# 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:** 9
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/161 "2007-01-30T01:00:45Z")
Just wanted to say, as a semi-lurker, I’m hooked. Most likely to be an anti-climactic resolution, but you never know. Could make a great Reality Show someday. Reuniting lost objects found in walls to their original owners decades later. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/162 "2007-01-30T07:06:22Z")
[QUOTE=photopat] Any more progress on this? It’s an interesting situation. [/QUOTE] Progress is exactly what I posted yesterday. =) Letter was mailed to Long Beach today, I’m going to give it a couple of days to see if there’s a response. If I don’t hear back by Thurs, will start down other paths. But as there’s a reasonable chance that we’ve found Don Ivens’ address, I see no reason to rush down other roads before this one has had a little time to play itself out. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/163 "2007-01-30T16:47:04Z")
How far is long beach, can someone make a drive? I can’t wait! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/164 "2007-01-30T16:58:22Z")
[QUOTE=Gfactor] I’m not sure the forwarding thing would work: [http://www.ssa.gov/foia/html/ltrfwding.htm](http://www.ssa.gov/foia/html/ltrfwding.htm) [/QUOTE] I’m not sure the forwarding thing would work: Quote: We will attempt to forward a letter to a missing person under circumstances involving a matter of great importance, such as a death or serious illness in the missing person’s immediate family, or a sizeable amount of money that is due the missing person. Also, the circumstances must concern a matter about which the missing person is unaware and would undoubtedly want to be informed. I think this is covered. If it were _my_ wallet, I would definitely consider this a matter about which I was unaware and would undoubtedly want to be informed. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/165 "2007-01-30T17:21:27Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] I’m not sure the forwarding thing would work: Quote: We will attempt to forward a letter to a missing person under circumstances involving a matter of great importance, such as a death or serious illness in the missing person’s immediate family, or a sizeable amount of money that is due the missing person. Also, the circumstances must concern a matter about which the missing person is unaware and would undoubtedly want to be informed. I think this is covered. If it were _my_ wallet, I would definitely consider this a matter about which I was unaware and would undoubtedly want to be informed. [/QUOTE] Also means “and” here. So you’ve got one part of a two-part requirement. You’d still need to show that it was like “a death or serious illness in the missing person’s immediate family, or a sizeable amount of money that is due the missing person.” The SSA will probably not consider an old wallet with no money in it similar to a death in the family or a sizeable amount of money due the missing person. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/166 "2007-01-30T17:56:13Z")
I could hint that there might be a couple of bucks in the wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/167 "2007-01-30T19:05:11Z")
[QUOTE=Siam Sam] I could hint that there might be a couple of bucks in the wallet. [/QUOTE] We could all pitch in and _put_ a few bucks in the wallet. Hmmm. You think he’d notice if the wallet had series 2000 banknotes in it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/168 "2007-01-30T21:17:35Z")
As I said in post #116: [QUOTE=Walloon] The **Social Security Administration** ’s [Letter Forwarding Service](http://www.ssa.gov/foia/html/ltrfwding.htm). No, this isn’t a “matter of great importance”. But from my experience, they’re less hard asses about forwarding things than their web site avers. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/169 "2007-01-30T22:21:29Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] As I said in post #116: > [@Walloon](#): > > The Social Security Administration’s Letter Forwarding Service. No, this isn’t a “matter of great importance”. But from my experience, they’re less hard asses about forwarding things than their web site avers. [/QUOTE] From my experience, which I related previously, this is true. The letter which was forwarded to me was hardly of Earth-shattering import. Just someone who wanted to hear from me, is all. I daresay, although it was nice to be sought after, the contact was considerably more important to the sender than it was to me. The SSA did not appear to have any problems with forwarding it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/170 "2007-01-30T22:27:12Z")
How much do private investigators cost? Given the number of people that seem to want this thing resolved, perhaps a Paypal fund could be setup? ---
**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 30, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/171 "2007-01-30T22:57:35Z")
[QUOTE=xiix] How much do private investigators cost? Given the number of people that seem to want this thing resolved, perhaps a Paypal fund could be setup? [/QUOTE] I’ve been wondering why an Internet “find anyone” service couldn’t be used? I don’t have special access to any, but it seems like for about $40 you can get a list of just about everything known about a person, especially since you have the SSN, the golden key to personal data. Not quite the level available from a private eye, but a heck of a lot cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/172 "2007-01-30T23:15:45Z")
A very paranoid ex ran one of those ‘deep searches’ on me before we went on a second date (long story on his end of why he felt it was justified) and he spent his $40 to find out my old addresses and my dad’s name. Woo-hoo. They even misspelled my name on the criminal record search, so even if I had one it wouldn’t have turned up. You’re better off signing up for Accurint, it’s the best search engine I’ve ever used. Walloon, I assume you’ve used the Accurint Person At Work search w/ the subject SSN? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/173 "2007-01-30T23:25:18Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] I’ve been wondering why an Internet “find anyone” service couldn’t be used? [/QUOTE] [Already tried.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=8199727&postcount=144) ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2007, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/174 "2007-01-30T23:33:16Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat] Not quite the level available from a private eye, but a heck of a lot cheaper. [/QUOTE] A private eye is cheap when even a tiny fraction of the people who’ve checked this thead pitch a couple bucks! ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/175 "2007-01-31T00:21:11Z")
[QUOTE=xiix] A private eye is cheap when even a tiny fraction of the people who’ve checked this thead pitch a couple bucks! [/QUOTE] Snap, the idea just came to me to have a paypal donation drive from all of us and just hire a brother seamus to find this guy 😃 ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/176 "2007-01-31T00:48:13Z")
I’m guessin’ what ever happens now, is going to seem anticlimactic. ---
**Author:** ![Dishfunctional](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/35a633/32.png) [@Dishfunctional](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dishfunctional)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/177 "2007-01-31T01:18:05Z")
I’m not sure if this means anything, but when I was a kid, we moved around a lot. My dad was military, so sometimes we were only at base for as little as 6 months,and then we’d move again. Maybe I got the idea from an old movie or newspaper story about “time capsules” or something, but I can remember burying these little tin boxes somewhere out in the back yard of every place we ever lived, and in each box I would put a bunch of personal items - things like marbles and jax and baseball cards, and always something with my name and the date. Amazing how many years it’s been since I even thought of that… ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/178 "2007-01-31T03:15:04Z")
[QUOTE=Dishfunctional] Amazing how many years it’s been since I even thought of that… [/QUOTE] Ohmigod, me too, and your post reminded me. I buried a few pieces of plastic toy silverware in the ground at the corner of an apartment building in St. Petersburg, Florida, probably around 1950. It’s funny, what gets buried in our memories, and what brings them back up. ---
**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 31, 2007, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/179 "2007-01-31T03:32:34Z")
> [@](#): > > How much do private investigators cost? Given the number of people that seem to want this thing resolved, perhaps a Paypal fund could be setup? And what, exactly, do you think a P.I. would do, that **Walloon** and **filmyak** aren’t already doing? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2007, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659/180 "2007-01-31T04:02:52Z")
There’s something awfully depressing about this whole thing. That a human being can live his life without leaving much (or any) trace of his having been here. Wouldn’t it be strange if the wallet were the only evidence that he ever existed? You’d think we’d all have left evidence of our lives everywhere we went, but apparently that’s not the case. Maybe the owner of the wallet is reading this thread, and won’t admit that he’s led such an anonymous life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-wallet-from-the-70s/387659.md?page=10)