Police praise the finder
Police said the man had lost his men's handbag at the station. They thanked the woman for turning in both the bag and the money, describing her conduct as exemplary.
The owner was relieved and delighted to get his belongings back, according to police. Officers said the outcome showed what attentiveness and honesty could accomplish.
Reporting a find and claiming a reward
Germany requires finders to report lost property to a lost-property office or the police. According to the city of Cologne's lost-property FAQ, someone who finds an item worth more than 10 euros and fails to hand it in with the intention of keeping it commits misappropriation of a find, known as Fundunterschlagung, under Section 246 of the Criminal Code.
A finder can also have a right to a reward from the person entitled to recover the item. Section 971 of the German Civil Code sets that reward at 5 percent of the item's value up to 500 euros, plus 3 percent of the value above that threshold. For animals, the rate is 3 percent. A finder who fails to report the discovery or conceals it when asked loses the right to claim a reward.
Different rules govern items found on the premises or in the vehicles of a public authority or public-transport operator. Under Section 978, the finder must turn the item in immediately. The ordinary provisions in Sections 965–967 and 969–977 do not apply, and any finder's reward is half the amount otherwise due under Section 971. Employees of the authority or transport operator cannot claim that reward, nor can anyone who breaches the duty to hand the item in.
Under the ordinary rules in Section 973, found property has a statutory retention period of six months. If no one entitled to the item comes forward during that period, ownership passes to the finder.
Other lost-property cases
In Mainz, the lost-property office currently holds more than 200 key rings and individual keys. People searching for missing keys can check online to see whether they have been turned in.
At a recycling center in Burgau, a man discovered an envelope holding a large quantity of banknotes inside a coffee pot. The owner of that money is still being sought.
