Items From Simpson’s Chicago Hotel Room Are Auctioned

An anonymous $10,000 bid was withdrawn Saturday for all the contents of the hotel room where O.J. Simpson stayed for a few hours the day after his ex-wife and her friend were killed.

That meant some Simpson collectors at the auction were able to acquire what they believe could be pieces of history. Others, however, still walked away empty-handed.

“Someone will pay $100,000 for this room someday,” said Rose Simone, who unsuccessfully bid $65 for lamps Simpson may never have switched on.

Auction organizer John Klesch described the person who offered the $10,000 as an eccentric millionaire who changed his mind.

“He bought it with the intent of investment and was going to sell it in London, but then he . . . figured it wasn’t worth the (aggravation),” Klesch said.

Wasfi Tolaymat spent more than $1,000 on the room’s contents, including $200 for the bed, $45 for a wastebasket, $42.50 for an ashtray and $70 for a set of drapes.

“I wanted to have it. It’s history,” he said, adding that he intends to keep all his purchases.

A chipped dresser, a pastel bedspread and generic framed prints were among the 31 items sold, along with standard fixtures--an ashtray, an ice bucket, even a Bible.

Other bids included: $100 for a burgundy couch; $15 for a plastic tray; and $130 for the Bible.

The bedroom was just part of an auction of all furnishings from the former O’Hare Plaza Hotel, which is now owned by Wyndham Garden Hotels. About 100 people attended but only five bid on the Simpson items.

Bidders did not think they would get anything because their combined offers totaled only about $2,000. However, after the auction they were told the $10,000 bid had been withdrawn.

Klesch said he believed police sealed the room right after Simpson left. But he admitted a few pieces were missing, including two pillows--which disappeared--and the phone, which the new owners kept.