The New York Times have a great piece on the Japanese lost & found culture dating back thousands of years. They have a large network of lost and found depots that are used by thousands of people daily. In 2002 the residents of Tokyo returned a total of $23 million. It would fascinating to see the level of cash returns in other countries.

The item with the highest return rate, 75 percent is the cellphone. Owners typically call their own phones, or the centre tracks down the owners through their carrier account and sends a notification postcard.

Paul

We had a great reaction to a found set of keys over the weekend. Gareth from Dublin started laughing when we told him that we had his keys and said ” It actually works”. He had lost his car keys and house keys on the way home Friday and assumed they were gone for good.

This is a reaction we get a lot when we recover possessions. Thanks to Anna in Dublin for reporting the find, our gift pack is on the way.

Paul

1600 miles away and in a bag of spuds is where a lost phone was found. A 3 year old was helping her mum unpack the shopping and a funny looking spud was discovered. Great story of honesty and the importance of fibre in your diet.

The best part of the story on the 9news website is the major investment in a realistic phone in a bag of spuds montage - Pixar eat your heart out