Massachusetts is about to release a treasure trove of unclaimed property it has been holding and put it up for auction. Periodically states will hold auctions for the tangible property they possess to clear out space for the new unclaimed property it is receiving on a daily basis. The big ticket items in this auction is a pair of diamond rings that are nearly identical. These rings were packaged together and are at least 3.9ct each. According to a report, the treasurer’s office will set the starting bid for the rings at $5,000. The state unclaimed property auction hopes to bring at least $175,000 in proceeds for the hundreds of items up for auction.
Some other interesting items include a souvenir spoon with tons of Boston history engraved on it: the State house, Paul Revere, and the Old North Church to name a few. Also up for auction are some sports memorabilia including a baseball cards signed by Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens and Don Mattingly. Most of the auction is made up of jewelry and coins, including three Susan B Anthony coins. 15 silver bars round out the valuable items listed as part of this auction.
In Massachusetts, the state is allowed, by law, to auction property it has in its possession for at least three years. They must take the proceeds from these auctions and hold the money in accounts for the rightful owners of the unclaimed property indefinitely. The state held a display tour for these items all week leading up to the launch of the auction including South Yarmouth, Plainville, Springfield and Worcester. The auction goes live on Saturday October 26th and 12pm with new items being added daily. According to the treasurer’s website there could be more than 1000 items up for auction! Be sure to check out our Massachusetts unclaimed property page for more information on how to find cash and items that have gone missing in the state.