Todays moral/detecting question...

[bergie]

Today's moral/detecting question...

You find an item, say a ring that you know can be returned to someone with certainty of ownership if you put in just a bit of research. Interested if people's morals shift depending on value. Do you...

(Be honest!)
1) Keep it no matter what
2) Return it no matter what
3) Return if it's worth less than $100
4) Return if it's worth less than $300
5) Return if it's worth less than $600
6) Return if it's worth less than $800
7) Return if it's worth less than $1000
8) Name the price cut off at which your would or would not return if higher than $1000

 

[searcher]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

very good responses! most of the m.d.ers i know or have met are very honest. and i agree, the look on someones face when they get back what was "forever" lost is priceless!! i'm attempting to do something along those lines now. a couple days ago i took my sister out on her first m.d. hunt. i didn't find much. she found a chauffeurs badge. stamped on it is; registered chauffeur 34597 state of california 1927. i'm not sure what kind of metal it is. trying to find a data base of chauffeur numbers to find out who it belonged to. i think it would be cool to find the kids or relatives. i'll try to post it and an unknown in 'todays finds' later.
H.honestH. searcher around Texas

 

[Bob B.]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

If I received permission to hunt on private land and the owner told me that he/she had lost a ring or something of sentimental value to them and asked me to look for it while I was hunting there, I would return it if I found it I would figure it was payment for being able to search on their property. But they would have to describe it in detail to me before I go looking. HH Bob.B

 

[TOWcritter]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Finders keepers is what detecting is all about. At least thats the way I see it.

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

I have to agree with you "R" . If I had found it, I most likely wouldn't have been able to detect the rest of the day, and would have most likely been long gone before he showed up? HOWEVER. Looks Mean NOTHING and if I had been there when he showed up, I most Likely would have given it to him. (I only say most likely, because I'v never been in such a situation) But I know my mind-set and the way I think, I would have handed it over. and if he would have asked If I wanted anything My words would have been " it's up to you, Whatever? " .

 

[omnicognic]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

The thrill of the return can be better then the find.

I agree, the return can be worth more than the find. I found a bestfriends pendant at a flower shop where my mother works. It belonged to an old lady that worked there. It had been a gift from her daughter. she lost it in the yard there a couple of years earlier and she was sooo happy to get it back! It made me feel so good to light up her day like that! She died the next year and I would have been crushed had I not returned it!

 

[Detecting Fool]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

I think honestly, that if I found any kind of identifiable item, I would try to return it, just because I would hope if I lost something, someone would try to return it to me. A reward would be nice, but would not be a condition to return the item.

Anthony

 

[bergie]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

This has been great in terms of all the replies and views. However, some of you haven't gotten to the nub of my question. Lots of people have talked generally about returning something if they could identify it, but what I am saying is if you found something of incredible value that could really help you or your family, would you still return it. Say it's worth $50,000. I know this would be rare to find something worth that, but I'm trying to have people really examine their values honestly to see where things cross over from "what would be nice to do--return it" vs. "what you would really do" if you found something that valuable.

 

[jeff of pa]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

as I infered in an earlier post , I'm not? realy shure at what price I can be bought. Now your Talking My Kinda Price Tag tho? I think I'd definately expect something for a return that big. and weather I'd risk receiving only a Yard to search in return ?? hopefully one day soon I'll be able to answer this one Bergie? ; HH, jeff

 

[MDnoob]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Tough question. No way to make a blanket statement saying: If X happend I would do Y if the value was below Z.

I always say: Finders keepers....

 

[Monty]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Easy one. You return it if at all possible. I lost a class ring at Paloduro Canyon back in the 1960's and it is of very sentimental value to me but I doubt I will ever see it again. I can just imagine the elation one would feel if they recovered a lost keep sake. My fun is not in the amassing of treasure rather the thrill of discovery. Take good photographs to remind you of your find and make darn sure the claimee can identify the item. If you run and ad don't be too descriptive. There are plently of those out there that would rip you off by falsly claiming the item. I guess my moniker tells it all as I am jimmileo.

 

[Lowbatts]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Well then. ?How big is my heart vs. my "need"? ?If I find cash with no indiciation of it's source, a zinc cent to a trillion dollars, it's mine. ?No one ever needs to know I found it either. ?The worst thing that can happen is it's lost money that gets put back into the economy, no moral dilema there. ?Rings, jewelry, personal effects of any value, the money or value of the find to me would be second to the fact it got back to the owner and hopefully it would be appreciated by them. ?

As in other examples and stories I've heard, if it's a matter of returning it to the insurance company that covered the loss. ?Yeah right. ?I know what I pay for insurance and what I get for it and they won't get any help from me w/o a HUGE reward program for recoveries. ?

Historical effects/artifacts: Since I would obviously be risking criminal penalties at the least no matter what I did with such a find because some think it's better to let these items rot in the ground, well it's their actions that dictate my responses to such finds.

 

[Beach_hunter]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

I would make an honest effort to return an item if I was sure of the rightful owner. I have already returned a class ring. The year and initials were on the ring. It was very easy to locate this particular owner. Of course this particular ring had little dollar value. A 2 carat diamond would be the real test.. .

 

[bergie]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

I'd say across a large section of the population (or MDers) about 60% would claim ahead of time they would return a $50,000 item if they knew for sure the identity of the owner. My guess is that about 25% of people would actually return the item if it were ever to occur, leaving an "honesty with yourself" gap of about 35%.

 

[Lowbatts]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Well Bergie your appraisal says more about you than it does about us. A lack of repsepect for others often is a projection of some self-preceived deficiency. How the world you gonna say that there's a "honesty with yourself gap" of ANY number? I am sure almsot everyone thinks just like me, or should. So I think everyone would return personal effects no matter the dollar value if those who lost the item were readily apparent. So there! HH!

 

[bergie]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Lowbatts,
I do appreciate your noble sense, but I'm just being realistic. Forget about huge ticket items, go talk to anyone who runs a fund raiser for charities and ask them how many people pledge 10 bucks or so and never send it in. When you see those huge telethon pledge numbers, they never actually get that much. It's simply human nature to say one thing about what you would or might do and then when it happens to perhaps change your mind. I'm a very honest person, but I am trying to bring across the point that there's no way you can expect people to be 100% true to what they claim are there values ahead of time. It's just not going to happen that way.

 

[Colorado2]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Ooooh $50,000.00!!! Well why didn't you say so.....Actually the amount is irrelevant to me. I can't put a price on my self respect. 10 cents or 10 million dollars, if it belongs to someone else, it belongs to someone else

 

[nebraskadad]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Would I give something of high value back? hhhhhmmmmm?

Truthfully, in all likelihood, without someone giving me truly identifiable features and location of loss, I would have to say no.
Now if I found something, and saw in the paper a Lost and Found with the description I would likely get in touch with the "loser"
(pardon the pun).

Salvage rights being what they put the "legal" burden of proof on the "loser" not the finder.

A public park is no different then the Atosha wreck was.

 

[bergie]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

That's great Colorado. Many people, however, are not that way. My main point.

 

[buckmild1]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

If I find something nice I will post a pick. Then I will decide what to do with it. I have no morals, just good judgement that has taken years to come by. It all derends on my needs at the time and my willingness to give a ****. HH.

 

[Colorado2]

Re: Today's moral/detecting question...

Thanks bergie. Now that I've stated my values I would honestly add that I'm glad there's no way to trace all those quarters and dimes I find so that I can at least buy new batteries occasionally. Also that this board would be a much duller place without bergie's thought provoking posts... Keep doin' what you do bergermeister, you got your finger on the nerve. ~CO2