Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
MTA Is Selling Your Bikes, Watches, eReaders, Violins!
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 21, 2012
Modified Sep 21, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 5
By
Garth Johnston
Published Sep 21, 2012
Modified Sep 21, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
People lose things on the subway and buses all the time. And most people assume that it's gone for good—despite the fact that the the MTA has quite a large Lost and Found (more of a Lost than anything else). So, once again the MTA is selling off some of its bounty. Which is one way to help fix the Authority's budget, right? And maybe score a cheap violin or clarinet [PDF]!
This morning the NYCT Twitter feed has been hard at work posting items currently for sale. And it really is just the tip of the iceberg. You can see the full list here which (because it also includes unneeded MTA equipment) includes everything from a cardboard baler to shoes, dot matrix printers to respirators, and cubicles. Yes, cubicles. Oh, and buses [PDF].
Wondering how long the MTA waits before it starts selling off your lost goodies? Good question. They say "the retention period for an item depends on its 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." The MTA apparently makes about $25,000 a year off its auctions—so, uh, if you don't want a fare hike please keep losing your stuff everybody!
Tagged
lost and found
MTA
nyct
original
Garth Johnston
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Inside Luigi Mangione's legal strategy before his federal guilty plea
Newly unsealed transcripts and court filings reveal how his lawyers weighed a mental health defense — and the risk it could have posed to his federal case.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 12:37 p.m. ET
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
Customers would have to be provided the option of speaking with a human.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
Customers would have to be provided the option of speaking with a human.
By
Arya Sundaram
Early Addition: There's a new hot duck, this time in Queens
By
James Ramsay
NYPD hate crime unit investigates smashed windows, ‘Pal Action’ graffiti at UES Capital One
By
Ryan Kost
A reliably Republican part of NJ, until ICE came to town
By
Mike Hayes
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .