AirPods, Rolex watches, Louis Vuitton bags: The lost-goods company attracts fans from around the world.

A live snake, a mounted ram’s head, a Halloween card signed by Richard Nixon.

These are some of the most fascinating items found in lost baggage in 2023, according to a new report from Unclaimed Baggage, a store that buys lost items from airlines, unseen.

The company also received a 13-foot vaulting pole, terrifying props from the “Saw” movie franchise, and a $12,000 pair of Louis Vuitton Nike Air Force 1 sneakers.

Those items and more of the company’s first “Found Report: A Look Inside America’s Lost Goods Published on April 1.

CEO Brian Owens told CNBC Travel, “We thought it would be fun to publish an annual report that included the most common items, the most expensive items, and the weirdest items. gone.”

Among the most expensive items on the list this year are a diamond ring ($37,050), a Cartier Panthère watch ($26,500) and a Hermès Birkin 25 bag ($23,500).

The company has long-term contracts to buy unclaimed items from airlines as well as hotels, trains and rental car companies. It processes tens of thousands of items every week. About a third is sold, another third is donated, and the rest is recycled, he said.

“We live in a world of lost things,” Owens said. “It’s a little bit like Christmas every day.”

The company was founded. Owen’s father, Doyle Owens In 1970, after Doyle received information that a local bus company was struggling with an increasing number of bags left behind by passengers.

So he borrowed $300 to buy the unwanted bags, put price tags on the contents, and sold the goods from his home in Scottsboro, Alabama — population: 15,700.

After that, “it was off to the races,” Owens said.

Today, the retail store for Unclaimed Goods in Scottsboro is larger than a city block, and the company employs more than 250 people, he said. The thrill of the hunt – the sheer possibility of what might be found – attracts people from near and far.

“We have a million people from every state in America and 40 countries every year,” he said. “We have customers from the West Coast, they’ll fly out a couple of times. I remember a couple from the UK who fly in once a year just to shop.”

Owens said discounts range from 20 to 80 percent depending on the item — clothes are heavily discounted, Rolex sees less. He said the company wants to give deals to consumers, but without incentivizing resellers.

One customer, likely a cruise ship employee, was buying “a ton” of Kindles and reselling them in port cities, Owens said.

“We want someone to get a deal that they can’t get anywhere else, but … we’re not in the business of arbitrating.”

From AirPods for $54 to one HP 15.6 inch laptop for $175Electronics are the fastest selling, Owens said.

But fine jewelry also sells well — even online, he said.

Owen said the company acquired about 20 Rolexes this year alone. One of his favorite items was a 40-carat emerald wrapped in rags in an unassuming bag.

Validation is an important part of business, Owens said. Louis Vuitton luggage Or a pair Balenciaga shoes. He likened the identification of items in lost luggage to an “archaeological dig”.

On rare occasions, the items are returned — to their rightful owners, he said.

“We had a guy from Atlanta who bought a pair of ladies’ snow skiing boots for his girlfriend,” he said. “She pulled the tongue back … and inside the boot was her name. She had lost her shoes, which the airlines paid for. Then she found them in the abandoned baggage and brought them back to her. ”

The company also receives items that have unclaimed goods value tags, meaning they were once lost, purchased by the company, sold to a new owner, and later lost again.

But what about angry travelers who claim that the items in the store are their lost luggage?

“By the time we get the property, it’s gone through a pretty extensive search process, and they’ve settled all their claims,” ​​Owens said, adding that it usually takes about 90 days.

Owens has also found some gems over the years, including the jacket he wore when he spoke to CNBC Travel. He said he saw her chatting with a customer in the store.

“I looked at the rack and I’m like: I really like that sport coat,” she said.

As it turned out, it was a jacket from a luxury Italian brand. Chetan.

“I would never pay for it myself, but it’s a $10,000 sport coat,” he said.

Price tag at its store: $999.

According to , for every 1,000 passengers, 7.6 bags are misused. SITA’s Baggage IT Insights 2023 Of these, the report reports, 80% are delayed and will eventually be returned to their owners. 13% have been damaged or stolen. And 7% were lost or stolen, he said.

“Airlines actually do a good job of reuniting passengers with bags,” Owens said. “It’s a fraction of a percent of the bags that are shipped that end up being lost.”

According to Unclaimed Baggage’s “Found Report,” the most common reason bags go missing is a lack of identification on or inside the bag.

The company advises passengers to attach a durable baggage tag to their suitcase, and keep a sheet of paper or business card with their contact details and travel itinerary inside.