Unclaimed Items on Display in South Yarmouth This Week Head to Auction Today

Sport memorabilia including 1949 Red Sox Penant.

SOUTH YARMOUTH – A traveling suitcase of unclaimed property on display across the state made a stop in South Yarmouth this week.

The treasury office will begin auctioning items today on eBay with the funds going to the state’s general fund.

The suitcase, which only represents a portion of the lots up for bid, included jewelry, collectible currency and high-end wrist watches.

“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 majority of the auction items come from abandoned safe deposit boxes with contents that have gone unclaimed for at least nine years.

Lot auctions will start on eBay at noon. Up to 1,500 lots will be auctioned over the next few months and can be viewed by using the eBay seller ID “mass.state.treasury.”

Small 1800s coin talked about in interview next to $38,000 worth of gold coins.

This is the tenth time the treasury office has used eBay to auction unclaimed items with over $2.1 million going to the general fund from 8,377 lots.

“There’s a little bit of something for everyone,” said Assistant Treasurer Mark Bracken. “There’s stuff that has values of a dollar, all the way up to stuff that will go for up to $13, $14, $15,000.”