Warning: This story has more questions than answers.

For instance, who is this man who says he figured his creditors or Wells Fargo Bank had taken possession of his antiques collection, the one now wheeling its way to him in Oregon?

Are the items that appear to be worth a whole lot of money -- an Egyptian funerary mask purported to date to 2500 B.C., ancient Greek and Roman pottery, primitive looking African spears and Phoenician daggers -- authentic?

Why is the owner living in a west coast hotel and on food stamps? And what will he do with the antiques, which also include five Santa mugs and some Nebraska whiskey flasks?

A document that arrived at state Treasurer Shane Osborn's office says the appraised value of the collection, found in a secured Wells Fargo storage area, was $200,000. Is that an accurate appraisal?

Osborn got a call from the bank a couple of weeks ago, telling him about the dormant bank "box" full of artifacts. Pretty soon, two van loads of unclaimed items arrived at Osborn's office.

He turned over the job of finding the owner to Alex Kauffman, director of unclaimed property.

Kauffman used skip-tracing techniques, the same used by bounty hunters, creditors and detectives, to find the man, said to be in his 60s.

It took Kauffman about a week, but he tracked the man to the Oregon hotel and sent him a certified letter.

The man promptly replied.

"He was very surprised," Osborn said. "He obviously had fallen on really hard times."

He thought the items were long gone because he owed money on the bank "box." He just stopped thinking about them.

Kauffman said the man was "very excited" to hear this bit of good fortune.

He made Kauffman promise to be careful in sending the items.

Recognizing a good story, Kauffman asked whether he could release the man's name to the media. The man said no, for security reasons.

The office won't give his name unless he agrees, citing consumer protection. Since the potential value of the property has been made public, it's not safe to say who the owner is.

But he is believed to have owned an antiques store in Lincoln before leaving town. And staffers in Osborn's office speculated he is eccentric, perhaps reclusive.

It's not every day such a seeming treasure trove lands on the treasurer's lap.

But every unclaimed property or amount of money is a treasure to someone.

Osborn still has $85 million in unclaimed property that he'd like the 250,000 or so Nebraskans on his list to pick up.

People who think something is long gone might do well to be sure of that.

"This is an example of how unclaimed property can change people's lives," Osborn said.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.