Al Capone died nearly 75 years ago, but it is clear that interest in the infamous Chicago gangster lives on after some of his prized possessions were auctioned over the weekend for at least $ 3 million.
The Chicago Tribune reported that Capone’s family sold several of their belongings, including the one that was advertised as their favorite weapon, at an auction in California, where their three surviving granddaughters live.
The event, called "A century of notoriety: Al Capone’s estate"Held at a private club in Sacramento, it attracted nearly 1,000 registered bidders, including 150 who attended the nearly four-hour event in person.
Among the items up for auction was a bear-shaped humidor, as well as diamond jewelry and some family photos.
The most popular item turned out to be Capone’s favorite .45-caliber Colt semi-automatic pistol, which sold for $ 860,000.
Most of the buyers’ identities were kept private.
But one whose name has been released is Kevin Nagle, a Sacramento business owner and investor. Among the items that once belonged to "Scarface" Capone who picked up was a decorative humidor for $ 120,000 and an 18-karat yellow gold and platinum belt buckle for $ 22,500.
Capone’s story is familiar, thanks in large part to a host of movies, TV shows, and books about the mobster.
Named “Public Enemy Number 1” after the "Valentine’s Day Massacre" In 1929, in which seven members of a rival smuggling gang were shot and killed in a parking lot, Capone was convicted of income tax evasion in 1934.
He spent 11 years locked up in Alcatraz, a federal prison in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, and died of a heart attack in 1947 in the Florida home where he and his associates were believed to have planned the massacre years before.
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