Drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's will sells for $52k at Goldin

Escobar wrote will in 1980, was shot and killed in 1993

Cover Image for Drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's will sells for $52k at Goldin
The will spelled out how the Colombian drug lord's billions of dollars in wealth should be distributed. (Credit: Goldin Auctions)

The will of Pablo Escobar, the "King of Cocaine," sold Saturday at Goldin Auctions for $52,460.

Signed in October 1980, the drug kingpin who amassed billions of dollars in wealth from starting Colombia's Medellin Cartel, detailed how he would leave his assets to his wife and children. He was shot and killed in 1993, at the age of 44.

Escobar's story was popularized in the United States in 2010 with ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary "The Two Escobars," and again from 2015-2017 in three seasons of the Netflix drama "Narcos," which was based on Escobar's life.

"The Two Escobars" tells the story of Pablo and Andres, who were not related. Pablo helped finance Colombia's rise at the world stage in soccer. Andres had an own goal in the 1994 World Cup that eliminated Colombia. He was killed upon his return to the country.

Goldin currently is selling Escobar's self-published, signed book that includes caricatures of mafia and political members and of his family. It has a top bid of $19,520 and closes Nov. 30. Goldin previously sold a signed version of the book for $19,826 last November.

"Imagine if Al Capone had been 20x wealthier and had murdered 20x more people," the lot description reads.

"When you are the head of a cartel, you don't sign a lot of stuff," said John Reznikoff of University Archives, who authenticated the first book for Goldin. "Al Capone sells for more, and his stuff is not that rare. I don't think a lot more of Escobar will come out."

Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.