Iowa's State Treasurer Roby Smith is drawing attention to a cache of sports memorabilia that surfaced from unclaimed bank safety deposit boxes, including a baseball autographed by Pete Rose and other members of the Cincinnati Reds.
The items were discovered in a box that had been rented by Jonathan Pederson of Mason City, and Smith's office is now working to locate Pederson's family in hopes of returning the cherished collectible.
Alongside the Rose-signed ball, the display features a Michael Jordan card from a 1998 Gatorade promotion and a variety of other items that showcase the legacy of the 1970s Big Red Machine era.
A Treasure Hunt Across Iowa
Smith explained that banks retain unclaimed safety deposit boxes for at least three years before they are transferred to his office, where they are catalogued and made available for public claim.
The Treasurer's website, the Great Iowa Treasure Hunt, lists all unclaimed cash, bonds, utility refunds and other assets, and Smith encourages every resident to search the portal for their own name.
Over the past year his office processed more than 53,000 claims, returning nearly $36 million in cash and $2.4 million in property, a record that underscores the program's growing impact.
Smith has identified several individuals: Scott Myers of Des Moines, Russell Wirth of Manilla and Jeremy O'Connor of Granger and their relatives as potential claimants for the sports-related keepsakes.
By spotlighting these items, the Treasurer hopes to remind Iowans that forgotten treasures may be waiting in a safety deposit box, and that a simple online search could unlock a valuable piece of history.