treasure trove laws

Capt_Jack · Jan 23, 2012

i did some research and found an interesting read (The Law And Practice Regarding Coin Find's In The USA) I was Woundering If Anyone Else Has Read This If So What Are Your Thought's............ i tried to do a link but for some reason it would not let me

Cohiba54 · Jan 23, 2012

http://www.muenzgeschichte.ch/downloads/laws-usa.pdf

I'll have to give it a deeper read later but what little I did read it sounds like it has some points to yield to........

Capt_Jack · Jan 23, 2012

Thank you for posting the link

Cohiba54 · Jan 23, 2012

Capt_Jack said:
Thank you for posting the link

yep no prob

BosnMate · Jan 24, 2012

Capt_Jack said:
Thank you for posting the link

Yes, thanks from me also. Very interesting read. Found out some things I didn't know.

maipenrai · Jan 24, 2012

I think this may have a bearing on CRH's in banks. I have seen post by people, that while dumping their coins, they find other coins in the reject tray. I think this article covers the ownership of these coins, they belong to the bank, not the next customer in line. Also this might cover coin machines in stores also.

Anyway, it was an interesting article, and will have to read it a few more times.

Tom_in_CA · Jan 24, 2012

well gee, why stop there? Each of the 50 states has simple lost & found laws. So for example, any item worth more than $50 (or whatever your individual state's dollar criteria cutoff amt. is) must be turned in to the police. I'm sure the laws were born out of wandering cattle laws (that got out of a hole in the fence, etc...). And I'm sure they serve a good purpose (so that no one thinks they can keep the wads of cash that fell out of the back of a Brinks armored car that they "found"), and so forth.

But technically, we're all running afoul of these laws. A simple look at any beach hunting forum, any day of the week, and you'll see multiple hunters showing off their latest bragging rights of gold rings, right? And you tell me: are each of them turning them in to the police dept, waiting the 30 days required, then paying the publication costs that it cost the police to put a notice-of-publication in the local newspaper, and so forth? ::)

Treasure_Hunter · Jan 24, 2012

Tom, the answer is NO. Unless a ring is engraved or has identifing marks there is no way to idenify it as belonging to a certain person. They are made by the hundreds, if not thousands and sold in different jewelry stores.

I have had local police stop and talk to me on the beach more than a few times to ask how i am doing, never once had any of them ask if i turn them in to lost and found, all they ever told me was have a nice day, good luck, or if at night, be careful.

Tom_in_CA · Jan 24, 2012

Treasure hunter, you are wrong there. A ring need not have "identifying features" that obligate you to seek out an owner, or turn it in to the police, etc.. . The law will simply have a dollar value criteria cut-off. Like $50, $100, or $250, or whatever, depending on the state you are in.

And if a police and such have never alerted you to this, simply means they don't know, or don't care. It doesn't mean that you, I, and all the other md'rs here aren't breaking these laws. We are, and they do exist.

But it's ok though you guys: You can all send me all your gold rings. I will absolve your conscience of all guilt! Consider it my goodwill contribution for the furtherance of our wonderful hobby.

Treasure_Hunter · Jan 24, 2012

Tom_in_CA said:
Treasure hunter, you are wrong there. A ring need not have "identifying features" that obligate you to seek out an owner, or turn it in to the police, etc.. . The law will simply have a dollar value criteria cut-off. Like $50, $100, or $250, or whatever, depending on the state you are in.

And if a police and such have never alerted you to this, simply means they don't know, or don't care. It doesn't mean that you, I, and all the other md'rs here aren't breaking these laws. We are, and they do exist.

But it's ok though you guys: You can all send me all your gold rings. I will absolve your conscience of all guilt! Consider it my goodwill contribution for the furtherance of our wonderful hobby.

Tom, sorry for not being clear, I wasn't quoting Florida's law, I was simply stating my own personal view... If there isn't some kind of identifing mark on a ring that I find it stays with me.

My ex worked for a major jewelery store, I know most rings are made by the hundreds and sold to different jewelery stores all over the country. Example, identical rings are sold in the JC Penny jewelry stores in Florida and in Nebraska. If someone loses a ring they bought in Nebraska on a Florida beach that doesnt mean the ring I found that looks like theirs is the actual ring they lost. The one I found may have been sold in Florida or in South Carolina.....The beaches of Florida are covered in lost jewelry....

By the way I will just hold the rings here rather than take the chance and send them to you, they could get lost in the mail.....

Tom_in_CA · Jan 25, 2012

T'Her, ok, now I understand. Yes this is the stance of all md'rs. Even those who would claim they ardently hold to the TH'rs "code of ethics" (ie.: "I will know and abide by all laws" blah blah ).

A simple look at any big city's craigslist lost & found ads also reveal that people (non md'rs) are also not in keeping with these lost & found laws. You know, you'll see people who post "found mountain bike, email to describe ..." or "found diamond ring on the mall parking lot, email to describe", etc.... Great that they are noble enough to do this. But the way the law technically reads, they are not to do their own sleuthing like that.

I got a rude awakening to this fact, when I posted a pair of expensive looking prescription eye glasses I'd found while detecting the beach. They were on the dry sand, and looked recently lost. Well, as you know, eyeglasses have absolutely no intrinsic value. So as I got ready to pitch them in the parking lot trash can on my way out of the beach, I had an idea that I might as well put a CL ad up, and heck, some kind-hearted soul might certainly give me a handsome tip 8) So I posted "found on such & such beach with a metal detector. Email to describe..."

The next day, there was a reply in my email box from that city's police dept!! They asked me if the glasses I had found matched a certain description. Because apparently, someone had come in to their dept the day before, to report lost glasses at that very beach. And lo & behold, when the police thought they'd check CL, there was my post! As it turns out, the ones I found did NOT match that pair. But the matter wasn't over yet: The lady cop emailed me back saying that "In the future, you must turn in all such valuables to the police dept, to be in compliance with the law, as we get periodic 'lost reports' reported to us here in our office" (this is a touristy town).

At first, I didn't know what the heck she was talking about, that I "must" turn in all items of value, blah blah. So that's when I set about looking up the lost and found laws of CA. Mind you, all other states too have similar wording.