Among all the amazing things out there in the world, the smell of wet concrete after a thunderstorm and the whiff of old paper rank at the very top for me. Couple the latter with my love of old books, documents, and all sorts of arcane papyri and you’ve got yourself a literature lover. I’ll read everything. Heck, I’ll read anything, even your cereal box. So I was pleasantly surprised after I stumbled upon the ‘Found Paper’ community over on Reddit.
A community of just over 147k members, r/FoundPaper likes to keep it simple and does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a community dedicated to documenting various pieces of paper found out in the wild. We’ve collected some of the best paper mementos as shared on the community for you to enjoy, dear Pandas, so remember to upvote your fave pics as you scroll down. Be sure to check out r/FoundPaper when you have the time and give them a follow if you like their stuff.
#1 Good Advice For Everyone!
Image credits: pioneercynthia
#2 Death Warrant For My 10th Great Grandmother Susannah North Martin, Tried And Convicted At The Salem Witch Trials
Image credits: reddit.com
#3 “Ain’t I A Peach? Ha, Ha” In A 1895 Bible
Image credits: byParallax
The r/FoundPaper subreddit celebrated its 7th birthday a few days ago, on April 30 (congratulations!), proving that communities thrive and survive based on the quality of the content they post. And the fact that the subreddit has had so many birthdays is proof enough that it’s got quality entertainment locked down tight.
One of the ‘Found Paper’ community’s greatest strengths is how streamlined and niche its interests are. Its second strength is that it actually encourages its members to get out of the house and start their own small adventures in order to have something to post.
#4 Friend Of Mine Just Moved Into A New House. Took Off All The Heating Vents To Paint Them, And This Was Behind One Of Them
Image credits: perfect_square
#5 Found In The Hallway Of My School
Image credits: millez_dot_exe
#6 Paper Found Among My Late Grandmother’s Belongings Talking About The Armistice Ending Ww I
Image credits: kaganey
“Photographs of found pieces of PAPER(!) with writing on them. Look for paper, make every day a scavenger hunt. Appreciate the forgotten artifacts of everyday life. Share any paper that you found (on the ground, stuck in some bushes, or between cans of soup at the store for example) and you do not know who wrote it,” the subreddit’s moderators explain what their community is all about.
#7 Was Told To Post Here: My Cousin Is Using This Bag Which Originally Belonged To Our Great Grandmother For Her Dance Tomorrow Night And Found A Note Which Has Been Hidden For 81 Years
Image credits: loumat
#8 Purchased Old Poetry Book At Flea Market And Found This Old Receipt For A College Poetry Class. This Receipt Has Been In This Book For 102 Years!
Image credits: Dogspokerpolitics
#9 "No. Not Yet." ~ Found In 1908 High School Geometry Textbook
Image credits: drewfuss99
“Love letters, doodles, interesting to-do or grocery lists, notes from the past—share your discovery with us!” the mods encourage book, paper, scavenger hunt, and adventure lovers to share their awesome finds with everyone else.
#10 Garage Sale Find (1929) - About 100 Love Letters Over Two Years From A Guy In Seattle To A Girl In Aberdeen, Wa
Image credits: Braunnoser
#11 Found This Passive Aggressive Customer Service Letter From 1964 In My Garage
Image credits: theologically
#12 This Came Out Of A Book I Was Flipping Through
Image credits: Urban_Archeologist
The moderators also highlight the fact that in order to post any photos, the paper has to be found and it has to be paper. No forgotten plastic from your garage. No granite engravings from your neighbors Tom and Jane’s farm (because you know exactly whom they belong to and, well, paper beats rock).
#13 Found Posted On A Couple Of The Walls Around My City. Email At The Bottom Blacked Out
Image credits: MyWingedLiner
#14 This Dollar Bill I Found In My Change
Image credits: bamboo_robot
#15 In A Vintage Hemingway
Image credits: cassodragon
What’s more, the mods want everyone to be “courteous and friendly” toward one another, avoid being “overly annoying or bothersome,” embrace tolerance and sensitivity, as well as remove any and all sensitive personal info from the photos before posting them. Sounds simple enough and it’s the basis for the rules most larger subreddits follow. Disruptive, chaotic, and intolerant communities don’t tend to last for long on Reddit (unless they’re doing it on purpose for the sake of humor).
#16 Bought An Abandoned House And Found This In The Attic
Image credits: apatheticweasel
#17 A Tarot Card Found In The Wall Of My 120 Year Old Apartment Building
Image credits: unknown
#18 Prom - April 24, 1970. Found While Walking The Dog This Morning
Image credits: MrDorkESQ
The Library of Congress explains that how quickly paper deteriorates depends on its quality and in what environment it’s stored. Some ancient tomes and documents can actually be in far better condition than a scrap of paper that’s just a few years old.
“Paper is made of cellulose—a repeating chain of glucose molecules—derived from plant cell walls. One measure of paper quality is how long the cellulose chains, and subsequently the paper fibers, are: long-fibered paper is stronger and more flexible and durable than short-fibered paper,” the LoC points out that not all paper is created equally. If you’re going for longevity, long-fibered paper is your best bet.
#19 Found On A Collected Airplane Food Tray By Flight Attendant
Image credits: TheSoulOfTheRose
#20 Found (Under) Wallpaper
Image credits: therankin
#21 Sad Find Today
Image credits: 1DeltaBlu
Acids from the environment (like from air pollution or poor-quality enclosures) or from within the paper cut these glucose chains into shorter and shorter lengths in the presence of moisture. “This acid hydrolysis reaction produces more acids, feeding further, continued degradation.”
#22 Found Under Windshield
Image credits: Spacemage
#23 Found On My Daily Walk —“Wow”
Image credits: iodine5
#24 Found This Left Behind In My Sons Room As We Were Moving Out
Image credits: Lefttuesday
One of the reasons why newspapers don’t last for long is because they’re printed on mechanically pulped paper, meaning the paper has got the shortest fiber length. Meanwhile, the lignin from the wood isn’t removed (as in the case of chemical pulping) and promotes acid hydrolysis, shortening the glucose chains even more.
#25 A Paper Found In A Middle School Classroom A While Back
Image credits: youngandstarving
#26 Found This Entire Jar Of Paper Behind A Trash Can
Image credits: virtualtrack32
#27 Contractors Working In Our Basement Found A Package Of Letters Hidden In The Floorboards From The 1920s
Image credits: destructsean
What’s more, it’s not just acid hydrolysis that threatens a piece of paper’s structural integrity. It can also be damaged by light (what’s known as being susceptible to photolytic degradation) and oxygen (oxidative degradation).
The poorer quality of the paper, the more light degradation affects it. Meanwhile, oxygen degrades paper in a very limited way, unless there are nitrogen oxide pollutants in the air.
#28 This Book From 1892 I Found Inside A Hole In The Wall In A Rental Flat
Image credits: reddit.com
#29 My Friend’s Uncle Is Moving Out. Found This In A Box
Image credits: delgadophotos
#30 This Original Notice From 1967 About The Creation Of Zip Codes
Image credits: machiavaci
Generally, what you want to aim for is having high-quality paper that’s stored in good conditions. Cooler temperatures and 30 to 40 percent relative humidity can help paper last for a very long time, according to the Library of Congress. That’s something to keep in mind if you want to take good care of the interesting finds and documents you may have picked up on your scavenger hunts.
#31 Found Tucked Between The Pages Of A Secondhand Textbook I Bought
Image credits: HopelessQuantic
#32 I Wonder If Sam Paid The Man...
Image credits: randomsnowflake
#33 Found In Handle Of 2006 Honda Pilot. Little Olivia Left A Note With Instructions To Call When Found. Top Is Front, Bottom Is Back
Image credits: Hidalgo321
#34 My Mother-In-Law Found A Message In A Bottle Washed Up On The Beach This Weekend. East Coast
Image credits: heather4uu
#35 Found Attached To A Popped Balloon In My Front Yard A Few Years Ago
Image credits: Disaster_ina_Dress
#36 Found On The Floor Of A Dive Bar Last Year. Now One Of My Most Prized Possessions
Image credits: delicate_girl
#37 So My Sister Went Thrifting Recently
Image credits: kuxiaobude
#38 "I Remember That Old Pole"
Image credits: DazedAndConfused0112
#39 Found This Letter That Traveled More Than 209 Miles From The Original Point. Took Five And A Half Years For Someone To Pick It Up, I Was Cleaning The River In Louisville Kentucky And Saw This
Image credits: EdgeThousandTransits
#40 Found In A Couch Being Re-Upholstered
Image credits: tbornottb3
#41 Found In My Fortune Cookie....made Me Smile
Image credits: Layleez
#42 Found On The Floor Of A Target. Meet Carla Rose
Image credits: Thorinandco
#43 This Photo Was Tucked In A Used Book I Bought 15 Years Ago, I’ve Been Using It As A Bookmark Ever Since. I Hope One Day I Find Her...
Image credits: jamiegirl21
#44 Found In The Pocket Of Thrift Store Pants
Image credits: vizauddir
#45 “Ways To Be Cool”
Image credits: woweewow
#46 On My Bus This Morning
Image credits: 0mniview
#47 Just Found This $1 Bill At My Parents House. When I Was 6 Years Old I Made This Bet With My Father, He Died 2 Months Later. 25 Years To The Day I Find This....had No Idea A $1 Bill Could Feel So Valuable
Image credits: orangecrush44
#48 Found It In The Pocket Of A Denim Jacket I Bought In A Thrift Store
Image credits: pastawithbroccoli
#49 In The Library
Image credits: hlaiie
#50 Message In A Bottle...
Image credits: A_Real_Hen
#51 Found This While Converting A School Bus. Some Jokes Are Eternal
Image credits: ambulance_takeover
#52 Historicfound This On The Street In Downtown Sd About 4 Years Ago When I Needed It Most. It’s Been In My Wallet Ever Since
Image credits: littleppdp
#53 Sad Note I Found On The Sidewalk Outside Of My House
Image credits: DisregardThisOrDont
#54 Found This 14 Year Old Ticket Stub From London, In A Used Book. I Live 5000 Miles Away In India
Image credits: Assraj
#55 My Buddy Was Renovating His Bathroom And Found This In The Wall
Image credits: Persephone_Bash
#56 A Shopper With Simple Tastes And A Poor Memory
Image credits: momomo7
#57 Found This In The Kitchen At My Job
Image credits: wingsonthejet
#58 Found This Post It In My Desk Drawer Along With Several Others With Sketches And Doodles. Quite Poetic
Image credits: OrignalRECIPE92
#59 Found Outside The Humane Society. Somebody Got A Cat
Image credits: EssentialHeart
#60 Found In My Apartment Building Lobby Today In North Dakota
Image credits: Cowsmop
#61 I Would Love To Know The Context Of This Note. I Found It In My Front Yard, Must Have Blown In From A Neighbor
Image credits: peachesforsale
#62 Found This Note On My Morning Walk. Love In A Time Of Coronavirus!
Image credits: labrabrutal95
#63 Grandpa
Image credits: TikiTamale
#64 Found In Borough Market, London In 2016, Liked It So Much I Framed It. Anyone Know The Artist?
Image credits: Entstronaut
#65 Drawn On A Kid's Menu Someone Left At A Restaurant. No Name
Image credits: SilvaesaSilverBlood
#66 In A Van In A Junk Yard
Image credits: MyDixieWrecked20
#67 Found This On R/Skamtebord
Image credits: ominouscongaline
#68 Disheartening Cards Against Humanity Remnant Found During Hurricane Cleanup In The Bahamas
Image credits: cjneffer
#69 Found In An Empty Classroom... I Don’t Know How To Feel About It
Image credits: matthewback1
#70 Found Someone Else’s Image Of A Paper And Figured It Was Worth Sharing
Image credits: _brendz
#71 Found This Cute Message Inside A Book!
Image credits: heatwavegold
#72 Fergie
Image credits: tulipanko007
#73 Found Today On A Hike
Image credits: Danbiba
#74 My Grandparents Both Recently Passed Away And I Claimed A Few Books Novels From Their Shelves As We Cleaned Up. This Gem Was Inside One Book, From My Grandma To My Grandpa!
Image credits: Wh__l-_f-F_rtune
#75 Found On My Way To Class This Morning
Image credits: Matt_bigreddog
#76 10 Dollars I Got A Few Months Ago
Image credits: yeredditmans
#77 Gender Poem
Image credits: extrarogers
#78 Me N My BF Found This Hiding In A Bench While On Our Bike Ride Today!
Image credits: Anakie543
#79 Does Found-Found Paper Count? Found This On A Street Corner In A Neighborhood
Image credits: Quinn___
#80 Technically, Found Paper. Lying On The Ground While Getting Gas This Morning
Image credits: GtheS
#81 I Work At Goodwill And Thought I Was Hallucinating When I Found This In The Donation Box
Image credits: Kaiige10
#82 A Drawing I Found In My Textbook Last Year
Image credits: Applepants02
#83 Found My To-Do List On My Run
Image credits: labanduca
#84 Found While Walking My Dog
Image credits: kurayami1
#85 Found While Walking Home Yesterday
Image credits: crim128
#86 Inside A Copy Of Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet I Just Bought From A Thrift Store
Image credits: ChuckFromPhilly
#87 The Simpsons From Memory: Found In A Library Book
Image credits: Ekdotos
#88 This Sign Flew At Me On A Windy Day In Austin Tx
Image credits: distraughtyounglady
#89 Found This Prom Picture On Some Beach In Michigan
Image credits: DerektheMann
#90 Found This At Breakfast This Morning. Thought Of Y’all Immediately
Image credits: NicholasPileggi
#91 Published In 2017
Image credits: persona1138
#92 The Right To Enjoy Beautiful Things
Image credits: msacch
#93 Brewery Production Floor - Grand Rapids, Mi
Image credits: lambzydivey
#94 I've Been Collecting Found Photos For Years. This Is One Of My Favourites
Image credits: hooliojones
#95 Lisa’s Research Game Is On Point
Image credits: cassodragon
#96 Found A Parrot Doodle On A Napkin
Image credits: Infinity_LTFS
#97 Found Someone’s Grocery List. I Approve
Image credits: NUTmeSHELL
#98 Along My Bike Route
Image credits: DPforlife
#99 Neighbor Found While Restoring Cabinets In A Frank Lloyd Wright Home
Image credits: little_joe
#100 Found This At My Register When We Opened This Morning. Put It In My Wallet For Good Luck
Image credits: xFynex
#101 1937 Letter To Santa - Unopened. Sorry- I Can’t Do It
Image credits: Urban_Archeologist
#102 A Letter I Wrote To Ralph Macchio (The Karate Kid) When I Was 12. I Gave The Envelope To My Mom To Mail But She Saved It. Now I Know Why He Never Wrote Me Back
Image credits: pixamour
#103 Found This Face Down At 14th And N St Nw In Washington, Dc Today. Can We Get It To Its Owner?
Image credits: washington-dc
#104 Jay, Please
Image credits: Frankensteinbatch
#105 Found In My Airbnb In North Carolina
Image credits: weeniesunite
#106 Don't Wanna Get Toad
Image credits: SirTacoBill
#107 There Is A Bookstore In Cambridge, Massachusetts That Tapes Anything They Find In Used Books To The Walls Of Their Basement. It’s Reached A Point Where There Are Now Several Decades’ Worth Of Mysterious Papers Taped To The Wall. Looks Almost Like A Found Paper Museum!
Image credits: license_to_fish
#108 Found A Card My Great-Uncle Made For My Great-Grandma. He Was An Advertising Illustrator In The 1950's. Scroll Through The Pics To See The Cute Flapper Lady He Painted In The Card
Image credits: raidthebakery
#109 Found At An Elementary School, Sounds Like A Party I Want To Go To. Who Doesn't Love Uno And Taquitos
Image credits: angegilly232
#110 On My Morning Walk. Made My Heart Hurt A Little
Image credits: reddit.com
#111 This Is The Best I Got, Homies. Found In A Tjmax Parking Lot
Image credits: carebearstare93
#112 Found This Stuck To A Minibar Menu In A Cheap Hotel On Khao San Road In Thailand A Few Years Ago. I Like To Think They Had Just Met And Spent Their First Night Together, And It Didn't Go Well
Image credits: t0riaj
#113 Found In A Hampton Inn, Littleton Nh. Thank You For The Poem
Image credits: NurseMaddie
#114 I Found This In A Bible While Cleaning The Rooms At The Hotel I Work At. I Left It Exactly Where It Was. I Have No Idea What It Is
Image credits: mookaroo
#115 I Found This Doodle On The Sidewalk Over 5 Years Ago And Finally Found Somewhere To Share It! I Wish I Knew Who Drew It!
Image credits: plantncatgirl
#116 Found Hanging On A Walking Trail
Image credits: sunshine3452
#117 Found On A Desk On The First Day Of School
Image credits: chesterluno
#118 Found On The Floor Of Goodwill In Boston, Ma And Couldn’t Leave It To Be Thrown Out. Remember Those Who No Longer Have Anyone To Remember Them
Image credits: shinycaptain13
#119 Found In A Goodwill Sitting All By Itself :( On The Back It Says June ‘94
Image credits: SierraPapaYankee
#120 Overseen At College A Few Semesters Ago
Image credits: bananalamb
#121 Sitting In A Waiting Room And Little Girl Probably Around 3 Or 4 Comes Up And Hands Me A Rolled Up Piece Of Paper And Says “Here” And Then Skips Away. I’ve Been Blessed
Image credits: MadeiB
#122 Opened A Used Copy Of Carrie By Stephen King And This Fell Out. Seems To Be A Legitimate Bicycle Card Somehow
Image credits: dylanpidge
#123 Outside An Abandoned Building In Harlem, NY
Image credits: GennyGeo
#124 Goodwill Finds. The Front Is Even Crazier
Image credits: sassthecass
#125 Found In A Goodwill
Image credits: bubbler123
#126 Not Sure If Slides Count. Found These On My Morning Walk Today
Image credits: MrDorkESQ
#127 I Found A Danny Devito On The Back It Says “You’ve Found A Lucky Danny Pick Him Up And You’ll Have Great Luck.”
Image credits: Crawly49
#128 Found In The Playground During Recess. One Of My 5th Graders Is Going Home Broken Hearted
Image credits: MalditaLalita
#129 Found This Note On A Walk Today
Image credits: lameoldperson
#130 Found Tucked Into A Crevice On The Side Of A Bridge
Image credits: k-w-
#131 Found This On The Street Today
Image credits: hoganagl
#132 A Staff Member At Home Depot Was Drawing This When We Went To Go Buy Some Major Appliances
Image credits: reddit.com
#133 Message In A Bottle Found Washed Ashore On A Beach Near Me In Cornwall. “I Am The Only Man Alive Who Knows Who Killed Jfk”
Image credits: VervainT305
#134 Found A Diary In My Town Dumpster!
Image credits: sugar_lace
#135 The Real Question This Holiday Season...
Image credits: bunnygiraffe914
#136 Under The Host Stand
Image credits: bittechatte
#137 Found In My School's Library
Image credits: clewie
#138 Hug Your Mom Today If You Still Have One
Image credits: Kropfi
#139 At The Market
Image credits: reddit.com
#140 Passively Amazing
Image credits: StrwberryShortcat
#141 3rd Option Ended Up In The Gutter
Image credits: rabbitpants
#142 Found During A Hotel Remodel. Curious How This Ended Up
Image credits: Zackadeez
#143 Found This On My Car A Few Years Back. (My Vanity Plate Says “Iparty”)
Image credits: SavannaBanana
#144 Found On A Sidewalk
Image credits: mobblele
#145 Found A Gun Safety Packet In The Baseboard Of A Closet Of A House We Wrecked
Image credits: TheWreck-King
#146 Found In A Hole In The Wall Of A Coffee Shop
Image credits: scscscsc6
#147 Found In My Dad's Old Car. Would Have Been The Last Time He Voted
Image credits: Elly_Higgenbottom
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