Mike Rodgers of Blue Grass Recycling in Burlington, Kentucky was sorting through yet another bin when he happened upon almost two dozen US Savings Bonds, ranging from $50 to $500 each. Purchased in 1971 under the name Martha Dobbins, the bonds were now worth $22,000. Rodgers hit the Internet and the phone to track down the owner of the bin, which could have been sitting in the warehouse for years. Eventually, he tracked down Dobbins's son Robert Roberts in Florida. From Cincinnati.com:
"I was totally surprised," Roberts said. "I had taken care of my mother for several years before she died and she never mentioned anything about any bonds…"
It's not clear exactly how the bonds wound up in the container, but most likely the person who bought Martha Dobbins' home (when she died in 1992) dumped them in with scraps that ultimately wound up at the recycling center.
Roberts, who is 82, said he tried to compensate Rodgers, but Rodgers turned him down.
"Recycling bin yields Christmas surprise" (Thanks, Charles Pescovitz!)
