Abandoned safe deposit boxes auction underway

(Des Moines, IA) -- Abandoned safety deposit boxes are being auctioned off in Iowa.

"Each year, financial institutions turn over contents from abandoned safe deposit boxes to my office as unclaimed property," Iowa Treasurer Roby Smith.

The Treasurer's Office said they search for the owner.

"We send out mailings, publish names in newspapers, stay active on social media and participate in events like the Iowa State Fair, to encourage people to search their name," said Smith. "We just don’t have the space to continue to hold on to them."

Smith said the items up for auction have been held for more than ten years.

Lone Star Auctioneers are hosting the auctions through June 14.