Rare Eliot Ness Auction Coming to Worcester

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Saturday, July 07, 2012

GoLocalWorcester News Team

A member of the Untouchables who helped nab the infamous Al Capone. A legendary crime fighter. Eliot Ness’ legacy has lived on and will be coming to Worcester, thanks to Central Mass Auctions.

A rare collection of credentials and memorabilia belonging to the historical figure has surfaced and will be offered for the first time at a Sept. 27th sale in Worcester.

Ness' Department of Justice May 14, 1932 credential and Treasury Department of Prohibition credential dated May 20, 1927 are the only known to exist – offering bidders a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a rare piece of American history.

The entire collection has been appraised at $30,000 to $50,000 and will be sold as an entirety.

Items include Eliot Ness' business card and Christmas card. Among the other rarities are campaign photographs and brochures from Ness' unsuccessful 1947 run for mayor of Cleveland.
 

Ness became a U.S. Treasury agent in 1927 and a U.S. Prohibition agent in 1928 in Chicago. He was the leader of a team called the Untouchables, named because they refused bribe offers from Al Capone's gang of mobsters.

He later moved to Cleveland, OH where he became Safety Director and weeded out hundreds of crooked police officers. He later ventured into the business world becoming chairman of Diebold Corporation and Vice-President and Treasurer of "The Middle East Company."

These exceptional items were part of the estate of Eliot Ness' trusted personal secretary Winifred Higgins Knorr, who died in 1997. Also included are telegrams to Knorr sent from Ness.

Memorabilia also includes original photos of Ness with dignitaries of the time including Thomas Dewey (Governor of New York from 1943-1954); Gene Tunney (1926-28 Heavyweight Boxing Champion); and Harvey Firestone, Jr. (head of Firestone Tire & Rubber Co.) and others.

Ness lives on today through the best-selling book "Untouchables" which he co-wrote. The book illustrated his exploits in battling Chicago gangsters during prohibition and inspired a television series starring Robert Stack, which ran from 1959 to 1963; a 1987 movie "The Untouchables" starring Kevin Costner; and a 1991 TV Movie "The Return of Eliot Ness. Today, the name "Eliot Ness" remains one of the most notable in American law enforcement.

The Ness auction will be held Thursday, Sept 27th at 6:00 PM at 267 Providence St., Worcester. For more information on the Ness collection, go to  http://www.centralmassauctions.com. 

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