Anyone ever find $cash$ money on the ground?

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:31pm

Okay, so this is crazy! Friday evening my husband and son were returning from their evening walk around our neighborhood. They were back on the apartment complex property where we live -- but a couple of building units down and over, I think. Near some steps between two units, my husband spotted what he assumed was a dollar lying on the ground. When he got close enough to pick it up, it was a hundred dollar bill! No one else was walking nearby at the moment. He knocked on apartment doors nearby (wasn't going to name the amount, just ask if anyone had lost/was missing some cash). No one answered. He went back again a time or two over the weekend, same thing.

He reported the found money to the apartment complex office on Saturday. They said no one had called to check if money had been found. If someone does, the office is going to call him. Meanwhile the money is in a safe place.

Past this we don't know how much else we can do. We felt reporting it to the office here should suffice. Doesn't seem worth going to the police over that amount. Plus makes sense to us that someone would think to check with the office here first. No way to know if the cash was a resident's or a visitor's. We just hope that whoever lost it remembers where they lost it and calls the office here to check on it. If not, then I hope that whoever lost it can afford to lose that much money without it hurting their finances too much. I'm sure to some people, it wouldn't be too huge a deal, but for others, like (for instance) some college kid, it might make the difference between making rent or buying gas or food.

Although the bill looked real to us, to make absolutely certain, I took it by our bank this morning just to be sure it's not counterfeit. They confirmed that it's legit.

We're thinking, hold on to it for two weeks (counting from this past Friday evening), and if no one has come forth to claim it by then, it's "tough luck, person dropping a hundred bucks without realizing it!" I am sure some would say give it to charity. In this case however, since my husband found it, and since he very very rarely spends any money on just himself (which drives me nuts sometimes!), IF we wind up getting to keep it, I think he deserves to spend it on something fun for himself. To him that would mean used book store and/or comic book shop. Of course don't want to count on it too soon since the owner could still come forward.

Sort of hoping they do / sort of hoping they don't, all at the same time. On the other hand, if it was, say, a drug deal transaction, we wouldn't feel quite as bad about it. No way to know that either of course. That much cash, makes us wonder though! (When the guy at the bank confirmed it was real after running it through their machine, I asked jokingly if the machine showed any traces of cocaine on it, and he laughed and said no, it can't do that, but he was sure if I took it to the cops, they'd be able to tell me!)

Anyone ever find this much cash (or close, or more) just lying about like that?

[suestorm]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:33pm

i found a check book on the train once, i called the woman and met her at my school, she was so grateful she cried... i think i got more from returning that then she did getting it back.

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:47pm

That was nice!

[Brian07663NJ]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:49pm

A few years ago found a $100 bill on the carpet in an Atlantic City casino dead center of the carpet not near any table in particular. Kept it.

Last week at Showgirls the Musical as I was leaving my friend found an entire wallet. We did not open it. Turned it into the box office. Then as we walked out the door saw that the crowd was basically hanging around on the street so we had an idea. We went back to the box office and asked to open the wallet to recover only the name of the person that lost it. I went outside and shouted the name of the woman. She came up the stairs to ask why I shouted her name with her brow in a quizzical and hesitant way. I said - because you lost your wallet. She dove into her pocketbook and was in a panic! Was obvious it was hers.

[suestorm]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:49pm

thanks! i truly believe in Kharma! i have left a purse,an ipod, phone, ipad in various places and have almost always had them returned!!

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:58pm

[suestorm]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 12:59pm

^^Sorry folks that our nice conversation has been soiled by my stalker

Updated On: 4/29/13 at 12:59 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:01pm

^^^Sorry our wonderful off topic board is soiled by a troll.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:02pm

Game, set, match SNAFU.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:05pm

Jbarafan, it sounds as though you and your husband did everything that can reasonably expected. And I see nothing wrong with your husband treating himself, either.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:08pm

"Game, set, match SNAFU."

Great. Can we now go back to responding with blank messages instead of feeding her with interaction? Please? Sue will NEVER go away if people interact with her.

I've found any number of wallets and returned them as I found them, many with cash. I've found cash on many occasions and kept it without a second thought. I once found a debit card and $200 in cash at an ATM. Got the card holder's # through directory assistance and returned both.

Updated On: 4/29/13 at 01:08 PM

[suestorm]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:22pm

LOVE beats HATE everytime Mean Girls! xo

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:34pm

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 1:38pm

Thanks, Reg! That's how we feel. Do want to give it a reasonable amount of time just in case though.

Where it's wallet, check book, etc, with name, ID, much easier to locate owner. Cash, different story of course. Once at the concessions at a movie, I was juggling all this crap when I realized I must've dropped a $20 within the last couple minutes. I didn't see it anywhere on the floor, but a guy nearby must've seen the look of panic and confusion on my face and realized I was the person who had lost the bill he had just found, and he handed it back to me. I thanked him profusely.

Edit to add: Just got email from hubby (replying to my email to him about the money being definitely the real thing). Now he is insisting that if we end up getting to keep it that we split it 50/50. He says spending that much on himself is too much. Awwwwwww..... ::Love::

Updated On: 4/29/13 at 01:38 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 2:45pm

It's yours.

Have a nice dinner.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 2:49pm

That is great! Trying to find the owner the best you can. I cannot tell you how many times I have dropped my wallet in a cab or on the street and luckily had someone call me and the wallet returned with the money intact. Each time I offer an reward and in in case the finder turned it down saying, "They only hoped if they lost their wallet someone would do the same for them".

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 3:07pm

It was my birthday one time. I was in the local Gristedes, and there, laying on the top of the oranges, was a $20 bill. I looked around, didn't see anyone near the produce. I held onto the bill and pretended to look at produce, waiting to see if anyone came around looking for money. Finally I decided the universe gave me that $20 as a birthday present, and I didn't feel guilty keeping it.

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 3:22pm

Diva, thanks! That's an idea, using some to dine out.

SNAFU, I do think most people want to do the right thing and make an attempt to find the owner.

Jane2, I agree, in a case like that, definitely finders/keepers for the birthday gal!

[eatlasagna]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 3:43pm

here's my random long story

last december i was sitting in the lobby of a medical building while my parents were at the doctors... i had my kindle with me... I see my parents coming so I get up and place my kindle in its case and rather stupidly set it down instead of putting it in my pocket like i normally do, and we go into the elevator to the floor above (the elevator is directly across from my seat)..i get out of the elevator and realize my kindle wasn't in my back pocket and i left it on the seat... with me so I ran back down (it was literally less then two minutes) and my kindle was gone... i freaked out... i ran up and down the hallway into every medical office asking if someone turned in my kindle... no one did. Then a nurse said I should go to the management office because they have cameras all over the place and they could find out what happened. So I went to the management office in the complex and the woman working the reception was super nice. She felt bad that I had left my kindle on the seat and allowed me to view the security cameras (although it against policy). And sure enough we watch the footage of me sitting on my chair and then leaving; my kindle just there in its pouch. We see some people walk by it and do nothing. Then we see a delivery guy see it and slowly keep eying it before he decides to take it. You can see him trying to make sure the others waiting for the elevator don't see him. He finally takes it and sees that its a kindle in the pouch then puts it in his pocket and leaves. The receptionist takes me to the office where the delivery guy came from and gets all the info we need in order to track down the delivery guy and the company. We find out the company and call them. About four hours later I get my kindle back along with an apology from the delivery company saying that that was inappropriate behavior of the employee to not turn in the kindle.

Basically that receptionist went out of her way to help someone get their lost stuff back. I don't know what ever happened to the employee. But for me I think it's karma. I have found expensive stuff and NEVER kept it for myself. I always turn it in to a lost and found. I think this was the world repaying me back by giving me back my kindle... and during the holidays too!

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 3:48pm

I've found jewelry in public places on more than one occasion as well. In each case, the theater, hotel, whatever that I turned it over to kept it for 90 days, to see if anyone called for it. In all the cases, no one did, they called me and gave it back.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 3:59pm

So that's the origin of the fabled ghostlight2 jewelry collection!

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 4:02pm

It's a nice one, too!

I have lost money (metrocards, too) in the past, and when I have, I just kissed it goodbye and hoped that the person who found it could really use it.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 4:03pm

I've found jewelry in public places on more than one occasion as well.

That sounds awfully suspicious.

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 4:04pm

That's a really good way to think about it!

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 4/29/13 at 4:07pm

eatlasagna, I'm glad you got your kindle back. Receptionist was super nice to do that.

A few years back one of my sons lost his phone somewhere. He kept calling his cell from another phone until finally someone answered it. Long story short, he ended up meeting this guy at a public place and paying him $20 to get his phone back. So finder wasn't entirely honest, more or less holding the phone for "ransom" but my son also figured being out twenty bucks was better than being out his phone. At least he got it back in the end. (Can't remember, either he didn't have loss insurance and/or wasn't due an upgrade for a while.)

oh gosh, I just now remembered this from way back a number of years ago, someone found my wallet on the side of the road not far from where we live and called and somehow or other we worked it out to get it returned to me, forget the specifics. I didn't even know it was gone before they called, hadn't even noticed it. Not even sure how it ended up on the side of the road other than, with our kids when they were younger, one could've gotten it and tossed it out the car window. (Our eldest used to throw his shoes off the school bus, and we'd have to go searching for them! Fun times.)

(edit for typos and such)

Updated On: 4/29/13 at 04:07 PM