Whether it's personal property, stocks, bonds or just plain cash, the state may owe you money. There are a few ways to find out if the state owes you money. You can call, write or just go to the state treasurer's Web site. Tucked away in a secure room are more than a dozen steel vaults. Inside are often a lifetime's worth of savings.
Every envelope is labeled and numbered.
Until the rightful owners come and claim them, their belongings stay in the vault. Wilson said that he's seen everything from Civil War diaries to land grants that were signed by Ulysses S. Grant. The valuables vary from month to month. But one constant at the unclaimed property division are people who lose track of bank accounts, cash, stocks and bonds. It's the state's job to return the property ,and it's the law.