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Monday, 24th October 2005 (5059 views)

A recent state auction in West Virginia saw some unusual items go up for bidding.

Over 400 items were auctioned off after they had been left unclaimed in security boxes for years.

Usually items that go unclaimed for seven years get auctioned off, but should an owner discover their item has been sold they can claim the amount it was purchased for if they can sufficiently prove it was theirs.

Chief investigator for the West Virginia State Treasury, Richard Fisher, said: "People die, move away, they just forget about the stuff."

Among the items were a woman's set of gold bottom front teeth, which sold for $400, and a ring made of white gold that went for $4,300.

The new owner of the gold teeth said she and her husband came to the auction looking for things to sell at their pawnshop, primarily jewellery and collectible coins.

Nearly $10 million is generated from abandoned goods every year.

 

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