Illinois unclaimed property auction begins

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) -- The Illinois State Treasurer is auctioning off unclaimed items, such as coins, jewelry and comic books, online from March 16-20, 2015.

The auction began Monday, March 16, 2015, at 10 a.m. at Illinoistreasurer.gov. It runs until 10 a.m. on Friday, March 20.

"The auction will include 16,200 pieces of unclaimed property," Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs said in a statement. "Our unclaimed property team works hard to return valuables to their rightful owners. If the property goes unclaimed for 10 years, the items are auctioned off to make room for incoming unclaimed items."

The Illinois Treasurer's Office is the guardian of unclaimed property found in lost bank accounts or safe deposit boxes.

The items were appraised by outside vendors.