The state is gearing up for an auction, next Tuesday and Wednesday, of items emptied out of abandoned safe deposit boxes from banks throughout the state. The contents of abandoned boxes are sent to the State Treasurer’s Office if the banks are unsuccessful in tracking down the contents’ owners or the owners’ heirs. Treasurer Nancy Farmer says several hundred safe deposit boxes are abandoned each year in Missouri – usually about 800, but close to 2,000 this year. The auction is being held in Columbia – a central location. Proceeds from these state auctions are held in perpetuity for the owners or their heirs and can be claimed once the owners are found.