Al Capone is perhaps America’s number one gangster from the twentieth century. If he isn’t first on the list, he is definitely high on the list. Many movies have included Capone in some form or fashion. It turns out that history buffs and nostalgia collectors are going to get one more go at owning personal belongings of Al Capone. Which Al Capone items do you want to own?
Guns, dinnerware, furniture, knives, photos… They can all be yours.
What America is quick to forget about is that Capone was a family man. Now his descendants are selling what may be the final lot of uncirculated belongings that previously belonged to Al Capone. Many other items have come up for sale over the decades, and this offering is coming from family members.
Witherell’s Auctions in Sacramento, California is hosting an auction set for October 8, 2021 and there are 174 lots in the auction. While some items may be expected to fetch a few hundred dollars in sales, there are many items coming up for auction that will command strong prices.
Two key items are handguns, one of which is said to be Al Capone’s favorite .45 auto pistol and a Colt semi-automatic pistol. Another item is an Al Capone letter to his son Sonny Capone from prison, in Alcatraz at that. (Image supplied courtesy of Witherells)
Other key items from the Capone auction would be Al Capone’s monogrammed platinum and 90 diamond Patek Philippe pocket watch with a $12,500 starting price and an estimate of $25,000 to $50,000. A decorative cigar humidor has a starting price of $2,500 and an estimate of $5,000 to $10,000. Many personal dinner serving items and silver print photographs are also up for auction. Fine furniture is also up for grabs, ranging from a desk to chairs and cabinets to a decorative bed.
The Witherell’s announcement of the Al Capone auction said:
The estate of Al Capone survives as an undisturbed time capsule. When he passed in 1947 his widow, Mae Capone, moved into the guest quarters and their Palm Island mansion remained a shrine until she sold it in 1952. To that end the select heirlooms, offered through Witherell’s, passed from Mae Capone to their only child Sonny Capone and then to his daughters.
Until the 2019 publication of Diane Capone’s book, Al Capone: Stories My Grandmother Told Me, the Capone heirs lived a life of relative obscurity in Northern California. Now that they are no longer anonymous, the time has come to share their stories and release the family heirlooms to the public.
Owning a piece of Al Capone’s lifetime of belongings and historical items around his life is actually not as rare as some might think. Auction houses have sold items tied to the gangster over the years. Heritage Auctions has sold multiple Al Capone items, from a pistol ($35,000) to a loan ($13,750) and even a fingerprint police booking card ($71,700).
