MIA Auctions 'Lost & Found' Treasures
MIAMI (CBS4) – Going once. Going twice. Sold…to the lady in the purple hat. That is what you'll hear Saturday at Miami International Airport during their Lost & Found auction.
Every year travelers leave valuable items, from cell phones to luggage to laptops, behind at MIA.If the items are still sitting around after two months in 'Lost & Found' they're put up for sale to the highest bidder.
This Saturday auctioneer Paul May will do his part to sell more than 700 items of 'left behind treasures,' including laptops, digital cameras, music players, sporting equipment and cell phones. There are also hundreds of suitcases in a variety of shapes and sizes up for bid but there's a catch – you have to buy them to see what's inside. In addition to the electronics there are also some unique items up for bid including art work and sporting goods.
"I'm always amazed at what they find," Mark Henderson of MIA said. "But I'm always amazed at what I see here and what is here. It's just amazing."
Most of the items going up for sale were lost and never claimed. Others were left behind when passengers had to fly, and realized they couldn't afford to pay to carry them on the plane. The airport holds auctions of 'lost & found' items several times a year. This weekend they're hoping for a pretty good pay off.
Bid on a suitcase and you'll be in for a surprise.
"Sometimes you never know," May said. "You might open a bag and it might be all dirty clothes and you might open another one and people were going back to a foreign country so you got all brand new clothing. So you just never know what's in those suitcases."
The auction takes place Saturday, September 17, at 9:30 a.m. at 5600 NW 36th Street, Building 845, Third Floor. Auction attendees can preview the items prior to the auction from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday. Organizers suggest arriving an hour early to the auction start time.
Admission is $3 for adults and free for children 12 and younger; parking is also free.
Remember it's cash and carry; cash only and you have to carry out your purchased items. And be sure before you buy. There are no returns.
