping, do you give the 20 dollar bill you found in aisle 4 to the nearest cashier for them to pocket? Nope! Will the estate sale company return that $100 to the owner of the estate (assuming it was theirs to begin with?) No way! That $100 bill goes into their cash drawer and they say 'thanks for your honesty while we forget about it altogether'.

If the estate sale is being run by the property owners, or if it's a garage sale, then I would turn in the money as long as I could tell that it was clearly lost or hidden by them or someone in their family or home. That's not my money to take. If it's blowing around the parking lot however, finders keepers.

You can ask this question a hundred different ways. Cash in the inside pocket of a suit at Goodwill? Finders keepers. No different than being on the ground or blowing around in the parking lot. Cash inside the pages of a book at a flea market? Finders keepers. Easier to just buy the book, right?

We are all treasure hunters here. We are all looking for that lost item. Hunting for, finding, and then keeping lost items is what we do. Whether it be from buying a 10K painting for 10 bucks, or picking a 50 dollar bill out of the bottom of a vase, we are constantly on the hunt. It takes our time and our money to get to these places to do the hunting.

But we should be hunting with integrity at all times. There is always a time and a place to return found money, but 9 times out of 10, it belongs in your pocket.

I increase my treasure hunting karma by being a member of theringfinders.com. Once or twice a month I get calls from people who lost a piece of jewelry, and I come and do my best to find it. No charge service, reward only if the owner feels like it. That seems to keep the karma wind in my sails. heheh

HH!