Midrash for Bava Metzia 53:19
רבא אמר פרוטה שהוזלה איכא בינייהו מ"ד מאשר תאבד איכא ומ"ד מומצאתה ליכא
Now, he who derives it from, 'which shall be lost to him,' how does he employ, <i>'and thou hast found it</i>?' — He requires it for Rabbanai's dictum. For Rabbanai said: <i>And thou hast found it</i> implies even if it has come into his possession.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'hand.' V: supra. p. 2. ');"><sup>19</sup></span>
Sifrei Devarim
"And thus shall you do with his ass and thus shall you do with his garment": This tells me of these only. Whence do I derive (the same for) other lost objects? From (Ibid.) "and thus shall you do with every lost object of your brother." If so, why is "garment" singled out? Is it not included with all the rest? To serve as the basis for a comparison, viz.: Just as a garment is characterized by possessing (identifying) signs and claimants, thus all objects that are thus characterized (must, if found, be publicized for the owners to come forward).
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