Gangster Al Capone's gun, other personal items to go under the hammer in US auction

Notorious gangster Al Capone's favourite gun among other personal items — including diamond jewellery, family photographs are set to go under the hammer at a California auction.

The 174 items on sale in October are a collection entitled "A Century of Notoriety: the Estate of Al Capone," in what auctioneers say "will no doubt go down as one of the most important celebrity auctions in history."

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It has been reported that the unique items include .45 automatic pistol, vintage photos, the bed he shared with his wife at their luxury Florida mansion.

The items also include a letter to his son written from Alcatraz, where the mobster served an 11-year sentence following his 1934 tax evasion conviction. In the letter written in pencil, Al Capone refers to Sonny as "son of my heart".

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Capone was one of the most feared figures in organised crime during the Prohibition Era, when the sale or production of alcohol was banned in the United States.

He was the boss of the Chicago Outfit, a 1920s gang that beat out rivals in bootlegging and racketeering with increasingly brutal methods.

These culminated in the 1929 St Valentine's Day Massacre, when seven members of a rival gang were killed, execution-style. He was called Public Enemy No. 1 after the massacre.

However, his granddaughter Diane Capone describes him differently.

Diane Capone, who is 77 years old, said, "He was very loving, very devoted to family, very generous, and the letter that we have is such a poignant, beautiful letter from a father to his son. These are things that the public doesn’t know about."

Capone was famously never convicted for violence, but jailed for tax evasion, ultimately ending up at Alcatraz, an island fortress off San Francisco.

Auctioneers at the October 8 sale in Sacramento estimate the .45 Colt automatic could fetch up to $150,000, while another pistol owned by the gangster might raise as much as $60,000.

The haul, which also includes a platinum and diamond Patek Philippe pocket watch, is from a collection passed down to Al and Mae Capone's only son, Sonny.

It is currently owned by Diane and Barbara Capone, granddaughters of the infamous crook.

(With inputs from agencies)