Some came for the slice of local history, others showed up to support victims and their families, and one man just wanted to have a beer while wearing James “Whitey” Bulger’s slippers. Brooks also left the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center sporting Bulger’s replica 1986 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup championship ring on his right pinky, and the gangster’s hand-carved pine crucifix tucked under his arm. Advertisement 
 
 The US Marshals Service, which held the auction to benefit the families of Bulger’s victims, said the total proceeds were $109,295 — with Bulger’s gold diamond claddagh ring fetching the highest price, $23,000. Colm Dunphy, a 52-year-old Quincy real estate developer, said he bought the ring because he liked it and “It’s my birthday.” 
 
 He said the ring was the only reason he came to the auction and he was willing to spend “as much as it took.” 
 
 Most of the items were seized from the Santa Monica, Calif., apartment that Bulger and Greig shared as fugitives until their capture in June 2011 after 16 years on the run. Over 250 bidders participated in Saturday's auction, which allowed mafia history enthusiasts to bid online and in person at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The gold ring was one of the most intrinsically valuable items up for sale, along with a diamond engagement ring owned by Bulger's girlfriend, Catherine Greig, which sold for $14,500. Another online bidder paid $6,400 for the white fisherman style hat Bulger was wearing when he was captured.
– Despite being derided as "trash" and a "glorified yard sale," the belongings of infamous mob kingpin James "Whitey" Bulger fetched more than $109,000 at auction Saturday, the Boston Globe reports. 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. More than 250 "mafia history enthusiasts" and others turned out to bid. The items included a rat-shaped pen holder (fetched $3,600), the white bucket hat Bulger was wearing when he was arrested ($6,400), the newspaper he was reading right before his capture ($500), and a replica of the 1986 Stanley Cup Champions ring ($9,100). That ring was the only belonging Bulger fought with authorities to keep. But the auction also included more mundane items, Reuters reports. A punching bag, a floor safe, books on WWII with Bulger's handwritten notes, and a collection of sneakers ("You can walk in Whitey's shoes," says the auctioneer). A "lumpy old couch" was bought for $35. Left out of the auction were Bulger's toiletries, underwear, and Nazi memorabilia. The money brought in at the auction, combined with $800,000 in cash Bulger had on him during his arrest, is still far short of the $25 million he owes his victims. Nevertheless, authorities were glad to be rid of his belongings. "We hope this will finally be the end of the Whitey Bulger saga here in Massachusetts and for the city of Boston," one official tells Bloomberg. The 86-year-old former mob boss is currently serving two life sentences.