An auction buyer who attended a self-storage lien sale at Metro Self Storage on the South Side of Chicago acquired what appear to be two Chicago Bulls NBA championship rings encased in plastic, along with personal and political items, from a space that belonged to former Cook County Board of Commissioners President John Stroger. However, a possibility looms the rings are replicas.

Chris Amer spent $450 for the unit's contents and, along with the rings, found several hundreds of photos of the deceased Stroger, including one with former President Clinton. Several college plaques and awards were also in the unit. Amer contacted the Stroger family Monday to tell them he'd found the memorabilia, and Stroger's son Todd, who is also a former Cook County Board president, said he would like to get some of the items back. The elder Stroger was the first African-American president of the board.

When asked about the rings, the Chicago Bulls sent the following to the Chicago Tribune: "We haven't seen the rings you referenced so can't comment on them, specifically; however, as a year-end gift after the Bulls' fifth and sixth championships (1997 and 1998), we sent all season-ticket holders a replica ring encased in Lucite. Approximately 6,000 of each ring were made to accommodate every account."

Lake Forest, Ill.-based Metro Self Storage has more than 100 facilities in 13 states.

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