Opinions Please

[Kilroy]

If a purchase is complete  is anything found in the purchase, as long as it's not illegal or  placed there by the buyer now the property of the buyer?  Is there a legal obligation to return the items? I won't get into the moral obligation.

Just  looking for thoughts.

[Eric]

Good question... guess it depends on the value of the item found inside... I bought a 7up embossed
square top... I had done some trading for it.... when he took it off the trailer and we loaded the coolers I traded for it he noticed 2 mercury head nickels on his trailer, his property... he put them in his pocket...
 I didn't mind they were his.. he then went to the 7up machine that was now in my basement, my property, my machine.... he looked in the coin mech and found 3 more Mercury head dimes,
without saying anything he put them in his pocket... I felt then those should have been mine... but not
anything to really complain about... 30 cents?... just kinda neat that this machine had coins that old in it.
And I'd liked to have had those... to sit on the machine....
If this is something similiar like you bought a machine, juke or old car, loaded it, took it home and it is now on your property... and this is a new discovery than you had no idea about... I would say it yours... and it is your choice... This is something they should have checked, gone through... Say if you bought a Victor 2 door cooler and there's a extra opener or cap catcher - cool... and cardboard sign or menu board - extra bonus... Maybe even a Dole Junior still in the box - SWEET!!!!!
But if it got into something like here's a diamond ring or something that could be personal family item I would call and return...

last story and good example... An elderly couple at my church had a auction.... all the money made from the items sold went to the church for missions... The church called me as they knew I collected Coca-Cola items and the owner had worked for Coke... there was nothing really great... a couple old trays and thermometer... but the barn loft had 4 - 4'X6' sunburst coke signs used in between the floors... we took them down, good to fair condition and those brought the most money...

The couple later sold the house and used that money to help with nursing home payments.... the new owners where in the middle of a kitchen remodel.. there was one drawer that wouldn't open all the way
... Craig finally found the reason... there was a coffee can in the very back of the drawer...filled with 15 thousand dollars in cash!!!! Yes 15 grand! HELLO!!!! CHA-CHING!!!... Now... He bought the house.... was in it almost 2 years... I would consider that his property.... He contacted the couple's daughter and gave them the money... They had forgotten all about it... Wow...That would be hard.. But I feel he did the right thing.. and I hope I could have done the same...

So....some odd collectable left inside another... probably keep.... something personal like family items or a
stash of cash... a call only you can make.

[collecture]

Agree with Eric.
When we bought our house, I found (when wiring cable a couple months later) three 1939-1940's Walt Disney/Standard Oil painted tin signs in the attic.
There was a bunch of other office supplies with some other guys name (and business) on them. I believe that one of the previous owner(s) of the house inadvertantly left them and the guy I dealt with knew nothing about them.
He never mentioned them and I did talk to him several times (he even came back by a year or so later). I, of course, did not offer any information, but did not feel I was obligated to either.
Finders keepers...losers weepers as the kids' quote goes!

[mznb1u]

Those are always tough situations!  I would have to go along with what Eric closed his post with - - some odd collectable left inside another... probably keep.... something personal like family items or a stash of cash... a call only you can make.  I will have to let you know what I do when I run into one of those situations.

  Tim

PS--You didn't find Hoffa's body did you Kilroy? 

[Kilroy]

While taking apart the bowling machine this weekend we found stuff. I almost thought it was a kid who was stashing treasure:. A poker chip, with silver  colored insert, in a plastic envelope;. a card of dice, one pair missing,  a gun barrel cleaner; shells (1 or 3 each) form a  .357 and a .22, several ( half dozen) bayonets, and i mean bayonets, switchblades ( illegal now in MI) and daggers;  an NOS pocket calculator ( from the size, early 1980's) a   mint CB radio and antenna( 23 channel) . There were also   several of those coin books, filled or partially filled with pre war pennies, on I think was Buffalo nickels, quarters, etc.

The worker form the estate sale  promptly grabbed the stuff as it was coming out. I don't know if it will go back to the family, or not.  

I didn't want to raise a big fuss, after getting what i thought was a steal  on the bowler, and  it was evident  the machine had to be taken apart to  put the stuff into it, something that wasn't done before I got there. And I didn't get a good enough  at the coins to say, I could have  bought an RC81 or Victor cooler  with them, and while we were still  on the property , the item was already purchased in full.
Shrug, next time the topic of " What have  you found in an old machines", I think I will have everyone beat, not many CB radios and  Liberty half dollars in a  CS72

LOL @ Tim. No body, but hmmm, now that I think about all the daggers and knives..

[Poptop]

In a straight up business situation like yours (no connection with the seller or any personal feelings) that
type of sale should be all in.  You purchased and paid for it, all found contents are your property and what
ever value placed on the item you bought makes no difference.

The value they took from it and you, show the kind of people you were dealing with and that was not
right.

The "fun" of an auction or estate sale is alway the unexpected and the suprise!

Great thread.

[Kilroy]

I didn't want to make a fuss, I was afraid the sales  agents wouldsay, " well here's your money back, and lose the  bowler.

right now, I'm wondering who and why   put the stuff in there. At first i thought a kid, but  daggers? And a CB radio, and antenna?  Silver coins?  bullets and dice?maybe he was waiting for the Apocalypse...

[Marvin]

Tough decision to make.  Probably a good idea not to cause a stir.  But the stuff was yours.  The estate manager should have done a better job of checking things out.

[Funtronics]

I think that once the money has changed hands the item (and anything in it) becomes your property. If you find something in it that you think is personal and think that the family may want it back, thats up to the new owner of the item to decide. Just my 2 cents. 

[SIGNGUY]

Every Dead Mouse, cobwebs and spiders I've found in machines I've purchased, I've promptly packaged them up and sent them back to the owners..