Florida unclaimed property auction planned Saturday in Tampa

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Are you in the market for a Rolex watch, a 4.6-carat diamond ring, or baseball cards from the 1960s? If so, the 2018 Florida Unclaimed Property Auction may be just for you.

Nearly 51,000 items valued at more than $560,000 are set to be auctioned off this Saturday, August 18, in Tampa.

The sale is made up of abandoned items left behind in bank safe deposit boxes. Once a safe deposit box has been abandoned for three years, the bank sends the contents to a state vault, where items are held for another two years.

“It could be tangible items like jewelry, watches and baseball cards from a forgotten safe deposit box. Those assets, the actual tangible property, is held at the bank for three years and then it comes to the Division of Unclaimed Property where we hold it for two years,” explained Anna Farrar, of the Division of Unclaimed Property said.

After that time, in order to save room, the items are auctioned off to the public. Anna Farrar is the spokesperson for the Division of Unclaimed Property.

“The good news is that once those items are sold, the money is claimable at any time. So, if you do realize that you had an item that was sold at auction, you can claim the proceeds from that,” Farrar said. 

Saturday’s auction will be held at the Tampa Marriott Westshore Hotel, beginning at 10 a.m. For more information on the auction, or to see if you have unclaimed property, visit www.FLTreasureHunt.gov.