Make them an offer they can’t refuse.
Julien’s Auction House is fielding bids for hundreds of pieces of gangland memorabilia linked to mobsters including Al Capone, Meyer Lansky, Sam Giancarlo and Bugsy Siegel on Aug. 28.
Perhaps the most noteworthy item in the collection is a letter penned by Al Capone while “Scarface” was serving time in Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, where he wound up in 1934. That letter was addressed to his son, Albert Francis “Sonny” Capone, who died in 2004. It’s expected to bring in up to $50,000.
In that missive, the elder Capone speaks of looking forward to being reunited with his family. He was paroled in 1939 and died eight years later at the age of 48.
Julien’s pop culture specialist Trent Kalscheuer calls that personal item one of several pieces that make this collection interesting.
“What’s really unique about this collection is, when you think of mobsters, you usually think of the crimes and the atrocities that they committed,” Kalscheuer tells the Daily News “This is really looking more into their persona lives.”
Bidders with $50,000 to spare can also compete to purchase the Medal of Freedom found among Lansky’s personal collection. It’s origins are “unknown” according to Kalscheuer, who said it is believed “The Mob’s Accountant” aided Allied Forces in their attack on Sicily, by working with the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence and organized crime leaders.
According to a posting on Julien’s Auction House webpage, the award is thought to have been presented to the underworld kingpin by former president Harry S. Truman in a “secret” 1945 ceremony.
“It was found in his possession,” Kalscheuer asserts. “It’s origins are unknown.”
Also for sale is an engraved cigarette case Lansky gave to Williamsburg, Brooklyn native “Bugsy” Siegel, with whom he helped bring the mob to Las Vegas. Siegel was pals with Capone, who was also a Brooklyn native. Personal photos and home movies belonging to Siegel are expected to fetch $3,000 to $5,000.
Diamond stud earrings owned by Virginia Hill — whose Beverly Hills home was the site of Siegel’s 1947 assassination — are expected to sell for upward of $3,000.
Kalscheuer said he doesn’t expect a seemingly uncertain economy to negatively affect bidding. In fact, he said Julien’s has seen an uptick in curiosity about auction items over the past couple years.
“We have a lot of interest from museums and private collectors of mob memorabilia,” he said.
According to Kalscheuer, when selling mob items, there’s often some concern over “who might come out of the woodwork” to lay claim to certain things. But because everything at the Julien’s auction was previously on display at the 27,000 square foot Las Vegas Mob Experience museum, shady characters carrying violin cases and wearing pinky rings are unlikely to be an issue.
“I would hope not and I highly doubt it,” he laughed. “But you can never say no completely.
Kalscheuer said he’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite item his auctioneers will be selling, but a front-runner does come to mind.
“There’s a set of notebooks from Meyer Lansky, we call them The Mafia Notebooks,” he said. “He was asked by an interview later in his life, basically, ‘What was your involvement in the mob?’ and he denies practically everything, but he also stands up for some of the mobsters he had close friendships with.”
Those four handwritten notebooks, Kalscheuer suggests, offer a little more context.
“It’s amazing to see something like that in his own words, talking about what his involvement was,” Kalscheuer said.
A public exhibition of available items is being held Monday at Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills. Bidding begins live and online at 1 p.m. the following Sunday. The showcase is called “The Mob: a History of Organized Crime’s Most Notorious Artifacts.” Items come from the collection of Las Vegas Mob Experience founder Jay Bloom.
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