This past Friday, October 8, 2021, a routine auction was held in Sacramento, California that was the home to the deceased Al Capone’s personal belongings. The Prohibition-era American gangster was mostly known in the early 1900s for being one of the most intense and intimidating crime bosses to walk the streets of New York City; he was more commonly known as ‘Scarface,’ the nickname given to him by his inferiors and the innocent residents of the state. Capone passed away back in January 1947, after serving seven years in prison out of an 11-year sentence for pleading guilty to his tax evasion and prohibition charges. He later switched his plea to not guilty before eventually paying back all of his owed debts.
Most of his personal belongings and accessories were recently sold at the Witherell’s Auction House and purchased by anonymous buyers. A total of 170 separate items were sold that belonged to the mobster, tallying up approximately $3,143,759 from Capone’s items alone. Initially left for his family to keep, the most significant item up for sale, that was previously in the possession of the notorious crime boss, was his signature and most favorable handgun. The firearm was a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol that sold for a whopping $860,000 making it the most expensive item to leave the auction house that night; over 1,000 bidders were going back and forth attempting to acquire the prestigious weapon.
Other items that were personable and frequently used by the 1900’s mobster consisted of a bear-shaped humidor, fashion accessories (hats, coats, formal wear, etc…), old family photos, and even a platinum/diamond Patek Philippe pocket watch. The timepiece includes his “engraved initials along with a stick pin with diamonds, sapphires and pearls, and a white-gold and diamond matchbook cover,” according to representatives at the Witherell’s Auction House. The hosts of this one-in-a-lifetime event referred to the auction as “A Century of Notoriety: The Estate of Al Capone,” in order to attract the immense amount of customers that attended last Friday’s event.