What do you think?

[Vinca]

There was an article in our local paper about some guys tearing down a barn and found some old and rare silent movies and what they ended up doing with them. I have no idea whose barn it was or if the owner told them to keep whatever was in there, but it always bothers me when contractors appear on the Roadshow or even Pawn Stars and when asked where they acquired their find, they say they were installing a roof or tearing down a wall or rebuilding a cellar wall and lo and behold this valuable item popped up. Most of the time, it appears the contractor is figuring anything he stumbles upon is his. In my book, if a rare gold coin turns up in my rafters when the roof is being replaced, it's my gold coin. I remember one case where a guy working on a house found a large amount of money in a wall and kept it. The owner got wind of it and had to sue to get it back. The guy should have been grateful he wasn't charged with a felony as far as I was concerned. Am I too much of a Pollyanna? It seems like theft to me.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. It is dishonorable, at least. I agree with you that it sure seems like theft.

I have no idea what the law says, but this is a case of "there ought to be a law".