Sports cards, vintage coins among unclaimed property to be auctioned by treasurer’s office

Vintage coins, silver bars and sports trading cards of legends like Michael Jordan, Walter Payton and Shaquille O’Neal are among 400 pieces of unclaimed property that will be up for auction online next week.

The auction will take place from Feb. 6-10 and is being organized by the Illinois treasurer’s office. Other items for sale include Rolex watches, foreign currency and an 1833 Carson City Morgan silver dollar.

“The online auction provides a perfect opportunity for people to explore and acquire memorable items for themselves or for others who will appreciate them as gifts,” said Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs. “Because the auction is online, you can participate from your home or wherever you like.”

Several rings, necklaces, pieces of silver, gold and vintage postcards are also for sale.

The trove of 400 items comes from unclaimed safe deposit boxes, which are surrendered to the state after private entities have tried to contact the owners for several years. Items considered for auction typically have not been touched by their owners for 10 years.

Anyone interested in viewing the items or making a bid can visit ibid.illinois.gov. To be eligible for the auction, bidders must first register with iBid.

All auction proceeds will be held for the rightful owners, “no matter how long it takes,” the treasurer’s office said.

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