State auctions off forgotten items

LAS VEGAS - One Mickey Mantle baseball card and name plate. Two white animal claws. One gold-colored Girl Scout membership pin. One Jacqueline Kennedy thank you note. 20 brass bells in a heart-shaped can. Two bus tokens. One Purple Heart military medal.

An antiquary's shoebox treasure? Junk?

Actually, it's all on the block Saturday at the state's unclaimed property auction, being held at Palace Station.

Steven McDonald, administrator of the state's unclaimed property division, said this year's docket has 233 lots. The goodies will go home with the highest bidders.

''You never know what's going to be in that box,'' he said, ''and you never know what it's going to go for.''

McDonald said the strangest thing he has ever seen auctioned was a set of false teeth, a hearing aid and eye glasses - a package that sold for a nickel.

McDonald sometimes comes across items best left in boxes. Among the things not up for auction this year: personal Polaroid pictures of the risque variety.

The money raised at the auction is kept in subsidiary accounts in hopes that the rightful owners will come for it. The state never takes ownership of the money.

''Even your great-grandchildren can come and claim it,'' McDonald said.

In 1979, the state started recovering unclaimed property, including cash, stocks and bonds, and attempted to return it to owners. The state also collects cash left in bank accounts, safe deposit boxes and casino vaults, as well as deposits for utility services.

The state has collected more than $90 million worth of property since 1979, and about one-third of that has been reclaimed.

McDonald encourages everyone to attend the auction.

''You never know, you can get nice Christmas presents there,'' he said.