Press Releases

State Treasurer Riley Moore today announced his Office will host four in-person Unclaimed Property Auctions during the 2022 State Fair of West Virginia in Fairlea.

The auctions will take place Friday, Aug. 12; Saturday, Aug. 13; Friday, Aug. 19 and Saturday, Aug. 20, beginning at 5 p.m. each day.

The items up for bid include rare coins, currency, jewelry and other collectibles that have been turned over to the Office’s Unclaimed Property Division. The items will be on display at the State Treasurer’s Office booth, located in the West Virginia Building, throughout the fair.

Items auctioned often come from abandoned safe deposit boxes. The Unclaimed Property Division performs thorough due diligence and tries to locate the rightful owner prior to selling the items through auction. While the items are sold at auction, the proceeds from the sale remain in an individual’s name for claim in the future.

“I want to encourage everyone attending the State Fair to check out our Unclaimed Property Auctions,” Treasurer Moore said. “These items up for auction are valuable collectibles that have been forgotten about or abandoned and turned over to my Office. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our Office’s Unclaimed Property program from Treasury staff.”

In addition to conducting the auctions, State Treasurer’s Office staff will be available throughout the fair to conduct unclaimed property searches for anyone who visits the Office’s booth in the West Virginia Building.


What is Unclaimed Property?

Unclaimed property can include financial accounts or items of value in which the owner has not initiated any activity for one year or longer. Common examples include unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts and unused rebate cards. (While the title includes the word “property,” it does not however include real estate.)

West Virginia’s unclaimed property laws protect the public by ensuring money and property owed to them is returned to them, rather than remaining permanently with financial institutions, business associations, governments and other entities. The Treasurer seeks to reunite the unclaimed property, including uncashed paychecks, stocks, or safe deposit box contents, with its owner.

Nationwide, nearly 33 million people in the United States – one in every 10 – are estimated to have unclaimed property available for them to claim.

How Can I Find Unclaimed Property in My Name?

West Virginians searching for lost financial assets can go to www.wvtreasury.com, then click on the large Unclaimed Property “Search” button to the right of the page under the heading, “Are We Holding Your Money?” In addition to finding property, the www.wvtreasury.com website will also help you track a claim.

A demonstration of how to use the Unclaimed Property search site is available on the Treasury’s YouTube page, at: https://youtu.be/K09yQ7YNKlE.

To search for lost financial assets outside West Virginia, visit www.FindMyFunds.com or www.MissingMoney.com.

The Treasury does not collect state taxes. Visit the The West Virginia State Tax Department for assistance.

West Virginia State Treasurer's Office
1900 Kanawha Boulevard
Capitol Complex Building #1, Room E-145
Charleston, West Virginia 25305
304-558-5000 Toll Free: 800-422-7498
Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm (ET)

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