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Saturday, June 21, 2008

Found money: The bike commuting bonus

Image of coins near a bicyle tire on the street
Yesterday on my bike commute I found two quarters on the street, which I stopped and pocketed. As I write on my Bike Commute Tips website, I frequently find money in the street during my daily commute. Mostly coins, occasionally some bills. Once in San Francisco I found a wad of bills that totaled $463, which I banked after unsuccessful attempts to return it (posted flyers, Craigslist ad.) I don't stop for pennies, but depending on traffic and my haste, I'll stop for nickels, dimes, quarters.

How about you? What treasures have you found in the street during your bike commute?

Image: Paul Dorn.
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site

19 comments:

Mary Worrell said...

Whoa! I wish I could find a wad of cash like that. The most I've found so far is a dollar bill....but I haven't been commuting that long. There's still hope!

And I definitely stop for quarters, which are so hard to find when it's time to do laundry.

Ed W said...

I've found cash only once. There was a small bank bag on the roadside. I found some small bills, a bag of suspicious white powder, and a small pipe. I gave all of it to the local PD.

But I do find tools. I came across a Mac 10mm combination wrench, a Craftsman Professional 8mm combination wrench, a Snap-On screwdriver, and much more. Most of the tools are junk, but a few are true gems.

What can I say? I'm attracted to shiny objects!

Anonymous said...

I found some coins, a silver bracelet and last Friday I found a frisbee. Let's see what goodies the next week has in store for me :)

Noah said...

I found a Nintendo DS along the gutter of a main arterial - with some girl's first name programmed in as the owner, a Spongebob Squarepants cartridge and myriad jewel and smiley face stickers all over it. I, like you, posted to try to find its rightful owner with the conditions that anyone who could tell me the girl's name and the DS's color would get it back. After several weeks, I bought a charger and some games to go with it and stripped it of all the stickers.

Last week, I found a single automobile key. And a huge grain silo about the be demolished. No way I'm taking the grain elevator home with me, though.

Tom said...

I found a one dollar bill a couple days ago- I gave it in exchange for half a cup of coffee. The other half of the coffee required some quarters.

Anonymous said...

I haven't found anything yet, in fact I really haven't been looking. But... after reading this post and all of the comments I'm certainly going to start paying more attention to what's lying around! You all have found some great stuff!

Anonymous said...

I've found a couple loose dogs, recovered one, which I was able to return because he had a tag with home phone number on it. People should be more responsible with pets, and make sure they have ID collars.

Noah said...

I found a slim jim this morning. The car break-in too, not the nasty "meat" product.

What in the...?!?

Elaine said...

A few years ago on my birthday I found a $20 bill in the bike lane right outside the VFW. (My (deceased) dad was ex-Air Force, so it felt like a bday gift from the beyond.)

Anonymous said...

One day after getting a flat tire, I found a brand new innertube neatly folded and rubber-banded, lying in the middle of the trail. A gift from the bike gods. That made me smile.

clark said...

i found a sign that says DANGER.

Jim said...

I have found coins, a couple of dollar bills, an Allen wrench, a bag of weed, and a Timex watch (took a lickin' but was still tickin'). I have seen but did not pickup: a thong, a broken wrench, an unopened can of beer and several dead animals.

Adriel said...

I found a $20 once, it made my day. I have also found plastic toys that I have brought home to my kids. (After washing of course).

Its good to have panniers.

Zachary W. Ford said...

Over the course of one summer I found 6 dildos, I didnt pick them up though.

Unknown said...

6 Dildos??? hahaha....I don't believe that....
I will be keeping my eyes open after reading everyone's posts.

Anonymous said...

My husband and I pick up all coins we find when running, and most we find when riding. Last year we collected all our coins and cashed it in at the end of the year. $34. Not bad for just free money we earned from working out (not to mention the money we saved on health care costs by being healthier). I did a 4 day tour and found a brand new seal from Sea World on the side of the road. I bungeed him to my rear rack and he rode with me the rest of my trip as my companion.

Anonymous said...

Surely you should have given the money to the police. Or don't they teach that in the states?

Anonymous said...

I once found a dollar bill on the way to work... ...and a $10 on the way home, the same day.

This was also the day I had to take a pay cut at work, but it helped offset the bad feelings!

Rod Crawford said...

In 5 years of communing by bike, I have found very little cash, but 3 screw drivers, 2 magnets, countless sockets, 3kg of lead alloy tire weights, a really nice multi tool with built in led flashlight, 2 radioactive materials warning signs, ear defenders, leather work gloves, 2 nearly full packs of cigarettes , 2 marijuana cigarettes,all that is not counting various "garbage day treasures".