Items Belonging To Gangster Al Capone Being Auctioned Off In Sacramento

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Some possessions of notorious gangster Al Capone are being sold at auction later this year in Sacramento.

Sonny Capone, the only child of the infamous prohibition-era gangster Al Capone, had reportedly been living in the Auburn area in relative obscurity. His daughters are now selling his estate, including Al Capone's Colt pistol that Al dubbed "sweetheart," his diamond-monogrammed watch, diamond-studded jewelry, bedroom furniture from his Palm Island home, family photos, a home movie of Capone and his associates, a prison letter to Sonny, according to a statement Monday from Witherell's Luxury Asset Auctioneers and Appraisers.

"These items have all been in the family since the '20s, and if anything happened to us, nobody would know the stories that go with these items," said Capone's oldest living granddaughter Diane Capone.

Diane is worried pieces of history would go up in flames.

"This is the second summer we've had our suitcases packed in case we were going to be evacuated, and we knew there was no way we could save these things that belonged to our grandparents," she said.

She's trying to preserve history and she's also determined to set the record straight on who she remembers as Papa, now putting his letter from Alcatraz to his son up for sale.

"If you think you know Al Capone, once you read the letter, it will change your notion of him—just a loving father to loving son," said Brian Witherell, COO of Witherell's Auction.

"Over and over and over again, he refers to my dad as 'son of my heart' and that's not the language or the words of a man who is hard-hearted," Diane Capone said. "Those are the words of a man that is a very devoted father and that is the part of the story that we wanted to tell."

The auction will take place on October 8 at 6 p.m. at Sutter Club in downtown Sacramento.

Capone is widely considered one of the most notorious American gangsters of the Prohibition era. He was convicted of tax evasion in Chicago and transferred to Alcatraz 87 years ago.

For details and to register, visit witherells.com.