A Rolex watch is among a long list of expensive items found by conscientious citizens, who gave them to the police in the hope their owners would come forward to reclaim them.

The latest list of items found between July and December last year has been published on The Malta Government Gazette, as is the normal practice.

Wallets, cash, credit cards and electronic gadgets, especially mobile phones, tablets and digital cameras, make up the bulk of the list. Of the over 100 items listed, more than 60 are mobile phones, a third of which are iPhones, including an iPhone 7 model, which is still being sold for over €600.

Lost and found items that may be considered ‘rare’ include a wetsuit, goggles, a neck-shoulder massage machine, a suitcase and a fire extinguisher.

According to article 564 of the Civil Code, anyone who finds a movable item not being a treasure trove (money, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics whose owner is presumed dead and heirs untraceable) is bound to restore it to its previous owner, if known.

Otherwise, the finder is bound to deliver it to the police, who publish a full list of all the lost items in The Malta Government Gazette. However, such a measure is hard to enforce, as the onus rests on the finder to report the discovery first.

If the items are not claimed, even after a second notice is published following a three-month period from the first, they automatically become the property of the finders.

The law states that if the owner turns up to claim the lost item, a reward not exceeding one-tenth of its value must be paid to the law-abiding citizen who reported the discovery.

If within six months of the first notice, neither the finder nor the owner claims the lost and found item, it becomes the property of the State.