A treasure trove is going on the auction block as part of the Illinois state treasurer's annual auction of unclaimed property.
"We auction off things in the tens of thousands of dollars. We auction off things that are more sentimental value. There's a wide range, but I like to tell people there's something for everyone," said state treasurer Michael Frerichs.
Frerichs says there are more than 500 items up for bid in the current auction, including jewelry like a gold link bracelet, wedding rings and antique pocket watches. There are also plenty of collectibles, including thousands of baseball cards, dozens of comic books, and coins for collectors.If you know someone who is a big Elvis fan, how about a newspaper headline from the day he died?
All of this is unclaimed property that was sitting in safe deposit boxes for at least 10 years in banks around the state. The treasurer is mandated by state law to hold the property, but if the rightful owners or their heirs can't be found, it's sold at auction. The money is then held for the rightful owners in perpetuity.
"We realize that in many of these cases the property is turned over to us because the owner has passed away and didn't tell their loved ones about the existence of it. So we will track down their children, their grandchildren, however long it takes, and if we find the rightful heir, we'll return it anytime," Frerichs said.All the news you need to know, every day
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