i lost a WAD of cash at a gun show once no one turned it in
No ID with the money it’s yours to do as you see fit

My Daddy, the most honest person I have ever known always said,
If it's not yours... it's not yours.

Thats all I got.

Donate it to your local animal shelter.

St. Jude's Hospital

Honestly when I opened this thread I thought the same thing as others, a suitcase of 50’s and 100’s. A wad of cash less than $200? I consider myself an honest person. I don’t lie and I don’t steal and I don’t cheat. That being said, finding a 20 dollar bill blowing around and picking it up isn’t any of those things. I respect your right o say otherwise but I just plain disagree. Granted this is $200 not $20 but this elevates my honesty to attempt to find the owner in a reasonable fashion. Not much more than that. Asking the store to look at their video might be reasonable.

This chorus of give it to charity is misplaced however. If you truly feel bad about keeping it because it isn’t yours, well it isn’t the charities either. If you gave it to a charity and the real owner subsequently contacted you, what then? At least if you spent it you could rightfully pull your own money out to repay. Give it away and now you are the idiot who just lost a wad of cash.

At this amount I think you are over thinking this. (I know someone will pontificate about their honor having no price tag. Seriously I respect that. I just think that’s a misapplication of conscience)

Giving it to a charity makes you an idiot ? Well , alrighty then .

This doesn't pertain to me as I've not lost any money, but I can't tell from your posts where you are located or what sheriffs office you are referring. Is there a way to see someone's location when it's not on the public profile?

That might be ill gotten gains, or it might be somebody's grocery money. If it's a guy's paycheck, he got some splainin' to do when he gets home without the money.

For a small amount law enforcement probably is not interested. But for substantial value, here are relevant statutes in Florida relating to all manner of lost or abandoned property. Most states have similar laws. I would tell the finder to come claim the property after 90 days.

705.102 Reporting lost or abandoned property.—
(1) Whenever any person finds any lost or abandoned property, such person shall report the description and location of the property to a law enforcement officer.
(2) The law enforcement officer taking the report shall ascertain whether the person reporting the property wishes to make a claim to it if the rightful owner cannot be identified or located. If the person does wish to make such claim, he or she shall deposit with the law enforcement agency a reasonable sum sufficient to cover the agency’s cost for transportation, storage, and publication of notice. This sum shall be reimbursed to the finder by the rightful owner should he or she identify and reclaim the property.
(3) It is unlawful for any person who finds any lost or abandoned property to appropriate the same to his or her own use or to refuse to deliver the same when required.
(4) Any person who unlawfully appropriates such lost or abandoned property to his or her own use or refuses to deliver such property when required commits theft as defined in s. 812.014, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
History.—s. 2, ch. 87-82; s. 4, ch. 92-79; s. 790, ch. 97-102; s. 105, ch. 2019-167.

705.104 Title to lost or abandoned property.—
(1) Title to lost or abandoned property is hereby vested in the finder upon the expiration of the 90-day custodial time period specified in s. 705.103(2)(b), provided the notice requirements of s. 705.103 have been met, unless the rightful owner or a lienholder claims the property within that time.
(2) Employees of any state, county, or municipal agency shall be deemed agents of such governmental entity, and lost or abandoned property found by them during the course of their official duties shall be turned in to the proper person or department designated to receive such property by the governmental entity. Such property shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter, after which, if unclaimed by the rightful owner, the title to such property shall be vested in the state, county, or municipality and not in the employee.
(3) Employees of public transportation systems shall be deemed agents of such transportation systems, and lost or abandoned property found on public conveyances, in depots, or in garages of a transportation system shall be turned in to the proper person or department designated to receive such property by the transportation systems. Such property shall be subject to the provisions of this section, after which, if unclaimed by the rightful owner, the title to such property shall be vested in the transportation system and not in the employee.
History.—s. 4, ch. 87-82; s. 2, ch. 90-307.

If nobody claims it in the time you've reasonably allowed yourself, I say "pay it forwards" do some good with it. The rewards will come back to you greater. Always have for me...always. I've never been rich nor poor, but always had a good means that with some honest hard work, could afford some nice toys along the way.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
A twenty dollar bill is found in the high school hallway. Six out of ten put it in their pocket and tell no one. Three turn it in to the office. It is the next one I am concerned about. He turns it in to the prinicipal because it is only 20 bucks and the prinicipal will then think he is honest. That sort of thing could prove helpful down the road with the principal. Classic sociopathic behavior in its early stages.

Did we go to the same school? I didn't realize anyone but the principle knew I had done that.

Surrender it to the police. Receive it back at some future time, if unclaimed. Seems obvious.

I found a wallet once, which was returned to the owner; it had the driver license inside. I immediately was accused of having cleaned out the wallet; it contained no cash when I found it, but that didn't stop the owner of making the accusation (you're welcome, owner).

At a minimum, documenting the find and turning it in lends some credibility, though the owner could say there was more money, or make accusations. Still better in hands that bear legitimate authority.

As a kid, if we found money, were directed to turn it in to the store manager, or the police, as occasion permitted, and later when it was unclaimed, we got it back. Even if just a dollar. It reinforced honest behavior as a kid, still the same behavior today. Safest bet, too.

As for sociopathic behavior...giving twenty bucks out of ones own pocket, having found no money, claiming to have found it, to engender trust: that's sociopathic. Finding it, giving it up and hoping for some recognition or trust, is not sociopathic. It's just not altruistic. There's a difference.

It's called 'stealing by finding'. You got to make attempts to trace the owner and/or deposit it with the police. If no one claims it (after whatever time period is required in your state), it's yours free and clear.

Remember, integrity counts most when no one is watching.

Finding a wallet with ID inside and keeping it is theft. A 20 dollar bill on the sidewalk is not. Show me the statute and the prosecution. I’ll wait.

Devils advocate. At what dollar level do you just put it in your pocket and carry on? Are those of you who are being overtly righteous about this really going to tell me that if they found a five dollar bill they are going to the cops? I doubt it. To the OP less than 200 dollars in bills apparently seems like a lot. Like I said opening the thread I thought it would be an interesting amount of money to cause his angst. To some this amount might be just that. So I guess I say, everyone has a $$$ line that makes you think “I need to report this”. A 20 would just go into my pocket. 200 is in the vicinity of my border.

Two things though. I would want to know the police process because I don’t think it turning into the donut relief fund (it’s a joke) is any more right than keeping it myself. As for charity you guys misread my intent. I think if you find money and feel compelled to give it to charity that’s certainly your right. I also think charity is something you either do or don’t do. Finding 200 bucks wouldn’t really change my tithing. At all. Unless I felt like it. I mostly chafe under this puritanical well it’s not yours you must pass it along nonsense. It’s not nonsense if you feel like doing that, it is nonsense if you feel compelled to do so. There is a nuance there that I suspect many of you will ignore or not understand. It is nonetheless there. Basically you aren’t a better person if, once you could not find the owner, to give it to charity or to use it yourself in my opinion. Preparing to be slammed by people who have almost certainly pocketed found change (bills) on the road. Standing by.

Making reasonable attempts to find the owner, such as asking the clerk of the gas station is what the OP did. I wouldn't turn it into the police, whose going to go to the police to report loose cash that fell out of their pocket? I'd say after making reasonable attempts at the gas station, to just keep it. It's not specific and easily unique like a wedding ring or something of that nature.

I know what Sheriff Andy Taylor would do. I’d turn it in.

I knew this day would come. I agree with jimmy. He said it much more succinctly than I did. No one is going to police to report loss of pocket money. When Sheriff Taylor inevitably doesn’t find the guy, what is the correct action for said sheriff? Giving it to charity or using it for your own needs aren’t a good/bad choice. Give it away if you want to. Feeling bad about keeping something you found after failing to find the owner just seems self flagellating.

As long as I turned it in, it’s off my conscience. In today’s world, I’d ask for a proper receipt.

Twice in the last 20 years I’ve lost money or my wallet - both times when I returned to where I last lost it, it had been turned in. My only regret is that I was unable to find out who the people were that turned the items in so I could reward them.
In one of the cases I was out of town, and it would’ve been a big deal if I had truly lost my wallet. In the other case, it was several hours before I noticed what had slipped out of my pocket when I was pulling something else out.
Both times I was extremely grateful.

Someone probably needs that money. I would let the station know that you found some folded bills and leave your number in case someone stops in. Let the “owner“ tell you how much, if they’re folded a certain way, in a certain order, etc.
Good deeds get rewarded in karma, if nothing else.

If I were to lose a sizable value in cash from my pocket, of course I'd report it.

I don't know if I was pick pocketed, if it fell out, or what the reason. Chances are, it will never be recovered, but I'll certainly report it.

I would have just left my phone number with the manager of the place and told him to call me if anyone comes in saying thy lost a similar amount of money. No call in a few days, it's mine.