Nebraska’s first unclaimed property auction since 2017 generated $57,305 in gross proceeds, exceeding the appraised value of the items by $20,331. The money remains available for the original owners or their rightful heirs to claim.
The Oct. 6–14 online auction featured belongings from abandoned safe deposit boxes, including jewelry and a Roger Maris baseball card. State Treasurer Joey Spellerberg told KLIN News the card attracted more bids than any other item. “There were 30 bids on the Roger Maris card, so very unique,” Spellerberg said. A sale price for the card was not provided.
A white gold ring with a two-carat diamond drew the auction’s highest winning bid at $15,307, compared with an appraised value of $8,000. A 14-karat gold mesh purse sold for $10,307, according to the treasurer’s office.
Spellerberg said the items had been held by the office for more than a decade while staff tried to locate their owners. Those efforts included letters to available addresses and statewide newspaper and radio advertisements, according to the office. “We’re just unable to reach and find the original owners or their heirs and they did not come forward,” Spellerberg said.
Although the physical items have been sold, the proceeds remain recorded in the original owners’ names. The owners or their rightful heirs may claim the money at any time through the state’s unclaimed property program.
Spellerberg said the auction also offers an opportunity to remind Nebraskans to search for other money they may be owed. Unclaimed property can include dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, unpaid wages, stocks and life insurance proceeds. “We have over $250 million of, again, Nebraska’s money that has gone unclaimed,” Spellerberg said. “This could be dormant bank accounts, insurance proceeds, other lost money.”
The Unclaimed Property Division has returned approximately $18.4 million through about 16,000 paid claims so far this year, according to the treasurer’s office. Approximately $320 million has been returned since Nebraska’s unclaimed property law took effect in the late 1960s.
People can search their names, a business name or the names of friends and family at NebraskaLostCash.gov. Searching is free, and those who find a match can begin the claim process online.
