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Nebraska’s State Treasurer’s Office will auction abandoned safe-deposit-box contents on eBay from 8 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, October 6, through just before 8 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The previous auction was in 2017, creating the nine-year gap. The state says proceeds from each lot will remain associated with the original owner’s name so a rightful owner or heir can claim them later.

What Nebraska is auctioning

The Treasurer’s Office says the items came from safe-deposit boxes it received more than a decade ago. Examples named by the state include:

  • A white-gold diamond ring and a 14-karat gold mesh purse
  • A 1961 Topps #2 Roger Maris baseball card and a 1995 Sports Illustrated Huskers special edition
  • A 1929 $100 bill, a 1934 $500 Federal Reserve note, silver coins, and an unusual 1986 double-struck Denver-minted dime
  • A 1917 watch with a 14-karat gold band and sterling silverware

These are examples, not a complete catalog. The state says the full catalog will appear when the auction opens; as of October 3, 2026, it had not yet gone live. The office says each lot was inspected and appraised by independent Lincoln appraiser Tom Bassett. Neither opening bids nor final sale prices are established in the announcement. Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office announcement

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How to bid and who is eligible

The sale is online through eBay for seven days, opening at 8 a.m. Central Time October 6 and ending just before 8 a.m. Central Time October 13, 2026. Check eBay when the event opens for the catalog and lot-specific bidding details; the state announcement does not give opening bids or item-level auction links. Employees of the Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office and their immediate families are not eligible to bid.

Why the auction returned after nine years

Nebraska Treasurer Joey Spellerberg confirmed to the Nebraska Examiner that the preceding auction was in 2017. The report says state law calls for an auction at least every five years, so the 2026 sale follows a longer interval than that schedule. Spellerberg said he was unsure why the gap extended and mentioned the pandemic and staff turnover as context; those factors are not an established explanation for the delay. Nebraska Examiner’s report on the auction gap

What happens to the money after a sale

The Treasurer’s Office says proceeds from each lot will be recorded in the original owner’s name and held until a rightful owner or heir claims them. The office says efforts to locate the original owners were unsuccessful. In practical terms, selling an item converts it to proceeds attached to the owner’s claim; the state says it does not keep the money as its own. An earlier state auction announcement also described the five-year auction requirement and holding proceeds under the original owner’s name. Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office auction information

How owners and heirs can search for a claim

If you think you or a relative may have unclaimed property in Nebraska, use the state’s official search portal. It supports searches by last or business name, first name, city, ZIP code, or property ID, and lets users check the status of an existing claim. The Treasurer’s FAQ explains that property remains available to rightful owners or heirs and outlines documentation routes, including for heirs. Because required paperwork can depend on the claim, use the current portal instructions rather than relying on a fixed checklist. Nebraska unclaimed-property search and claim portal · Nebraska Treasurer’s unclaimed-property FAQ

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Nebraska’s broader unclaimed-property program

The Treasurer’s Office says more than $317 million has been returned to rightful owners since Nebraska’s unclaimed-property law took effect in the late 1960s. That is a program-wide figure, not an estimate of the proceeds expected from this particular auction. Nebraska State Treasurer’s Office

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