Who's entitled to home's hidden treasures?

DEAR AMY: About six months ago, we moved into a home we bought after the owner passed away. About two months after our move, we did some major remodeling work in the basement. During the remodeling process, we found three collector coins that were hidden in the walls. Based on the minted date, it is clear that the previous owners owned the coins (they lived in the home for more than 60 years and the coins are about 40 years old). In this situation, would you track down the prior owner's children (the owners are both deceased), or is this a finder's keepers situation?Pirate's Booty

DEAR PIRATE: This is a finder's keepers situation.

Think about it. If you remodeled your basement and found dry rot in the walls, you'd own that - fortunately, your remodel revealed something much more interesting.

But you asked what I would do.

I'd do some research on these coins, and depending on what their rarity or worth was (and depending on what my financial needs were), I'd consider trying to track down the previous owners' heirs to give them one or more of the coins, as an interesting keepsake from their parents.

DEAR AMY: This is in response to "Disappointed," whose daughter's Girl Scout troop spent leftover cookie money on a day at the mall. When our fifth-grade Girl Scout troop disbanded, we also picked a group activity but one more in the scouting tradition: We painted a mural on a local underpass at the train station. Three years later, we still can drive by and see the colorful artwork and be proud of their contribution and teamwork.Proud

DEAR PROUD: I agree that this scouting activity is a much better choice than a day at the mall.