Witherell’s Luxury Asset Auctioneers and Appraisers is auctioning off many final items from the estate of Al Capone. The auction titled A Century of Notoriety: The Estate of Al Capone is coming to auction via remaining family members, and one interview cited a fear of wildfires in Northern California and the elevated age of the remaining heirs to the estate as the reasons for the sale.

Among the items for auction are many personalized items from watches to guns to family photographs, and as previously noted you can even own some of Al Capone’s guns.

One item that fits firmly within the collectibles sector is fine watches. This sometimes includes the old-fashioned pocket watches rather than the wrist watches that dominate the modern era for watch collectors. One top watch-maker is Patek Philippe, and a pocket watch of this maker was owned by Al Capone. This too can be yours.

Al Capone’s Platinum and Diamond Patek Philippe Pocket Watch has a starting price of $12,500.00 and an auction estimate of $25,000.00 to $50,000.00.

The description from Witherell’s describes Al Capone’s own Patek Philippe pocket watch as having 90 single cut diamonds (with initials), as well as a platinum contract case, and signed dial and movement. The details of each has been provided below:

• Diamond specifications – (.02 ct each / VS / EF);
• Case – Case #18727
• Movement – Movement #188385.
• Crystal: acrylic.
• 42mm case.
• Total gross weight: 57.14 grams.

As for the watch’s provenance, this is listed as Al and Mae Capone to Sonny Capone to his daughters. It is also listed on September 27, 1961 with an appraisal by Richter Jewelry Company, Miami.

This is obviously a unique pocket watch, but it will be nowhere close a record price for a Patek Philippe. One basic search pulled up a Patek Phillipe pocket watch that sold for $24 million via Sotheby’s on November 5, 2014. That particular pocket watch was listed as The Henry Graves Supercomplication.

(Image provided by Witherell’s)

As for Capone’s guns up for auction, here are two of the lots:

• (Lot 49) Al Capone’s “Favorite” .45 Auto. Starting Price: $50,000.00 with an estimate of $100,000.00 to $150,000.00.
• (Lot 21) Al Capone’s Colt Semi-Automatic Pistol. Starting Price: $15,000.00 with an estimate of $30,000.00 to $60,000.00.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means collectibles are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many collectibles now cost thousands of dollars (or much more), and a Patek Philippe pocket watch under Al Capone provenance would definitely fit into this category.

The question to ask now is whether this will end up being owned by a collectors with a passion to own this collectible for years or whether Capone’s Patek Philippe will be owned by an investor who only wants to make a profit by selling this in the future.