Safety Deposit Auction In Minnetonka A Treasure Hunter's Dream
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of rare collectible items are on the auction block in Minnetonka in a once-in-a-decade sale of the contents of abandoned safety deposit boxes.
The two-day event is just wrapping up and is officially staged by the Minnesota Department of Commerce. It's the kind of auction treasure hunters dream about.
Joe Watson, of Minneapolis, brought his daughter Isabel to the auction.
"We went to the auction before, 20 years ago, and found some interesting things -- some old documents," Watson said. "So, I thought I'd come back and my daughter has never been to an auction, so we thought we could come look around."
The auction comes after the state declares safety deposit boxes officially abandoned.
The owners or their families who can't be found left prized possessions behind, including an unusual amount of abandoned money, including rare coins.
Officials tell us in Minnesota, one in 20 people have more than $100 in the state's unclaimed property fund.
The last auction like this, back in 2003, brought in about $258,000.
Visit here to see if you have anything waiting to be claimed.
