Pittsburgh airport auction puts cars. jewelry & more up for grab

MOON TWP. – Bargain hunters will be heading to Pittsburgh International Airport on October 22 for a once-in-a-lifetime auction.

Cars, trucks and strollers available. Backpacks, laptops and Kindles. Wedding rings, hats and umbrellas galore.

From an expensive-looking mandolin in a case, to a 30-pound dumbbell, to a snowboard or skateboard helmet with two GoPro cameras attached, there’s plenty to turn heads at the Allegheny County Airport Authority’s annual auction for items left behind at the airport.

Approximately 8,000 items will be sold to the highest bidders, including 300 electronic items and 350 pieces of jewelry, during the auction at the airport’s heavy equipment building on Cargo Road, a few hundred feet west of University Boulevard off Business Route 376.

Bidding begins at 10 a.m., doors open at 8:30 a.m., “and people will be lined up here before dawn,” said Matt Neinstein, public relations manager for the Allegheny County Airport Authority. “I’m not kidding. They’re peeking in the garage windows trying to get an extra edge.”

Experienced auctioneer Joe R. Pyle will lead the proceedings.

“It runs just like an auction,” Neinstein said. “I have this item right here, do I have $10, do I have $15?” They also have online bidders. So there are staff on the podium with him. They’ll perk up and say, ‘Well, there’s online bidding for x number of dollars,’ so it all comes together.”

Food trucks Divine Swine and The Kabob Mob will be there, satisfying breakfast and lunch hunger pangs.

The hangar-sized heavy equipment building will display a line of 10 cars and a line of a dozen retired Airport Authority trucks, all to be auctioned off as is.

There is no Cadillac Escalade, as was the case a few years ago when former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Artie Burns decided a trip back to Pittsburgh wasn’t worth the trouble to get that particular luxury vehicle back.

Although a 2019 Hyundai sedan and a lime Chevy Cavalier will go to the highest bidders.

Airport officials can only theorize why someone would leave a car unclaimed.

“Your guesses are as good as mine,” Neinstein said. “One of the prevailing ones is — with all due respect — none of these are really nice, new, expensive cars. So — and I’m just throwing out a number here — if the market says your car is worth $1,000, and you leave it here and your trip takes longer than you expected, and we say, “Well, you owe us $1,500 in parking fees.” , it’s not really worth it, is it?’

Or maybe people travel to other places and decide not to come back to Pittsburgh.

“Maybe you fly to Myrtle Beach and enjoy it so much and decide to stay,” Neinstein said.

Still, a $1,000 car might be perfect for a family looking to buy an inexpensive vehicle for their college-bound child.

Vehicles that remain unclaimed for 45 days in airport lots are considered abandoned and are then towed and stored on airport grounds.

“Our airport staff then attempts to contact the owner,” Neinstein said.

If those attempts fail, the matter is referred to the car’s leasing agency and the state Department of Motor Vehicles, which attempt to contact the owner, a process that takes months. If no owner is eventually found, the state officially declares the vehicle abandoned and removes all liens on the purchase. This ensures that whoever buys the car is not liable for unpaid purchase charges.

“So when these cars are auctioned, we deduct the storage and parking fees and the rest of the money goes to the state.”

Carry-on items left on planes and in the terminal become lost and found after 30 days and are recorded in a digital database indicating when and where it was found.

“So if you come back to me and say, ‘I left my bridal suite in this bathroom near Gate 27 on Saturday,’ we can see if anyone found that ring,” Neinstein said. “Basically, if you can describe it, it’s yours.”

For something like a wallet, with an ID card inside, airport officials try to contact the owner directly right away. Mobile phones are not easy because a password is usually required to lock them.

Keys, jewelry and laptops are three of the most commonly lost items. Many belts, too, when people take them off at the metal detector in the TSA line and then forget them in the rush to their gate.

Forgotten sunglasses, books, hats and umbrellas are foreboding on these hectic days with short downtime.

Although there are always surprises, like a few years ago when someone lost a prosthetic eye. Someone else bought it.

Unusual items this year include a clay pot, a home security monitoring system still in the box, flippers and goggles, golf clubs, fishing equipment and a Yamaha flute.

“Wedding rings are what’s always confused me,” Neinstein said. “We have wedding rings every year. I guess some people take them off before washing their hands in the bathroom and were in a hurry and forget it. I guess all these people do it by accident and not because But yes, it’s your wedding ring from the most important day of your life and now it’s gone. And we really want people to come back for those things, don’t we?”

Clothes and glasses do not go to auction.

The airport authority gives away most of the unclaimed clothing to Circles of Greater Pittsburgh, which helps people living in poverty. The Lions Club in Pittsburgh receives unclaimed prescription glasses that are recycled for use by those in need.

For successful bidders, there will be a 15 percent buyer’s premium with a 5 percent cancellation for cash or check purchases. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted. Payment, including all taxes and fees, must be made in full at auction.

“It goes on until it’s all gone,” Neinstein said. “I don’t think we ever had any left.”

More ▼:Ghost Tours set for Old Economy, Ambridge

Proceeds from the 11th annual auction will go to the Allegheny County Airport Authority Charitable Foundation, which supports aviation scholarships, workforce development and the Art in The Airport program.

More details about the auction are available at the airport blueskypit.com newsletter.

More ▼:Pittsburgh-made ‘Dear Zoe’ is truly a ‘touching’ picture, producer says

“It’s a unique event and the energy is really positive. We have some food trucks parked next to it in a garage, music is playing and it’s just a fun atmosphere,” Neinstein said. “Hopefully people find what they’re looking for, whether they want it, need it or it’s a gift.”