A question of ethics.

I'll make a poll so no one knows your answer, unless you want to comment on it.

You're at the mall. There's a fountain where people throw change into. No one is around but you. Within reaching distance is a Morgan silver dollar in the fountain. You know if you don't grab it someone else will. What do you do?

 

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I was gonna make a joke about grabbing it and tossing in 4 quarters, then I noticed it was one of the options. Guess we think alike, just making change right?!

 

Thievery is thievery, whether someone's watching or not. Everyone on this forum knows the Morgan is worth more than 4 quarters, so "I chose to call it a dollar" for this scenario isn't the ethical answer. Even if one of the options was "Swap the Morgan for an equal valued Peace dollar", it doesn't seem ethical to me. The fountain isn't a public change machine!

 

I agree. But, I think that this was the point of wording the question this way. Who exactly are you stealing from if you take a coin out of a public fountain?

Would it be thievery to pick a Morgan up off the sidewalk? Why is it any different just because it's in some water?

 

The fountain fairies will haunt and harass if anyone touches their loot.......

For someone to throw a Morgan in a fountain they must have been making one really big wish. Touch that coin and you're messing with people's vibes.

 

I admit I'm not an expert in public fountain rules, but it is my assumption that money tossed into a fountain is being donated to some cause. Ie, it is not the mall owners that simply stuff it in their pockets, and it is not intended to be seen as "free money" as would be found on the street. I've seen fountains that have a little plaque that says the money is donated to such and such. So to me, "such and such" is the owner of this money.

 

OK. I'm down on my luck. I'm broke. I'm hungry. I take the last of my change and throw it in the fountain. I wish for a Morgan dollar to sell to put food on my table. I look in the fountain...........

 

I doubt this very much. For some reason, people have a strange urge to throw money into any fountain. You could put one in your front yard by the sidewalk (and I've considered it), and some people walking by will throw a cent or something in there, making a "wish" (I guess).
I imagine that many fountains, perhaps any without some form of notice as to where to money goes, do not have the change donated to anything.

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

Economic conditions do not change thievery from not thievery as a blanket rule.

TBH, I find such polls interesting but I never believe them. Its one thing to say something, its another to actually do it. I learned that lesson in the war. The big talking, loudmouths who "are going to go over there and kill 50 enemies" were the same ones who usually were hiding in the back of the truck when shots rang out. The quiet guys were the ones who stepped up and did their job when stuff hit the fan.

From that, I learned actions are not predictable from words. I answered I would take the morgan and replace it with 4 quarters. If it actually happened to me, IDK if I would do that, ignore it, or take the morgan to security to hold so the charity does not lose the value of that donation. I honestly say I am not sure. Maybe that makes me morally inferior, but I think its closer to the truth than many other answers.

Chris

 

Assuming it goes to charity, none of the above. I would take the Morgan and put a minimum of 50% of its value in (about $10 today). That way they are guaranteed to make money (which they may or may not have done) and I can also make some money.

 

If it's theivery to take the Morgan, who are you taking it from?

The guy who threw it in there was just throwing it away, basically. Fountains inside commercial buildings (like malls) are the property of the mall, and they could argue any money thrown into them belong to them, maybe. But what about fountains in public areas in cities? Parks, courtyards, downtown plazas, etc. As far as I'm concerned, it's like throwing a coin on the ground. It's fair game. Once the guy discards the coin and walks away, it belongs to nobody, just like a nickel on the sidewalk or in the grass.

Is it uncouth to throw on a snorkel and go diving for change in a public fountain? Yes. Have I ever taken money out of a fountain? No. Is it unethical? It's really a grey area. If there was a Morgan in there, would I snag it? I have a hard time believing I wouldn't.

EDIT: If I did go fishing for the Morgan, however, I'd probably try to keep it on the down low. No need to attract attention. "Oops, I dropped my sunglasses in! I better go get them!"

 

Someone else will take it if you don't. You replace it with 4 quarters and someone will take them. The only thing I see in these mall fountains are pennies and a few nickels that can't be reached. People will wade into the fountain for anything more.

 

I agree. If you're a cashier and someone pays with a silver quarter, is it unethical to pocket it and replace it with another quarter? Same ethics apply.

 

I agree, if this were the case then it would definitely be stealing. But, if I didn't see any plaques or other indications of claimed ownership, SNAG!!!

I've always though it would be fun to have a shovel and a map of filled-in wells that were open during the 17-1800's. No telling whats in the bottoms of of those things!!

 

I saw a tv show about this very situation a couple years ago. Most of the money thrown into fountains is collected by a third party contracted by the owner of the fountain (mall, store or whatever). The contractor has the responsibility of cleaning, sorting and bagging the change. The contractor receives a percentage of the total for their efforts, and the rest is given to a charity designated by the owner of the fountain. Rarely, does the contractor collecting the change have time to sort through the coins for valuable dates, etc., but it is obvious that a coin like a Morgan dollar would stand out like a sore thumb. In these instances, it is standard procedure to try to sell the coin for its optimum value rather than turning it in to a bank. This benefits the contractor collecting the coins because they get a greater commission and the charity receiving the contribution. More importantly, the business will have gained a reputation for honesty and integrity which can help to grow their business.

Chris

PS. I voted "Leave it."

 

In the ancient times, fountains and lakes were considered as sacred places dedicated to some God(s) or Goddess ( hence the fairies previously quoted ). Gallic tribe members were used to throw gold into the lake and fountains, these one have been after dedicated to saints and supposed to have healing properties.
In observance of this, nowadays folks would be well inspired to throw not only Morgan dollars but also some St Gaudens double eagles:devil:

PS : i have voted leave it too :dead-horse:

 

I’m sure you’re thinking about old fountains. :smile Old wells could be deep and dangerous and full of creepy crawly creatures that I’d rather avoid. Falling into an old well could be a crazy scary thing (and possibly a one way trip).

P.S. I voted "leave it" basically because I figure it is probably a fake. Why mess with Karma.

 

in that case, you had to make the jump down with a silver coin between the teeth ( obole ) in order to pay Charon :devil:

 

I would snatch it up and throw it into the middle of the fountain - where it wouldn't be noticed by passersby.