CHARLESTON – West Virginia State Treasurer John Perdue’s office is offering a new opportunity to people attending the State Fair of West Virginia this year by hosting five nights of live unclaimed property auctions.
Treasurer Perdue’s office will auction off coins, jewelry, antiques and more during the live events. Each auction takes place at 5 p.m. at the Treasurer’s Office exhibit in the West Virginia Building. Auctions days are:
“We’re really looking to forward to auctioning off some of the items left behind in abandoned safe deposit boxes,” Perdue said. “People leave behind a little of everything – stop by our exhibit and see what we have to offer.”
The short, live auctions are a sampling of what people can find online at the state’s official unclaimed property auction site: www.WestVirginiaUnclaimedProperty.org. The Treasurer’s Office conducts auctions when space no longer allows for storing items. All proceeds from items auction off remain in the rightful owner’s name in hopes that he or she may be found.
Unclaimed property is any asset that has remained unclaimed for a specific period of time. Examples include contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes; left-behind forgotten utility deposits; stock dividends left uncashed; and matured insurance policies never redeemed. Unclaimed property does not include real estate or land.
Treasurer’s staff will also be on hand to answer questions about all of the office’s programs, including the SMART529 College Savings Plan and the West Virginia Retirement Plus a supplemental retirement plan for public employees.