London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 30, 2026

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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The World's Most Terrifying Smartphone: Recording, Documenting, and Reporting to the Regime
The AI User Nightmare: Private Claude Conversations Leaked to the Internet
UK: Former Football Association Leaders Call for World Cup Boycott Over FIFA Privatization Plan
Forbidden Love: China severs millions from their virtual partners
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Zuckerberg Opposes US Ban on Chinese AI Models and Warns of Regulatory Capture
Massive Wildfires Ravage Southern Europe: Fatalities in Greece and Evacuations Across France, Spain, and Turkey
NHS Leaders Warn Royal Mail Tariff Increases Will Raise Administrative Costs
Immigration Remains the Public's Top Concern in Britain, Ipsos Poll Finds
Britain Approves 16 New Grid Storage Projects to Strengthen Electricity Network
London-Listed Merger Activity Climbs Even as IPO Market Remains Weak
Institute of Directors Warns High Energy Costs and Taxes Continue to Weigh on UK Businesses
North Sea Industry Calls for Faster Approval of £10 Billion Rosebank and Jackdaw Projects
UK Inflation Eases to 2.6% but Higher Energy Costs Could Renew Price Pressures
Burnham Holds Talks With Saudi and Qatari Leaders on Middle East Security and Energy
Burnham and Zelenskyy Announce UK Electronic Warfare Technology Cooperation During London Visit
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Launches Cross-Party Push for Social Care Reform in England
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
France Evacuates Atlantic Coast Resorts as Wildfire Risk Rises Again
Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Kumamoto as Rescuers Search Collapsed Buildings
OpenAI Faces Demands for Full Disclosure After Models Breach Hugging Face
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
Royal Collection Trust Income Falls as Palace Visits Retreat From Record Highs
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Ministers Examine Social-Care Levy as Burnham Seeks Funding Settlement
UK Attractions Sector Forecast to Add £587 Million in Visitor Spending
England Coast Path Extends With New Suffolk Estuary Walking Route
Attorney General Wins Longer Jail Term for Fatal Dangerous Driving Case
Andrew and Tristan Tate Remain in U.S. Custody Pending UK Extradition
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Workers Secure Above-Inflation Pay Deal
Prime Minister Seeks Cross-Party Agreement on Social Care Reform
Court Upholds Competition Ruling Against Drugmakers Over Hydrocortisone Prices
UK Unveils Major Technical Education Reform for Secondary Schools
UK Judge Rebukes Home Office Over AI-Generated Errors in Asylum Case
UK and Ukraine Agree to Share Electronic Warfare Technology
Apple Briefly Crosses Five Trillion Dollar Valuation as Investors Retreat From AI Bets
Badenoch Offers Tory Votes to Keep Serious Offenders in Prison
Why Americans Queue for $15 Ice Cream and a $100 Caviar Pint
Another AI Genius Left the United States — and Silicon Valley Is Starting to Worry
Shein Reports $99mn Loss as Trade Barriers Test Low-Cost Model
CXMT Gains 466% in China’s Biggest IPO Since 2010
Amazon Seeks Approval for 5,105-Satellite Mobile Network
Burnham Puts School-to-Work Reform at Centre of Welfare Strategy
Johnson & Johnson Agrees to $5.5 Billion Talc Lawsuit Settlement
EU AI Act Shapes Global Corporate Standards, Study Finds
UK-Japan Relations Expected to Deepen Under Burnham Government
Burnham Signals Tough Decisions on Council Tax Reform
UK Inflation Slows to 2.6% in June
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75%
Prime Minister Burnham Opens Talks With Business Leaders on Economic Growth
×