Baseball cards, jewelry and collectible coins are among the items that will be up for auction during the Illinois State Fair.
The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office will host the auction of unclaimed property at 11 a.m. Aug. 22 on the Illinois State Fairgrounds’ Lincoln Stage, with state Treasurer Michael Frerichs kicking off the auction as a guest auctioneer for a few items, according to the treasurer’s office.
“As treasurer, I can’t bid on anything, but I’m sure there are a lot of baseball fans who would be excited to bid on Mickey Mantle cards from the 1960s and Ernie Banks cards from the 1950s and 1960s,” Frerichs said.
A preview of available items will precede the auction from 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 22.
Baseball cards of Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks and New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle will be auctioned off during the fair, as will a 14-karat white gold ring with a 10-carat blue sapphire and 14 diamonds, and Morgan silver dollars from various years.
Other items among the 250 lots to be auctioned include:
• A vintage Alton woman’s wristwatch made of 14-karat white gold and containing 18 rubies and 16 diamonds;
• A 1916 McKinley gold U.S. dollar coin;
• A 14-karat yellow gold man’s ring containing a black star sapphire and a diamond;
• An Engelhard 100-ounce .999 file silver bar; and
• A 1988 $10 Federal Reserve note with missing serial numbers and seal, known as an “error note.”
Some lots contain more than one item.
The treasurer’s office is the custodian of unclaimed property in the state. Items are surrendered to the treasurer’s office after private entities have tried for years to locate the owner.
All auction proceeds are held in perpetuity for an item’s rightful owner.
An estimated 25% of Illinois adults who search the state’s unclaimed property website, illinoistreasurer.gov/ICASH, find missing money that should be returned to them, according to the treasurer’s office.
The fairgrounds is at 801 E. Sangamon Ave. in Springfield.