Before us is Mishnah 10 in chapter 4 of Maseches Maaser Sheni, which deals with someone who finds a vessel with the word 'korban' written on it. Such an inscription generally indicates that the object belongs to hekdesh, and this raises the question: what exactly does the sanctity apply to - the vessel itself, its contents, or both together.
The text of the Mishnah:
"HaMotzei kli v'kasuv alav korban" - a person who found a vessel with the word 'korban' written on it, meaning that the object belongs to hekdesh.
The opinion of Rabbi Yehudah:
Rabbi Yehudah distinguishes between different types of vessels according to their importance:
"Im hayah shel cheres - hu chulin u'mah shebesocho korban" - an earthenware vessel is a simple, lowly item, and it is not the way of people to dedicate a piece of earthenware to hekdesh. Therefore we must assume that the vessel itself is chulin, while it is its contents that belong to hekdesh.
"V'im hayah shel mateches - hu korban u'mah shebesocho chulin" - a metal vessel is an item of value, and therefore we assume that the vessel itself belongs to hekdesh, while what is inside it is chulin.
The response of the Chachamim:
The Chachamim disagree with Rabbi Yehudah and say to him: "Ein derech benei adam liheyos kones chulin l'korban" - it is not the way of people to take a vessel of hekdesh and place chulin inside it. A vessel of hekdesh will contain hekdesh, and therefore we must say that both of them - the vessel and its contents - are considered hekdesh.
In summary: In this Mishnah, Rabbi Yehudah and the Chachamim disagree about the law of a vessel that was found with the word 'korban' written on it. Rabbi Yehudah distinguishes between earthenware and metal according to the importance of the vessel, and rules that the sanctity applies to whichever of the two is more significant - the vessel or its contents. The Chachamim, by contrast, rule that since it is not the way of people to place chulin in a vessel of hekdesh, both the vessel and what is inside it have the status of hekdesh.