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NYC Transit Is Selling Your Lost Stuff
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 11, 2010
Modified May 11, 2010
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 11, 2010
Modified May 11, 2010
Share
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[UPDATE BELOW] NYC Transit has been busy updating their Twitter account with photos of their Lost & Found loot: now for sale! The bounty can now be yours, and includes everything from anvils and toggle bolts (dibs!) to bikes, cameras and even cubicles. Their full list of items can be found here, where they also note you must mail or fax your best offer. Aw, city agencies, taking one step forward with Twitter, and one step back with snail mail and fax-only options.
We've contacted NYCT's Paul Fleuranges to find out more about these auctions, and how long it takes before a lost item gets a pricetag. We'll update when we hear back... checking the fax machine now!
UPDATE: We've got answers! Fleuranges tells us "the retention period for an item depends on it’s estimated value: $0-$100 hold for 3 months, $101-$499 hold for 6 months (typically cell phones, games, mp3 players), $500-$4,999 hold for 1 year (typically jewelry) $5,000 and greater hold for 3 years." He also says NYCT makes about $25K a year off of our lost items.
Tagged
auction
bus
for sale
lost & found
MTA
nyc transit
subway
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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