Finds over the years

[TheCoinKid]

Thought I would share a few of my eyeball finds with the forum.

Found a wallet back in the 70's, no ID, no visible cash, just a few misc. papers. While cleaning it out, I found a $100 bill in the "secret compartment" I have to assume the $100 had been forgotten, and the wallet given to a kid, who then lost it.

Also in the 70's, I found a $20 bill at a car wash. I was getting the car cleaned after I got it stuck, while out with my girlfriend on a muddy country road. My dad had to get a tow truck to retrieve it. Very embarrassing. The $20 did cover the tow charge.

Found a $20 bill in the early 80's next to a concession stand at a high school football game.

Found a wallet in the 90's, while out running. No cash or credit cards, but there was ID. Mailed it, with a note, to the name and address on the DL.

Found a $10 bill, also in the 90's, while out running. A farmer, who saw me pick it up, yelled, saying it was his. I asked him what the denomination was, and he just laughed.

Found a 14K gold band at a local amusement park 10 or so years ago. No inscription or markings other than gold content.

Found a stuffed coin purse in Cripple Creek several years ago. Obviously, someone's gambling stake.

Found a wad of cash on the strip in Las Vegas some years ago, totaled around $40.

Wife found a one carat loose diamond in her college parking lot back in the 80's. She slipped on it and almost fell. She took it to the local jeweler, who said it was very high quality and offered her something like $1,000 for it. She made a necklace out of it and still has it today.

Found a few other bills in the $5-$20 range over the years (usually in casinos and bars), but nothing remarkable to recall the circumstance.

TCK

 

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[Armorer73]

About 10 years ago I found a big wad of singles in a "gentlemans" club. I did the ethical thing and gave it back.....a dollar at a time!

 

[TheCoinKid]

I pretty much do the same with my casino finds (gamble them away), which probably gets us to about the same place (empty pockets, nothing to show for it). Your visual memories are probably quite a bit better than mine, though.

 

[choppadude]

Was out doing some training for a marathon this year and was 19 miles into a 20 mile run when I looked down and saw a $100 bill. No one was around. I kept looking for someone who might seem panicked and looking for something but no one appeared. Took the wife out for a nice dinner.

 

[gilgar]

Great memory. Pretty sure, I could do a similar list, you tend to remember the cool finds. here goes:

When I was just out of high school I was working at a pizza place and the manager sent me to the nearby bank to get ones. On the walk over I found a $20 bill. The manager jokingly tried to tell me it belonged to the pizza place since I was on company time.

I also found a gold necklace at Toys R Us in '85. I still wear it to this day, never take it off.

In '93 I took my 3 year old disc golfing with me. In the caliche parking lot I saw a glint and found a gold nugget ring with a 1/10th oz Kruggerand surrounded by diamonds - my first gold coin! It had obviously been runover by a car but was undamaged except for being out of round since it sunk into the caliche. I still wear that too now & then.

A few years back I was just blocked from hitting the u-turn lane by backed up traffic. As I was grumbling to myself I noticed a flash of green out the window in the dead grass. That color of green that only means money. I jumped out of the car, ran over and it was a $100 bill!! best money find ever!

Also a few years ago, my dad and I were traveling to Houston and stopped at a Walmart on the way. While he was driving down the aisle to park the car I noticed several flashes of green blowing across the road in front of us. I yelled, "Stop, stop, stop" and jumped out and scooped up the cash. My dad asked, "what the hell?" I said, "you didn't see that money blowing across the road" and he said "No". It was $15 in ones.

When my daughter was in jr high, she was staying at some college dorms for a week for a sports clinic. When I was helping her move out I found dos pesos mexican gold coin on the carpet by the bed.

Another time at my daughter's softball practice I saw a glint of gold in the dirt and found a man's gold wedding ring with a diamond.

When I was 7 or 8 I found a gold bangle bracelet under some football stands. (I used to always walk under looking for change and other stuff) and sold it to my cousins friend for $10. In retrospect it may have been worth more but you don't think about that when you're a kid.

Another time after a concert at a bar I saw a friend of mine walking all over searching the ground. I asked if he lost something and he said no, that he was searching for cash that drunks dropped. I thought that was hilarious, but started looking around also and found a $20 bill. I've been looking ever since and occasionally find some bills or change.

I've found a few wallets over the years too but none really stand out, probably because I turn them in if I can't find the owner right away. The only one that sticks out is one I found in a bathroom at a college in galveston at a 10k run. I was really tempted to keep the cash that time, $60, I remember thinking that people always say they're not worried about the cash but want the pictures & cards, but I figured it probably belonged to a student that needed it and I turned it in.

I always considered myself a thing finder. I think I picked up that term from Enclyclopedia Brown books. My daughters always laugh when I find coins which is pretty frequently. People always ask if just walk around scanning the ground for stuff. I don't but it seems to happen subconsciously. I notice myself always catching things out of the corner of my eye. I especially notice round spots, sometimes its just stepped on gum or a bottle cap, but often its coins.