Last year, nearly a billion passengers took to the skies across the country and almost 10-billion flew globally. With about 27-million people flying every day, it’s not surprising that some suitcases get lost or left behind. And while 99.9% of them are eventually reunited with their owners, some end up at Unclaimed Baggage, a business that’s been collecting, reselling or donating items left behind in luggage by airlines for more than 50 years.
The company sees all kinds of things in people’s bags and they’re giving us a peek at some of the wildest and most valuable items they’ve found in the last year in their third-annual Found Report.
- There were lots of Labubus, a 99.99% pure gold bar, and many cameras, but the most common item in lost luggage this year? T-shirts, with nearly 210-thousand of them in suitcases over the year.
- Men’s T-shirts were found most frequently, followed by pants (over 128-thousand), jewelry (nearly 58-thousand pieces), and mobile phones (more than 51-thousand).
- The most valuable item discovered was a pair of diamond earrings with an estimated retail value of $43-thousand. There was also a Rolex watch with an 18K gold and diamond dial worth an estimated $35-thousand and a Tosca Bass Clarinet with an estimated value of $17-thousand.
- Other valuable finds include a Balenciaga leather jacket, a Chanel lambskin handbag, a “fully tricked out” 2023 Apple MacBook Pro, and a lot of designer clothing.
- Surprising pop culture finds include a 1960s Ken doll and carrying case, a Weezer record signed by Rivers Cuomo, and a pair of KISS-inspired boots.
- Sports memorabilia includes a baseball signed by Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers and boxing gloves signed by undefeated World Champion Terence Crawford.
There were all kinds of historical, tech and currency finds, too, but the most fun stuff is in the weird finds. The strangest items found in luggage last year were:
- A taxidermy deer form
- A frog purse
- A pre-World War I U.S. Army bayonet
- A giant stuffed goose
- A long bone specimen
- An armadillo purse
- A 12-pack case of sardines
- A suitcase full of rat poison
- A suitcase full of fake human bones
Source: Unclaimed Baggage
PHOTO: GETTY