JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- From cash to collectibles, if someone has left it behind in a safety deposit box, the state of Missouri has got it.

“We found a safety deposit box, and the only thing in it was a ski mask, a gun and a change of clothes. Needless to say, we never found that individual,” said Scott Harper, director of unclaimed property division.

The agency inherits safety deposit boxes that go unclaimed. It’s called Missouri’s largest “lost and found" -- anything that has been left untouched in a bank or other business entity for longer than five years ends up in the state's Treasury Department in Jefferson City.

The boxes include a mix of items: coins, stamps, wills and savings bonds, jewelry, antiques, baseball cards – many are things of value that people have forgotten about.

In some cases, people don’t even know they have property in a safety deposit box.

“A couple of sisters in St. Louis received some money back from unclaimed property and they were this close to being evicted from their apartment, so that money helped ensure that they were able to remain in their apartment,” state Treasurer Clint Zweifel said.

Every year in February the state takes inventory and tries to track down owners of the items. In fiscal year 2008, the division returned $34.5 million in unclaimed assets.

This year the state has already returned $24 million in assets. They are currently looking for one person who has not claimed $1 million in assets.

The 14 full-time staff members in the office say their days can be full of interesting moments.

“For example, sometimes you run across an old silver coin, not something that’s circulated anymore, so that’s kind of neat," said Jeff Bolte, compliance auditor.

Find out if you have unclaimed property at www.showmemoney.com.