A piece of American (gangster) history: Al Capone’s pocket pistol on auction

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

The gun belonging to one of America’s most notorious gangsters is going up on the auction block.

Al Capone’s Colt .25-caliber semi-automatic vest pocket pistol will be among the items included in the American Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawman sale organized by RR Auctions.

Capone, a crime boss who smuggled alcohol throughout the U.S. during the Prohibition-era, had given the gun to one of his bootleggers for personal protection.

Packing heat: Capone's Colt .25-caliber semi-automatic vest pocket pistol could fetch up to $15,000 at auction

Winning bid: A Colt .38 revolver that had belonged to Al Capone, sold for over $100,000 at a Christie's 2011 auction in London. The gun came with a letter signed by Capone's sister-in-law confirming its authenticity

 

The piece is estimated to sell from $10,000 to $15,000 at the live auction, that will be held on September 30 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Another firearm belonging to Capone has already yielded an eye-popping offer at a previous auction in 2011.

Capone's Colt .38, that came with a letter signed by Capone's sister-in-law confirming its authenticity, sold for over $100,000 at a Christie's sale in London.

Other items in the RR Auctions sale will include Capone’s deposition after an assassination attempt on Capone’s mentor Johnny Torrio in 1925.
 

He and Torrio were leaders of a Chicago gang, embroiled in a turf battle with rival gangs.
In the 50-page document Chicago police interrogate Capone about his whereabouts during the shooting.

The deposition could be sold for up to $100,000, Bobby Livingston from RR Auction expects.

‘The historic significance of these signed documents cannot be understated, especially given the subject matter at hand and at such a critical time responsible for Capone's ascension as Chicago's undisputed crime boss,’ Livingston said.

The attempted murder of Torrio ultimately led him to retire to Italy and leave Capone to take over the crime organization.

Additionally, interested buyers can bid on a handwritten musical score written by an imprisoned Capone, titled ‘Madonna Mia.’

Love song: A framed copy of the song 'Madonna Mia,' Capone penned while in prison in honor of his wife, Mae

 

The love song was written about his wife, Mae, while he was incarcerated at the infamous Alcatraz federal prison, in San Francisco in the 1930s.

The RR auction will also feature numerous items that had belonged to Bonnie and Clyde, the infamous crime couple from the Great Depression-era.

Signed: One page from a Jan. 24, 1925 deposition signed 'Alphonse Capone' will be included with other items in an auction titled 'American Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawman'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192366/Al-Capone-s-pocket-pistol-expected-fetch-15k-auction.html#ixzz24Pf8SfcN