Auctioneer Bob Sheehan reaches for a pottery mug, in the shape of a rat, which contains pens, that are among items belonging to James “Whitey” Bulger and Catherine Greig, which will be auctioned off this weekend at the Boston.
Advertisement
According to Bloomberg, the US Marshals Service was selling the items-seized during Bulger’s capture in 2011 after 16 years on the run-to benefit his victims.
They include a rat-shaped mug, a gold and diamond Claddagh ring and clothing.
Schumacher said the museum would be interested in Bulger’s personal belongings, but other bidders might be more interested in generic items. There is also a replica 1986 Stanley Cup championship ring.
Among the most expensive items was a Claddagh ring that was sold for $23,000.
Some said they came to the auction at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for the local history, while others said they wanted to support the victims and their families.
John Kelley, who bought the mannequin, told the Globe his bid was aimed at helping the victims’ families, not glorifying Bulger.
In one book on the Holocaust, Bulger wrote next to a passage recalling concentration camp life: ‘Sad.
Bulger went on the lam in 1994 after a corrupt Federal Bureau of Investigation agent told him that he was about to be arrested. He was finally caught after 176 years with $800,000 in money and a cache of weapons.
The auction ended around 2 p.m., with the final sale a floor safe for $525.
The 86-year-old Bulger is serving a life sentence in federal prison. In April, she was sentenced to an additional 21 months in jail for refusing to testify before a grand jury about whether others assisted the couple while they were fugitives.
Mob stories have long fascinated Americans, as reflected in the success of books and movies ranging from Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” to ‘Black Mass, ‘ a book chronicling Bulger’s rise to power and eventual flight which was turned into a 2015 film starring Johnny Depp as Bulger.
Advertisement
And a large collection of Christmas items, including a broken glass Santa and a stuffed snowman, sold for $260.
