It is open season for comic book collectors, sports enthusiasts and rare-jewelry aficionados alike, as the Wisconsin State Treasurer's Office launched its annual auction Tuesday, using eBay for the first time.
The auction, which will run through next Friday, hopes to entice bids for a variety of items ranging from the rare and obscure to the flat-out bizarre. The State Treasurer's office currently has $339 million in unclaimed property.
Everything from baby items to Bibles is currently available through the online auction, although the majority of items tend to be jewelry and coins.
""Anything that comes from a safe-deposit box that hasn't been paid for in five years is turned over to the state, and then we have three years to sell it,"" said Megan Perkins, executive assistant to the Wisconsin State Treasurer.
State law mandates the treasury sell the property, according to Perkins, yet the proceeds are kept for the owners, should they ever come forward.
Perkins said the department is optimistic about the exposure eBay will provide.
This audience occasionally includes the owners themselves. In this case, if proof of ownership is established, the item is pulled from the auction so buyers, or in this case bidders, should beware.
""We have a disclosure under every item that says that there is a possibility that this item might be withdrawn if the owners do come forward,"" Perkins said.
Items of interest include various sports cards, including one by Karl Malone, which is currently going for $46. There is also a large amount of Spiderman comics and even an antique Knight's Templar ring with a diamond inset.
For Perkins, finding these oddities and imagining the story behind them is half the fun of the auction process.
""One time we opened [a security deposit box] up and there was a crumpled tissue, and that was the only thing in the box. Another time you open it up and there's a $20,000 diamond ring,"" he said.
Perkins said the most interesting item on sale is a 200-year-old Bible with a handmade bookmark.
Still, the fact that these relics may be family heirlooms doesn't sit well with some prospective bidders.
""I would not bid,"" said UW-Madison freshman Mandi Hawk. ""If there was a family heirloom and there's a chance that I could buy it and then somebody's never going to see it again, I would feel really guilty about that.""
