Myers Depot Metal Detectors

Legal Question About Find

I

izmiz

New Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2015
Messages
21
Hello All
I live in MA and I bought an old house and was renovating it when I found a stash of old coins that might be valuable, as per Ebay like 2k-3k each.
they where hidden behind a wall, behind a chimney wall within the bricks.
are they mine ? do I have to report them? whats the rule of thumb here.
Thank you.
 
Yeah, the only thing I’ve heard of seller retaining is mineral rights and that is usually on undeveloped land. Nicely done! If you turn up any 1930s 40s beer cans in the walls they can be worth hundreds or thousands too, especially local brands in your area. Nice find!
 
Coins are great! You don't have to feed them,you don't have to paint them and nobody knows when you sell them. My father taught me this!
 
izmiz said:
Hello All
I live in MA and I bought an old house and was renovating it when I found a stash of old coins that might be valuable, as per Ebay like 2k-3k each.
they where hidden behind a wall, behind a chimney wall within the bricks.
are they mine ? do I have to report them? whats the rule of thumb here.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
2K - 3K per coin!?!! Wow! Can you share any more info about them?
 
izmiz said:
Hello All
I live in MA and I bought an old house and was renovating it when I found a stash of old coins that might be valuable, as per Ebay like 2k-3k each.
they where hidden behind a wall, behind a chimney wall within the bricks.
are they mine ? do I have to report them? whats the rule of thumb here.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Just keep quiet. If you go lookin, somebody will find some obscure reason for you to give them up. Look at it like this, if you found termites in the walls who do they belong to ? And its not like you found some drug kingpins ill gotten gains. Nobody is looking for it so count your blessings and keep quiet. Mark
 
Hopefully they aren’t “rare” dateless buffalo nickels that you found - if so, eBay may not be your best source for value estimates:

eBay Listing: Rare Indian Head / Buffalo U.S. 5 cents nickel (No Date)

;) :D

Regardless, congrats on a cool find!! Yes, in my humble non-legally binding opinion, they are yours. No need to “report” them. No one needs to know where they came from except you and anyone you decide to tell.
 
Fascinating topic . I LOVE IT !

You can ask around to enough lawyers and prior owners, and they will tell you : "That's not yours". And, heck, I bet they can even cite some dire-sounding law or rule (who are you to argue with that ??)

So I'll just make it simple: The answer to your question is : It belongs to : Tom_in_CA . Kindly send it back to me. I accept paypal. Any other questions ? :cool3:
 
Hmmm, where there’s one stash, there could be others scattered about that house. Hope you find ‘em all. You got everyone wondering how many coins define a “stash” … five, fifty, five hundred? Kind of cool to daydream about.
I was tearing apart an old butler’s pantry in our 1885 house (also in Massachusetts) and found a stash of a single Indian Head cent many years ago. Now we’re in a 1950 Cape, so maybe one day I’ll find a silver Rosie :lol:
I would consider the find your’s to keep. Just don’t mention it to the previous owner. They probably didn’t stash those coins anyway. Depending on their age, those coins may have been hidden by owners way before the person you bought the house from.
 
Congrats!! Everyone pretty much is in agreement. As tempting as it may be, don't tell your friends, coworkers, family etc. If you do, somebody with a big mouth may stir up trouble. Also, tell your significant other to keep it quiet. Even when you go to sell them, just make up something that does not involve the previous owners or the tax man. Good luck with everything!! You found what all of us dream about!!!
 
First, I agree, those coins are yours, and also agree to quit talking about them, I don't think the government would take them, but these are crazy times !!!!!! On here, this answer is just opinions, happy for you, that is like buying an older house, and finding a wall safe ! Wish you the best, Congrats :lookclose::lookclose::kingdances::kingdances::kingdances::mder::mder:
too_
 
CallMeGrey said:
Hard to tell really. There was a case in Arizona (https://www.thegazette.com/news/arizona-mans-heirs-get-500000-cash-found-hidden-in-walls/), where treasure was found in the walls of a house after it was sold. The judge decided it belonged to the deceased man's estate.

Nothing today seems cut and dried when it comes to who owns what, when anyone can go to court and hope for the best.
Click to expand...

I remember that story. There are two important details that legally led the judge to the mislaid treasure conclusion rather than abandoned treasure.

First, there was a proven history of the previous owner hiding items throughout the house and in the walls. (There might have even been a ledger or other documents showing the purchase of the coins the subsequent owners found, although that detail wasn't mentioned in that article.) Ownership could easily be proven. If it had been gold coins from the 1800s in the walls of a house that had changed hands multiple times, and there was no evidence from the heirs of a SPECIFIC previous owner, then the current owner would have the best claim of ownership of what they would argue is abandoned property.

Second, the man died before the home was sold. He didn't abandon the items. The family that inherited the estate can't abandon something they didn't know about when they sold the house. If the man himself had sold the house, moved out, left the items, and then died, then that would be different. The new owners could argue the man knew about the treasure he was leaving behind and chose to abandon it.
 
Stay low, there was a couple here in California that found a stash of gold coins in a can. They sold them and Uncle Sam taxed them at a high rate.
If you sell them I would do it one at a time over a long time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
What do you use to view your smaller items ?
Replies
1
Views
10
Rattlehead
Rattlehead
Mikester99
Hawaii Beach was a bust
Replies
2
Views
178
The Lama
The Lama
R
New from New Hampshire
Replies
7
Views
74
markinmichigan
markinmichigan
60streeter
WHAT DO YOU SEE?
Replies
19
Views
297
BuckHill
B
HeavyMetalDetectinPassion
Detecting in summer
Replies
2
Views
122
Planedoc
Planedoc
Back
Top Bottom