Al Capone Signed Photograph Sells for $62,000
Al Capone signed photograph
A rare signed photograph of Al Capone sold for $62,501 in RR Auction's Old West, Outlaws, Lawmen, and Gangsters auction.
The vintage 8 x 10 portrait is believed to be the largest signed photograph of the Chicago mob boss ever to appear at auction. The inscription reads "To My Friend Joe Cook, Al Capone" in fountain pen across the textured matte-finish photo. It shows Capone seated and posed to conceal the scar that earned him the nickname "Scarface."
“Getting Al Capone to sign a photo was no small feat. This wasn’t someone you just walked up to with a pen and a smile,” said Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President at RR Auction. “You’d only get an autograph like this if you were a trusted friend. That’s what makes the Joe Cook inscription so remarkable, it’s personal, and it’s rare.”
Other highlights included:
- a signed photograph of George A. Custer by Mathew Brady ($42,969)
- a presidential document signed by Andrew Jackson proclaiming treaties with Native American nations ($27,683)
- a rare Geronimo autograph, accompanied by an 1897 letter from his portraitist E. A. Burbank ($25,899)
- a signed 1787 land survey document by Daniel Boone ($23,746)
