Unpopular opinion: I discovered a wedding ring in a donated coat pocket and kept it.

Last week, I was digging through a rack of coats at my local thrift shop. I tried on a vintage wool coat and felt something hard in the inner pocket. It was a plain gold wedding band, tucked away and forgotten. I bought the coat for ten bucks, mainly for the fabric, but now I have this ring. Part of me thinks it's fair game since I paid for the coat, but another part wonders if I should try to return it. The thrift store gets donations from all over, so tracking down the owner seems impossible. I'm torn between seeing it as a lucky find and feeling guilty about possibly keeping someone's lost treasure. What would you guys do in this spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

william1711mo ago

You mentioned feeling guilty about keeping someone's lost treasure. I read a story once about a guy who found a class ring in a thrift store jacket. He spent months tracking down the owner through old yearbooks and social media. When he returned it, the guy had passed away, but his daughter cried from happiness. It turned out the ring was lost after his death, and it meant a lot to the family. Your situation might be similar since a wedding ring could have deep personal value. Even if tracking the owner seems hard, maybe ask the thrift store if they have donation records or could post a notice. Have you checked if the ring has any writing inside?

joseph_shah481mo ago

That story about the daughter crying really changed my mind about finding the owner.

grace_adams1mo agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, @william171's story hits home. My buddy found an old military medal in a box of stuff he bought at a garage sale. He finally found the vet's family after checking some local VFW posts online. The guy's grandson drove two hours to get it, said his grandpa never stopped talking about losing it after the war. They both got choked up, it was pretty wild lol. Stuff like that really is worth the hassle.