# found wallet from the 70's **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2007, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659 "2007-01-12T03:35:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/121 "2007-01-28T13:24:47Z")
The wallet owner does not appear in the: • California death index, 1940-1997. • Oregon death index, 1903-1998. • Washington death index, 1940-1996. • Texas death index, 1964-1998. • Florida death index, 1877-1998. • Montana death index, 1907-2002. • North Dakota death Index, 1881-2003. • Georgia death index, 1919-1998. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/122 "2007-01-28T13:54:13Z")
I’m thinking that dude is going to be really freaked out if he happens upon this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/123 "2007-01-28T13:56:41Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] The wallet owner does not appear in the: • California death index, 1940-1997. • Oregon death index, 1903-1998. • Washington death index, 1940-1996. • Texas death index, 1964-1998. • Florida death index, 1877-1998. • Montana death index, 1907-2002. • North Dakota death Index, 1881-2003. • Georgia death index, 1919-1998. [/QUOTE] He appears to be an Army vet. Did you try the VA. If he’s receiving benefits, they should have a current status and location. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/124 "2007-01-28T14:01:51Z")
[QUOTE=Mince] He appears to be an Army vet. Did you try the VA. If he’s receiving benefits, they should have a current status and location. [/QUOTE] I would hope they would keep that information confidential. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/125 "2007-01-28T14:08:56Z")
Correct, the VA does not give that information out about living persons. Even if you served in his unit. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/126 "2007-01-28T14:10:29Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] I’m thinking that dude is going to be really freaked out if he happens upon this thread. [/QUOTE] There’s no name or full date of birth listed in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/127 "2007-01-28T14:12:26Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I would hope they would keep that information confidential. [/QUOTE] Of course, but you could foward the wallet to them. Is the object to get the wallet to the guy or that _you_ return the wallet to the guy? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/128 "2007-01-28T14:34:16Z")
[QUOTE=Mince] Of course, but you could foward the wallet to them. [/QUOTE] Unless the VA operates a forwarding service I am unaware of, said wallet would likely end up in a crate in a warehouse not far from the Ark of the Covenant. ---
**Author:** ![Mince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Mince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mince)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/129 "2007-01-28T16:17:11Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Unless the VA operates a forwarding service I am unaware of, said wallet would likely end up in a crate in a warehouse not far from the Ark of the Covenant. [/QUOTE] Sure, it’s likely they would not perform the service. But I would certainly try. At the least the finder of the wallet could leave his contact information and have the original owner contact him, if he’s not too timid to leave his contact information. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/130 "2007-01-28T17:23:22Z")
How about sharing the guy’s name, on the off chance that someone here knows him? ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/131 "2007-01-28T19:27:32Z")
I assume you entered what info you have in various reverse telephone directories? [http://www.virtualchase.com/people/reverse.html](http://www.virtualchase.com/people/reverse.html) ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/132 "2007-01-28T19:38:01Z")
A reverse telephone directory is for when you have a telephone number without a name or address. We have the opposite. P.S. to everybody: Yes, we tried the online telephone directories a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/133 "2007-01-28T19:52:25Z")
Whoops, wrong thread. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/134 "2007-01-28T20:00:32Z")
We have a poster who works for the VA. I wonder if she might be able to help. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/135 "2007-01-28T20:04:26Z")
> [@](#): > > And those are no ladies! I always assume that any given woman is a lady, absent any evidence to the contrary, and I do not consider posing for burlesque magazine pictures in lingere to be evidence to the contrary. Back on subject, without saying the guy’s name, about how common is it? Are we talking a John Smith, here, or a Nehemiah Schnikelgruber? ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/136 "2007-01-28T20:11:06Z")
You know, the online phone directories have been less than helpful for me in finding people whose adddresses and phone numbers I **know** , much less someone I don’t know. Have you tried the resource of your local library? The research librarian could give you a big hand in finding out information from that time frame that might be of more help than current resources available online. Old telephone directories, newspaper archives, census info, company information… ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/137 "2007-01-28T20:13:50Z")
Per post #73, it’s a rare first name-last name combination. There are probably fewer than 10 adults in the U.S. with it. Add the middle name and date of birth (both of which we have), and it’s unique. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/138 "2007-01-28T20:15:44Z")
[QUOTE=kittenblue] Old telephone directories, newspaper archives, census info, company information… [/QUOTE] Done it, done it, too young, no known employer. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/139 "2007-01-28T21:23:43Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Per post #73, it’s a rare first name-last name combination. There are probably fewer than 10 adults in the U.S. with it. Add the middle name and date of birth (both of which we have), and it’s unique. [/QUOTE] But how rare is the last name. If it’s rare, then you might be able to track the guy down by calling other people with the same name and asking if the guy is a relative. If it’s common obviously that’s not likely to work. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/140 "2007-01-28T21:39:04Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] Unfortunately, the most recent address listed for him in the wallet, on his March 1973 fishing license, appears on Google Maps to be an apartment building. I doubt the current tenant, or even the current owner, knows anything about him 34 years later. [/quote] Granted, but considering how you’ve exhausted most everything else, it wouldn’t hurt to go there and inquire. If it’s a big building, perhaps put a short flyer under each door? An old girl friend found me after 30 years by going to a house where I used to live, and 2 doors away was a neighbor who had kept contact with me. And I was glad she did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659.md?page=8)