This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/7/2018
The featured original type I photo is one of a series of snapshots taken at a charity event between the Chicago Cubs and the crosstown White Sox on September 9, 1931, at Comiskey Park. This scene caused major ripples throughout the baseball world when infamous Chicago mob boss Al Capone took his son to the ball game and was greeted by Cubs superstar Gabby Hartnett, the favorite player of Capone's son. Seated behind Capone (wearing the hats) are bodyguards Fred Pacelli (a.k.a. Frank "Cowboy" Di Giovanni) and Vincent Gibaldi (a.k.a. Machine Gun Jack McGurn) with Illinois Congressman Roland Libonati in the dark suit to the left of "Sonny" Capone. Hartnett claimed he was just signing a ball for an admirer but Commissioner Landis instructed Hartnett to no longer pose for photos with gangsters. Many have speculated that the boy is actually a stand-in for "Sonny" Capone though that theory has been largely debunked. Moderate wear and creasing can be seen, specifically around the perimeter, but this incredible photo captures perhaps the most dubious moment in baseball history since the 1919 Black Sox scandal.