Lost treasures up for bid during state Unclaimed Property auction

Preview the items in person May 18-19.

OLYMPIA, Wash. - May 7, 2026 - Collectible gold coins, jewelry, artwork, sports cards and other one-of-a-kind treasures.

The Department of Revenue is teaming up with James G. Murphy Co. to auction the contents of hundreds of unclaimed safe deposit boxes during an online auction May 13- 20.

More than 3,500 items are up for auction, from collectible coins, gold and silver jewelry to stamps and other items. Bidders can preview the unclaimed items online by visiting Murphy's website.

Want to view the items in person?

The auction inventory can be viewed from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. each day May 18 - 19 at the James G. Murphy facility, 3803 136^th St. NE, Marysville. Representatives from Revenue will be available during the in-person viewings to answer questions about Unclaimed Property and the safe deposit box auction.

All the items were turned over to Revenue after financial institutions lost touch with owners and rental fees went unpaid for an extended 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.

The state doesn't profit from the sale of the unclaimed items. All cash proceeds, minus auction and bank fees, are held in the safe deposit box owner's name for the owner or an heir to claim.

About UCP

Washington's Unclaimed Property program is a free public service administered by Revenue. When a business or organization is unable to contact the owner of certain assets for an extended period, those assets are considered abandoned and are turned over to the state to be held until they can be returned to the owner or heirs.

To see if you have unclaimed property, visit Washington's unclaimed property website, claimyourcash.org. You may also visit Unclaimed.org/search to search for unclaimed property in other states.

Find your unclaimed property

To find out if Revenue is holding your property from an abandoned safe deposit box or other unclaimed property, check your name on the Department of Revenue's Unclaimed Property website, ucp.dor.wa.gov. Owners can claim their property until the item is auctioned by immediately initiating a claim.

Revenue's Unclaimed Property program has been conducting safe deposit box auctions since 1983. This is the agency's 19^th auction.