The ruling on lost property if the finder refuses to take ownership of it after announcing it for a year

Question : But if the finder says, “I do not want it,” what is to be done with it? It is to be handed over to the public treasury.

Answer : It is to be handed over to the public treasury, and by doing so, his conscience is cleared. If there is no organized public treasury, he gives it in charity, just as one does with money of unknown ownership. He gives it in charity with the intention that it is on behalf of its owner.