The pistol owned by the notorious Prohibition-era gangster Al Capone, which he nicknamed “sweetheart,” is once again up for auction, where it is expected to sell for $2 to $3 million.
The Capone family has stressed the importance of the firearm, saying that it routinely protected his life, according to a Greenville, South Carolina, auction house selling the weapon.
Richmond Auctions is opening the bidding on the .45 Colt semi-automatic pistol on May 18, less than three years after it sold for just over $1 million.
The pistol was manufactured in 1911 and was seen as one of Capone’s prized possessions when he rose to infamy as the head of the Chicago crime scene during the 1920s.
The FBI shares that Capone faced a plethora of criminal accusations, including prostitution, bootlegging, gambling, drug trafficking, bribery, racketeering, and murder. He is believed to have been behind the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in 1929 that left seven dead.
Capone was eventually charged and convicted of tax evasion and prohibition in 1931. He served seven and a half years in federal prison in Atlanta and at Alcatraz Penitentiary off the coast of San Francisco.
His health grew worse while he was in prison, and at the age of 48, he passed away.
According to the auction house, after his passing, the pistol was turned over to his wife, Mae Capone, as it was considered his “favorite” gun. The weapon continued to make its way through the family, eventually ending up with Capone’s granddaughters.
They initially put the pistol up for auction in 2021, along with numerous other belongings of Capone.
Not everyone is happy with what some say is the glorification of Capone, saying that the family is turning a profit off the gangster’s violent and deadly time as a gangster.
Still, others argue that the items carry a historical significance to the present day, most of all with his pistol, “sweetheart.”
“This particular Colt 1911 is more than just a firearm. It’s a relic of an era marked by lawlessness and larger-than-life personalities,” Kimmie Williams, a firearms specialist at Richmond Auctions, said in a statement. “Its profound connection to Al Capone adds an extra layer of allure, making it a must-have and trump-card for any world-class collector.”