Bid on a Fire Truck, Lava Lamp and More at the Airport Authority’s Annual Auction

The event was held online last year due to COVID-19, but this year, it’s back and bigger than ever.

PHOTOS COURTESY BLUE SKY NEWS | ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHORITY

In the market for a fire truck? What about a lava lamp? A rice cooker? High-end designer dress shoes? 

Look no further than Pittsburgh International Airport.

Allegheny County Airport Authority’s annual auction returns in-person on Oct. 23, featuring thousands of items left behind by travelers. In addition to the more eclectic goods available, visitors can also bid on nearly 1,000 pieces of jewelry, including silver and gold pieces; more than 500 electronic items; nine abandoned vehicles; runway brooms; plows; an elf on the shelf; a portable toilet seat; and more. 

“We are excited to be returning to an in-person event,” said Dawn Bailey, Allegheny County Airport Authority manager of landside and terminal operations, in a press release. “We have two years’ worth of left-behind items for the public due to a scaled-down online-only event last year.”

Masks and social distancing are still required to keep attendees as safe as possible.

Any vehicles bought at the event will have to be towed away from the site unless purchased from a dealer with appropriate plates. Registration will be conducted at the auction, and all purchased items must be removed within a week.

Proceeds from items that are not owned by the Airport Authority go to the ACAA Charitable Foundation, according to the press release, which helps support the airport’s military lounge, the Art in the Airport program, aviation scholarships and workforce development. 

The airport authority also said it donated several boxes of items from the lost and found to local charities. Dozens of boxes of clothing went to Circles of Greater Pittsburgh, which assists individuals impacted by poverty, and additional boxes of unclaimed eyeglasses were given to Pittsburgh’s chapter of the Lions Club, which distributes them to foreign countries.

The auction, located at the Heavy Equipment Building on Cargo Road, will start at 10 a.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m., and two food trucks, Divine Swine and Steel City Fries, will be serving breakfast and lunch.

There will be a 15% buyer’s premium with 5% waived for cash or check purchase. Bidders can pay with cash, check or credit cards. In addition to the live bids, buyers can also bid via auctioneer Joe R. Pyle’s website.