Washington auctions 3,500 unclaimed items, including gold and silver jewelry

Gold and silver jewelry are mixed in with collectible coins, watches, stamps, silver bars and sports cards as Washington opens an online auction of more than 3,500 unclaimed items, a sale that rewards anyone who knows how to read a clasp, a stamp and a setting before the bidding starts.

The auction runs May 13-20, 2026, with online bidding only, but the real field work comes during the in-person preview May 18-19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at James G. Murphy Co., 3803 136th St. NE, Marysville. Washington says bidders must pre-register at Murphy Auction, and that preview window is the place to slow down and inspect mixed lots carefully rather than chase a picture alone.

For vintage jewelry hunters, the appeal is in the details that survive the box. A solid gold chain, a silver bracelet or an old watch can be hiding beside costume pieces, damaged settings or items described too broadly to trust at face value. Before bidding, check for purity stamps, maker’s marks, clean solder lines, secure clasps and evidence of wear that matches the age the lot claims. Look closely at stones for chips, cloudy replacements and uneven prongs. If a piece feels light for its size, shows bright plating wear at the edges or has mismatched components, treat it as a repair project or a probable costume find, not a sleeper treasure.

Washington’s unclaimed-property rules give the auction its shape. Safe-deposit-box contents are turned over to the state five years after the owner stops paying rent. If the property remains unclaimed, state law requires Revenue to sell it at public auction. The department says it does not profit from the sale; after auction and bank fees, the cash proceeds are held in the owner’s name for the owner or an heir to claim.

That claim process still matters after the hammer falls. Washington’s unclaimed property program calls itself a free public service and says owners or heirs can come forward later to seek proceeds from sold items. The state’s last safe-deposit-box auction, in November 2022, sold more than 3,542 lots for $557,000 in gross proceeds.

The broader scale is striking. Washington’s 2022 unclaimed property report said the agency processed 192,704 claims, paid $89.4 million to claimants and reported $246.5 million by holders in fiscal 2022. In that context, the Marysville sale reads like a small archive being opened one lot at a time, with the best finds waiting for bidders who know how to verify what the box kept hidden.