State treasurer auctions unclaimed property online

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

Online bidding on Nebraska’s unclaimed property began Friday as the state jumped onto the eBay bandwagon for the first time.

Among the 27 items for sale: coins, jewelry, engagement rings, comics, stamps and an antique pocketwatch. New items will be listed every two to three weeks for the next several months.

“The success of eBay and similar auction Web sites made it clear that it was time for us to get into the 21st century and sell these properties over the Internet,” said State Treasurer Ron Ross.

“We invite everyone to browse through the auction items to see if they might want to make a bid, but also to see if there are any lost family heirlooms among the properties we have for sale.”

All the items on sale have been held in a vault for at least five years. Any proceeds will be held in trust and will be available to be claimed by the rightful owners, Ross said.

As of Saturday afternoon, bidding was off to a moderate start, with 13 of the items receiving bids. Only two items had received more than one bid.

A set of two $2 bills and 18 Eisenhower dollar coins had received six bids, with the top bid at $26.51.

Other items with bids included a 1944 edition of “World’s Finest Comics,” a set of Israel stamps, coin sets and a gold diamond necklace-and-earrings set.

No tax dollars are being used in the online auction.

To view the items for sale, visit www.treasurer.org and click on the eBay link.