Some unusual items will be up for bid next week as the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office holds an online auction of abandoned safe deposit box contents.
The auction will be conducted through eBay and will begin at 8 a.m. Central Time Tuesday, Oct. 6. Bidding will remain open for seven days, with the auction scheduled to close just before 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The items can be viewed and bids can be placed through the Nebraska Unclaimed Property Division’s eBay account at ebay.com/usr/nebraska.unclaimedproperty. The auction can also be accessed through the State Treasurer’s website.
Among the items available are a white gold diamond ring with a two-carat emerald-cut stone and 16 side stones, a 14-karat gold purse, a 1961 Topps Roger Maris baseball card, century-old silver dollars and historic U.S. currency.
Other items include a 1917 ladies’ watch with a 14-karat gold band, JFK half-dollars containing 90% silver, Morgan silver dollars, a 49-piece sterling silverware set, a 1995 Sports Illustrated Nebraska national championship special edition and several silver certificates.
There are also a 1990 uncirculated silver eagle, a 1986 Denver-minted dime with a double-struck mint error and a 1924 Peace dollar.
The items are part of Nebraska’s unclaimed property program. Under state law, the Treasurer’s Office holds property that has been abandoned or whose owners have died and whose heirs have not come forward. Safe deposit box contents are the only physical property handled by Nebraska’s Unclaimed Property Division.
The items in this auction were received by the Treasurer’s Office more than a decade ago. State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg said multiple attempts were made over the years to locate the original owners without success.
The items have been inspected and appraised by Lincoln independent appraiser Tom Bassett.
While the physical items will be sold, the money from each sale does not simply become state revenue. The proceeds will be recorded under the name of the original owner and held for that person or their rightful heirs. If an owner or heir eventually comes forward, the money from the sale will still be available to them.
State Treasurer’s Office employees and their immediate family members are not eligible to bid.
The Treasurer’s Office says a sample of the auction items will also be featured on its official social media accounts in the days leading up to the auction.
The auction is also a reminder that other unclaimed property may be waiting for Nebraskans. Since the state’s unclaimed property law took effect in the late 1960s, Nebraska says more than $317 million has been returned to rightful owners.
The state estimates one in five Nebraskans has unclaimed property, with money waiting to be claimed in all 93 counties.
Searching for unclaimed property is free and secure at NebraskaLostCash.nebraska.gov. Residents can search their own name, family members’ names, or the name of a business or organization. If there is a match, the claim process can be started online.
