You know how I feel about these things: there are only two types of airline baggage: carry-on and lost. But what happens to the stuff that DOES get lost, or actually LEFT at airports? The sheer volume — and the kinds of stuff left behind and unclaimed by passengers is stunning. And if you want to know what happens to all of this, tune in to the Travel Channel on Wednesday, April 11 at 10 pm ET/PT for the premiere of Baggage Battles, which I co-executive produced with Michael Yudin. Welcome to the brave new world of airport auctions, something most people don’t even know exists. We shot this show all over the world from Miami to Heathrow and I interviewed two of the show’s stars — folks who actually go to these auctions — Sally and Laurence Martin. And this is a real treasure hunt story!
Peter Greenberg: What are the types of things people leave at airport? There’s so much stuff left behind that when they finally put it up for auction it’s unbelievable what people would leave!
Sally Martin: Well it’s interesting because the first episode is in Miami and people don’t realize that Miami has 100 airlines that go through there and 35 million people flying through every year and 10,000 bags get lost and left behind. In addition to the bags that were in the lost and found, we discovered a bronze sculpture, a bust of a man. How do you leave something like that at the airport?
Laurence Martin: Things get left in the parking lot or in the bathroom. Things can get lost in all types of places at the airport.
PG: How many airports are going to be on the show? It’s kind of like a never-ending treasure trove.
LM: We don’t just go to airports, we go to customs auctions, police auctions, and freight auctions so it’s all lost, left, or seized merchandise in different venues.
PG: Right now, you’re in the United Kingdom, where over 1 billion passengers flying through the airports.
LM: It’s fascinating how many billions of dollars of property is lost and unclaimed.
SM: We went to an auction at a place called Greasbys in the middle of London where all the left or seized merchandise go. We found the most awesome things there because we’re antiques dealers. There are lots of jewelry and day to day items at these auctions but we like to look for the antiques and the unusual items. 
LM: These auctions get bags of jewelry that falls out of the baskets provided during the security screening process so they get a wide array of jewelry ranging from 18 karat gold to silver. It gets quite expensive.
PG: Who else is going to these auctions? As producers, we realized that not everyone knew that these auctions existed!
LM: It’s a pretty flat playing field at these auctions because anyone can show up and bid, and they do. Sometimes you’ll see hundreds or thousands of people at these airport auctions. Anyone can bid on the things we bid on.
PG: If you want to see what Laurence and Sally do get their hands on, and some of it is pretty wild, you have to tune in to Baggage Battles on the Travel Channel on Wednesday, April 11th at 10 pm ET/PT.
Don’t let your possessions show up on Baggage Battles, check out Peter’s lost luggage advice:
- Travel Detective Files: Passenger Rights with Lost Luggage
- Travel Tip: Your Rights with Lost Luggage
- Travel Detective Blog on Lost Luggage Empty Bladders and How to Avoid Being Breakfast for a Bear
- Avoiding Lost Luggage Woes
By PeterGreenberg for Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio
