Alabama’s unclaimed property vault is currently holding over a billion dollars worth of items, including precious belongings like jewelry and baseballs signed by Babe Ruth. Thousands of these items are waiting to be claimed by their rightful owners.
According to recent reports, the state treasury of Alabama has estimated the value of its unclaimed baggage to be a whopping $1.3 billion.
It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the regularly updated list of unclaimed items, even if you’ve already claimed property in the past. If a tangible item remains unclaimed for a certain period, it will be sent to auction, but don’t worry – you will still receive the proceeds from the sale.
As per State Treasurer Young Boozer’s explanation of the auction process, he shared an anecdote that perfectly depicted the scenario. He said, “Suppose Aunt Tilly’s jewelry is sold for $1,000 at the auction, then that amount will be credited back to her account. Later, Aunt Tilly, her relative, or her heir can claim the money from her account.”
Checking can be done in less than 5 minutes. Wondering how?
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- Head to treasury.alabama.gov.
- Click on unclaimed property.
- Type in your information in the search bar.
- From there, if you have any unclaimed property you can file a claim.
The treasurer’s website is another useful resource for finding items up for auction.
In the last five years, rightful owners have received over $140 million in unclaimed property that was returned to them.