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Mo. Treasurer: Check Old Gift Cards Before Hitting Stores

Mo. State Treasurer Clint Zweifel views pieces on display from the Unclaimed Property vault on March 22, 2011. More than 1,200 safe deposit boxes were turned over to him this year to be added to Unclaimed Property.
(Office of Missouri State Treasurer Clint Zweifel)
Mo. State Treasurer Clint Zweifel views pieces on display from the Unclaimed Property vault on March 22, 2011. More than 1,200 safe deposit boxes were turned over to him this year to be added to Unclaimed Property.

State Treasurer Clint Zweifel wants Missouri residents to double-check any old gift cards they may have

before hitting the stores on Black Friday. 

Zweifel says any expired gift cards and certificates that for whatever reason went unused may actually qualify as unclaimed property.

"We have about 6-point-2 million in unclaimed property that is made up of unused gift cards and gift certificates," said Zweifel. "We've returned about $107,000 of that money back to Missourians so far; so it's very common."

Zweifel says anyone who's received a gift card should save any documentation that comes with it, in case the card gets lost before it's used up. 

The document can then be used to reclaim the gift card should it wind up in the state's hands as unclaimed property. 

Marshal was a political reporter for St. Louis Public Radio until 2018.