Lost Treasure Returned To Oklahoma Mother

The State Treasurer's Department holds millions of dollars worth of unclaimed cash and property belonging to Oklahomans. Most of those items come from abandoned safe deposit boxes.

News 9 was allowed to see some of those items; they included coins, silver bars, jewelry, lingerie and even human remains. There was also a baseball autographed by legend Mickey Mantle. It was also signed by Tom Sturdivant, and addressed to his grandson, Tommy. Mantle and Sturdivant were both Oklahomans who played for the Yankees, and were good friends.

Kirsten McIntyre went in search of the ball's owner and found Rhonda Baldwin-Brown. It turned out the ball was in a safe deposit box belonging to her youngest son, Blake. He died in a car crash 12 years ago when he was just 16 years old. Tommy, the owner of the baseball, was Blake's older brother.

Baldwin-Brown said in the turmoil after Blake's death, her family forgot about the safe deposit box. It also contained a homemade Christmas card Blake made for his mother. She said, for her, that was the truly priceless treasure.