Search Newsroom

Krugerrands, a $1,000 bill and Billy Beer among items

A $1,000 bill, 10 one-ounce gold Krugerrands, a Nolan Ryan baseball card and an empty six-pack of Billy Beer cans - those are just some of the items from more than 300 abandoned safe deposit boxes scheduled for auction next Thursday in Oklahoma City, State Treasurer Scott Meacham announced today.

The contents of 324 abandoned safe deposit boxes will be auctioned starting at 11 o'clock, Thursday, May 22nd. The items to be auctioned have been in the custody of the
treasurer's office for several years.

''After trying for years to find the owners of the contents of these safe deposit boxes, the time has come to clear out our vault to make room for more property,'' Meacham said. ''However, the money raised from the auction will be held in trust for the owners.''

Meacham said a couple of rare items have been reunited with their owners, thanks to an aggressive effort by his unclaimed property staff.

''We originally planned to auction tickets to Woodstock and a first-edition Rolling Stone magazine, but my staff was able to identify the owners,'' he said. ''Both of the owners are happy we were able to return their property.''

A complete list of auction items has been posted to the treasurer's web site at www.treasurer.ok.gov.

State law requires banks to bring abandoned safe deposit box contents to the treasurer's office along with the name and last known address of the owners. The contents must be delivered to the state five years after the banks lose track of the owners. The treasurer then advertises the
information in newspapers and on the internet.

The auction will be held at Dakil Auctioneers, 200 N.W. 114th Street, Oklahoma City.

The building is located north of Hefner Road on the west side of the Broadway Extension. Registration and inspection will begin at 9:00 a.m. For more information, contact the auction house at (405) 751-6179 or www.dakil-auction.com.