yea I know too honest right??

[banditicey]

I tend to agree with you about your assessment in regards to this ungrateful woman
But I can tell you that I began collecting antique jewelry in my 20's
Thank you for the story, gives one thought

Quote
Back in the early 70s I had some business cards made up offering to find lost items with a metal detector. I put them in grocery stores/drug stores/etc. Most calls I got were for finding lost jewelry and property stakes.
My usual deal was I find the lost item then I get permission to detect the property and keep whatever else I find.
So one day I get a call from a lady who had lost a $2500 ring in her yard playing volleyball at a large family get together. Getting to her home I find a large 1880s house with a huge yard.
I talked to her and discussed the terms: If I find the ring I get to detect her yard and keep whatever I find. She agreed. She showed me where they were playing volleyball and I found the ring about 15 minutes later.
She was overjoyed.
So I started hunting her yard. She was setting on the big open porch watching, which I really did not notice at the time. I IMMEDIATLY got a crisp, but weak, signal. About 6" down I pulled out a beatiful womans gold ring.
It was obviously antique. And it had a huge blue sapphire stone, with a magnificent cut. I was cleaning off the dirt from it and saw 18k on the inside of the band. Suddenly from over my shoulder... "Can I see that?"
She was standing right behind me! I handed it to her. She looked at it. "Oh I lost this ring! Thanks" and stuck it in her pocket. And she headed back for the house. I stopped her and reminded her of our deal.
This gal was in her mid 30s, no way she lost that old ring. She got angry and said it was her ring. And was not about to give it back. She told me to get off her property NOW or she was calling the police.
I left. After that I had written agreements made up and signed BEFORE I even got the metal detector out of the car. Never had a problem again.[/quote]

 

[Bell-Two]

No you were not too honest, you made a request, they told you the terms and it is up to you to say you agree or not agree. It is common responce not only with Churches but any place that has to ask a committe what to do. You might have offered to double the face value of any coin you found and wanted to keep and then I would have given the these verses to ponder.

Matthew 25
14 "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.
15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey.
16 "Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents.
17 "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more.
18 "But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master's money.
19 "Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *settled accounts with them.
20 "And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.'
21 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.'
22 "The one also who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted to me two talents; see, I have gained two more talents.'
23 "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
24 "And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed.
25 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.'
26 "But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed.
27 'Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest.
28 'Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.'

If they wish to keep the money buried and make nothing on it...well let them read and learn!

 

[LabradorBob]

We should never let others greed effect our decisions.That being said I would have no problem giving up all I found at a dedicated charity hunt or similar .

I agree with Ray-Mo,
In life the best thing to do is to try to turn a negative into a positive.
I find that a lot of the old churches often have someone that is a historian,
I am talking a professional historian,not just some one who is interested in the churches past.

So somewhere they have a lot of information on the church and its' history!
and were hoping to document on verify it by what you might have found.
These are a no lose situation that could have ended with your name in the paper or at least with the finds!
and a plus for the metal detecting perspective!

LabradorBob

 

[ryanchappell]

The church probably thinks that you would find thousands of dollars of silver and gold coins due to all the pride that they have in their history. They are setting themselves up for another less honest person to take up their offer verbally but not follow through with actions. Where is that church? JK I probably would not be dishonest like that to a church.

 

[Shayne]

Did you think about offering a $20 donation to the church for the rights to hunt the property and keep whatever coinage you found. They get a little something and if you find a decent silver or two, you also win - who knows - you may have come out way ahead. Something to think about - we all like to gamble from time-to-time...

 

[Craneman57]

Forget that area, move on. If they should ask why your not going to hunt on their property , tell them there's plenty of other places I can hunt and not have to share the finds.

 

[JamesBondaka]

They have the right to do what they want to do....and so do you!

 

[utahshovelhead]

After reading all the comments I want to add mine.

It matters not what any person here say's (including me) do what you think you should do...You are the ONLY person who can make a difference.
Too Honest...please...how can anyone but you know that? You did what U thought was best and nobody NOBODY but you did it. \

Any advice from those who were not there at that moment mean nothing to you and the only thing you should trial over is what you will do next. Its not a lost opportunity untill you decide it is, its an effort that you made that nobody else did.

The small sampling above shows a good range of peoples motivations...whats yours? and how much did you pay for YOUR integrity?

 

[cdsmith46]

A slight twist on this incident, leading in a different direction. A friend of mine very much wanted to m/d an older church in downtown Baton Rouge, LA. I obtained permission from the ruling body in the church. He came away from there with bullets, frag, and as I recall one or more coins. When I asked him if he would donate something back to the church for their historical library, his answer was, "hell no; I found them, I'm keeping them". No amount of discussion would get him to admit that it was because they granted him permission to hunt that he had anything from there at all. That's the thanks that the church got. I'm sure that any requests to hunt there again will likely be turned down. What does one do????
Chuck Smith
St. Francisville, LA

 

[moose]

I think that If you feel good about what you choose, so be it.... HH

Moose

 

[Whitetail]

Sure....I say let them have what you find. You find a dime...give them a dime...you find a penny give them a penny............NOW.......
You find a STANDING LIBERTY....give them a quarter.....you find a SILVER DIME.... give them a regular dime. You find an INDIAN HEAD penny....give them a memorial. Your doing EXACTLY what they ask. Giving them what you find.....well....the denomination will be correct anyways?

 

[Andy Sabisch]

Over the years I have been in a similar situation and gotten permission to hunt a spot that produced a gold coin in one and a platinum diamond ring in the other and while it hurt, I had promised to return what I found . . . . it did get me into some other sites that I might not otherwise have gained access to so it all seems to even out in the end as they say . . .

On the other had, remember the Gary Larson Farside cartoon . . . . . . .

Andy Sabisch

 

[GunnarMN]

I would keep the coins , and give him anything significant to the church like crosses and riligious things His treasure is in heaven , and its not right to have somone work for nothing you keep the coins It even says in the bible do not muzzle the Ox wile it treadds out the grain .

 

[JamesBondaka]

Nice cartoon!


Seriously, I think you should either give them everything....If thats what they want OR just go somewhere else That way everybodys happy!