Finders Keepers Is Not the Law
A finder is one who discovers something. The playground rule about keeping what you find has almost no legal support.
A finder is someone who discovers or locates something. *Finders keepers* is a poor guide to the law: in England and Wales a finder generally acquires rights only against everyone except the true owner, and keeping property you know belongs to someone else can amount to theft. The finder's rights improve only if the owner cannot be traced.
- One who finds. *The finder was rewarded.*
- A small telescope. *A finder scope.*
- Finder's fee — a payment for introducing a deal. *A finder's fee of two per cent.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | finder | The lucky finder. |
| Plural | finders | Two finders. |
| Verb | find | Find the source. |
| Past | found | She found it. |
| Noun | finding | A key finding. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The finder handed it to police.The safe course.
- A finder's fee was agreed.Business.
- Findings were published.Research results.
Finding property in England and Wales
- Take reasonable steps — try to locate the owner
- Report valuable items — hand them to the police
- Occupier's rights — the owner of the land may have a better claim
- Treasure — gold and silver finds must be reported under the Treasure Act
- Theft by finding — keeping something you could return can be an offence
From *find*, Old English *findan*, to come upon. The phrase *finders keepers* is recorded from the nineteenth century.
Is *finders keepers* legally true?
No. A finder must take reasonable steps to locate the owner, and keeping known property can be theft.
What counts as treasure?
In England and Wales, defined categories of old gold and silver objects and coin hoards, which must be reported to the coroner.