How can they authenticate the guns and knives were his ?? Sounds like a scam to me
Yes. Mob bosses don't have to carry because they're surrounded by bodyguards. And if they did carry, they'd be sitting ducks for any cop who wanted to bust them for possession.
Ironically, after the '29 Mob convention in Atlantic City, Capone decided to put himself on ice for a while. He went to Philly and arranged to have himself arrested for carrying a gun. Spent about a year in a very comfortable jail setup, courtesy of the warden and his money.
What I found suspicious is that in the description for 2 of the pistols that belonged to Al,the provenance is listed as "Al Capone to Mae Coughlin to Sonny Capone to his daughters,uninterrupted". This leads me to believe that these guns were legally owned by Capone, perhaps purchased by him or given as gifts by people looking to curry favor with "the Big Fella". I'm sure that he didn't pass down to his family weapons with altered serial numbers or other characteristics that a gangster would have on a pistol that he carried in the street. As you mentioned,it would be unnecessary for Capone to have a piece on him. My guess is that these guns were kept in a display box or similar place so that he could show them off. Capone was on friendly terms with a lot of high ranking cops,politicians,and businessmen. Who wouldn't get a kick out of telling their pals, "I was at Big Al's for a cocktail party,and he showed me his personal pistol"?
My gut instinct is that the Capone family is letting potential bidders assume that Al carried (and maybe even used ) one of these guns . No such claim is made in the item description,but no claim to the contrary is made either. I'd characterize it as a "sin of omission"
