Massachusetts treasurer announces unclaimed property eBay auction

Looking to get a good deal on some unclaimed property? Looking to check if you have any unclaimed property yourself?

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg has announced that her office will be exhibiting select items from the Unclaimed Property Division that will soon be auctioned on eBay.com. The items will first be displayed at the State House on Monday, October 15th, and will subsequently be shown in Cape Cod, Plainville, Springfield, and Worcester, all leading up to the online auction starting on Saturday, October 20th.

“We are excited to showcase these items in different regions across the state,” said Treasurer Deb Goldberg. “The Unclaimed Property Division’s eBay offerings are a proven success for maximizing revenue for the Commonwealth. This year’s auction is gearing up to be another big hit.”

The traveling showcase, which represents only a portion of the lots up for bid, will include items such as gold, silver, jewelry, and collectible currency. The majority come from abandoned safe deposit boxes with contents that have gone unclaimed for a period of at least nine years.

Treasurer Goldberg will host a preview of the auction items to the press on Monday, October 15th at 10 a.m. in her office at the Massachusetts State House in room 227.

The times and locations for the displays are as follows:

Monday, October 15th from noon to 5:00 p.m. – State House Nurse’s Hall, Massachusetts State House, Boston, MA.

Tuesday, October 16th from noon to 6:00 p.m. – Irish Village Cape Cod, 822 MA-28, South Yarmouth, MA.

Wednesday, October 17th from noon to 5:00 p.m. – Plainridge Park Casino, Food Court, 301 Washington St, Plainville*

Thursday, October 18th from noon to 5:00 p.m. – Springfield State Building, Lobby 436 Dwight St., Springfield, MA.

Friday, October 19th from noon to 5:00 p.m. – Worcester State Lottery Office, 151 West Boylston Drive, Worcester, MA.

This is the 12th time that the Commonwealth has used eBay to liquidate its unclaimed tangible property holdings. Prior to that, Treasury held a live auction for such items, a process that was far less profitable due to limited reach to potential bidders. Since November 2005, the eBay auction has raised $2,676,445 for the state’s General Fund through the sale of 10,480 separate bid lots. In 2017, sales totaled 205,198 and 1,080 lots were sold.

On Saturday, October 20th, 100 lots will be posted at 12 p.m., followed by a gradual release of additional items over the course of two months. In all, we expect to put out around 1,000 lots out to bid which can be viewed by using the eBay seller id “mass.state.treasury.”

Goldberg said that the Treasury needs to regularly liquidate older portions of its tangible property holdings due to storage constraints and logistical needs. She noted that if an individual or their heirs later prove that a piece of sold property belonged to them, they will be fully compensated the sale price of the item.

The Treasury also maintains a comprehensive list of approximately $3.4 billion in unclaimed monetary property, such as stock, insurance payments, and unclaimed bank accounts. Individuals can search to see if they own such property at www.findmassmoney.com or by calling 1-(888)-344-MASS.