Prohibition Era Gun Found Hidden in Illinois Distillery’s Walls
My dad grew up in Chicago during the 1920s and 1930s during Prohibition and the Great Depression, and had some great stories about that time period. That helped turn me into something of a history nut, so I was immediately interested in this story from WGNTV.com about a vintage gun being found in the walls of an Illinois distillery.
In a story that feels ripped straight out of The Untouchables, workers at the historic Thornton Distilling Co. here in Illinois recently stumbled on a remarkable artifact from the Roaring Twenties, a loaded Prohibition-era pistol hidden inside the walls of the distillery’s underground catacombs. The find, first reported by WGNTV.com, gives us a tangible link to a time when bootleggers, speakeasies, and organized crime dominated headlines.
The pistol was discovered by distillery founder Andrew Howell and head distiller Ari Klafter while inspecting a previously unexplored void in the masonry beneath the building. Inside, tucked into the wall and its chrome finish reflected in a flashlight beam, was a loaded Colt pistol that police later identified as a Colt Model 1908, an early 20th-century semi-automatic handgun made sometime between 1903 and 1923.
Not the exact same gun, but it looks something like this:
Thornton Distillery's Building Has A Long And Storied History
The distillery building itself dates back to 1857 and is thought to be the oldest standing brewery structure in Illinois, with a long history that includes brewing, bootlegging, and rumored ties to the Chicago Outfit during Prohibition. Local lore says that gangsters like Al Capone had interests in the site’s illicit operations, and the pistol discovery gives fresh life to those stories.
So why does this specific handgun matter?
The Colt Model 1908 Vest Pocket was designed by legendary firearms innovator John Moses Browning and built by Colt’s Manufacturing Company from 1908 through 1948 (with well over 400,000 produced). It was small, concealable, and ideal for discreet carry and common in an era before modern concealed-carry laws.
Perfect for the guys in Capone's business to carry around...and maybe stash someplace.
So, What Kind Of Money Is A Find Like This Worth?
In terms of collectible value, these pistols are moderately sought after in today’s collector market. Typical used Colt 1908s often sell for several hundred dollars, with good examples in collector hands sometimes exceeding $1,000, depending on condition, finish, and provenance. An example with original box and paperwork recently fetched over $2,000 at auction, showing how much condition and documentation can boost value.
Whether this particular pistol ever saw action during Prohibition may never be known, but it's a really cool piece of Chicago's gangster history, and a fairly valuable collectible.