Al Capone’s heirlooms have been in Placer County for 20 years. They’re up for auction

An unlikely treasure has been in the foothills of Placer County for the last 20 years: the belongings of Al Capone.

For the first time in history, Capone’s grandchildren are putting the heirlooms to auction, allowing the public a glimpse into the private life of the famed American gangster and businessman.

“We decided to do it because we’re getting older,” said Diane Patricia Capone, Al Capone’s oldest granddaughter and Placer County resident. “And we just decided that we know the stories, we lived with these things, we’ve lived with these stories and if something happened to any of us no one else would know not only who they belonged to but the stories that went with some of these items. And so we better do it while we’re all still here.”

Capone gained notoriety in the 1920s during Prohibition as a master of organized crime. He was indicted in 1931 for tax evasion and served a prison sentence at Alcatraz in San Francisco. He was released in 1939 and lived a quiet life in Florida until his death in 1947.

Among the most notable items up for auction are Capone’s platinum-and-diamond monogrammed Patek Philippe pocket watch, his white gold-diamond monogram matchbook cover, a pocket knife bearing his name, “Al,” written with diamonds, his favorite Colt .45 semiautomatic pistol and a letter he wrote to his son while imprisoned at Alcatraz.

In the letter, handwritten in faded but still-legible pencil, Capone’s cursive scrawl tells of his love for his family, especially his son, Sonny, whom he calls “son of my heart.”

“He was the most loving father and loving grandfather and these are things about him that nobody knows about,” Diane Capone said. “In fact, that’s why I wrote the book. ... I wanted people to see the personal side of the man because no one had any idea who he was in his private life.”

Dozens of Capone family photos are included in the auction, too, many of which show Al Capone with his family. The last photo ever taken of him depicts Capone standing with his four granddaughters, holding one of them in his arms.

Diane Capone said she still remembers her grandfather, whom she referred to affectionately as “Papa,” even though he died when she was 3 years old.

She has memories of playing with him in the garden at their Palm Island home in Florida. She remembers holding on to his finger as they went on walks, she said.

“I remember more than anything the day he died and having my father lift me onto the bed so I could kiss him,” she said. “And I remember my grandfather’s last words to me were ‘I love you, baby girl,’ and that’s something even today that I get emotional thinking about.”

After his death, Al Capone’s wife Mae and his son, Sonny, lived for many years, passing on the stories of his life, she said, especially his love for his family and grandchildren.

“We were spoiled with affection,” Diane Capone said, smiling.

The Capone family later moved to Palo Alto and then to the Auburn area, where they still reside.

Diane Capone said the growing number of California wildfires also motivated her and her sisters to put their grandfather’s belongings up for auction.

“We almost had to evacuate last year,” she said, sitting in an ornate pink and gold chair that was once in Al Capone’s home in Florida. “We’re packed again this year thinking we might have to evacuate and we finally decided, if we evacuate we can’t save Papa’s things.”

The auction will be presented by Witherell’s Auction House in Sacramento and is expected to attract international interest, said Brian Witherell, cofounder of Witherell’s and guest appraiser on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow.

“I don’t think anything can compare to Al Capone and I don’t think that there’s any auction house that can even make a case that there’s something as significant that has ever been on the market,” Witherell said. “ ... He is a legendary figure and in my mind this sale will go down as one of if not the most important, significant celebrity sales in history.”

The live auction will be at the Sutter Club on Oct. 8. Limited seating is available by lottery and invitation only, but live bidding will be open to registered participants online and over the phone.