Unclaimed property to be auctioned off at Illinois State Fair

Bust half dollar coin, vintage 18K yellow gold manual wind Patek Philippe men's watch, commemorative Olympic coins and sport memorabilia, including cards for Chicago legends Michael Jordan and Frank Thomas, are among the unclaimed property items worth nearly $150,000 to be auctioned Saturday, Aug. 21, at the Lincoln Stage during the Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

"We are excited to visit the state fair and look forward to interacting with collectors for this year's unclaimed property live auction," Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said. "We have more than 15,000 items available, including baseball cards, commemorative coins and vintage jewelry."

More than 15,000 items, divided into 250 lots, will be auctioned. Collectors can preview the auction items Aug. 21 before the auction begins. The auction is free and open to the public, but will require paid entry to the fairgrounds.

A Live Auction Preview will be from 9-11 a.m. Aug. 21, with the auction beginning at 11 a.m. at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Lincoln Stage, 801 E. Sangamon Ave., in Springfield.

The treasurer's office works hard to return valuables to their rightful owners. After at least 10 years of private and public attempts to locate the owners of unclaimed property, the items are considered for auction. All auction proceeds are held for the rightful owners in perpetuity.

For information and a list of unclaimed property auction items, visit www.illinoistreasurer.gov.