Lost treasures up for auction June 20, 21 in Kenmore

Items include ’91 Griffey autographed grand slam baseball

OLYMPIA, WASH. – June 5, 2018 – The Department of Revenue will auction the contents of hundreds of unclaimed safe deposit boxes over two days later this month.

Jewelry, coins, stamps and other collectibles are among the thousands of items that James G. Murphy, Inc. will auction on behalf of Revenue on June 20 and 21 at its Kenmore facility, 18226 – 68th Ave. NE. The auction will run both days until all lots slated for bid are sold.

Bidders can preview the items in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 18 and 19. They can also glance at the online auction catalogue that will be available beginning June 8 at http://murphyauction.com/.

Among the lost treasures is a Ken Griffey, Jr. autographed baseball believed to be the Hall of Famer’s first Kingdome grand slam. Although the ball has not been authenticated, it could generate interest from collectors.

All of these items were turned over to the Department of Revenue after financial institutions lost touch with owners and rental fees went unpaid for a period of time. State law requires Revenue to auction off the contents if the owners haven’t claimed the property within five years from the time it was turned over to the state.

Revenue holds the cash proceeds, minus auction and bank fees, in the safe deposit box owner’s name for the owner or an heir to claim.

Each year, Revenue also receives stocks and bonds, rebate checks, savings and checking accounts, insurance claim proceeds, utility deposits and payroll checks that have been dormant for several years.

Visit claimyourcash.org to check for unclaimed property.

The Department of Revenue is Washington state’s primary tax agency, nationally recognized for innovation and quality customer service. Revenue is the custodian for unclaimed property and administers an unclaimed property program to seek the rightful owners.

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