(COLUMBUS)--Director of Commerce Donna Owens announced that an auction of more than 10,000 safety deposit box items collected through the state's unclaimed funds program will occur Thursday, October 1 at noon. The auction is being held at Commerce's customer service center, 6606 Tussing Road, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Viewing begins at 9 a.m.

"October's unclaimed funds auction will be only the third in the program's 30 year history," said Director Owens. "Coin collectors, in particular, will find numerous items of interest."

The 10,000 items have been packaged into 254 lots for sale, each given a suggested minimum bid, established by PELCO Corp., coin dealers. Items include: half cents; large cents; Indian cents; shield-buffalo nickels; bust-S.L. 10 cents; S.L.-barber 25 cents; bust-S.L.-W.L. 50 cents; Morgan-Peace dollars; $1.00, $2.50, $5.00, $10.00 and $20 gold pieces; stock certificates (w/o stock power); 1oz to 100oz silver bars; stamps; and more. A complete listing of lots and suggested minimum bids can be found at the department web site at www.com.state.oh.us/com/ucf/

The terms of the sale, conducted by Jim Wootton, Auctioneer, are: cash or approved check with proper ID; all sales are final; and a buyer's premium of 9% will be added to the bid price. If all items are not sold, the auction will reconvene October 2, at 10 a.m.

Each year, due to death, inadvertence or forgetfulness, approximately 250,000 people and organizations lose track of monies, rights to monies, and intangible personal property in Ohio. Commerce's Division of Unclaimed Funds is responsible for the safekeeping and return of these monies. The division ensures that holders report unclaimed funds, and works to locate the owners of such funds. Common sources include: dormant bank accounts, unpaid insurance policies, unreturned utility and rent deposits, undelivered and uncashed dividends and shares of stock, uncashed checks, and forgotten layaway deposits. Last year, the division returned more than $21,346,825 to 23,263 Ohio residents. There are approximately 1.8 million accounts totaling $180 million.

Ohioans and former Ohioans who want to check to see if they have unclaimed funds can do so for free by writing to the Division of Unclaimed Funds at 77 South High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43266-0545. Individuals can also check to see if they have an unclaimed funds account by accessing Commerce's Internet web site, www.com.state.oh.us.

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