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110

Eliot Ness ID Card

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:7,500.00 - 10,000.00 USD
Eliot Ness ID Card

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Auction Date:2012 Sep 30 @ 10:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:5 Rt 101A Suite 5, Amherst, New Hampshire, 03031, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Prohibition agent (1903–1957) chosen to head a special squad known as the Untouchables, which led to the downfall of Al Capone and his successor Frank Nitti. City of Cleveland press identification card issued to Arthur Loesser, 4 x 3, with a clipped snapshot of Loesser stapled to the right side, stating Loesser “of the Cleveland Press may be passed through police and fire lines.” Signed by Ness as the Director of Public Safety, and countersigned by the Cleveland Chief of Police. Mayor Edward Blythin’s name has been crossed out in type with Frank J. Lausche’s name typed above. Double matted and framed with a photo of Ness at his desk to an overall size of 10 x 16. In very good condition, with horizontal creases, one lightly passing through portions of Ness’s signature, a bit of scattered light toning, and a typed notation to top edge.

After helping put Al Capone behind bars, Eliot Ness moved to Cleveland where he was appointed Director of Public Safety in 1935, overseeing both the police and fire departments. At that time, the city was wrapped up in a string of grisly murders known as the ‘Torso Murders,’ which continued through 1938. The cases were never solved and cast a dark cloud over Ness’s otherwise remarkable career, contributing to his decision to resign in 1942. This pass, undated but likely issued in 1941-42 (the only years in which Ness and Mayor Frank J. Lausche’s careers overlapped), gave press access to the well-known pianist and writer Arthur Loesser. A member of the Cleveland Institute of Music faculty, Loesser reviewed performances and wrote program notes for the Cleveland Orchestra. After the intense and remarkable events of his law enforcement career – from Capone’s arrest to the ‘Torso Murders’ – Ness must have appreciated the mundane duty of signing a Press Pass for a quiet and well-respected musician.
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