Ozzie Smith Signature Ball Among Auction Block Items

Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifel has an Ozzie Smith autographed baseballl he's trying to get rid of. It's part of a large stash of unclaimed property from around the state that will be auctioned off at 9 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center, 3300 Vandiver Drive, Columbia, Mo.

Although the Ozzie signature baseball is a noteworthy auction item, there are hundreds of other more mundane items up for grabs, including stamps, coins, jewelry and collectibles.

Zweifel says his office has exhausted its efforts at finding the owners of the unclaimed items from bank safe deposit boxes, estimated to be $600 million worth of unclaimed property from 3.5 million people (one in 10 Missourians). Property can be claimed by its rightful owners any time, free of charge by checking out  www.ShowMeMoney.com.

In the unlikely event that someone claims the Ozzie Smith baseball ahead of time, there is plenty to bid on. Here is a list of some unclaimed property oddities:

• an 8-cent stamp
• an 8-cent Harry S Truman fiirst day issue stamp
• butter knives in a gray cloth bag
• a nutcracker
• a pocket knife disguised as a coin
• a black rock
• a keychain with a bell
• Lucky penny horsehoe tokens
• a bowling pin
• a Rival Dog Food coin bank

The property at the auction will be sold to the highest bidder, free of all claims from the original owner. The items will be sold "as is" with no guarantees given for the authenticity of the items. Proceeds from the auctioned items will go to the state. Sales taxes will apply to all purchases unless a bidder has sales  tax exemption documentation.

Payment must be made in cash, travelers or cashier's checks or by credit card. No personal or company checks will be accepted without an irrevocable bank letter of credit assessed to the treasurer's office. Credit cards accepted will be American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa. A $1 fee will be charged for credit card transactions for items under $50 or a fee of 2.75% of the total cost will be assessed for items above $50.

Information about the Treasurer's office unclaimed property auction can be found here.