Confiscated items from airport get bargain-basement resale down on the farm

Apr. 28—E ver wonder what happens to all the stuff that gets confiscated at the airport?

In New Hampshire, it ends up down on the farm.

White Farm in Concord, an erstwhile dairy farm, is where the state collects, sells and auctions off surplus state and federal property — and where those in the know go to pick up some sweet bargains.

A retail store is open to the public on Mondays. Think yard sale meets bargain basement meets scavenger hunt.

"There's something for everyone at the farm," says Amy Farnum, the administrator of White Farm, which is part of the state Department of Administrative Services.

The big surplus items — vehicles, filing cabinets, office furniture and televisions — come from state agencies and municipalities, which get to keep the proceeds from sales. But thousands of smaller items come from airports.

Once a month, store clerk Tim Lynch drives a box truck to a half-dozen New England airports, including Logan International in Boston, to pick up items that were confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration or left unclaimed in lost-and-found. What he brings back is "always a surprise," Farnum said.

The staff at White Farm goes through it all carefully, sorting and pricing; it takes about a week and a half to get everything on the store shelves.

There are bins of Swiss Army knives, rows of books — who hasn't left a book on an airplane? — and racks with earbuds and headphones, reading glasses and sunglasses. There's a wall of belts — apparently many travelers "take their belt off at the gate and then forget," Farnum said — and shelves filled with snow globes.

Wireless speakers and other electronic devices are common — the batteries are too big to be allowed in carry-on bags. And there's an entire room filled with tools such as screwdrivers and hammers, multi-tools and power drills, all of which are viewed by the TSA as potential weapons.

The TSA was created two months after the attacks of Sept 11, 2001, and airports began prohibiting, and confiscating, items that could pose a danger onboard.

And that's where those snow globes come in. Large snow globes contain more than the 3.4 ounces of liquid allowed in carry-on luggage, so they have to be left behind.

Lynch said all these items have something in common. "Everything we have is stuff people planned on coming home with," he said. "It was expected to still be used.

"That's why we want to get it back out. It's got a lot of life in it," he said.

What they do here isn't about the money, Farnum said. "We're keeping stuff out of the landfills," she said. "It really is a service."

Farnum and Marcia Murphy, who has worked at White Farm for 14 years, sort through the suitcases from airports' lost and found, pulling out anything really valuable, like silver and gold jewelry, to be sold competitively in an online auction.

The staff does research to find out how much things are worth, and prices them to sell. But some customers find real bargains, Farnum said, like the pregnant woman who spotted a baby bag on sale for $5.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked Farnum. "That bag sells for $200."

"Sometimes things get through, and they get very excited," Farnum said.

Customer Carlotta Keniston said she's been coming to White Farm for years, and used to attend the auctions with her husband. "We'd pick up cars when the kids were learning how to drive," she said.

These days, she said, "I just look for stuff, whatever the grandkids might need." She found a designer clutch purse for a dollar on one visit and a Wii controller on another.

"You never know what you're going to find," Keniston said.

The staff take pains to return items to their owners if there's any identifying information such as a name or phone number. But don't expect to reclaim that Swiss Army knife you had in your pocket in the TSA line.

"It's like a needle in a haystack," Farnum said. "It's hard to find one knife in a sea of knives."

Difficult, but not impossible. One gentleman who called looking for a knife with sentimental value mentioned that it had a string attached to it. Sure enough, they searched the bins and found it.

Another time, Jason Wright, the warehouse manager, noticed a Boy Scout troop number on a pocket knife and tracked down the troop leader, who told him it had provided a lesson in responsibility for the boy who owned it. "He had gotten this knife for something he did and then he lost it at the airport because he wasn't careful," Farnum said.

Wright sent the knife back.

'Part auction, part fair'

Twice a year, White Farm hosts a live auction, where the bigger surplus equipment is sold off, including fleet cars, big orange trucks from the Department of Transportation, even fire trucks. It's a popular event, drawing bidders, families and people who come just to watch.

Farnum calls it "part auction, part fair."

The next one is on Saturday, May 21. The retail store will be closed for the weeks before and after the event, reopening on June 6.

Farnum grew up down the street from White Farm. Her grandfather had a nearby business selling tractors, and her family used to hold yard sales on the same day as the state auction "so we could maximize the traffic," she grinned.

Farnum, who is also the recycling coordinator for state agencies, teaches environmental science at Southern New Hampshire University. Keeping items out of landfills is not just her job; it's her passion.

"I want everything to have the longest life possible," she said.

There's a real sense of community among the White Farm staff and customers. "We are a place folks come to reminisce about New Hampshire history, products they may find, and just to chat about what they see," said Farnum.

Daniel Russell of Newbury recently stopped in on his way to work, looking for bargains amid the tools and knives. "They do a good job repurposing and getting this stuff back out there," he said. "And earning money for the state."

"Every now and then you'll find a treasure," he said.

But don't tell his wife. "I'm not supposed to be spending money on things I don't need," he said.

Sometimes even the folks at White Farm can't figure out what certain items are — like the strange plastic headband that turned up in one batch from an airport. Warehouse manager Wright did some research and the item turned out to be a device that emitted ultraviolet light.

"It was touted to regrow hair," Farnum said. "Jason found it online for hundreds and hundreds of dollars."

And sure enough, she said, "Someone eventually bought it."

"You just never know," Farnum said. "Everything has a home if it's sitting here long enough."

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The live auction at White Farm begins at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. Preview of vehicles is on Friday, May 20, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and for other items at 7:30 a.m. on auction day. For information, visit https://bit.ly/37LPb1F.

swickham@unionleader.com