Movie Scripts, Sheets of Cash, and a Rattlesnake: The Weirdest Items Found in Luggage in 2024

According to the most recent data reported to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics, about two million pieces of luggage per year are lost or delayed by airlines. Though that number seems large, it actually only represents about 0.6 percent of bags, making the chances still quite high that your luggage arrives when and where it’s supposed to.

However, of those 0.6 percent of bags, something strange happens to a small fraction of them: they go unclaimed. No one reports them missing, they have no contact information on them, and airlines have no records of where they were supposed to be. That could happen because travelers forgot about them, or perhaps thought they were irretrievably lost, or may not know there are options for trying to track down their checked bags. Other concerns, like language barriers or bureaucratic frustrations, may also cause travelers to give up on their bags.

Whatever the reason, one person’s loss is another person’s gain. Many unclaimed bags end up at a store in Alabama called the Unclaimed Baggage Center. It’s the only place in the US authorized to open and sell the contents of lost bags.

Photo: Lucian Coman/Shutterstock

This year, the store released its second annual report of the items people left behind, and the results are even weirder than last year. In 2023, lost luggage contained items like live snakes, movie props, an ancient Greek coin, and even a custom wooden box containing items related to the practice of Voodoo.

But in 2024, the value of items left behind was more than $140,000, including a $39,000 diamond ring, a $5,000 pair of Levi’s jeans, a $7,100 handmade flute, and a $1,700 dog carrier. While this year’s list of weird items left behind fortunately didn’t include any live animals, it did include a chicken foot, tons of designer swag, a Roman solider’s helmet, and a sheet of uncut US currency (which it turns out you can actually buy from the US Mint). The rest of the list included:

A sad LARPer (Live Action Role Play-er) must have turned up to play with nothing to wear. Photo: TheLiftCreativeServices/Shutterstock

Freeze-dried chicken footAdidas x Balenciaga pantashoes track pants (pants with shoes attached)Movie script from The Goonies3D-printed modular fiddleSquash blossom necklaceTurkish ceremonial wedding headdressToilet seatTeeth bedazzling kitGlass eyeFull sheet of uncut $2 billsChia petMedieval LARPing suit of armorSanta on a log with a pumpkinWeird BarbieLetter signed by Eleanor Roosevelt, dated 1944Preserved rattlesnake in whiskeyAntique French book on performing exorcismsTibetan singing bowlDom Pérignon show helmetSilicon butt padsCuckoo clockAsian spirit lock necklaces from the 1920s1941 newspaper clipping of the attack on Pearl HarborPack of authentic Prada crayonsSteel Roman solider helmetWidow’s mitePiece of forditeGoat tying dummySix-string portable pocket guitarFull face respirator from NBC Network NewsAntique stereoscope slide viewerSilicon bellyHandmade wooden masksHawaiian shark tooth weaponGlow-in-the-dark drumsticksNam man prai thai amuletEthiopian begena (instrument)Toilet brush shaped like a cherryAntique magician top hatAntique mustache curler

The report also noted other interesting trends for 2024, such as a higher-than average amount of political hats, t-shirts, and totes — perhaps not surprising in the US during a contentious election year. Also seen frequently in 2024 were items made popular on TikTok, like Stanley water bottles and packing cubes, plus wellness products like hydration powders. It also noted that women’s underwear was found far more often than mens, and that the most commonly left behind pair of jeans were wide-leg women’s jeans in size 10. However, if you’re in the market for footwear, guys have the advantage, with size 11 men’s Nike sneakers being the most commonly left behind pair of kicks.

More like thisNewsHow to Get Thousands of Dollars When an Airline Temporarily Loses Your Luggage