Found jewelry - return or keep - what do you do?

[Msbeepbeep]

Nitric- I'm with you on this one.

As for following the law, when those in charge lead by example, maybe then. I have heard of several people who did the right thing only to have the item pocketed by those in authority. I know it doesn't happen all the time, but if I have it it can be returned if the owner is identified.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Diving for Pleasure and Treasure - Grab it through Amazon!

[Meadow]

If it's possible to return an item, then I do. I didn't buy a metal detector to get rich, I did it to find things and to have fun and be happy, and the prospect of making other people happy makes me happy. There's going to be the odd person who doesn't care about their item but I'm sure most do. I haven't actually found any jewelry with the metal detector but I've returned items I've found by eye-ball. Very recently hubby found a wallet outside a coffee shop, it never occurred to him to run off down the street with it, he returned it to the old guy to whom it belonged. I've lost stuff - it happens to everybody, one does not have to be extraordinarily stupid to lose stuff, especially if you're managing stuff you're not used to, like canes and crutches, babies, and worst of all, old people - and had it returned to me, for which I am very grateful.

I'm not exactly sure what I'd do if I found a $40,000. ring, though...

 

[BVI Hunter]

Meadow =good points!

That exact argument came up with my pals - "if I find a wallet, I'll return it" but the same guy says "if I dig a ring I'll keep it"

its almost as if to say, lose a wallet, its bad luck and we'll help you out, but lose a ring while swimming and its your stupidity....?

I once MD'd a beach the morning after a festival, and was accused of being a vulture, picking on people's misfortune having lost stuff? I replied saying, I don't know there's anything here and I DONT see anyone else here looking!!!

 

[wpsgta1000]

When I was about 12 my brother and I found a lot of boating equipment in the woods. Obviously stolen and then stashed.
There was a couple of expensive fuel tanks, two pairs of wood Cypress garden skis, life vests and many other items. Our mom took us to the Sherriff's Dept. to turn it in. They told us that it would be locked up in their warehouse and if no one claimed it in 30 days that they would return it to us.
Well thirty days later we returned to the Sherriff's office to claim the stuff but what we got back (with the original tags that were put on the items when we turned it in) was a bunch of junk items instead. Someone at the Sherriff"s Dept. had traded their stuff for what we had found. Rotted and broken skis, bent and rusted old gas cans, worn and stained life vests etc. My mom was furious and told the Sherriff himself that this was a poor lesson to teach young kids the value of honesty and the respect for authority!
This all happen in the late 1960's in Fort Myers Florida.

 

[Dave Rishar]

Not-so-hypothetical scenario: I'm detecting a playfield that has a ton of shallow (< 6") targets and likely hasn't seen any metal detecting in some time. I find a ring at around 4", gold with ice and worth a bit of money. It has no identifying characteristics beyond the hallmark, and thus there is little hope of tracking down the person that owned it.

By my way of thinking, if it's a few inches down, it's been there for at least a couple of years - long enough for the person who lost it to make some effort at recovering it, either by enlisting a friend with a metal detecting or getting one of their own. The way that I'm rationalizing it (and we all rationalize to a degree when we dig something up on land that's not ours and make the decision to keep it), they had ample opportunity to find their ring. They either could not or would not, meaning that as far as I'm concerned, they gave up on it. Am I wrong in this belief?

Let's change it now to a hypothetical scenario: the ring had a name on it. I would normally attempt to return something with a name on it but this time, I won't. It's going off to the refinery. This makes me a bad person, but what changed? Nothing really - the ring was still there, the owner still couldn't find it, and my way of rationalizing the situation suddenly fell apart for me once I'd discovered that I could find out who it belonged to. It seems that my rationale is questionable.

Few would fault me for my actions in the first scenario, but at least some would criticize me for the second. I would criticize someone else if they'd done it. But again, what's the difference? Does the lack of identifying marks change the situation that much? In both cases I recovered something that belonged to someone else, but because in the former case there was no way for me to find out who, I had no problems with claiming it; in the latter case, I felt compelled to give it back.

For me, it does. One feels right and the other doesn't. I have no better explaination than that. As I've said in the past, the only person that I strive to make proud is myself. I'm the one that has to live with my decisions, after all. I'm just not sure if those decisions are always logical.

Another scenario as a brief mental exercise: you go to the ATM in front of the bank. There is no one around and the bank is closed, but will open again tomorrow. You find an ATM/debit card on the ground and there is $20 in the tray. What do you do with the card? What do you do with the money? In my case, I returned the card to the bank later but I kept the money at the teller's suggestion. (These were two different situations but I presented them together for brevity's sake.) One was identifiable and one was not, but both belonged to someone other than me. Why do I think that I was right in both situations, even though I acted completely differently?

 

[BVI Hunter]

Not-so-hypothetical scenario: I'm detecting a playfield that has a ton of shallow (< 6") targets and likely hasn't seen any metal detecting in some time. I find a ring at around 4", gold with ice and worth a bit of money. It has no identifying characteristics beyond the hallmark, and thus there is little hope of tracking down the person that owned it.

By my way of thinking, if it's a few inches down, it's been there for at least a couple of years - long enough for the person who lost it to make some effort at recovering it, either by enlisting a friend with a metal detecting or getting one of their own. The way that I'm rationalizing it (and we all rationalize to a degree when we dig something up on land that's not ours and make the decision to keep it), they had ample opportunity to find their ring. They either could not or would not, meaning that as far as I'm concerned, they gave up on it. Am I wrong in this belief?

Let's change it now to a hypothetical scenario: the ring had a name on it. I would normally attempt to return something with a name on it but this time, I won't. It's going off to the refinery. This makes me a bad person, but what changed? Nothing really - the ring was still there, the owner still couldn't find it, and my way of rationalizing the situation suddenly fell apart for me once I'd discovered that I could find out who it belonged to. It seems that my rationale is questionable.

Few would fault me for my actions in the first scenario, but at least some would criticize me for the second. I would criticize someone else if they'd done it. But again, what's the difference? Does the lack of identifying marks change the situation that much? In both cases I recovered something that belonged to someone else, but because in the former case there was no way for me to find out who, I had no problems with claiming it; in the latter case, I felt compelled to give it back.

For me, it does. One feels right and the other doesn't. I have no better explaination than that. As I've said in the past, the only person that I strive to make proud is myself. I'm the one that has to live with my decisions, after all. I'm just not sure if those decisions are always logical.

Another scenario as a brief mental exercise: you go to the ATM in front of the bank. There is no one around and the bank is closed, but will open again tomorrow. You find an ATM/debit card on the ground and there is $20 in the tray. What do you do with the card? What do you do with the money? In my case, I returned the card to the bank later but I kept the money at the teller's suggestion. (These were two different situations but I presented them together for brevity's sake.) One was identifiable and one was not, but both belonged to someone other than me. Why do I think that I was right in both situations, even though I acted completely differently?

Bravo - well said!

 

[300]

We all look for keepers that's why we ALL bought m/d

 

[Limitool]

I keep every iron horseshoe I find and make ZERO effort to find the horse. Not my fault if the horses can't keep track of their jewelry!!!!! Ocean beaches are hard to find here in Middle Tennessee (I'm looking though).

 

[Escape]

A lot of this stuff would be lost forever if no one was detecting. Its not like finding a ring at a sink at your job or a rest stop.

 

[ivan salis]

here in the USA - there are laws which more or less say that if it can be "known" who it belongs o --then it is to be returned or at least given to the police --say a recent 1995 class ring with the owner's name engraved inside it * --its very clear who the "owner is" --- the law in that case takes a dim view of you "keeping" another person's lost "property" *---- however a unmarked plain jane run of the mill type wedding band most folks would gladly keep it , being their is little to no chance to finding its "rightful owner" and being "unmarked " it can easily be sold at a pawn store / metal scraper place.

 

[Keppy]

When I go beach or water hunting and find jewelry, I will inconspicuously check to see if someone has reported it lost, ie: like post a flyer or notice somewhere closeby, other than that I consider it mine!

WOW you are asking for problems there..By posting flyer's and checking if some one lost it…… It is yours now keep it and don' look back '

 

[Tom_in_CA]

reply

When I was about 12 my brother and I found a lot of boating equipment in the woods. Obviously stolen and then stashed.
There was a couple of expensive fuel tanks, two pairs of wood Cypress garden skis, life vests and many other items. Our mom took us to the Sherriff's Dept. to turn it in. They told us that it would be locked up in their warehouse and if no one claimed it in 30 days that they would return it to us.
Well thirty days later we returned to the Sherriff's office to claim the stuff but what we got back (with the original tags that were put on the items when we turned it in) was a bunch of junk items instead. Someone at the Sherriff"s Dept. had traded their stuff for what we had found. Rotted and broken skis, bent and rusted old gas cans, worn and stained life vests etc. My mom was furious and told the Sherriff himself that this was a poor lesson to teach young kids the value of honesty and the respect for authority!
This all happen in the late 1960's in Fort Myers Florida.

wpsgta1000: The scenario you're talking about is not all that uncommon. Well, I mean, yes it IS "uncommon" for them to have gone to the trouble of swapping out for cheapo gear. But perhaps the department's manifests and records NEEDED to show the item going into storage (for if you'd never come back to claim it), awaiting the next year's police auctions. I'm guessing the cops didn't think you guys would come back for it at the end of 30 days.

They could simply have told you that someone had come in to claim the lost goods. And they would have had no obligation to tell you who the "owner" was that claimed it (d/t privacy laws, etc...).

But let's restrict the conversation to rings, watches, etc.... If you or I waltz in to the police station with a lost ring that we just found, we do with the FULL KNOWLEDGE that it might be claimed. And a lot of folks never come back at the end of 30 days to claim it mind you, to begin with.

Anyhow, put yourself in the cop's shoes: You brought in an item that wasn't yours. You only FOUND it. It doesn't belong to you. You brought it in with full-knowledge that someone might claim it (why else would you have brought it there?). And if the owner comes in to claim it, how are you any worse off ? YOU'RE NOT! It was never yours to begin with, so how have you been harmed ?

So put yourself in that cop's shoes: If someone comes in with a $10k rolex they just found on the beach, what's to stop that cop from picking up the phone, calling his nephew "Joe" on the 29th day, and saying: "hey Joe, do you want a nice Rolex? Come down to the department and describe a rolex with the following features, color, etc..., and presto: you'll have yourself a nice rolex".

Now I know that sounds dastardly. But in the cop's mind's eyes, it was never yours to begin with! Not saying that's right and moral of them, but .... I bet it happens. I'm sometimes tempted to test the theory by turning in my own wedding band as "found" (and I would put some feature on it that's unique). And then coming back in 30 days to see if it's even still there.

 

[Coldshuz]

WOW you are asking for problems there..By posting flyer's and checking if some one lost it…… It is yours now keep it and don' look back '

I think if you read the post again.. he looks for a posted flyer or notice nearby where he found the item.

 

[rwd mo]

Been detecting 44 yrs and if possible I return rings etc. I couldn't live with myself if I found a wedding ring and knew I could have returned it to rightful owner but didn't, the sentimental value is too great to keep a wedding or school ring IF it can be returned. jmho. rwd mo

 

[doc-d]

Not sure that turning anything into the police is smart…..now if there is something to identify the owner in the jewelry, then it seems you should make an effort to return it, if not, they had the option of searching for it, or getting somebody to search for it….
Seems the abandoned it otherwise and fair game to whoever finds it…….
Vaya con Dios

 

[Keppy]

I think if you read the post again.. he looks for a posted flyer or notice nearby where he found the item.

..OK..But why look ?

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

If it isn't engraved i will not even try to look. The same rings are sold by the hundreds and thousands, without markings there is no way to identify.






American by birth, Patriot by choice.

I would rather die standing on my two feet defending our Constitution than live a lifetime on my knees......

 

[WannaB]

Just recently pulled out my box of finds and restarted the hobby after many years. I had to relocate for employment and right before the move I found a class ring. Ended up in the box and forgotten. Last fall I got the itch and pulled out the box. Saw the ring and tried to find the owner (ring has initials). Contacted the high school alumni director and she could not help me locate the individual. Contacted alumni via Facebook. No one knows where this individual is. Dead or alive. If I could find him, spouse or family I would be more than happy to return it. Until that time it sits in a box. Because it has the initials on it I just don't feel right cashing it in.

 

[Keppy]

Just recently pulled out my box of finds and restarted the hobby after many years. I had to relocate for employment and right before the move I found a class ring. Ended up in the box and forgotten. Last fall I got the itch and pulled out the box. Saw the ring and tried to find the owner (ring has initials). Contacted the high school alumni director and she could not help me locate the individual. Contacted alumni via Facebook. No one knows where this individual is. Dead or alive. If I could find him, spouse or family I would be more than happy to return it. Until that time it sits in a box. Because it has the initials on it I just don't feel right cashing it in.

First of all would not give up my time to do all that searching … And i would just sell it ..

 

[Dave Rishar]

This thread has given me the urge to haul down a five gallon bucket of zippers, battery terminals, toy cars, pants rivets, and assorted iron junk to the police station to see if anyone is looking for them. I won't do this, as our police have better things to do with their time than to deal with foolishness like that, but it would be funny.

I suppose that this brings up the whole issue of value again. No one would think of trying to find the owner of a quarter found laying on the ground, but jewelry is another matter. Or is it? Is there some set value at which one should seriously consider tracking down an owner? I'd guess that there is and it varies by the finder. The important thing for me is finding that line (which can be very fine at times) between making a good find and stealing something. For me, if it has characteristics that can link it to a known person, that's the line - it belongs to them, and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't at least try to locate them.