Treasure Underneath The Capitol
This video is no longer available.
They say X marks the spot for buried treasure, but you might have more luck looking under one of the state’s most iconic buildings.
There’s a vault underneath the capitol building, housing all sorts of items.
And some of them could be yours.
The state treasury department is housed in Alabama’s capitol building.
The department oversees a vault filled with unclaimed property, and there’s more coming in every day.
“We have banks that send them, credit unions and even some hospitals from their safety areas. It’s when their boxes are delinquent. And they have up to three years to try to contact the owner. If they fail, they have to turn it over to us,” said Natalie Rudolph, who works in the department.
You can find just about anything you can think of hiding in the vault. Some of the more valuable items include collectible coins and a bar of solid silver.
There are even some things you wouldn’t think of, including a knife made our or a deer leg.
If you recognize any of these treasures, there’s a chance it’s yours.
You can find out by visiting the department’s website.
“The website actually has your name. If you’re out there, lets say your name is out there 10 times it’s going to pull up those 10 and it’s going to specify if it’s greater than 10 dollars or greater than 100 dollars. We do not print dollar amounts,” said Rudpolph.
She says she wishes more people claimed their belongings. She’s worked in the vault for seven years, and she says she’s seen some interesting things.
“My coolest thing is a meteorite we had. We were lucky enough to return it to the owner though so he actually got his meteorite back.”
When items aren’t claimed, they make their way to auction. But the money ends up back with the owner.
“If they are something that we seem to be deemed collectible, we have it auctioned, we do separate it and it ends up here.”
If you think you might have something in the vault, please check out the website, moneyquest.alabama.gov.
The department wants to make sure your stuff gets back to you.
