Reply #4: I don't have the copyright but here's a bit more about it [View All]

This joke has an interesting history. I first heard the 401Keg Plan (not by that clever name, of course) in the 1980s -- it is supposedly true and dates back to the World War 1/1920s era about two brothers in Germany who inherited a fortune.

One brother carefully saved and invested his money.

The second brother was a wastrel who spent all his time in the clubs and caberets. When he'd come home falling down drunk, he'd throw his old bottles down in the basement.

Well, we all know what happened to the German economy in the post-war era. The prudent brother's savings/inheritance were wiped out by hyper-inflation.

The second brother didn't have any money left either but when he went down into the basement and collected the decades' worth of bottles, he was able to turn them in at some bottling or glass plant for a nice sum of money.

The story may be apocryphal or it may actually have some root in truth, who knows.

In my area, glass bottles are no longer accepted for recycling, and while I have heard Enron versions of the tale where the drunken "investor" got the money from turning in bottles for the deposit...it is interesting to see that your version is more modern in its incorporation of aluminum cans and of course WorldCom which collapsed after Enron.

I don't think there is any copyright issue because I think this is a piece of folklore that grows and changes with the times -- but always keeping that one core of truth.