Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Family of Al Capone to sell notorious mobster's treasures at auction: 'A very complex person'

Family of Al Capone to sell notorious mobster's treasures at auction: 'A very complex person'

Some 175 artifacts and mementos from the Prohibition Era, including his favorite guns, vintage prints featuring the infamous crime lord with various members of his family, letters written by Capone to his son while at Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary.

Personal effects from notorious organized crime boss Al Capone are up for sale as his three living granddaughters are looking to part with the belongings. The items were once held up in Capone’s estate on Palm Island in Florida following the 2004 death of their father, Sonny Capone, who was Al Capone’s only child.

Some 175 artifacts and mementos from the Prohibition Era – which include the gangster's favorite guns; vintage prints featuring the infamous crime lord with various members of his family; letters written by Capone to his son while at Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary; Sonny’s shooting medals; watches; knickknacks; fine gold-rimmed crystal ware and many other of Capone’s personal belongings – are all on the list.

Diane Capone, 77, a daughter of Sonny’s, told the Washington Post that she and her sisters were concerned the items could be ravaged by ongoing wildfires in Northern California and thus wanted to offload the possessions before they potentially went up in smoke.

Police mug shot of Chicago mobster Al Capone. The photograph was taken by the Miami Police Department. Some 175 artifacts and mementos from the Prohibition Era, including his favorite guns and letters written by Capone to his son while at Alcatraz ar


"It was a tremendous relief for the memorabilia of my grandparents to be removed because there’s no way we could save it from a wildfire," Diane told the publication. "We’d lose it all."

Of the letter penned by the Chicago gangster to Sonny, Diane maintained that they reveal an adverse side of the man known by many as "Scarface."

"I can’t imagine that anyone could read this letter without having at least a hint of an awareness about the fact that this man was a very complex person," Diane Capone said. "His name might be synonymous with Gangland Chicago, but there was another whole side to the man."

Capone is believed to have greenlighted the 1929 mob burnout that was dubbed the "St. Valentine’s Day Massacre." Seven mobsters were gunned down by firing squad on a winter morning in Chicago. Although Capone was rumored to have ordered the hit, he was in Florida at the time the gunfire erupted.

Chicago mobster Al Capone is seen at a football game in Chicago, Jan. 19, 1931. Artifacts connected to Capone are being auctioned off in October.


The ordeal is depicted in several films, including 1987's "The Untouchables," in which Kevin Costner portrays the famed Prohibition agent Eliot Ness, who mounts a team of gun-wielding associates to nab Capone – played by Robert De Niro.

Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Billy Drago and Charles Martin Smith portray Jim Malone, George Stone, Frank Nitti and agent Oscar Wallace, respectively.

When Capone was finally convicted of income tax evasion in 1931, Ness and his team had amassed more than 5,000 indictments for violating Prohibition laws.

Capone spent seven-and-a-half years in prison, much of that time in Alcatraz. He died in 1947.

The relics are being presented by Witherell’s and bidding on the items will commence Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
×