SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs is celebrating National Unclaimed Property Day on Feb. 1 by announcing a virtual unclaimed property auction next week.
One hundred lots are up for grabs, including rare coins and jewelry.
“The online auction provides a perfect opportunity for people to explore and acquire memorable items for themselves or for others who will appreciate them as gifts,” Frerichs said. “Because the auction is online, you can participate from your home or wherever you like.”
The entire collection of unclaimed property is from the treasurer’s unclaimed property. The state is the custodian of the property surrendered to the state from private entities, including lost bank accounts and safe deposit boxes.
The auctions starts Feb. 6 at 9 a.m. and ends the morning of Feb. 10. In order to place a bid on a lot, you must have an iBid account.
The full list of 100 lots can be found here.
Also for National Unclaimed Property Day, the treasurer announced this week their virtual chatbot “Abe” for more help outside their normal working hours in both English and Spanish.
“Many people work, go to school, or fulfill other responsibilities during typical business hours. As a result, those hours are not a convenient time for them to visit the ICash website or ask questions about unclaimed property,” Frerichs said. “Now, thanks to Abe the chatbot, anyone who visits ICash during off-hours can ask basic questions and get helpful responses.”
In addition, they added a feature to share the email address of a family member or friend who appears in the unclaimed property website for the treasurer’s office.
To see if the state of Illinois is holding any of your unclaimed property, you can visit their website.