Missouri State Treasurer Scott Fitzpatrick announced that this week’s Unclaimed Property Auction earned $254,519 for account owners.

A news release says this was the largest total in program history, breaking the prior record set in 2011 by more than $6,000. The auction was held at the Stoney Creek Inn in Independence on July 18 and 19.

Thousands of items were up for bid, including old coins and currency, jewelry, sports memorabilia and a variety of other items. The single largest bid was $7,000 for lot 1598, a Rolex watch.

The next Unclaimed Property Auction will be held this fall in Columbia. Those interested in attending future auctions, can sign up for email notifications at <https://treasurer.mo.gov/UCP/AddInfo.aspx>.

All auction items come from safe deposit boxes that have been turned over by financial institutions to the Missouri State Treasurer’s Office after five years of nonpayment from the owner. All proceeds from the auction will be held in perpetuity until claimed by the rightful owners or their heirs.

Treasurer Fitzpatrick currently manages over $1 billion in unclaimed assets in more than five million owner accounts. One in 10 Missourians has Unclaimed Property, and the average return is nearly $300.

Last week, Treasurer Fitzpatrick announced the Unclaimed Property Division returned more than $50 million to Missourians during the most recent fiscal year, a record-breaking amount.

Missourians can search and claim unclaimed property 24/7 at ShowMeMoney.com.