If one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, as the saying goes, then the public’s junk is everybody’s treasure.

With that in mind, the Flandreau School District, City of Flandreau and Moody County are pooling items no longer needed together for a surplus property auction June 5. The event is organized by the school district and will begin at 5 p.m. at the high school stadium.

The auction is a chance for someone to buy two tuba cases on wheels, for example, or purple elementary-sized chairs or street lights or a 25-year-old Suburban or jumbo roll toilet tissue dispensers.

Government entities are required to sell any larger items no longer used at auction or through bids. “After the auction, if nobody buys stuff then we can throw it away,” said Superintendent Rick Weber.

The district has been having an auction about once every three years.

The year’s list includes a fleet of older vehicles, desks, chairs, mop handles, a steam kettle and steamer oven, a popcorn machine, lumber, volleyball equipment, weight lifting benches and weight holders, a paper cutter, a fax machine, a phone and a ping pong table. There are globe stands, televisions and DVD players, cabinets, more than 200 five-gallon buckets, light fixtures, a TV stand, an upright scale, ball carts, tables, an overhead projector, a refrigerator, file cabinets and books.

One of the most sought-after items may be old Flandreau Fliers sports uniforms. There will be hundreds available to bid on.

“A lot of people come grab those. There’s so many of them, they go so cheap,” he said. People often buy them for homecoming dress-up days. “That’s always a hot item.”

This year there are dozens of junior high boys and girls basketball uniforms, track sweats and football uniforms, he said. “We have a little bit of everything,” Weber said.

The uniforms are between seven and 15 years old, he said. The district rotates uniforms out after six years but then varsity uniforms are typically worn by the junior varsity for another six years.

In addition to uniforms, older items can be popular at auction, too. “Sometimes the older stuff, like old desks, could be collector’s items or antique or could be used for their materials.”