Money Laundering, German Style
June 9, 2005
Germans are very passionate about hunting down the best bargain in town. For them, cleaning up and saving money is a labor of love.
But sometimes it happens that the two great loves collide -- for instance, when you get a good deal on a smelly old basket at a local flea market.
This is what happened to a woman from Bavaria, who spent seven euros ($8.62) on an old washing basket at a flea market in the town of Grafenau. She was happy with the deal she got, but when she came home, she realized she had to remove the lining from the basket and wash it properly, because it didn't smell right.
Those wondering why anybody would spend any money, no matter how little, on a smelly old basket are missing the point. Objects bought at a flea market provoke nostalgia: They're silent witnesses to other people's histories and the traces they have left behind.
Perhaps even more importantly, the Bavarian lady also gave herself a typically German challenge: to revive the basket back to its old glory -- with soap and lots of scrubbing.
Now, isn't that also your idea of fun?
Not your average laundry basket
Armed with her good will and hygienic prowess, the German woman took out the smelly lining, but in it she found no material for a Pablo Neruda poem. Instead of a sock missing its pair, or a washed-out photograph from a half-forgotten era, she discovered, tucked inside the basket lining, deutsche mark banknotes and account savings books worth 100,000 euros.
Deutsche marks were abandoned in favor of the euro in January 2002 but can still be exchanged for the new currency.
The woman decided honesty was the best policy and turned her find over to the police, who contacted the owners of the money.
"She was afraid she wouldn't be able to sleep at night," a police spokesman from the town of Grafenau told reporters.
The woman is likely to receive a reward. According to the German law, she could claim up to 3 percent as finder's fee, which would come up to 3,000 euros.
That ought to be about enough for many more smelly baskets in the years to come.