The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, better known at The Mob Museum, has added Al Capone’s Colt M1911 to its collection. It will be on display at the Las Vegas, Nev., facility, along with ballistics evidence and more from the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre he is thought to have authorized. The gun is famously claimed by his family to have been called “Sweetheart” by Capone—who was once named Public Enemy No. One—for saving his life on multiple occasions.
The pistol has been authenticated as a Colt M1911 manufactured in 1912 by the Office of Colt Historian. It was originally left to Capone’s wife, Mae, and was passed down through generations of the family until 2021, when it was sold at auction.
The museum came into possession of the pistol through the generosity of a private contributor who expressed a strong desire for the historic firearm be accessible to the public. Additional support for the acquisition came from the Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation.
“It is a great pleasure to learn that The Mob Museum has procured and will be displaying my grandfather’s favorite handgun,” Diane Capone said. “He said that ‘she has saved my life on more than one occasion,’ and he referred to it as the ‘Sweetheart.’ My sister Barbara and I are delighted it has found a permanent home in such a remarkable museum.”
Al Capone’s Prohibition Era activities included bootlegging, gambling and a host of other illicit rackets, all of which were marked by profound violence, exemplified by the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Nearly a century later, the massacre remains one of the most infamous gangland slayings in American history and continues to symbolize the brutal and lawless nature of the period in history that fostered Capone’s notoriety.
“His dark legacy has made him one of the most recognizable figures in the history of organized crime, capturing the public’s fascination for the past century,” said Geoff Schumacher, vice president of exhibits and programs for The Mob Museum. “This gun had a special importance to Capone, and the Museum’s acquisition of this highly significant artifact complements existing exhibits, such as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Wall housed on the Museum’s third floor and furthers our ability to tell a comprehensive story about the nation’s most well-known organized crime figure.”
