LIVE AUCTION June 24, 2017 Boston, MA
GANGSTERS, OUTLAWS, AND LAWMEN www.RRAuction.com
How to participate Bid in person Saturday, June 24
Attend the auction and bid live. The auction will be held at the Royal Sonesta Boston, 40 Edwin Land Boulevard, Cambridge, MA 02142, and starts promptly at 1:00 pm EST.
Bid by internet
Thursday, June 15 - Friday, June 23
Visit www.RRAuction.com to place bids on lots before the live auction begins. Pre-live auction bidding will close at 12:00 pm EST, June 23.
Saturday, June 24
Live bidding begins at www.RRAuction.com at 1:00 pm EST.
Bid by phone
Please call (603) 732-4280 today to schedule a live auction phone call. You may also call to leave absentee bids if unable to attend.
Bid by email
You can email your bids to Sue Recks (Sue@RRAuction.com). Please list lot numbers and maximum bids. Include your name, address, and phone number as well as a statement confirming that you accept the terms and conditions of the auction.
Auction Preview
Thursday, September 22 (10-4 PM)
The Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen auction preview will be held at our RR Auction Gallery, 236 Commercial Street #100, Boston, MA 02109. We will be displaying a selection of the top pieces; additional items may be viewed, by appointment only, at our New Hampshire offices.
Friday, September 23 (10-4 PM)
The Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen auction preview will be held at, the Royal Sonesta Boston, 40 Edwin Land Boulevard, Cambridge, MA 02142. We will be displaying a selection of the top pieces; additional items may be viewed, by appointment only, at our New Hampshire offices.
MA/Lic. #3214
GANGSTERS, OUTLAWS, & LAWMEN Live auctionJune 24, 2017
RR
Auction’s impressive Gangsters, Outlaws, and Lawmen catalog weaves together a tale that begins with the Old West personalities of the 1800s and early 1900s, including the Dalton and Younger Gangs, Pat Garrett, and Bat Masterson, and transitions to the most infamous outlaw couple of all time: depression-era bandits Bonnie and Clyde. We close with organized crime gangsters from the early to mid 1900s through to the modern era, with mobster legends Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, and Lucky Luciano. The true highlight of our June 24th Auction is Bonnie & Clyde. Especially engaging is the collection of Dallas Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid, B&C’s lawman nemesis, featured in lots 2015 to 2059, including the incredible ring Clyde made for Bonnie. Fascinating the public since they graced headlines in 1933, the lore of Bonnie & Clyde has lasted through the decades and, revived by the 1967 film, is even more of a part of American Pop Culture today—83 years later—as it was when they were fatally ambushed on May 23, 1934.
Highlights of our Gangsters, Outlaws and Lawmen Auction include:
• Remarkable Custer and Indian Archive From Agent William Courtenay (Lot 2011) • Original 1933 Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow Arrest Warrants ( Lot 2021) • Bonnie Parker’s Stunning Three-Headed Snake Ring Made by Clyde (Lot 2039) • “So Long” letter handwritten to Hamilton by Bonnie and Signed by Clyde (Lot 2032) • Bonnie Parker’s Glasses Worn at the Time of Her Death (Lot 2065) • Extraordinary 1934 Clyde Signed Letter With His Fingerprints (Lot 2062) • Al Capone’s Grand Diamond-Encrusted Pocket Watch (Lot 2105)
Bob Eaton CEO, Acquisitions bob.eaton@rrauction.com
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Bobby Livingston Executive Vice President, Public Relations bobby.livingston@rrauction.com
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Dan McCarthy Writer, Researcher dan.mccarthy@rrauction.com
Bobby Eaton Vice President of Operations Auctioneer, MA/Lic. #3214 bobby.eaton@rrauction.com
Joe Doucette Lead Inventory Executive joe.doucette@rrauction.com
Mandy Eaton-Casey Finance Manager amanda.casey@rrauction.com Elizebeth Otto Consignment Director elizebeth.otto@rrauction.com
Kevin Lessard Shipping Executive kevin.lessard@rrauction.com Tricia Eaton Specialty Editor, Handwriting Expert, Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen Auction Director tricia.eaton@rrauction.com
Evan Mugford Writer evan.mugford@rrauction.com Sarina Carlo Creative Director sarina.carlo@rrauction.com Cameron Johnson Photographer, Media Specialist cameron.johnson@rrauction.com Robert S. Eaton Sr. 1940–2001
Old West, Outlaws, and Lawmen Scarce document pertaining to the Ingalls shootout with the Doolin-Dalton Gang
2001.
Doolin–Dalton Gang Document.
Partly-printed DS, one page, 8.25 x 14, September 6, 1893. Voucher for a payment to Isaac A. Steel for his six-day employment “by Jno. W. Hixon…as one of his posse comitatus, to assist in executing the following Capias Writs, to-wit: Bill Dalton Bill Doolin Slaughter Kid Ed Nibbs alias Arkansaw Tom alias Jones.” Signed at the conclusion by Steel, “I. A. Steel,” as well as Deputy US Marshal John Hixon, “Jno. W. Hixon,” and Marshal Evett Dumas Nix, “E. D. Nix.” Blindstamped in the lower left with an official Oklahoma Territory seal. In very good to fine condition, with tears and paper loss to top edge. This document comes from the aftermath of the Battle of Ingalls, one of the final epic gunfights of the Old West outlaw era. Following their trail of train robberies and bank holdups, the Doolin-Dalton Gang, or ‘Wild Bunch,’ had holed up in the town of Ingalls, Oklahoma. Marshal Nix organized a posse to capture the gang, hiring Steel as one of his men. Hixon led the charge into the town and took fire form ‘Arkansas Tom’ Jones, who shot and mortally wounded one the posse’s marshals. Bill Doolin shot and killed Special Deputy Marshal Richard Speed, while Bill Dalton fatally wounded Deputy Marshal Lafayette Shadley. Ultimately, the posse only managed to wound two of the outlaws but did capture ‘Arkansaw Tom,’ who was sentenced to fifty years in prison. Starting Bid $200
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Never-before-seen photos of the Cole Younger & Nichols Amusement Company 2002. Cole Young and Frank James Collection of (10) Nichols Amusement Co. Postcards. Extremely rare set
of ten vintage postcard photos relating to the short-lived Cole Younger & Nichols Amusement Company from circa 1906–1908, each measuring 5.25 x 3.5, and depicting various performers, banners, stages, rides and exhibitions, with four featuring Frank James, and all but one postcard bearing handwritten notations inherent to the original photo, “Cole Younger & Nichols Amusement Co.,” with two also identified to “Nocona [Texas].” Images include: Cole Younger and Frank James standing in front of the Electric Theatre; James standing to the far left of a group of seven performers from the Roman Coliseum show; two men posing below a massive banner promoting the “Baby Davis Wild Animal Show”; James standing to the far right of a line of nine “Dancing Beauties”; James posing with a large group of African American performers that comprise the “Nichols Rag Time Opera and Old Plantation” minstrel show; the backs of a large crowd watching a highwire stunt in Nocona, Texas; a man and woman posing below a large banner promoting “The Big Snake Show”; a small real estate building with a “Cole Younger and Nichols Theatre Amusement Co.” poster on back fence; a man and woman posing below a large banner promoting a “Deep Sea Monster”; and a group of several men and children standing below a Ferris wheel in Nocona, Texas, with the aforesaid real estate building visible in the background. In overall fine condition, with some bearing pin holes. With Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill attracting huge crowds across the country with their traveling wild west shows, former outlaw partners Frank James and Cole Younger, reacquainted after nearly three decades apart, teamed up to create The Great Cole Younger and Frank James Historical Wild West Show, which, due to numerous issues, folded after eight months of operation in November 1903. Two years later, Younger forms a partnership with Lew Nichols, creates The Cole Younger & Nichols Amusement Company, and invites his old wild west sidekick in James to temporarily join the traveling show. The abundance of pictures featuring James and not Younger, may be due to the terms of Younger’s pardon, which forbade him ‘to exhibit himself in public in any way.’ A phenomenal assemblage of period photographs that vividly portray the colorful post-criminal life of legendary outlaws turned traveling showmen. Starting Bid $500
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Extremely rare 1899 handwritten letter from the imprisoned Jim Younger 2003. James Younger Autograph Note Signed. American outlaw and member of the James–Younger Gang who (1848–1902) was the brother of Cole, John and Bob Younger. ALS signed “Jim,” one page, 5.5 x 8.5, no date but circa 1899. Written while incarcerated at Minnesota State Prison, a letter to Carano, in full: “This might be of service to you some day—by way of identification in a strange place.” Stamped “Permitted” in the upper portion. Reverse features a letter written by prison surgeon and physician Dr. A. E. Heback addressed to Sara McNeil, dated October 17, 1899, in full: “Expected to see you today but sickness here prevents. May success attend you.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered creasing and folds and absent top right corner tip to signed side. A botched bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota, resulted in the downfall of the James–Younger Gang on September 7, 1876, after an alarm was quickly sounded and the gang was forced to retreat under a hail of bullets from enraged townsfolk. The James brothers escaped but the three Younger brothers, starving and seriously wounded, surrendered to authorities after two weeks on the run. Jim, Cole, and Bob all pleaded guilty to avoid hanging, with the latter dying in prison in 1889. A little over a year after his release, Jim Younger took his own life on October 19, 1902, despondent over the parole terms that restricted him from marrying his girlfriend Alice Miller. Only the second Jim Younger–signed item we have offered, and the first in over a decade. Starting Bid $500
2004. Cole Younger Signature.
Old West outlaw (1844–1916) associated with Jesse James as a leader of the James-Younger Gang, who eventually turned from a life of crime to Wild West shows and public speaking. Rare ink signature, “Cole Younger,” on an offwhite 4.5 x 1.25 lightly-lined slip. In fine condition, with light irregular toning and a horizontal fold passing through the signature. Starting Bid $300
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Seldom-seen leader of the Younger Gang
2005. Alexander McSween Signed Document. Partner of John Tunstall who fought
alongside Billy the Kid in the Lincoln County War; he was killed in the Battle of Lincoln on July 19, 1878. ADS, signed “A. A. McSween,” one page both sides, 8 x 12.25, August 1, 1877. The last page of a “Petition of Alex. A. McSween to be released as surety on Adrs. Bond,” submitted to the “Probate Court, Lincoln County, Territory of New Mexico.” McSween writes concerning a financial transaction with men named Emile and Charles, and asks that he be released from the associated bond. In very good condition, with toning from tape repairs along fold separations (affecting signature area) and paper loss to top edge. Starting Bid $200
The colorful judge of The Jersey Lilly saloon 2006. Roy Bean Signed Document. Texan saloon-keeper
and Justice of the Peace in Val Verde County (1825–1903) who called himself ‘The Law West of the Pecos’ and held court in his saloon, The Jersey Lilly, along the Rio Grande on a desolate stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert of southwest Texas. Scarce partly-printed DS, filled out and signed three times by Bean, one page, 8.5 x 7, September 23, 1889. Class four State of Texas arrest warrant, No. 1643, issued for Royal B. Trent who is “charged with an as[sa]ult with intent to kill by Firing Two Shots at Wm. Case.” Filled out and signed at the conclusion by Bean, who also fills out the reverse and signs his name an additional two times as justice of the peace, in part: “Came to hand 23rd day of Sept, A. D. 189, and executed on the 27 day if Sept A. D. 189, by A. J. Forrest by bringing Mr. Trent into Court.” In fine condition. Beginning in 1882, Bean served as both the local barkeep and Justice of the Peace in the town of Langtry, interpreting the law by his own methods and settling all cases with fines, the majority of which he kept. During his tenure, Bean sentenced only two men to hang (one escaped) and horse thieves were released if the animals were returned unharmed. Although Bean lost reelection of his post in 1896, he continued to try all cases north of the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks. Only the second Bean-signed document we have offered. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Scarce Dodge City contract for “W. B. Masterson, an unmarried man of Ford County” 2007. Bat Masterson Signed Document. Partly-
printed DS, signed “W. B. Masterson,” one page both sides, 8 x 13.75, April 10, 1880. An indenture detailing a mortgage agreement between Masterson and his longtime friend R. M. Wright, who would later be mayor of Dodge City. In part: “Made this 10th day of April A. D. 1880, between W. B. Masterson, an unmarried man of Ford County, in the State of Kansas of the first part, and R. M. Wright...W. B. Masterson has this day executed and delivered his certain promissory note...I promise to pay to R. M. Wright on order the sum of Seven Hundred and Thirty Six Dollars with interest at the rate of 12 percent per annum from date.” Boldly signed by Masterson in the lower right. Impressively matted and framed so that the reverse can be seen, and hinged against a large 32 x 28 framed display featuring an image and engraved plaque. In fine condition, with a small separation to the upper fold. This document dates to fifteen months after Masterson was appointed US deputy marshal, a capacity in which he arrested notorious horse thief ‘Dutch’ Henry Borne, brought prisoners held at Fort Leavenworth to Dodge City to stand trial for murder, and became embroiled in the Royal Gorge Railroad War. Despite his status as a famous lawman, he was voted out of office as Dodge City’s sheriff later on in 1879. He was indeed unmarried at this time, and the 1880 census of Dodge City listed him as living with a ‘19-year-old concubine.’ An exceedingly desirable piece of the Old West. Starting Bid $2,500
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2008. Lawmen Pair of Documents: Dynamite Dick and Zip Wyatt. Two partly-printed documents, each, one page, 8.5 x 14,
1895–1896: a subpoena service payment voucher dated October 29, 1896, in the case of “Dan Clifton alias Dynamite Dick & others,” who is charged with “Breaking out of U. S. Jail,” ordering a payment of $52 for 26 days of expenses in endeavoring to arrest the outlaw; and an Oklahoma Territory deposition document, June 20, 1895, in which George Hunter swears that “John Vicroy…did unlawfully, willfully, maliciously and feloniously did harbor conceal and assist Zip Wyatt an outlaw to elude the officers and escape arrest.” In overall very good to fine condition, with a few portions of paper loss. Dynamite Dick was a member of the notorious Doolin-Dalton Gang, the ‘Wild Bunch,’ and had been captured along with Bill Doolin in early 1896 by Bill Tilghman. They escaped from jail together, and although Heck Thomas led a posse that tracked down and killed Doolin at the end of August, Dynamite Dick evaded capture for over a year. Zip Wyatt was one of the Oklahoma Territory’s most notorious outlaws and it was believed that he had joined the Doolin-Dalton Gang and participated in the Rock Island train robbery on April 3, 1895. He continued his crime spree throughout the summer and was finally tracked down and shot; he died of his wounds on September 7, 1895. Starting Bid $200
Legendary sheriff who gunned down Billy the Kid 2009. Pat Garrett Signed Document. New Mexico lawman (1850-1908) who killed his former gambling partner, the fabled outlaw Billy the Kid, in 1881. Partly-printed DS, signed “P. F. Garrett,” one page, 10.25 x 8, December 12, 1899. Certificate for two hundred shares of capital stock in the Alabama Gold and Copper Mining Company, issued to W. H. H. Llewellyn, signed at the conclusion by Garrett as secretary and countersigned by J. M. Llewellyn as the company’s president. The gold seal affixed to the lower left remains fully intact. Matted to an overall size of 11 x 12.25. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
2010. Buffalo Soldier Muster Roll. Partly-printed DS, one page both sides, 32 x 20, April 30, 1874. Document headed “Muster Roll of Captain Charles D. Beyer’s Company, (‘C’,) of the Ninth Regiment of Cavalry, Army of the United States, Pay Roll…from the 28th day of February, 1874 when last paid, to the 30th day of April, 1874.” The muster roll lists 54 Buffalo Soldiers, including future Medal of Honor recipient Clinton Greaves. Greaves signs with his mark, “x,” in the far right column. The muster roll identifies four soldiers who were discharged and one who died, having “drowned while bathing in the Rio Grande.” The document is signed and certified at the conclusion by Captain Beyer. In very good to fine condition, with partial separations and paper loss along folds. The 9th Cavalry Regiment served in southwestern Texas from 1867–1875, where they were tasked with maintaining law and order between the Rio Grande and Concho Rivers from Fort Clark to El Paso. They moved into the New Mexico Military District in 1875, participating in the Apache Wars until 1881. In 1877, Clinton Greaves was part of a small detachment that was surrounded by hostile Apaches. Becoming ‘the center of the savage hand-to-hand fighting,’ Greaves ‘managed to shoot and bash a gap through the swarming Apaches, permitting his companions to break free.’ Today, a statue of Corporal Greaves stands at Ft. Bayard, New Mexico. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Remarkable archive from Indian Agent William Courtenay, including two Custer letters, two original 1870 Indian treaties, and hundreds of pages more 2011. George A. Custer, Fort Berthold Dakota Territory, and Sioux Indian Archive From William Courtenay.
One-of-a-kind archive of material from the collection of William Courtenay, who served as a clerk and Indian Agent at Fort Berthold in the Dakota Territory during the 1870s and early 1880s. He became one of the most trusted white men among the Native American Indians in the region during an era when the federal government was promoting a policy of assimilation; Courtenay seems to have been aided, in part, by his sincere appreciation for their culture. He was an avid collector of Indian artifacts and materials, and usually obtained items from the Indians themselves. In 1882, Courtenay moved to Miles City, Montana, where he became involved in the livestock business in addition to real estate and insurance. Among the highlights are: * An ALS by George A. Custer, signed “G. A. Custer, Bt. Major Genl U.S.A.,” one page, 7.75 x 9.75, April 15, 1875. Custer writes to Courtenay from Fort Lincoln, in part: “Mrs. Custer has this day received the three beautiful specimens of Indian handiwork which you were so kind as to procure.” * An LS by Custer, signed “G. A. Custer,” one page, 5 x 8, May 13 [no year]. Custer writes to Courtenay from Fort Lincoln, in part: “On my return from the East…I found your letter and the two beautiful and acceptable gifts for Mrs. Custer and myself. Will you accept our sincere thanks and be assured we appreciate most highly the robe and the slippers.” * Two original manuscript Indian treaty documents from July 1870: one made between the Sioux and the Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan, signed by seventeen Indian leaders using their “x” marks, and twelve American witnesses; and one made between the Sisseton Sioux and the Arikara, Hidasta, and Mandan, signed by nine Indian leaders using their “x” marks, and four American witnesses. * An eight-page manuscript report on issues brought up by Lean Wolf, chief of the Gros Ventre tribe, with portions discussing Sioux violence. * Several photos, including: a stereoview by William R. Pywell of Sioux Indian scout Bloody Knife; cabinet photos of Courtenay and his family; and photos of Courtenay’s real estate office.
* A collection of handwritten letters to Courtenay and his wife by “Wolf Chief” of the Gros Ventres, concerning his peoples’ poverty, their distrust of a new Indian Agent, business transactions, and various struggles. * Hundreds of other pages of material, including: various letters to and from Courtenay; documents related to his career; an 1875–1876 ledger from Courtenay’s time as postmaster at Fort Berthold; manuscripts handwritten by Courtenay including a travelogue, poetry, and prose; a few pages related to his collection of Indian artifacts, plus an auction catalog from his 1881 sale; and much more. In overall very good to fine condition. Starting Bid $2,500
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2012. Montana Territory Collection of Documents.
Collection of eight documents from the Montana Territory and early in its statehood, including: a medical receipt from Fort Keough, May 1, 1882, a location associated with Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn; a letter to a man in Miles City, Montana, from gun dealer Hodgkins & Haigh, April 24, 1883; a Yellowstone Journal publishing company billhead, January 31, 1892; a billhead from William Courtenay Live Stock Broker, December 27, 1893; a Creedmoor Armory billhead with a charge for repairing a gun’s lock, June 1, 1894; a billhead from W. B. Jordan & Son Grocers, March 5, 1900; a W. B. Jordan & Sons Grocers, December 31, 1901; and a billhead from Wm. Bement’s Livery & Stable, November 1, 1902. In overall very good to fine condition. Starting Bid $200
2014. Old West Marshal Collection of Letters. Collection
2013. Old West Collection of Warrants and Indictments. Collection of ten arrest warrants and indictments
issued in Johnson County, Wyoming, dated from 1882–1895, with some of the charges including: “willfully and maliciously and forcibly breaking and entering,” “unlawfully offer for sale beef without exhibiting the hid of such beef,” “faloniously take and lead a way one Bay Mare Branded E F,” “kill live stock ‘cattle,’” “assault with a deadly weapon…with an attempt to commit murder,” “take, steal and drive away one head of neat cattle,” and a few other assaults and thefts. In overall very good to fine condition. These documents mostly date to the years just before and just after the infamous Johnson County War, one of the most famous range wars of the Wild West. Starting Bid $200
of fifteen letters and documents sent to US Marshals by various marshals, deputies, attorneys, and other figures, mostly from Oklahoma and Kansas, dated from 1897 to 1907. Items include: ALS to the Chief Marshal of Guthrie, Oklahoma, by J. Tiehle, December 5, 1897; ALS by US Marshal Louis Eichhoff, December 10, 1897; ALS by Deputy E. F. Tebbe, December 29, 1897; ALS to Hon. John M. Hal by Pabst Brewing Co. distributor Henry Ryan & Co., December 31, 1897; ALS by Deputy T. Taylor, January 12, 1898; ALS by Deputy T. J. Taylor, January 14, 1898; two ALSs to US Marshal C. H. Thompson by an assistant US attorney, February 1898; ALS by Sheriff S. A. Akins, April 1, 1898; ALS to the US Marshal of Guthrie, Oklahoma, by Special Agent J. S. Harper, November 16, 1906; TLS by US Marshal George Pritchard, December 3, 1906; TLS by US Marshal William H. Mackey, Jr., December 31, 1906; TLS by US Marshal Leo E. Bennet, January 17, 1907; receipt for Deputy US Marshal C. Madsen, December 1907; and an ALS by W. H. Mackey, Jr., February 17, 1909. In overall very good to fine condition. Starting Bid $200
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‘Smoot’ Schmid Bonnie & Clyde Collection
The Dallas Sheriff’s favored Colt New Service revolver 2015. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Service Revolver.
Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Colt New Service revolver, serial #322816 (produced in 1925), .45 caliber, 2˝ barrel with a fine, bright bore that has some mild freckling towards the breech. This revolver was manufactured in 1925 and is fitted with a Colt replacement 2˝ barrel, popular with plainclothes police and detectives. The revolver retains 80–85% of the original blue finish which has faded to gray and silver along the high edges, projections, and bearing surfaces. Spots of brown surface freckling are present throughout along with some mild pinprick pitting at the rear and top of the frame, as well as around the cylinder flutes. Further dark freckling is present on the sides of the hammer and trigger. The front sight blade, originally semi-circular, has been regulated for distance and cut along the back for greater visibility. The gun is fitted with an excellent pair of 1930s era, orange-colored Catalin resin grips which have the characteristic finger grooves along the left panel. The lock-up and timing of the action are still good. The revolver is housed in Schmid’s hand-tooled leather belt slide holster with reinforcing back loop. The dark brown leather is in good condition, but does have some flaking and crazing at the flex points, particularly at the forward pass-through. Also includes Schmid’s personally-owned pair of later (likely 1950s or 60s) handcuffs marked “TWC/Japan.” Accompanied by a vintage original matte-finish 10 x 8 photo of Schmid wearing a hand-tooled leather belt in matching style to this holster, with the forward belt loop of the holster visible behind his arm. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Schmid famously used a Thompson submachine gun to shoot up Bonnie and Clyde’s Ford during the 1933 Sowers raid. This handgun, however, dates perfectly to the gangster era and may have been Schimd’s favored sidearm during his outlaw-hunting days. This transfers as a modern firearm. Starting Bid $300
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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The sheriff’s gold inaugural badge 2016. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Gold and Diamond Badge. Sheriff Richard A.
‘Smoot’ Schmid’s personally-owned badge given to him by his deputies, measuring 1.75 x 2, engraved on the reverse, “Presented To Smoots Schmid, Jan - 1933, By His Deputies.” The solid 14K gold badge features a genuine .74 carat diamond within a central star, encircled by the word “Texas.” The front is engraved, “Sheriff, Dallas County.” In fine condition. The diamond has been graded as having a clarity of SI2 and color of F-G. Schmid was sworn in as Dallas County sheriff on January 1, 1933, after being elected on campaign promises of more aggressive law enforcement. This badge must have been given to him shortly thereafter as a kind of congratulatory gift from his men. Ultimately, Schmid remained as the county’s sheriff until 1947. A beautiful, unique piece from this legendary lawman. Starting Bid $500
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Rustic Texan boots of Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid
2017. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Boots. Handsome pair of vintage brown leather cowboy boots personally-owned and -worn by legendary Dallas County Sheriff Richard Allen ‘Smoot’ Schmid. The boots are either of size 13 or 14, and feature pullstraps, decorative stitching to both quarters and vamp, and Goodyear “Super Cushion” heelcaps. Each boot is highlighted by a customized monogram, “SS,” on front of upper boot shaft. In overall fine condition. Originating from the personal wardrobe of the 6´ 5˝ Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid, the man who assigned Ted Hinton and Bob Alcorn to hunt down Bonnie and Clyde, these striking boots embody the rustic style of a true Texan lawman. Starting Bid $200
2018. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Wooden Nightstick. Vintage wooden nightstick personally-owned and -used by legendary Dallas County Sheriff Richard Allen ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Featuring grooved grip and thong hole, the stick measures 22˝ in length, with the bat width measuring approximately 1.5˝. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2019. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Shriners Fez Hat. Vintage Masonic Shriners Hella ceremonial fez hat personally-owned and -used by legendary Dallas County Sheriff Richard Allen ‘Smoot’ Schmid. The fez bears an approximate diameter and height of 7.25˝ and 7˝, and retains its original black tassel and gold bullion design, showing a scimitar with a drop holding the crescent and sphinx. In fine condition, with expected wear from use. Starting Bid $200
“Clyde Champion Barrow—Dallas #6048 / Age 22” 2020. Clyde Barrow Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Original vin-
tage glossy 4.75 x 3.25 mug shot photograph of a teenage Clyde Barrow at a Dallas police station following his arrest for auto theft on December 3, 1926. Reverse of the photo bears faded informational text, in full: “Clyde Champion Barrow—Dallas #6048 / Age 22 (1932) Ht. 5–7 BF. Wt. 125. Hair. D. Blonde (reddish) Eyes Hazel. Com. Lt. Occ. None. Res. West Dallas, Texas. Nat. Ellis County Texas. / Tat. of Shield–Anchor ‘USN’ Rt FA Out. / 1–6–32 Wanted Dallas, Texas for Murder and Robbery by Fire Arms. / F P Class 29 – MO 9, 26 U CO 9.” Partially affixed to a slightly larger sheet bearing various Bonnie and Clyde newspaper clippings affixed to reverse. In fine condition, with a tear to emulsion at bottom right. Not long after being paroled from Eastham State Farm on February 2, 1932, Barrow reunited with Bonnie Parker and began work at a Dallas glass and mirror company. His transient attempt at the straight and narrow quickly resulted in the rounding up of Parker, Ralph Fults, and Raymond Hamilton, and the subsequent formation of the Barrow Gang. The mention of “Murder” on the reverse of the photo is likely in reference to the death of a store owner in Hillsboro, Texas, on April 30th. Although the botched robbery led to his first murder charge, Barrow ultimately did little more than wait behind the wheel of the getaway vehicle. Starting Bid $200
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Original 1933 Bonnie and Clyde arrest warrants for “the offense of Murder”
2021. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow Pair of Original Arrest Warrants. Two original State of Texas warrants for the arrest of Bonnie
Parker and Clyde Barrow, each one page, 8.5 x 7, November 28, 1933. The first reads, in part: “To Any Sheriff of The State of Texas—Greeting: You Are Hereby Commanded to take the body of Bonnie Parker and her safely keep, so that you have her before the Honorable Criminal District Court No. 2, of Dallas County…then and there to answer The State of Texas in a charge by indictment, wherein the said Bonnie Parker is charged with the offense of Murder.” The warrant for Barrow reads in the same manner, with the specific words replaced with “Clyde Barrow” and “him.” Both are signed in the lower left by Deputy Jack Avery and impressed with the official seal of “Criminal District Court No. 2, of Dallas County, Texas.” The folded front panel of each document is also signed by Avery, and they read, respectively: “No. 5046, The State of Texas vs. Clyde Barrow, Murder” and “No. 5047, The State of Texas vs. Bonnie Parker, Murder.” In overall very good condition, with top portions permanently affixed to scrapbook page, scattered toning, and some edge tears to that warrant for Clyde. From the collection of Dallas Sheriff Smoot Schmid. On January 6, 1933, law enforcement officers assembled by Tarrant County Deputy Malcolm Davis were tasked with staking out the West Dallas home of Lillian McBride, the sister of Barrow Gang member Raymond Hamilton, with the intent to capture bank robber Odell Chambless. Shortly after midnight, a car with Bonnie Parker, W. D. Jones, and Clyde Barrow stopped at the residence, the latter wanting to affirm that Lillian had smuggled hacksaw blades to her brother in Hillsboro jail. Barrow exited the vehicle and, upon discovering the trap, pulled out his shotgun, firing through the front window of the house. Davis, one of two officers waiting on the back porch, was shot with the secondary blast from Barrow’s shotgun as he rounded the house. On November 28, 1933, a Dallas grand jury delivered a murder indictment against Parker and Barrow for the killing of Davis, which resulted in the issuance of these two warrants. This was an historic indictment for two significant reasons: it was the first time Parker was charged with murder, and the death of Davis, a well-known Texas lawman, intensified the all-out manhunt for the Barrow Gang leaders. As the original warrants issued to Smoot Schmid for the arrest of the murderous outlaw couple, this is an extraordinary pair of Bonnie and Clyde documents. Starting Bid $500
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Extraordinary scrapbook of Sheriff Schmid— including original photos and wanted posters 2022. Smoot Schmid’s Personal ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ Scrapbook. Smoot
Schmid’s personal scrapbook, 18 x 14, featuring numerous affixed original photos, newspaper clippings, and other ephemera affixed throughout. The first page (now detached) features a typed presentation inscription, “This Book: Made and Dedicated, to Sheriff R. A. (Smoot) Schmid. For all his kindness, by A Friend,” and bears a clipped newspaper headline and image from the May 23, 1934, issue of The Detroit News, reading: “Outlaw Clyde Barrow and Girl Slain in Trap.” The reverse of this page features four original vintage glossy photos, with two showing Clyde Barrow and W. D. Jones, one of Jones and Bonnie Parker, and one of Raymond Hamilton, Goldie Sheppard, Bud Russell, and Johnny Cox. Several other original glossy photos are included, with subjects among them being: Bonnie Parker (alive and deceased); Clyde Barrow (alive and deceased); W. D. Jones (alive and deceased); the bullet-riddled ‘death car’; the posse that ambushed and killed Bonnie and Clyde; and various candid snapshots of Bonnie and Clyde’s bullet-riddled car from the 1933 Dexfield Park shootout in Dexter, Iowa; the arsenal recovered at Dexter; Blanche Barrow being taken into custody; and other Bonnie and Clyde–related images. Other notable items include: a wanted poster for “Clyde Champion Barrow” and his brother “Melvin Ivan Barrow” [Marvin Ivan ‘Buck’ Barrow]; a wanted poster for Barrow Gang members Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, an unnamed individual [W. D. Jones], Blanche Barrow, and Buck Barrow; a wanted poster for Raymond Hamilton and a copy of his fingerprint card; and other copies of fingerprint cards. Several personal items from Schmid contained are within, including: his “Certificate of Election” as Dallas County Sheriff, issued November 19, 1934; several letters and telegrams congratulating Schmid and his department on the slaying of Bonnie and Clyde; and other letters and ephemera from throughout his career. In overall very good condition, with many of the fragile pages detached, chipping and tears to edges, and areas of paper loss. A unique assemblage of rare material from the legendary career of the outlaw-hunting Dallas sheriff. Starting Bid $300
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Amazing photo taken by Bonnie Parker— a ‘gunfight’ starring Barrow and Jones
2024. Clyde Barrow and W. D. Jones Original Vintage Photograph. Re-
markable original vintage glossy 8.5 x 6.5 photo of Clyde Barrow and W. D. Jones hiding behind rocks and wielding their guns as if in a shootout, originally taken by Bonnie Parker at the gang’s hideout. In fine condition. A superb image emblematic of the cinematic lifestyle that the Barrow Gang led. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
2025. Raymond Hamilton Set of (3) Original Vintage Photographs. Three vintage glossy photos of Barrow Gang
member Raymond Hamilton, who by the time he was 21 years old had accumulated a prison sentence of 362 years; he was executed by electric chair on May 10, 1935, at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Two 8 x 10 photographs show an incarcerated Hamilton in striped prison uniform, one of him sitting next to Chief Deputy James ‘Billy’ Decker, and the other sitting with his mother on April 5, 1935; reverse of both photos bear photography credit stamps for Denny Hayes of the Dallas Times Herald. The third photograph, 7 x 8.5, portrays Hamilton in a full-length pose, wearing a trench coat and standing with another gentleman. The photo is blindstamped in the upper right corner, “State Dept. of Public Safety, Bureau of Identification, Lansing, Mich.” In overall fine condition, with a couple of tiny edge tears. Starting Bid $200
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Scarce jail photo of Hamilton and Bonnie’s husband Roy 2026. Raymond Hamilton, Roy Thornton, and Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid Original Vintage Photograph. Fantastic original vintage glossy 9
x 5.5 photo taken at the Dallas County Jail, showing Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid smiling at the far left, with Barrow gang member Raymond Hamilton in overalls at right, Bonnie Parker’s nephew Buddy Mace at center wearing a robe with an Olympic emblem on the chest, and Bonnie Parker’s husband Roy Thornton in the rear wearing a crisp white button-down shirt. Reverse bears an affixed “White Engraving Co., Dallas” label. In very good to fine condition, with trimmed edges, surface creasing to right edge, and crop lines and irregular cuts to top. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Running from the law, Hamilton taunts his future captor
2027. Raymond Hamilton 1934 Signed Christmas Card Sent to Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Christmas card sent by Raymond Hamilton to Smoot Schmid, 4.5 x 3.5, signed on the reverse in fountain pen, “Raymond Hamilton.” The gold-bordered card depicts an idyllic winter scene and bears a printed holiday greeting, “Heartiest greetings for Christmas and sincere good wishes for the New Year.” Includes the original mailing envelope, postmarked at Cooper, Texas, December 22, 1934, addressed in Hamilton’s hand, “Smoot Schmid, Sheriff Dallas Co., Dallas, Texas.” In fine condition, with a smudge to a portion of the address. Bonnie and Clyde busted Hamilton out of the Eastham Prison Farm during a raid to free their gang members on January 16, 1934. Although he had been recaptured three months later on April 25th, the slippery Hamilton escaped a second time on July 22nd, making him one of the most wanted men in the South. Taunting Dallas Sheriff Smoot Schmid, the gutsy Hamilton mailed him this Christmas card at the end of December while still on the run. Hamilton successfully evaded law enforcement for nearly a year before finally being captured in April 1935, with Schmid leading the seven-man team of arresting officers. After Hamilton’s execution in May, Schmid and his men shared a $500 reward for the arrest. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Hamilton proves his innocence: “I haven’t been with Clyde Barrow since the Lanster Bank Robbery” 2028. Raymond Hamilton 1934 Autograph Letter Signed and Hotel Bill. ALS, two pages,
6 x 9.5, The Lafayette Hotel, New Orleans letterhead, [April 7, 1934]. Letter to his lawyer A. S. Baskett, sent care of Sheriff Smoot Schmid, denying any allegiance to Clyde Barrow. In full (spelling and grammar retained): “I’m sending you a bill from a hotel I was staying at, at the time of that killing in Commerce Okla. I haven’t been with Clyde Barrow since the Lanster Bank Robbery. I’m sending you one hundred dollars and won’t this put before public & proved right away. I’m sending you more money just as soon as I find out you are doing as I ask. I’m enclosing also my finger prints on this Bill. I’m also leaving a letter at this hotel for you, you can call for it my finger prints will be there when you call for it, you know I try and do keep my promise. I won’t you to let the public and the whole world to know I am not with Clyde Barrow and don’t go his speed. I’m a lone man and intend to stay that way. I wrote Mrs. M. A. Ferguson but I guess it was in vain. I was in Houston Wed nite april 4 and have been here since Thurs even april 5.” Includes the bill from the Lafayette Hotel bearing Hamilton’s fingerprints, from April 5, 1934 [erroneously dated as May 5], indicating that he was registered under the alias “F. A. Murphy.” In very good condition, with moderate show-through from toned adhesive remnants. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Hamilton’s hand. Hamilton had split from the Barrow Gang after disagreements over his girlfriend Mary O’Dare and an argument about how to share the haul from their robbery of the the R. P. Henry & Sons Bank, in Lancaster, Texas (which Hamilton refers to here as the “Lanster Bank Robbery”). This letter, however, was the first time it came to light that Hamilton left the gang. He was considered suspect in “that killing in Commerce Okla,” where Clyde and his associate Henry Methvin gunned down Constable Cal Campbell on April 6, 1934. Upon receiving this letter, Hamilton’s lawyer began a publicity campaign to cast doubt on his involvement, and had the letter widely published in the press on April 9. Dallas police confirmed Hamilton’s enclosed fingerprints as authentic, and expressed their belief that his claim was true—due in part to the hundred dollars he sent, since ‘cranks who write letters like that do not enclose money.’ Despite proving his innocence in this case, Hamilton was unable to avoid the electric chair—he would be executed a year later on May 10, 1935, for his earlier involvement in killing a prison guard when escaping from the Eastham Prison Farm. A truly remarkable letter used by a desperate outlaw as proof of innocence in a brutal slaying. Starting Bid $300
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2029. Raymond Hamilton’s Girlfriends Mary Pitts and Katie Jenkins Pair of Original Vintage Mug Shot Photographs. Two original
vintage glossy mug shots of Raymond Hamilton’s girlfriends: a 4 x 3.5 photo of Mary O’Dare from the front and side, captioned below, “Mary O’Dare, Mary Pitts, age 20, Weight 121, Height 5-1. Hair, brown. Eyes, blue. Medium build. Complexion fair. FPC 51A14. Married Barney Pitts”; and a 4.5 x 3.25 photo of Katie Jenkins from the front and side, with an ID number, “Ft Worth, 5678,” in the upper right. In overall very good to fine condition, with three staples and a missing upper left corner to the Jenkins photo. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Rare letter to Ray H from his ‘prostitute sweetheart’ 2030. Raymond Hamilton’s Girlfriend Mary Pitts Letter to Him and Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. ALS signed
“Mary,” two pages, 6.25 x 10.75, January 18, 1933. Letter to Raymond Hamilton, in full (spelling and grammar retained): “I don’t know why you don’t write cause I won’t to hear from you. O’dell gave up in Pampa, to-day they are bringing him thro here to-nite I’m going to try to see him, Gee! I’m glad he did cause I couldn’t bear him having to be arrested and maybe kill. I hear you was going to make bond if you do let me know at once. Honey, please write to me. I think you are terrable neglective. Gene, hasn’t wrote in three days. I guess he is sick Ray, if you won’t me to come up there write right back and tell me I’ll be right up there the next day. Honey, I sure hope you make it OK. Gee! I wish this phone would ring to tell I can see O’dell. Raymond, he mean worlds to me. Raymond just as soon as you are free I won’t you to come to me. I’ve lots to tell you and everything. How is Lillie & Lusille getting along. O’dell I think will clear them he isn’t like that yellow. Yes, well I guess I’ll close so ans. real soon please.” Includes the original mailing envelope addressed in O’Dare’s hand, as well as an original vintage glossy 4.25 x 3.5 mug shot of O’Dare. In fine condition, with intersecting folds and further wear to the envelope. From the collection of Dallas Sheriff Smoot Schmid, who led the final team to arrest Hamilton after his multiple prison breaks. The “Gene” referenced here is Mary O’Dare’s husband, a bank robber and one of Hamilton’s friends. Just two weeks after Mary wrote this letter, Gene was sentenced to life imprisonment; after the sentence came down, O’Dare became Hamilton’s romantic companion. “O’dell” is her brother Odell Chambless, who was sentenced to 33 years on March 1st. Mary O’Dare, who Clyde Barrow once referred to as Hamilton’s ‘prostitute sweetheart’ from a ‘rat family,’ played a pivotal role in Hamilton’s split from the Barrow Gang. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Written by Bonnie and signed by Clyde— incredible letter to a hated ex-member of “the ruthless Barrow gang” 2032. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow Autograph Letter Signed. Phenomenal letter written in the hand of
Bonnie Parker and signed at the conclusion by Clyde Barrow, four pages on three lightly-lined sheets, 8 x 10, no date but circa late April 1934 [arrived at Dallas County Jail on April 30]. Letter to ex-Barrow Gang member Raymond Hamilton at the Dallas County Jail. In full: “I’m very sorry to hear of your getting captured, but due to the fact that you offered no resistance sympathy is lacking. The most I can do is hope you miss the ‘chair.’ The purpose of this letter is to remind you of all the ‘dirty deals’ you have pulled. When I came to the farm after you I thought maybe the ‘joint’ had changed you from a boastful punk. However I learned too soon the mistake I had made. The first thing that aroused my suspicion was your suggestion of shooting Joe Palmer in the back while he was asleep. You soon learned how I felt about such ‘cat ideas.’ Since then I’ve found your reasons for wanting to do this was because Joe was on the farm with you and knew what kind of a guy you were. The next impression was when we got the road ‘blocked’ on us in the Ozarks and you were too ‘yellow’ to fight. You cowered in the floorboard, afraid of being shot. Now that you’re in the Dallas jail you have a tested pal, W. D. Jones, you might get a few pointers from him on how to impress the people you were an innocent, or possibly forced companion of the ruthless Barrow gang. You might be as lucky as he was in making them believe I kept you handcuffed or tied.When you wanted to get your Prostitute Sweetheart I thought it OK. But when you were so persistent about her going to town alone that idea wasn’t so ‘hot.’ I thought then and truthfully believe now that should she have gotten off without Bonnie she would have ‘spotted’ us all. She hails from a ‘rat’ family and you couldn’t expect better from her. You exposed your ‘hole card’ when you stole the money from us on the Lancaster ‘job.’ That’s what I have my rear vision mirror for to watch suspicious people. When I demanded a ‘shake down’ you offered such strange excuses for having the money on you. I should have killed you then I would have saved myself much bother and money looking for you. For after you writing that letter saying you didn’t stoop so low as to rob filling stations I have done nothing but look for you. Should I have found you,
you wouldn’t have had a chance to give up. You couldn’t stand the rift of the outlaw life. For one reason you were too yellow and knew you could never surrender with me and another reason you wanted to play ‘Big Shot,’ sleep in hotels and ride passenger trains. You weren’t intelligent enough to know that you couldn’t live like a king and stay out. I don’t claim to be too smart. I know that some day they will get me but it won’t be without resistance. You only carried your guns around to ‘show off’ or else kidnap women and children. I guess you find where your boastful long tongue has gotten you. Maybe you can talk yourself out of the ‘chair.’ Or maybe you can write a few more letters (try one to the governor) at least it will gain you some publicity.When you started the rumor about Bonnie wanting a ‘cut’ of the loot you sure messed your self up. I have always taken care of Bonnie and never asked any thief to help me.I hope this will serve the purpose of letting you know that you can never expect the least of sympathy or assistance from me. So long.” Signed at the conclusion, “Clyde Barrow.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds, scattered creases, and pinholes to corners. Brimming with remarkable content and cinematic gangster lingo, this is a one-of-a-kind letter from the famed outlaw couple written as they hurtled toward death—their spree came to a bullet-riddled end in a shootout with Frank Hamer’s posse less than a month later. They had freed Hamilton from the Eastham Prison Farm in a machine gun raid in January 1934, but Hamilton split from the gang after their bank robbery in Lancaster, Texas, following disagreements about splitting the “loot” and infighting about his “Sweetheart Prostitute,” Mary O’Dare. The law caught up to Hamilton first, arresting him on April 25, 1934, after which Bonnie and Clyde wrote him this letter; contrary to their suggestions, Hamilton was unable to avoid the “chair”—he was executed on May 10, 1935, eleven days before his 22nd birthday. Meanwhile, Bonnie and Clyde already knew their fate—“I know that some day they will get me”—and Hamer’s posse had been in pursuit since February. On May 23, 1934, the lawmen set an ambush and successfully struck down the outlaw couple in a hail of bullets. Surprised by the attack, Bonnie and Clyde offered no resistance. Starting Bid $2,500
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2034. Floyd Hamilton 1935 Autograph Letter Signed.
ALS signed “Floyd G. Hamilton,” one page both sides, 8.25 x 11, Leavenworth letterhead, March 6, 1935. Letter to his mother, Alice Davis. In part (spelling and grammar retained): “Dear mother I will write you a few lines to let you know I am all rite and to see if I can hear from some of you all I have rote Mildred and haven’t got a answer I don’t know what is the matter. Mama you don’t need to worry about me for this is just as good a place to be a prison as could be expected they feed swell. John said it was like a nursery to compaire with the Texas prison. Mama have you heard any thing from or about Raymond if you have tell him in some way to leave them people in Dallas alone for they are nothing but steals the ones he is trusting is as bad as the rest if not wors. Well mama I guess some of them people is satisfied now that I am in the pen they have ben trying for a long time to do this for what reason I don’t know inles they think they can catch Ray…I have learnt a lots about why John said I was in on that Grand Praire job in stead of the one that done it I will tell you if I ever see you gain and I think a few more of these jobs is laid on me the same way and for the same reason but mabey some day they will find out that I don’t do all that is done. Well I guess I will close for I might of said too mutch already.” In very good to fine condition, with intersecting folds, toning to reverse, and large remnant from previous scrapbook adhesion to reverse covering portion of letter. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in Hamilton’s hand to his mother care of the Dallas County Jail. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Only days before sending this letter, Floyd Hamilton had been sentenced to two years at the Leavenworth penitentiary following the Barrow-Parker harboring trial, in which twenty of Bonnie and Clyde’s friends and family members were charged with conspiring to harbor the fugitive outlaws from justice; both Floyd Hamilton and his mother Alice were convicted in the trial. Though also charged, Raymond Hamilton remained on the loose and would not be captured until early April. Starting Bid $200
2035. Raymond Hamilton Newspaper and Pair of Statements. Collection of three items: an original Financial
Edition of the Dallas Daily Times Herald, April 6, 1935, with the headline, “Ray To Be Sentenced Monday,” the beginning of the article in the right column reading, “Ray Hamilton, 22, ace badman, whose crime career started in West Dallas in petty thievery, will be sentenced Monday to die in the electric chair… for murdering a prison guard. Captured…in Fort Worth railroad yards by Sheriff Smoot Schmid and his deputies”; and two official statements from witnesses who interacted with Hamilton at the railroad yard and traveled with him in Texas and Oklahoma. The first, signed “Glenn E. Allen,” is three pages, April 21, 1935, in part: “The first time I ever saw Raymond Hamilton was on Tuesday, April 2, 1935…in the Rock Island yards…Raymond Hamilton, and another man, Nolan Allred, came up…Hamilton had a suit case; I did not see any weapons…Hamilton, Allred and I went to a restaurant and ate breakfast. Hamilton paid…We ate after 7 in the morning, April 5 - Friday. After breakfast, all three of us went back and sat down under the viaduct…I never saw any weapons on Hamilton. I never saw any until the officers took them off of him…We just sat around while Allred was home on his second trip. About dark was saw Allred coming down the railroad. We got up to meet him. Then came the arrest. The remainder is well known.” The second statement is signed “X Allred,” two pages, April 21, 1935, in part: “I was sitting there talking to a negro when Raymond walked up…I had on a pair of overalls over my pants. He asked me what I would take for them, and I said I didn’t want to sell them. He said he would give me a dollar for them. I sold them…Friday, April 5, we got up about 6 o’clock. We went to a restaurant and ate breakfast—Raymond paying…I didn’t know who I was with when I was with Raymond. I saw Raymond’s guns in St. Louis…I saw the guns in Fort Worth before officers got Raymond and maybe I saw them in El Reno.” In overall very good to fine condition, with toning and edge chips and tears to the brittle newspaper. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
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2036. Raymond Hamilton Original Vintage Photograph and Electrocution Sermon Program. Two items from
the collection of Dallas Sheriff Smoot Schmid: an original vintage glossy 8 x 10 photo of Schmid with notorious Barrow Gang member Raymond Hamilton, bearing a Denny Hayes/Dallas Times Herald credit stamp on the reverse; and a pamphlet entitled “The Electrocution of Raymond Hamilton: A Sermon,” by Pastor John R. Rice, 24 pages, 5.5 x 8.25, featuring the text of a sermon preached at the Fundamentalist Baptist Tabernacle on May 12, 1935, two days after Hamilton’s execution. In overall fine condition, with the back cover of the pamphlet missing. Starting Bid $200
2038. Bonnie and Clyde Sowers Raid Car Pair of Original Vintage Photographs.
2037. Bonnie and Clyde Car and Arsenal Pair of Original Vintage Photographs. Two identical original
vintage glossy photos of the Bonnie and Clyde ‘death car’ and their recovered arsenal and personal belongings, measuring 3.25 x 4.25 and 4 x 5 (both images measure 3 x 4). In addition to their guns and various personal possessions, Clyde’s saxophone case can be seen leaning against the right wheel well. In overall very good to fine condition, with rippling to emulsion of the larger photo, and trimmed edges to the other. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Two original vintage glossy photos of Bonnie and Clyde’s stolen black Ford V8 coupe recovered after the Sowers Raid in November 1933: an 8.5 x 6.5 photo of the car with the passenger side door open, the “306-419” license plate clearly visible, parked in front of a curb painted with the text, “Reserved for Sheriff Dept”; and a sharp 10 x 8 photo of the car with its broken windows and a crowd gathered around to look at it. In overall fine condition, with a credit stamp of Dallas Times Herald staff photographer Denny Hayes at bottom left corner of the larger photo, and silvering and light wrinkling to the right side of the smaller photo. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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On the inside of the ring you can see Clyde’s maker’s mark, a musical note struck by an arrow, signifying ‘Barrow’
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Stunning three-headed snake ring made for Bonnie by Barrow himself 2039. Bonnie Parker’s Promise Ring Made By Clyde Barrow. Bonnie Parker’s silver-toned three-headed snake
ring featuring green and red jewels, crafted for her by Clyde Barrow while he was imprisoned in Texas; the ring was recovered from their disabled vehicle by Sheriff Smoot Schmid after the ‘Sowers Raid’ in 1933. Although Bonnie and Clyde had robbed jewelry stores during their spree, this ring can be directly attributed to Clyde’s craftsmanship–inside the band is his personal hallmark, a musical note struck by an arrow. Playing music was one of Clyde’s favorite pastimes, and he was famously toting his alto saxophone with his arsenal when he was killed; the arrow in his maker’s mark may be that of Cupid, symbolizing his love for Bonnie, or representing his last name, [B]arrow. Both Clyde and his brother Buck were skilled amateur craftsmen, and while in prison they engaged in jewelry-making, leathercraft, and woodworking. Among some of the other items known to have been made by Clyde while jailed are a beaded necklace given to his sister Marie, a hand-tooled leather belt with metal studs and blue and red stones, and his own polished silver belt buckle with a five-pointed Texas Star in the center surrounded by abalone shell. The leather belt, belt buckle, and this ring all exhibit similar styles of artistic approach and the same level of high-quality, though unrefined, craftsmanship. Barrow likely made this ring with a base metal (probably copper) using the lost-wax casting process, then plated it in silver. The ring was recovered from the outlaw couple’s bullet-riddled ’33 Ford Model B by Sheriff Smoot Schmid after the ‘Sowers Raid’ on November 22, 1933. Informed of a family gathering
that was supposed to take place near Sowers, Texas, the Schmid-led posse lay in wait for Bonnie and Clyde to arrive. As Barrow approached in the stolen automobile, he sensed the trap and accelerated past his family’s car, at which point the lawmen unleashed a hail of bullets. Unable to continue in the decimated vehicle, Parker and Barrow were forced flee on foot, successfully escaping despite wounds to their legs from a bullet that passed through the car. The members of the five-man posse—Smoot Schmid, Millard E. Sweatt, Ted Hinton, Ed Caster, and Bob Alcorn—discovered a cache of Bonnie and Clyde’s personal effects inside the car, and most of them took home a variety of relics ranging from bullets to lipstick cases. This ring is recorded in the Schmid family’s inventory as “Bonnie Parker Ring (3 Silver Snakes with Tiny Jewels).” Accompanied by a copy of this inventory list, as well as a two-page report by jeweler David Bellman. At the time of her death, Parker was in fact still legally married to Roy Thornton and she famously died with her wedding ring on. She had married Thornton just before her 16th birthday in 1926, but their marriage fell apart and he was in jail by 1929. Bonnie met Clyde in 1930, and they soon became one of the most infamous couples in American history. Her mother later reflected, ’As crazy as she’d been about Roy, she never worshipped him as she did Clyde.’ Two months after they met, Clyde was arrested and he spent the next two years in prison, including some time at the Eastham Prison Farm. He must have crafted this ring for her during that period as a sort of ‘promise’ ring—they were never officially engaged. Representing the enduring relationship between Bonnie and Clyde, this ring is an absolutely amazing artifact of enormous significance. Starting Bid $2,500
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2040. Bonnie Parker: 1934 Letter Identifying Her. ALS in pencil, signed “Margaret Sopher,” three pages both sides, 5 x 8, April 9, 1932. Letter to “Sheriff, Care Court House, Dallas, Texas,” alluding to a potential identification of Bonnie Parker. In part (spelling and grammar retained): “This bit of information I’m sending may help in some way all looks strange to me. I was talking to a detective today and he advised me to send you the information right away. There is a woman that travels all the time by the name of M. J. Newcomb, that’s her real name gets mail Gen. Del., and goes by these names also M. J. Steavens, M. J. Busby, Jelpha Cape, M. J. McNeil. She was in El Paso Texas last wk This is the way she travels. Home in Colo Sps Colo, went to Calif back to Nebr, on to Salt Lake, to Calif back to Salina Kans, to Florida…Now this is what she told my sister, who lived in Salina Kans that she was in Calif and the sheriff was on her trail, and left in a hurry for Salina…She told my sister she would like to meet her land lord, that she would get the property from him a black mail scam she said leave it to me, I’ll pull his leg…She has a daughter living in Colo Sps Colo she told my sister that belonged to a band and her husband both she asked what kind of a band her reply worse than horse thieves…She told my sister they was out laws and she was afraid of them… She said she always kept her money in two banks that seems strange, she tells fortunes walks stooped some times and wares heavy black veil some times…Now I don’t want our names out, for she would come here & burn us out…Why would a person make these jumps, all these names, sure seems strange to us…Mr. Campbell was a nephew to Mrs. Elliot here I do not know them. Now Dillinger’s Band may be with all the rest of out laws that killed Mr. Campbell. Colo Spgs & mountains would make a good hide out for them.” In fine condition, with toning to top of first page. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope affixed to a fragment of a scrapbook page. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
2041. Henry Methvin Pair of Original Vintage Mug Shot Photographs.
Two identical original vintage semi-glossy 4 x 3.5 mug shot photos of Henry Methvin, captioned in the lower border: “Henry Methvin. Age 20 (1931). Ht 5-9 1/2 Wt 170. Hair Lt. Brown. Eyes blue. Complex Fair. Marks and Scars: 1 dim horizontal cut scar left middle finger 1st joint 2 dagger pierced and lettered ‘love’ right forearm inner.” In overall fine condition. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
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2043. Odell Chambless Pair of Wanted Fingerprint Cards. Friend of Clyde Barrow
and brother of Raymond Hamilton’s girlfriend Mary O’Dare. Two identical printed fingerprint ‘wanted’ cards for Odell Chambless issued by Fort Worth Sheriff J. R. Wright, one page, 8 x 8, January 11, 1933. The cards feature images of all ten of Chambless’s fingerprints as well as front and side mug shots. Text reads, in part: “Odell Chambless, whose photograph and finger prints are submitted, is badly wanted in this County for the robbery of the Grapevine Home Bank, Grapevine, Texas, December 30, 1932, and who, while in company with Clyde Champion Barrow, resisting arrest on above charge, murdered Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis…Both parties are dangerous, especially Barrow, who is already wanted for three or four murders. Every precaution should be taken by arresting officers.” One card bears several pencil notations on the reverse. In overall fine condition. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Les Stewart and Odell Chambless hauled in nearly $3,000 in their robbery of the Grapevine Home Bank at the end of December 1932. Stewart was captured only hours afterward, and sold out his partner in crime. He told police that Chambless was a friend of Barrow and suspected that he might seek refuge at the home of Lillie McBride, the sister of Raymond Hamilton. Hoping to trap Chambless, a group of police officers set up at the McBride house to keep watch. On the night of January 6, Barrow pulled into the driveway and, spotting the trap, grabbed his shotgun. After firing into a front window, Barrow encountered Deputy Sheriff Malcolm Davis at close range and shot him in the chest. Barrow managed to escape. Though Chambless was considered a suspect in the Davis murder, he had a solid alibi. By that time he had already made it to California, and had been arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of robbery (one that he hadn’t actually committed); he was being held by the Los Angeles police at the time Barrow gunned down Davis. On January 18, Chambless surrendered to the police in Pampa, Texas, in order to end the manhunt and prove his innocence; he was, however, found guilty in the Grapevine bank robbery, and sentenced to 33 years in prison. Starting Bid $200
2045. Sheriff Jack Stout’s Dallas County Badge.
Original circa 1940s gray metal Dallas County sheriff’s badge with a five-point star in the center, measuring approximately 1.75 x 2, engraved with the text, “Deputy Sheriff, Dallas County, 315.” Includes a typed description on a sheet of Smoot Schmid’s personal Office of the Sheriff letterhead, identifying the badge: “Deputy Sheriff Jack Stout carried this badge to the following places while a member of the United States Navy in World War II.” The sheet goes on to list over 30 diverse locations around the world, ranging from Philadelphia to Portugal to Fiji. The badge is attached to a card which was once affixed to the sheet. In very good condition, with age wear to badge, toned tape remnants to card and sheet, and holes where the badge was adhered to the presentation page. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Smoot Schmid’s 1930s ‘execution index’ 2046. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s ‘Execution Book’.
Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s ‘execution index’ in a black 6.75 x 10 binder, containing 23 cardstock pages filled out in type with prisoners’ charges, sentences, and execution dates, bearing affixed mug shot photos. Among the more notable criminals listed are: the brothers Bluitt and Thurman Burkley (arrested by Ted Hinton and convicted of two murders); Jesse Mott (a 300–pound murderer who became known for his enormous last meal); Cecil Short (whose death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment; he was nearly killed anyway due to a typographical error); Dwight Beard (a one-time football star at the University of North Carolina, convicted of murdering a police officer); Winzell Williams (killed his employer); Harvey T. Nealey (murdered his stepfather with an ax); and Bluitt Hampton (stabbed his wife to death with an ice pick). Two pages also represent significant Civil Rights cases in an era still marred by Jim Crow, in which no African-Americans were present on the juries: Henry Allen Hill, whose rape conviction was overturned by the US Supreme Court on the grounds that the grand jury selection process was discriminatory; and L. C. Akins, convicted of murdering a police officer when boarding a bus, whose death sentence was later commuted to life. In fine condition, with some adhesive remnants to cover. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
2047. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Archive of Original Vintage Photographs. Large
collection of 70 original vintage photos from the collection of Dallas Sheriff R. A. ‘Smoot’ Schmid, mostly glossy and 8 x 10 or 10 x 8, depicting various elements of Schmid’s life in law enforcement. Images include courthouse scenes, portraits of Schmid, officers wielding pistols and conducting investigations, car wrecks, events and celebrations, and Schmid with various individuals. Most, but not all, portray Schmid as one of the subjects; one of the most notable non-Schmid photos is of the posse that killed Bonnie and Clyde, which included Frank Hamer, Ted Hinton, Prentiss Oakley, B. M. ‘Maney’ Gault, Bob Alcorn, and Henderson Jordan. In overall very good to fine condition. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
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2048. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Archive of Original Vintage Photographs. Impressive collection of more than 160 original
vintage photos from the collection of Dallas Sheriff R. A. ‘Smoot’ Schmid, ranging in size from 3 x 2.5 to 8 x 10, mostly circa 1930s– 1940s, depicting various aspects of his life and career. Subjects include many candid shots of Schmid, various public events and gatherings, images of the Dallas jail, other police officers, local officials and politicians, and various other topics. Also includes a number of photos inscribed to Schmid by inconsequential local figures, many expressing their appreciation for his work. In overall very good to fine condition. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
2049. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Archive of Original Vintage Photographs. Collection of 16 original vintage photos from the collection of Dallas Sheriff R. A. ‘Smoot’ Schmid, various sizes but mostly 8 x 10, predominately from his career but including a few from his personal life. Some highlights include: a circa 1899 cabinet photo of Schmid at the age of 22 months; an unusual photo of Schmid in jail with a robot; an image of a sign for his sheriff’s re-election campaign; a photo of him being sworn in court; a photo of him speaking into a microphone; an image of two sheriffs pointing guns directly at the camera; a few of prisoners in jail; and various others. In overall very good to fine condition. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2050. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Collection of FDR Texas Centennial Original Vintage Photographs and Ephemera. Small archive of Smoot Schmid’s photographs and ephemera related to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1936
visit for the Texas Centennial Exposition, including: four original vintage glossy 10 x 8 photos, with one showing FDR speaking and three showing him in a convertible; one original vintage glossy 8 x 10 photo of Eleanor Roosevelt; an invitation and printed cover letter inviting Schmid to a “Luncheon in honor of His Excellency The President of the United States of America” on June 12th; an original Western Union telegram sent to Schmid inviting him to the luncheon, and a copy of his positive response; the admission pass for the luncheon issued to Schmidt and signed by him in pencil, “R. A. Schmid”; and a breakfast menu for the train ride of “The President of the United States and Party” for his trip from San Antonio to Dallas on June 12th. Also includes a small glossy 1942 photo of a Schmid-endorsed billboard advertising war bonds. In overall very good to fine condition. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
2051. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid Family’s Pair of Signed J. Edgar Hoover Letters. Interesting series
of three letters concerning the gun used by Harvey Bailey—known as the ‘Dean of American Bank Robbers’—to escape from prison in 1933. Includes two letters signed by J. Edgar Hoover, each one page. The first is to Smoot Schmid, dated October 26, 1936, in part: “I made inquiry concerning…our conversation recently at Dallas… at which time you asked that the gun used by Harvey Bailey in effecting his escape form the Dallas County Jail be forwarded to you. I am pleased to make an exception to the usual rules in a matter of this kind…and I have issued instructions to the effect that this gun be transmitted to you.” The second letter is a carbon copy of a letter by Schmid’s widow, Signe Schmid, written to Hoover, dated September 12, 1963, in part: “My husband passed away suddenly on June 30 of this year…I came across the letter you has written him regarding the gun which Harvey Bailey used to escape from the Dallas County Jail…You were good enough to send it to him, although this was unusual procedure. I have the gun in my possession, and would like you know if you want it returned.” Hoover’s response of September 19, 1963, is included, thanking Schmid for her “kind offer to return the revolver,” but informing her that there is no need to return it. A handwritten note at the bottom by Signe Schmid reads, “The above gun given to Ted Hinton, Jan. 25, 1968.” The three are stapled together at the top. In overall very good condition, with blocks of irregular toning to one Hoover TLS and moderate creasing, edge dings, and pin holes to the other Hoover TLS. Bailey, who had hauled in over a million dollars from bank robberies in the 1920s, had bribed a jailer to smuggle in a pistol and two saws to aid in his escape from the Dallas jail on September 4, 1933. Despite his initial success, he was recaptured the same day. The final disposition of the gun discussed here is especially interesting, as it was ultimately given to Ted Hinton—a Dallas County deputy sheriff who had been a member of the posse that killed Bonnie and Clyde. Starting Bid $200
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2052. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid Collection of Appointments and Award Certificates.
Collection of Dallas Sheriff R. A. ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s personal certificates and awards, consisting of a total of 14 certificates, including: seven official State of Texas commissions naming Schmid as sheriff of Dallas County, each signed by the governor (Miriam A. ‘Ma’ Ferguson, James Allred (2), W. Lee O’Daniel (2), and Coke R. Stevenson (2)); a 1937 Jefferson University diploma conferring the “Degree of Bachelor of Laws” upon Schmid; a 1937 Texas Supreme Court document granting Schmid the authorization to “practice as an Attorney and Counselor at Law in all the Courts of the State of Texas”; a handsome colorful 1937 “Distinguished Service Award” certificate from the Buddies Chapter No. 11, Disabled Veterans of the World War; a 1938 State of Texas certificate commissioning Schmid as “Admiral in the Texas Navy”; a 1939 diploma from Pine Ridge University granting Schmid the “honorary degree of Doctor of Law Enforcement”; a 1940 Dallas County certificate of election recognizing Schmid’s election as sheriff, signed by numerous local officials and associates; and a 1943 “Award of Merit” from the Construction Battalions, US Navy. In overall very good to fine condition, with a large portion of paper loss to one document. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
2053. Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid’s Personal Family Scrapbook. Scrapbook from the family of Dallas Sheriff Richard A. ‘Smoot’ Schmid, 10 x 12, containing a variety of letters, photos, and ephemera related to Schmid and his family. Among the pieces included are: several pages of poetry, both typed and handwritten, by his wife Signe Schmid, with a notecard labeled “Poetry to and about Rich”; a few newspaper clippings about Smoot Schmid; three TLSs and a signed House of Representatives admission pass from longtime Texas Congressman Sam Rayburn; a Sheriff Smoot Schmid business card (complete with his chili recipe on the back); a Sheriff Smoot Schmid matchbook; several photos; and various pieces of family correspondence, including some from after Smoot’s death. In overall very good to fine condition. From the collection of the family of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Amazing firsthand photos of the Barrow–Parker ‘death car’ 2054. Bonnie and Clyde Collection of (9) Original Vintage Death Car Photographs. Collection of nine
original vintage glossy candid photos of the Bonnie and Clyde ‘death car,’ approximately 4 x 5, including: three of the deceased Clyde Barrow in the front seat (identical images); three emphasizing the bullet-riddled rear driver’s side window (two different images); two showing the car with the rear driver’s side door open (identical images); and one shot from a low angle with part of the license plate visible. In overall fine condition, with mild spotting to the image in which license plate is visible. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. A remarkable assemblage of original photos portraying the devastation that Bonnie, Clyde, and their beloved ‘34 Ford suffered when they met their demise. Starting Bid $200
2056. Bonnie and Clyde Original Vintage Death Car Photograph. Crystal-clear original
vintage glossy 10 x 8 photo of the Bonnie and Clyde ‘death car’ with its front door open, perfectly showing the dozens of bullet holes inflicted by Frank Hamer’s posse in their ambush. In fine condition, with light adhesive remnants along the top and a credit stamp of Dallas Times Herald staff photographer Denny Hayes at bottom left corner. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
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2058. Bonnie Parker Original Vintage Photograph.
2057. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow Set of (3) Original Vintage Coroner Photographs. Graphic set
of three vintage glossy 5 x 7 coroner photographs of the deceased bodies of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Two of the photos show Parker—one a close-up and the other of her partially nude body from the right side—with eyes closed and face covered in blood, a bullet hole to the left of her mouth. The lone Barrow photo depicts him with eyes slightly open, lower right ear missing, and right shoulder and face plashed with blood. In overall fine condition. On May 23, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed by a posse of six police officers while driving on a rural road in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. The parish coroner Dr. J. L. Wade’s 1934 report listed 17 separate entrance wounds on Barrow’s body and 26 on that of Parker’s. Starting Bid $200
Original vintage glossy 8 x 10 photo of the deceased Bonnie Parker with Deputy Sheriff Bill Decker standing over her, bearing an ink credit stamp of Dallas Times H e r a l d s t a ff photographer Denny Hayes in the lower left. In fine condition, with tiny edge tear to bottom edge and photographer’s stamp at bottom left corner. From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. After other photographers had taken photos of the uncovered bodies of Bonnie and Clyde, Denny Hayes was the one who pulled the blood-stained sheet over Bonnie’s body to take this nowfamous photo. Starting Bid $200
2059. Bonnie and Clyde Set of (4) Original Vintage Memorial Photographs . Interesting collection of four original vintage glossy photos related to the deaths of Bonnie and Clyde, including: a 9 x 7 photo of Bonnie Parker’s fresh gravesite at Fishtrap Cemetery in Dallas; a 7 x 9 photo of Clyde Barrow’s fresh gravesite at Western Heights Cemetery in Dallas; a 10 x 8 photo of mourners on the steps of McKamy-Campbell Funeral Home, having attended memorial services for Bonnie Parker; and a 10 x 8 photo of the massive crowd outside of the funeral home for Parker’s services. In overall fine condition, with credit stamps of Dallas Times Herald staff photographer Denny Hayes at the bottom left corner of the two funeral photos From the collection of Dallas County Sheriff ‘Smoot’ Schmid. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Bonnie & Clyde
Photographic wanted poster for “Clyde Champion Barrow” 2060. Clyde Barrow Original Vintage ‘Wanted’ Details Photograph. Unusual original vintage pearl-finish 7 x 11 ‘wanted’
photo showing Clyde Barrow sitting on the front bumper of his Ford with rifles laid across his lap, featuring text below, in part: “Clyde Champion Barrow, aliases Clyde Barrow, Elvin Williams, Eldin Williams, Jack Hale, Roy Bailey. Fingerprint Classification: 13 29 W M0 9 / 26 U 00 9.” His identifying marks are listed as “Shield and anchor with U.S.N. on right forearm outer; Girl’s bust, left forearm.” In fine condition, with a deep center horizontal fold. A rarely seen style of wanted poster, apparently issued to law enforcement to aid in the manhunt for Barrow. Starting Bid $200
2061. Bonnie Parker Original Vintage Photograph. Iconic original vintage pearl-finish 6.5 x 8.5 photo of Bonnie Parker leaning against the back of the Barrow Gang’s classic Ford automobile, showing off a couple of revolvers on her belt. In fine condition, with mild corner wear. Starting Bid $200
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Extraordinary fingerprinted testimonial from Clyde: “He is not now nor has he ever been a member of what is referred to by the news papers and public as ‘The Barrow Gang’” 2062. Clyde Barrow Typed Letter Signed with Fingerprints. TLS signed in pencil,
“Clyde Barrow,” one page, 8.5 x 11, 1934. In full: “To Whom It May Concern: I know Frank Hardy, having been with him on several occasions prior to 1930. Since I was paroled by Gov. Ross Sterling of Texas, Frank has not been associated with me in any manner. He is not now nor has he ever been a member of what is referred to by the news papers and public as ‘The Barrow Gang.’ I have not seen Frank Hardy since leaving the Eastham Farm of the Texas Prison System. That all may know that I have made this statement I am affixing here my signature and fingerprints.” At the conclusion, Barrow has applied nine original large ink fingerprints; those along the left edge are most distinct, below which an annotation reads, “Right Th.” Paper bears a “Strathmore Highway Bond” watermark. In very good condition, with scattered light creasing and several moderate intersecting folds. Accompanied by a handsome leatherbound presentation folder as well as a faded faxed letter of provenance from 1996, in full: “My name is Marie Barrow. I am the sister of Clyde Barrow. I sold...a typewritten letter about Frank Hardy signed with my brother’s signature Clyde Barrow.” On October 16, 1929, Clyde Barrow was arrested with two wanted men, William Turner and Frank Hardy, at the Roosevelt Hotel in Waco, Texas. Weeping before the chief of police, Barrow claimed that Turner and Hardy had picked him up while hitchhiking and he was unaware of their unsavory reputations. Turner and Hardy went along with Barrow’s story, and Clyde was released. Barrow clearly never forgot what Hardy did for him in that instance, and planned to repay him in 1934 with this statement. Hardy faced trial in November 1933 for the slaying of Doyle Johnson, who had been killed during a Christmas Day (1932) automobile theft perpetrated by Bonnie Parker, Clyde Barrow, and W. D. Jones. The judge declared a mistrial after the jury failed to render a verdict, and Hardy was scheduled to be retried. W. D. Jones was captured soon after, and his statements absolved Hardy’s alleged role in the crime. Hardy was released from prison on December 30, 1933, and the charges against him were to be formally dropped on January 16, 1934. This would explain why Barrow never sent this letter—it was no longer necessary—and why it remained in his family’s possession. Barrow’s intentions are clear, and this is a remarkable example of the unspoken code of ‘honor among thieves.’ Barrow’s autograph is exceedingly scarce and incredibly desirable on its own, and the addition of his fingerprints elevate this to a truly amazing, museum-quality piece. Starting Bid $10,000
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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From the ‘death shirt’ of Clyde Barrow
2063. Clyde Barrow’s Death Shirt Button. Off-white .5˝ button removed from the shirt Clyde Barrow was wearing when
he and Bonnie Parker were shot and killed by officers in an ambush near Sailes, Bienville Parish, Louisiana, on May 23, 1934. In fine condition. Originally purchased from Clyde Barrow’s younger sister, Marie, and is accompanied by a letter of provenance from the buyer, in part: “I met Marie Barrow, younger sister of outlaw Clyde Barrow, on May 23, 1996. She was a featured guest for a book signing at the Dallas Public Library...Many artifacts owned by Marie Barrow from the Barrow family were on display...Marie made it known that these personal articles were now for sale. I...bought the bullet-riddled shirt that Clyde was wearing on the day of his death. Shortly after this time, I removed a button from the shirt so I could display it in my collector’s cabinet in my home. The removed button is the very bottom one from the front of the shirt.” Also includes a few images of the shirt, including one of Marie Barrow holding it. After nearly a two-year manhunt, Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down by a six-man posse led by Frank Hamer on a quiet road deep in the piney Louisiana woods. News of their demise traveled quickly and a crowd soon gathered at the spot of the ambush. Despite efforts to keep onlookers away from the bullet-riddled V8 Ford, the curious throng overwhelmed the guards and began collecting all manner of souvenirs—from shell casings and shattered glass to pieces of bloody clothing and a lock of Parker’s hair. All items from the ambush scene of Bonnie and Clyde remain scarce and highly sought-after, with this particular ‘death shirt’ button representing an intimate and fragile keepsake from the outlaw duo’s violent final moments. Starting Bid $500
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History Detective-featured archive of original photos and bullets used in ballistic tests for the Grapevine murders 2064. Bonnie and Clyde Original Vintage Photograph and Bullet Archive. Unique and historic archive
consisting of five bullets attributed to J. D. Goss’s ballistic tests in the case against Bonnie Parker’s sister, Billie Mace, for the Grapevine murders; and 27 original vintage first-generation photos of and related to Bonnie and Clyde, ranging from 4.75 x 3 mug shots to 5 x 7 autopsy and death car photos. This archive was featured on the PBS series History Detectives in 2003; the story behind these items was determined on the show.
The five bullets were originally passed down through the family of J. D. Goss, a ballistics expert who was called in to assist George Lacy in an analysis of test bullets fired from guns recovered from Bonnie and Clyde’s car. These were used in the investigation of the Grapevine murders of two highway patrolmen on Easter Sunday, 1934. Originally, Bonnie Parker’s sister, Billie Mace, was linked to the murders by an eyewitness, making her the prime suspect. However, others—Frank Hamer included—believed that Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were the culprits. When they were killed in an ambush on May 23, 1934, guns were removed from their car— including seven Colt .45s and a Colt .38 revolver—and ballistic tests were undertaken by George Lacy, with Goss’s assistance. Goss’s involvement in the investigation is described in the May 30, 1934 issue of the Dallas Times Herald, as uncovered by History Detectives, which states, ‘J. D. Goss, ballistics expert…left Dallas Wednesday noon for Houston to aid George M. [sic] Lacy of the Houston police department in examination and tests of bullets taken from the scene of the killing on Easter Sunday.’ On May 31, 1934, Lacy announced that the .45 test bullets fired from one of the Parker-Barrow guns matched the bullets from the scene of the Grapevine slayings. Billie Mace was thus exonerated and released from custody. Further evidence of the relationship between Lacy and Goss is found in the photographic archive: of the 27 photos which were also in Goss’s possession, seven are stamped on the front with Lacy’s information, “Geo. J. Lacy, Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory, Houston - Texas.” Ten of the photos depict Bonnie and/or Clyde, including five grisly death shots (three of Bonnie and two of Clyde). The others portray members of their gang, as well as their bullet-riddled death car. In overall very good to fine condition. Accompanied by a transcript of the History Detectives show in which this lot was featured, as well as copies of articles related to the archive. An altogether remarkable collection boasting excellent provenance. Starting Bid $1,000
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Bonnie Parker’s glasses, recovered from the infamous ‘death car’
2065. Bonnie Parker’s Death Car Glasses. Bonnie Parker’s glasses recovered when her body was removed from the ‘death car’ after she and Clyde Barrow were killed in Louisiana on May 23, 1934, after being double-crossed by one of their own. The glasses were obtained by Sheriff T. R. Hughes and used in his own deceitful sting operation to trap the informant, Henry Methvin. After that, the sheriff sent them as a gift to Oklahoma oil millionaire A. O. Olson, who presented them to legendary FBI gunslinger D. A. ‘Jelly’ Bryce nearly forty years later. Accompanying the glasses are several items that trace the provenance: A circa 1938 envelope inscribed in period fountain pen, “Glasses worn by Bonnie Parker when killed near Arcadia, La. Presented to Mr. A. O. Olson, by T. R. Hughes, sheriff of Caddo Parish, Shreveport, La.” Olson’s company had oil drilling operations in Louisiana, which is likely how he met Sheriff Hughes. A letter from Cecil C. Harberson to “Mr. A. O. Olson, 1345 East 29th, Tulsa, Oklahoma,” dated October 19, 1938, in part: “I am mailing to you today, under separate cover, the Bonnie Parker glasses…You will find attached the envelope the glasses were wrapped in, as the writing on it does not permit my sending
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it with the glasses.” A box inscribed on the top by Olson, “To D. A. Bryce, Bonnie Parkers glasses given to me by Tom Hughes sheriff of Caddo Parish, Shreveport, La., 1938. A. O. Olson.” Also inscribed on the bottom of the box, in part, “Returned to me by D. A. Bryces niece, administrator of D. A. Bryce Estate. He passed away May 12, 1974.” D. A. ‘Jelly’ Bryce, a legendary FBI sharpshooter, was an Oklahoma native and associate of A. O. Olson, as described in the 2003 biography by Ron Owens, Jelly Bryce: Legendary Lawman. Bryce first became acquainted with Olson while serving as the FBI Special Agent in Charge in Oklahoma City, and in his retirement conducted investigations for the oilman. The same book describes Bryce showing the Bonnie Parker death glasses to his friend Leon Cleary. ____ On January 16, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde arrived at the Eastham Prison Farm in Huntsville, Texas, to break out Barrow Gang member Raymond Hamilton. Orchestrated in advance with accomplices and armed inmates, the raid was a success. Hamilton was freed, a prison guard was killed, and a small band of convicts accompanied them in the ensuing chaos— including the treacherous Henry Methvin, who took up Clyde’s offer to join the gang.
Meanwhile, the full power of the Texas and federal governments were brought to bear on the manhunt for Bonnie and Clyde. Famed Texas Ranger Frank Hamer came out of retirement, forming the famous six-man posse that would carry out the final ambush just four months later. Barrow’s new gang member, Henry Methvin, proved critical to Hamer’s ambush. Through intermediaries, he negotiated a full pardon from Texas Governor Ma Ferguson to write off the remainder of his ten-year Eastham sentence in exchange for delivering the outlaw couple. And so, the trap was set. Bonnie and Clyde were traveling through Methvin’s native Louisiana and planned to stay at his parents’ house. On May 23, 1934, in Bienville Parish, Henry’s father Ivan ‘Ivy’ Methvin parked on the side of the road with a ‘flat tire’ as a decoy. Hamer’s posse lay in wait for Bonnie and Clyde, who came hurtling down the road as expected. When the outlaws stopped to assist Methvin, the posse closed in and riddled them with a hail of bullets. The Shreveport Journal reported on the killing the next day in an article entitled “Barrow and Parker Woman Had Paid in Looks and Health for Months of Dodging Officers.” Describing the grisly scene, Tom Ashley wrote of the fallen Bonnie Parker: “She wore eyeglasses—the kind one wears to see better, not dark ones for glare or disguise. They were silver rimmed, and fell from her shot-torn face as her limp form was lowered from the car onto a funeral truck. The glasses were thickly splotched with blood, the blood of a killer’s girl friend whose thorny trek through a short-lived life, haunted by man-hunting officers, was lastly and effectively pricked with the carrying out of orders to ‘shoot to kill.’” Alexandria’s The Town Talk simply reported: “The Parker woman was slumped forward with her head between her knees. She had on glasses.” Sheriff T. R. Hughes of Louisiana’s Caddo Parish suspected Henry Methvin of participating in a bank robbery as well as a car theft. He was also aware of new evidence that implicated Methvin in the Grapevine killings in Texas, and authorities there hoped to question him. Since the Texas pardon only covered crimes for which Methvin had already been charged, he could still face the consequences of the brutal April 1934 slaying of two police officers in Grapevine. Sheriff Hughes vowed to capture Methvin. After Bonnie and Clyde were killed, Sheriff Hughes gathered up some of their personal effects in a ploy to lure Methvin to his office. On the afternoon September 5, 1934—more than three months later—Methvin arrived and asked to see the sheriff, saying, “I’m Henry Methvin and I’ve come to get some clothes of mine you’re holding,” as reported by the Shreveport Times on September 6th. At the same time, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported, “Methvin brazenly walked into Sheriff T. R. Hughes’ office to obtain clothing which belonged to him, Barrow and the Parker woman.” Sheriff Hughes promptly arrested him. Although Methvin was ultimately found not guilty for the Grapevine murders, he was extradited to Oklahoma where he was sentenced to death for the murder of Constable Cal Campbell near Commerce, Oklahoma. The sentence was commuted in 1936, and Methvin was paroled in 1942. Between these contemporary news reports and the accompanying materials, these glasses boast excellent provenance and stand as an absolutely incredible relic representing the fast life and grisly death of Bonnie Parker.Starting Bid $5,000
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2068. Clyde Barrow, Henry Methvin, and Joe Palmer Original Vintage Composite Mug Shot Photograph. Vintage glossy 4.5 x 7.5 composite photo
of mug shots and fingerprints belonging to Clyde Barrow, Henry Methvin, and Joe Palmer. In very good condition, with moderate overall creasing and two tears to right edge. Starting Bid $200
Rare police lineup shot of a “pal of Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, and Billie Mace” 2069. W. D. Jones Original Vintage Police Photograph. Rare original vintage glossy
2.5 x 7 full-length police ‘lineup’ photo of W. D. Jones, featuring a typed identification caption on the reverse, in part: “11-25-33, William Daniel Jones, Dallace Police No. 11711… age 17, height 5 feet 7 1/2 inches, weight 139 lbs, hair chestnut, eyes grey, build medium, occupation laborer…pal of Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, and Billie Mace.” In very good to fine condition, with a paperclip impression to top left corner and surface impressions from notes on reverse. Accompanied by a four-page carbon copy of a document containing statements by Jones about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, dated December 14, 1933. Starting Bid $200
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Hamilton’s gang demands money from the road—“Dont try any funny stuff and dont you leave home today because I have got men watching you all the time” 2070. Raymond Hamilton Gang Letter Signed. ALS in
pencil, written by an unknown gang member, signed on Hamilton’s behalf “Raymond Hamilton and the gang,” one page both sides, lightly lined, 5 x 8, no date but postmarked November 11, 1934. Letter to Mr. J. W. Peters, in (spelling and grammar retained): I need $350 dollars I have plenty money but i cant get it now. leave me $350 at the rocky road closed to your house by that conoco oil company sign and I will give you back $700 dollars for the use of it with in 2 weeks. If you don’t I will get you and the money to. So dont try any funny stuf and dont you leave home today because I have got men watching you all the time. Me and blackie and 6 more of the gang will be watching you all the time, so leave the money by the oil company sign and you won’t get hurt leave the money there at 7 o’clock monday night Nov. 12. I no you got the money and I want it for a while.” In very good condition, with overall rippling and chipping to bottom edge. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, and an ANS signed by Special Agent E. J. Dowd, dated November 13th, in full: “Letter received from Denver Scale. Investigator, District Atty’s Office.” Hamilton proved himself as slippery as any of the Depression-era desperadoes, evading and escaping capture on numerous occasions as both a current and former member of the Barrow Gang. After months on the lam, Hamilton was finally arrested by Sheriff Smoot Schmid at a Fort Worth train yard on April 5, 1935, and executed by electric chair a month later at Huntsville’s Texas State Penitentiary. A gritty letter conveying the palpable anxiety and desperation of the 21-year-old outlaw. Starting Bid $200
2071. Raymond Hamilton Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph and FBI Papers. Original vintage glossy
4.75 x 3.25 mug shot photograph of Raymond Hamilton after being recaptured in December 1932 following his escape from a Texas prison farm, with a typed identification caption on the reverse, in part: “Raymond Hamilton, Dallas, Texas, #10661. Age 19 (1932). Ht. 5-6 1/2 S. Wt. 138. Hair Blonde. Eyes Blue. Comp. Med. Bld. Slender. Res. RFD #6 Box 101, Dallas, Texas. Nat. Weleetka, Okla.” In very good to fine condition, with scattered creasing and mild ink smudges. Accompanied by carbon copies of an official US Bureau of Investigation document detailing the execution of Raymond Hamilton on May 10, 1935. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Traveling with the gang in 1934— “Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow came back in a V8 Ford coach and picked me up” 2072. Mary Pitts Signed Eyewitness Statement and Original Vintage Photograph Archive.
DS, signed “Mary Pitts,” four pages, 8.5 x 11, August 3, 1934. Voluntary statement issued to Special Agent Edward J. Dowd of the Division of Investigation, in which a 19-year-old Pitts details her time spent with Raymond Hamilton and the Barrow Gang during the early months of 1934, in part: “The latter part of Feby 1934, I first contacted Raymond Hamilton through his brother Floyd…[who] picked me up at the American Hotel…[and] told me that Raymond…would like to see me…We sat in the cars until we saw a black V8 Ford come along containing Raymond Hamilton, Henry Methvin, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow…Raymond Hamilton introduced me to Clyde Barrow. Bonnie Parker was drunk and had passed out, and I did not meet her until that same night… After being with the boys about two weeks, including Bonnie Parker, they took me in their car to Wichita Falls, and dropped me off on the road. Henry Methvin, Raymond Hamilton, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow came back in a V8 Ford coach and picked me up. We went through Oklahoma, and other States until we reached Terre Haute, Indiana…Raymond and I rode the bus and train and returned to Beaumont…the woman asked Raymond which bank he robbed. He said the bank at west, Texas… We had stolen a paper on the road and noticed that two highway police officers had been killed and they suspicioned us or Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker…This was on Monday following Easter Sunday…Then we found out about a killing at Miami, Okla in which the paper stated that Raymond was with Clyde and Bonnie Parker who were suspected of doing the killing…In the meantime Raymond robbed a bank at Lewisville, Texas and got caught and was sent back to the Huntsville Penitentiary…I last saw Raymond when he was tried at Huntsville for killing a guard when he escaped from Eastham farm on January 16, 1934. Raymond was sentenced to death…Raymond Hamilton and two other, Joe Palmer and Blackie Thomson escaped from the death cells on July 22, 1934. I do not know anything about the escape and have not seen or heard from Raymond since his escape.” Pitts signs at the conclusion, and adds her signature to the bottom of the preceding three pages. In fine condition. Includes three vintage glossy photos of Pitts, and also accompanied by a trove of letters and documents related to Pitts and her various dealings with Hamilton and the Barrow Gang, dated from August 1934 to February 1935, with many signed by notable attorneys and law enforcement officers of the day, including: E. J. Dowd, Clyde O. Eastus, J. Earle Kuntz, Fred Hickman, R. B. Nathan, and Melvin Purvis. A fascinating and detailed collection of material related to the notorious fringe member of the Barrow Gang.Starting Bid $200
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2073. Raymond Hamilton and Hilton Bybee Original Vintage Composite Mug Shot Photograph. Original vintage glossy 4.5 x 7.75 composite photo
of mug shots for Raymond Hamilton and Hilton Bybee. In very good condition, with heavy overall creasing, trimming, edge tears, and large diagonal crease and resulting tear through left of Hamilton image. On January 16, 1934, Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, and Jimmy Mullens successfully executed the Eastham Prison Farm breakout that freed a quartet of thieves and killers in Hamilton, Bybee, Joe Palmer, and Henry Methvin. Starting Bid $200
2074. Floyd Hamilton Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Original vintage glossy 4.75 x 3.25 mug shot photo of
Barrow Gang associate Floyd Hamilton, featuring a typed identification caption on the reverse, in part: “Floyd Garland Hamilton (white), Age: 25 (1934) / Ht.: 5´ 10˝ / Wt.: 145 / Hair: blonde / Eyes: blue / Comp.: sallow.” In fine condition, with some surface impressions and paperclip marks to top edge. Starting Bid $200
2075. Henry Methvin Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph.
Original vintage glossy 5 x 3.5 mug shot photograph of Henry Methvin in 1931, featuring a typed identification caption on the reverse, in part: “Henry Methvin. Hair Lt Brow - Eyes Blue - Wt. 170 - Ht. 5-9 1/2 - Age 20 (31), Comp Fair - Nat. La., Tatoo: dagger pierced heart & ltrs ‘LOVE’ rt fa innr.” In very good to fine condition, with a bend to blank right border and some surface impressions from notes on reverse. Accompanied by a carbon copy of an official document concerning Methvin, in part: “Undeveloped Leads…New Orleans Office is requested to locate Henry Methvin at the home of his father near Arcadia, La., and interview him, obtaining if possible complete signed statement of time he contacted Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, circumstances etc., since his escape from the Eastham Prison Farm, Texas, on 1/16/34.” Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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The father of two Barrow Gang associates
2076. Joe Chambless Signed Fingerprint Card and Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Two items related to
the 1934 arrest and processing of suspected Barrow Gang affiliate Joe Chambless: an original vintage glossy 5 x 4 mug shot photo; and an original Department of Justice fingerprint card, 8 x 8, signed in the lower right by Chambless. The opposite side of the card lists the institution as the Wichita Falls Police Department, a received date of October 5, 1934, and notes the crime as “Investigation—Released.” Additionally, the card features a physical description and brief criminal history consisting of an “Internal Revenue” charge in June 1934. In overall very good condition, with deep vertical crease through center, horizontal crease towards bottom, and rusty paperclip impressions to top left center of photo; and a horizontal crease to card. Chambless was the father of Mary O’Dare Pitts and Odell Chambless. Pitts dated Barrow Gang member Raymond Hamilton and, for a short time, was a fringe member herself, in spite of the disapproval of both Bonnie and Clyde. Odell Chambless dated the sister of Hamilton, Lillian McBride, and was an integral reason for the death of Deputy Malcolm Davis on January 6, 1933. Davis was shot and killed by a shotgun-toting Clyde Barrow when the latter stopped at the McBride house to confirm plans for an upcoming prison break of Lillian’s brother, Raymond. Davis and three other police officers were staking out the residence for the expected arrival of Odell Chambless, the culprit in a recent Fort Worth bank robbery. Starting Bid $200
2079. Billie Jean Parker Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Sister
2078. Joe Palmer Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Original vintage pearl-finish 4.25 x 3.5 mug
shot photo of Barrow Gang associate Joe Palmer, with physical description caption to lower border. In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
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of Bonnie Parker (1912–1993) who served one year at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia for harboring her fugitive sister and Clyde Barrow. Original vintage glossy 4.75 x 3.25 mug shot photograph of Bonnie Parker’s younger sister, Billie Jean Parker, with pencil annotations on the reverse identifying her aliases: “Billie Parker alias Billie Mace, alias Fred Mace, husband in Texas Pen, Huntsville, Texas.” In very good condition, with surface impressions from writing on reverse and ink mark to right side of her face. Starting Bid $200
Suspected informant of the Barrow clan
2080. Joe Francis Signed Fingerprint Card and Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Two items related to the 1934 arrest and processing of suspected Barrow Gang affiliate Joe Francis: an original vintage glossy 4.75 x 3.25 mug shot photo of Francis with arrest card dated “2–2–34,” featuring a handwritten physical description on the reverse; and an original Dallas Police Department fingerprint card, 8 x 8, vertically signed along the right side in pencil by Francis. Purple identification text reads: “Age 19 (1934) Ht. 6–0 S. Wt. 157. Hair D. Ch. Eyes Brn. Com. Med. Bld. Slender. Occ. Laborer. Res. Rt. 6, Dallas County Texas. Nat. La. I. Vac. III. Face pimpled.” Lower portion lists cause for arrest: “2–1–34, Arr. by Dets. Jones–Archer; Inv. G. P–Reld. (Alleged companion of Clyde Barrow #6048).” In overall fine condition, with scattered creasing and surface impressions to photo; and a center horizontal crease to card. On November 22, 1933, Francis, the husband of Clyde Barrow’s sister, Marie, drove several Barrow and Parker family members to an isolated stretch on Highway 15 in Sowers, Texas. The plan was to meet up with Bonnie and Clyde and celebrate the 51st birthday of the Barrow matriarch, Cumie. The joyous event quickly turned into a barrage of bullets as a posse led by Sheriff Smoot Schmid fired into the passing car of Bonnie and Clyde, both of whom escaped but not without receiving grievous leg injuries. An informant was suspected to have aided in the nearly successful trap, with many in the Barrow clan pointing fingers squarely at Francis. Starting Bid $200
2081. Hilton Bybee Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph and FBI Papers. Portion of a Federal
Bureau of Investigation criminal profile for convicted murderer and Eastham Prison Farm escapee Hilton Bybee, including: a vintage glossy 3.25 x 5 head-andshoulders photo of Bybee, with physical description form on reverse filled out in black ink; two pages of handwritten memos, 8 x 10.5, listing Bybee’s physical traits, family, known hangouts, and affiliated parties, with one page bearing an FBI Dallas office stamp dated July 6, 1937; and two typed letters from Special Agent F. J. Blake, both unsigned, 8 x 10.5. The first, dated July 3, 1937, concerns Bybee’s escape from the Texas State Penitentiary farm on June 22, 1937; the second, dated August 6, 1937, in full: “Please withdraw Wanted Notice placed in the Identification Division as requested in my letter of July 3, 1937 against the above individual. Bybee was killed on July 20, 1937 near Monticello, Arkansas.” In overall very good to fine condition, with scattered surface impressions and horizontal crease through facial area. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Engaging photographic timeline of Blanche Barrow—including eight signed candids
2082. Blanche Barrow Collection of (36) Original Vintage Candid Photographs Including (8) Signed.
Amazing collection of 36 vintage glossy and semi-glossy photographs kept by the family of Blanche Barrow, the wife of Marvin ‘Buck’ Barrow and the sister-in-law of Clyde Barrow, ranging in size from 2 x 3 to 3.25 x 5, with the majority depicting Blanche, Buck, and various other Barrow relatives and friends. Blanche has annotated several photos in ink or pencil, and has added her signature to a total of eight photos, with two signed “Blanche” and the five others signed with her initials, “B. B.” The other signed image, a profile portrait of Blanche wearing fur, is annotated on the front in ink, “Taken during W. W. 2,” and signed on the reverse in pencil, “Blanche B. Frasure,” who adds her address and various physical details. Another photo showing Blanche in a full-length pose and wearing a black dress is inscribed on the front in black ink, “Love to dad,” and bears an ANS on the reverse, “These are not very good but you can tell I am well and getting along fine. So dear don’t worry this was taken beside the hospital where I live. I will have some more taken soon and send you a good one if I can take a good one ha ha. Now cheer up dear and get well so you can see your big fat baby girl some of these days before long.” Other highlights include: a 2.25 x 4.25 full-length photo of Darrell Barrow and Buck Barrow sitting on the front steps of a porch; a 2.25 x 4 full-length photo of siblings Marie and L. C. Barrow posing in a car, annotated below in green ink by Blanche; and a 3 x 4.75 photo of a candid snapshot photo of a small house on a platform surrounded by water, which, according to historian Jonathan Davis, was a Gulf of Mexico hideout used by the Barrow Gang at different times. In overall very good to fine condition, with some scrapbook remnants to reverse of some. Consisting of pictures taken before and during her brief time with the Barrow Gang, and then in the wake of her six-year residence at Missouri State Prison, this is a tremendous collection of photographs that poignantly chronicle the life of Blanche Barrow, a woman whose intense devotion to her husband earned her unintended membership into one of America’s most storied gangs. Starting Bid $300
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Voluntary statement from family members of the late Clyde Barrow 2083. Marie and Cumie Barrow Signed Statement. DS, signed “Marie Francis” and “Mrs. C. T. Barrow,” one page, 8 x 10.5, July 26, 1934. Voluntary statement made to Special Agent E. J. Dowd, in part: “Shortly after Raymond Hamilton, Joe Palmer and Henry Methvin escaped from Eastha[m] Prison Farm, Texas, in January 1934, Floyd Hamilton and his wife, Mildred, came by my place and carried me in their automobile with Mary O’Dare to about ten miles outside of Dallas, Texas, where we met Clyde Barrow, Bonnie Parker, Henry Methvin and Raymond Hamilton in a Ford V–8 Coach. Mary O’Dare got out of the car and joined Raymond Hamilton, Henry Methvin and Clyde and Bonnie Parker. I returned to Dallas with Floyd Hamilton and his wife. Since that occasion I saw Henry Methvin one or two times when he visited my mother’s home. I have not seen Mary O’Dare except on the streets of Dallas and when she was getting out of a taxicab at Floyd Hamilton’s mother’s home. Mary O’Dare has not visited me or my mother at my home.” Signed at the conclusion by Marie, and countersigned by Cumie and E. J. Dowd as witnesses. In fine condition, with three horizontal folds and creasing to opposing diagonal corners. Signed by both the sister and mother of outlaw Clyde Barrow, this impressive document dates to a little over a month after the ambush killing of Bonnie and Clyde by a six-man posse on a backwoods Louisiana road. This voluntary statement represents one of many ordered in preparation for the forthcoming Bonnie and Clyde harboring trial of 1935, in which twenty associates of the Barrow Gang were sentenced to varying degrees of jail time; Cumie Barrow was sentenced to 30 days in county jail, and Marie Barrow Francis incarcerated for one hour. Starting Bid $200
2084. Barrow Gang Collection of (5) Original Vintage Mug Shot Photographs. Grouping of five original vintage
glossy mug shot and ‘lineup’ photos of various affiliates of the Barrow Gang, including: a 5 x 3.5 mug shot of Barrow Gang accomplice Joe Palmer, an escapee from Eastham prison who was convicted of killing a prison guard during the break; a 2 x 6.25 lineup photo of James Mullen, an ex-convict who helped Clyde Barrow and Floyd Hamilton perform the famous Eastham prison break on January 16, 1943; a 4.75 x 3.25 mug shot of John Basden, a former truck driver who aided Floyd and Raymond Hamilton in the robbery of the First State Bank in Grand Prairie, Texas; a 5 x 3.25 mug shot of Barney Pitts, the second husband of Mary O’Dare Pitts, the girlfriend of Raymond Hamilton; and a 4.75 x 3.25 mug shot of Steve Davis, one of the 23 defendants in the 1935 harboring trial of Bonnie and Clyde, who was sentenced to 90 days in county jail. In overall very good condition, with scattered creases and surface impressions, most notably a central vertical fold to the Palmer photo. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Exhaustive records from the 1935 Bonnie and Clyde ‘harboring trial’ 2085. Barrow Gang FBI Archive. Comprehensive archive of material re-
lated to the 1935 Bonnie and Clyde harboring trial and the detainment of its 23 defendants, dated between February 1934 and November 1936, consisting of 23 letters, 41 documents, 16 telegrams, and various other ephemera such as memos and information packets. The majority of the letters and documents are typed carbon copies, with some signed by period law enforcement officers like Dwight Brantley, W. E. Wyatt, F. X. Fay, Charles J. Crane, W. H. Bietendorf, D. W. Magee, and F. J. Blake. The large assortment of documents consist primarily of case files related to the indictment of nearly all those accused of harboring Bonnie and Clyde, “so as to prevent their discovery and arrest…particularly between January 16, 1934 and May 23, 1934 in the Northern District of Texas.” Items of particular intrigue follow the chronological manhunt of Raymond and Floyd Hamilton: a case file from February 2, 1935, notes that all indicted subjects in harboring trial are in custody, with the exceptions being Raymond, Floyd, and Mildred Hamilton. Two days later, a telegram issued by Agent Blake, in part: “Floyd Hamilton and Raymond Hamilton engaged Dallas Police gun battle tonight and escaped division agents not involved in fight being on duty another location no officers wounded and apparently neither bandit seriously injured although forced to abandon car in which were riding stop I was en route to location of battle when fighting started arriving about three minutes afterwards.” A memorandum issued the following day by G. D. Crow, Jr., concerns the retrieval of the getaway vehicle, in part: “The truck was found about three miles Southeast of Hutchin, Texas, in a heavy thicket. There were blood stains on the back of the front seat about even with the shoulder of the driver.” Later that same day, on February 5th, a telegram is dispatched: “Floyd Garland Hamilton et al harboring reported apprehended admitting identity on bus alone Shreveport, Louisiana.” Two more case files are issued in regard to Raymond Hamilton: one on February 12th, distinguishes him as the only defendant in the harboring trial not in custody, and the second, released some three months later on May 7th, affirms that Hamilton is “confined in the State Penitentiary, Huntsville, Texas, awaiting execution for murder.” Other highlights include: a carbon copy of a document from Agent E. J. Dowd, dated September 26,1934, relates to S. J. ‘Baldy’ Whatley, an informant within the Barrow Gang, in part: “He stated that on one night in particular he met Clyde Barrow on one of the cross roads between Ft. Worth and Dallas, and was approached by Clyde Barrow with a proposition to make a lot of money—about $25,000…Barrow then told Baldy Whatley the proposition was to release O. D. Stevens and others from the Tarrant County Jail”; a memorandum from Agent C. B. Winstead, dated February 2, 1934, concerns the whereabouts of Bonnie and Clyde and mentions “that a doctor by the name of R. Walker at Cheneyville, Louisiana, treated Clyde Barrow for bullet wound in his left leg”; a case file from February 20, 1935, relating to the misplacement of arrest warrants for Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker from May 20, 1933; a case file from September 18, 1934, in which Henry Methvin pleads guilty to harboring Bonnie and Clyde, and opts to testify against various other defendants; a carbon copy of a report bearing detailed information of a two-week rundown on the migratory behavior of the Barrow Gang; and a handwritten memo from H. E. Plaxico, stampdated February 7, 1935, noting that it is believed that “Mr. W. O. Bracken and his son, Ernest Bracken, who live on Route #1, Palmer, Texas, had harbored Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, and was probably harboring Raymond Hamilton.” In overall very good condition. Although Bonnie and Clyde had been gunned down on the back roads of Louisiana on May 23, 1934, Dallas and federal authorities wasted little time in punishing those suspected of aiding and abetting the elusive outlaw couple. With ample never-before-seen material relating to both criminal and lawman alike, this incredible archive offers a unique opportunity to delve even deeper into one of the period’s most memorable trials. A dense and highly informative source of Barrow Gang history. Starting Bid $200
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2086. Barrow Gang Collection of (7) Original Vintage Gun Arsenal Photographs. Selection of seven original
vintage glossy photos, consisting of five 8.5 x 6.5 photos of a 1911 US Army .45 automatic Colt pistol, with engraving on frame above trigger: “United States Property, No. 527651”; and two 6.75 x 8.75 photos depicting an arsenal of rifles and handguns. In overall very good condition, with trimmed edges and an edge tear to one photo. Accompanied by a TLS from Special Agent R. B. Nathan, dated February 9, 1935, with subject reading: “Clyde Champion Barrow, Et Al, National Motor Vehicle Theft Act.” The letter, in part: “I am also transmitting photographs of a number of guns appearing in the file, which appear to be the only photographs in our file taken at the time of the investigation reported in Agent Brantley’s report.” Starting Bid $200
Exceptional list of 20 sentenced B&C harboring trial 2088. Barrow Gang Wichita Falls FBI File Plea Sheet. Remarkable
original sentencing list of the 23 defendants indicted in the famous 1935 Bonnie and Clyde harboring trial, one page, 8.5 x 14, no date [February 26, 1935]. Defendants are sorted into four sections and listed in accordance with their plea: “Defendants Pleading Not Guilty, 1. Floyd Garland Hamilton, Guilty 2 yrs Leavenworth / 2. Billie Mace, “ 1 yr 1 day Alderson W. Va. / 3. Mildred Hamilton, “ 1 hour Co. jail / 4. L. C. Barrow, “ 13 mo Leavenworth not to run concurrent with / 5. Mrs. Emma Parker, “ 30 days / 6. Mrs. Alice Hamilton Davis, “ 30 days / 7. Henry Methvin, “ 15 mo, concurrent with such sentence Rec in open / 8. Mrs. Cumie Barrow, “ 30 days Co Jail / 9. Steve Davis, “ 90 days Co Jail / 10. S. J. Whatley, “ 1 yr 1 day Leavenworth, not to run concurrent / 11. W. H. Bybee, “ 90 days Co jail run concurrent with sentence now serving / 12. Marie Francis, “ 1 hr county jail / 13. Audrey Fay Barrow, “ 15 days Co jail Dallas jail / 14. Joe Chambless, “ 60 days Dallas Co Jail / 15. William D. Jones, “ 2 yrs Leavenworth with sentence now serving.” The second section: “Defendants Who Plead Guilty, 16. Mary Pitts, Guilty, 1 yr 1 day Alderson W. Va. / 17. John Basden, “ 1 yr 1 day Leavenworth / 18. Joe Francis, “ 60 days / 19. James Mullen, “ 4 mo… / 20. Blanche Barrow, “ 1 yr 1 day Alderson W. Va., run current with sentence now serving.” The third section: “Defendants Dismissed, 21. Lillian McBride, Dismissed by US atty, 2–22–35 / 22. Beulah Praytor, Dismissed by US atty, 2–22–35.” The final section, “Defendant Not Apprehended,” lists Raymond Hamilton as “At Large.” In fine condition, with expected document wear. Over a year after the death of Bonnie and Clyde, an ensemble of all who helped, hid, or conspired with the two outlaws were accordingly sentenced in a Dallas courtroom in late February 1935. As the list indicates, 20 of the 23 indicted were given sentences ranging from “1 hour” in a county jail to a full two years in prison; Lillie McBride, the sister of of Raymond Hamilton, and Beulah Praytor, were dismissed for lack of evidence. Hamilton remained at large, but was later captured and executed by electric chair less than two months later. An exceptional document from one of the largest and most publicized trials of the period. Starting Bid $300
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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A defendant in the 1935 Bonnie and Clyde trial
2089. Beulah Praytor Signed Fingerprint Card and Original Vintage Mug Shot Photograph. Two items related
to the 1934 arrest and processing of suspected Barrow Gang affiliate Beulah Praytor: an original vintage glossy 5 x 4 mug shot photo, with arrest number in background dated “9–5–34”; and an original Department of Justice fingerprint card, 8 x 8, signed in the lower right by Praytor. The opposite side of the card lists the institution as the Wichita Falls Police Department, a received date of October 5, 1934, and notes the crime as “Investigation—Released.” Additionally, the card features a physical description and brief criminal history consisting of an “Internal Revenue” charge in June 1934. In overall very good condition, with horizontal creases and paperclip impressions to both. The common law wife of Joe Chambless, Praytor was one of 23 indicted on charges of harboring and concealing the late Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Others charged included the mothers of the two bandits, Cumie Barrow and Emma Parker, former gang member Henry Methvin, Marry Pitts, L. C. Barrow, Blanche Barrow, Billie Mace, and Lillian McBride. Both McBride and Praytor were dismissed when the case first opened, for lack of evidence. Starting Bid $200
2090. Beulah Praytor Voluntary Statement. DS, signed “Beulah Praytor,” one page, 8.25 x 10.75, City of Wichita Falls letterhead, October 5, 1934. Voluntary statement issued to Special Agent E. J. Dowd of the Division of Investigation, U. S. Dept. of Justice, in part: “I have known Mary O’Dare Pitts, daughter of Joe Chambless since she was twelve or thirteen years of age. I do not know Raymond Hamilton, but recall seeing him in jail at Fort Worth, Texas two or three years ago. I never accompanied Joe Chambless in his automobile or any other automobile to the home of Floyd Hamilton at West Dallas, Texas, and I never went for the purpose of seeing Raymond Hamilton with Mary Pitts O’Dare. To my knowledge I never heard Joe Chambless say that he contacted Raymond Hamilton, Clyde Barrow or Bonnie Parker. I am not acquainted with Clyde Barrow or Bonnie Parker. Raymond Hamilton, Clyde Barrow or Bonnie Parker have never been to my house, at Wichita Falls, Texas and I never heard Joe Chambless say that they came there, during my absence. In fact I never knew them to call at the house.” Signed at the conclusion by Praytor, and countersigned by Dowd as a witness. In fine condition, with three horizontal folds and left hand corner creases. The common law wife of Joe Chambless, Praytor was one of 23 indicted on charges of harboring and concealing the late Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker. Others charged included the mothers of the two bandits, Cumie Barrow and Emma Parker, former gang member Henry Methvin, Marry Pitts, L. C. Barrow, Blanche Barrow, Billie Mace, and Lillian McBride. Both McBride and Praytor were dismissed when the case first opened, for lack of evidence. Starting Bid $200
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“I am not acquainted with Clyde Barrow or Bonnie Parker” 2091. L. C. Barrow FBI Archive. Small archive of official documents related to L. C. Barrow, including: a four-page FBI document bearing a printed signature of J. Edgar Hoover, March 30, 1939, consisting of a transcript of the Bureau’s records concerning Barrow, listing dates from 1931–1936, with charges including “larceny of auto,” “auto theft,” “harboring a fug.,” and “robb.”; a carbon copy of a 1935 letter from Special Agent F. J. Blake, inquiring as to whether “L.C. Barrow, who was sentenced to Leavenworth Penitentiary for harboring Clyde Barrow, will be returned to the Dallas County Jail”; a response to Blake detailing L. C. Barrow’s sentencing and movement between prisons; and two carbon copies of other general letters related to this correspondence. In overall very good to fine condition. Starting Bid $200
2092. Frank Hamer Jr. Signed Book. Signed book: ‘I’m Frank
Hamer’: The Life of a Texas Peace Officer. Limited special edition, numbered 114/300. Austin, Texas: The Pemberton Press, 1968. Leatherbound hardcover with slipcase and facsimile Texas Ranger badge on the spine, 7.5 x 10.5, 305 pages. Signed on the colophon in blue ballpoint by Frank Hamer’s widow, “Mrs. Frank A. Hamer, Sr.” and his son, “Frank A. Hamer, Jr.,” and in black ink by the authors, “H. Gordon Frost” and “John H. Jenkins.” In fine condition, with some spotting to slipcase. Frank Hamer, Jr., was also a Texas Ranger, and Jenkins was a flamboyant Texas writer and gambler who was later found shot in the back with a rifle (it was ruled a suicide!). An uncommon, handsomely bound edition honoring the Texas Ranger tasked with hunting down Bonnie and Clyde. Starting Bid $200
2093. FBI Science of Fingerprints Book. Rare book: The Science of Fingerprints. Washington, D.C.: US Government Printing Office, 1973. Paperback, 5.75 x 9, 198 pages. In very good to fine condition, with toning to cover and bottom right corner folds to first several pages. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Pop Culture Effects
2095. Bonnie and Clyde Movie Oversized Cast Signed Photograph. Glossy 14 x 11 photo of the cast of the classic
1967 film Bonnie and Clyde, signed in blue and black felt tip by Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, Michael J. Pollard, Gene Hackman, and Estelle Parsons. In fine condition, with mild surface scuffing and corner tip dings. A highly desirable fully signed cast photo which is typically quite challenging to acquire. Starting Bid $200
2096. Bonnie and Clyde Prop Machine Gun from the 1967 Movie. Realistic prop
Tommy gun used in the classic 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The replica gun is constructed of metal and wood, and marked on the body, “Model of 1921” and “Thompson Submachine Gun, Manufactured by MGC Modelgun Corporation, Tokyo Japan.” The gun was presented to Bill Amarson from the property master of the film. Accompanied by a modern photo of the characters in the movie (Beatty and Dunaway are seen holding similar prop Tommy guns), as well as a letter of provenance from Bill Amarson, in part: “The submachine gun… purchased from me was used as a prop in the move ‘Bonnie & Clyde.’ The gun was given to me as a present by the property master (Terry).” In very good to fine condition, with minor nicks from use. The most iconic firearm of America’s gangster era, the Tommy gun has an enduring pop cultural legacy—these vintage replicas are sought-after by collectors even without being associated to the much-lauded ‘67 movie. Beatty and Dunaway’s Bonnie and Clyde is considered a landmark film, having won two Oscars after being nominated for ten. A quintessential prop from an iconic film. Starting Bid $300
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Scarce window card for a cult classic 2097. Marihuana Movie Window Card Poster. Scarce color 14 x 19 window card for the Roadshow Attractions exploitation film Marihuana, circa 1940s–1950s, featuring the ‘longhaired blonde’ variation of the artwork used to advertise the movie. Some of the text reads: “Daring Drug Expose,” “Shame! Horror, Despair,” “Weed with roots in Hell!,” “What happens at Marihuana parties,” and “Weird Orgies, Wild Parties, Unleashed Passions.” Across the top is an advertisement for the 1940 film Souls in Pawn. In very good condition, with a tear to middle bottom edge repaired on reverse, pin holes to corners, and paper loss to upper left corner tip. The films Marihuana and Souls in Pawn were often featured together during the 1940s and 50s, dating this window card to that period. Originally released in 1936, Marihuana follows the story of a teenage girl who, after unknowingly smoking marijuana once at a party, gets pregnant, runs away from home, gives up the baby, and becomes a degenerate heroin dealer. The film became one of the cult classics of the 1930s. Starting Bid $200
2098. Cocaine Movie Window Card Poster. Circa 1949 color 14 x 20 window card for the US release of the 1948 Italian film Una lettera all’alba [Letter at Dawn], with the most prominent text reading: “Cocaine: The Thrill That Kills.” Other text reads: “Strips the Soul Bare, Inflames the Senses,” “Bold, Revealing, True,” “This picture is a lesson for every teen-ager, and a warning for every parent!,” and “This picture is definitely not recommended for children.” In very good condition, with a heavy central vertical crease and overall toning. Starting Bid $200
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Death masks of a legendary desperado
2100. John Dillinger Death Masks and Archive. Two life-size John Dillinger death masks made from originals in the late
1980s. The first was made from the mold kept by Marjorie Eker McDougall, a student at the Worsham School of Embalming who participated in Professor D. E. Ashworth’s making of a death mask on July 23, 1934. The mold later made its way into the possession of Joe Wilimovsky of Chicago’s Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory, from which this second-generation mask was produced. The second was made from the copy of the mask made by Jerome Nachtman of the Reliance Dental Supply Company which was acquired by the Las Vegas Police Department in 1935. The president of Reliance originally sent a copy of the mask to J. Edgar Hoover, and the FBI provided copies of the death mask to police departments that requested one. Both plaster masks are affixed to plaques. In overall very good to fine condition. Includes an original newspaper page from July 24, 1934, showing Professor Ashworth making Dillinger’s death mask, a modern signed photo of Marjorie Eker McDougall, second-printing originals of Dillinger I.O. wanted cards distributed by the FBI, and several pages worth of research material. From the collection of well-respected Chicago crime historian Bill Helmer. Both Jerome Nachtman and Marge Eker McDougall were interviewed at length by Helmer, then an editor at Playboy, who learned many new details that are not included in Hoover’s FBI reports. Copies of the FBI’s reports are included, as is a bound report in which Helmer describes in greater detail the skullduggery involved in the making of both masks. The day after Dillinger was killed, over a thousand people lined up at the Chicago city morgue to view the mortal remains of the notorious desperado. While his body was on display, it is believed that four death masks were made of the famous face with varying degrees of cooperation from the authorities—the Worsham and Reliance masks are the two still known to exist. These highly detailed masks perfectly capture the outlaw as he lay on that final day of viewing. Starting Bid $200
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Incredibly rare handwritten Dillinger letter relating to the infamous ‘Shirt Shop Boys’
2101. John Dillinger Autograph Letter Signed. ALS in
pencil, signed “John Dillinger #14395,” one page, 7.75 x 3.75, no date [but circa 1929–1933]. Letter written while in the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City, to prison assistant superintendent. H. W. Waymire, in full: “I am working in the shirt shop and the work is hard on my eyes and I would like to get transferred to the foundry #4 or Machine shop if possible. I will certainly appreciate it very much if you will do what you can for me.” Doublematted and framed with a typed note stating Dillinger, “wants a transfer to the foundry from the shirt shop says the shirt shop is hard on his eyes,” an original 1934 US Justice Department wanted poster, and a portrait of Dillinger holding a pistol and a Tommy gun, to an overall size of 28.75 x 14.5. Several vertical folds, one through a single letter of signature, two punch holes and a staple hole to top edge, and some scattered light soiling, otherwise fine condition. In 1924, Dillinger was sentenced to 10-20 years for his part in the assault and attempted robbery of a grocery store owner in Mooresville, Indiana. While working in the shirt shop at Indiana State Prison, he befriended the men who would later become his notorious ‘Shirt Shop Boys,’ a group that included Handsome Harry Pierpont, Charles Makley, and John Hamilton. The men spent hours devising elaborate escape plans and foolproof crimes, and upon his parole in 1933, Dillinger put their various schemes to action, robbing his first bank on June 21st. Dillinger was arrested for another robbery two months later, but before his capture he had successfully smuggled guns into the cells of his former ‘Shirt Shop Boys,’ which they promptly used to escape. On October 12, those same men, disguised as Indiana State Police officers, freed Dillinger from his own cell, killing a sheriff in the process. Dillinger remains exceedingly rare across all formats, with this example representing the only letter we have ever offered. Starting Bid $2,500
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Gangsters
Capone returns to Miami Beach as ‘Public Enemy No. 1’ 2102. Al Capone Signed Document. Extremely rare DS, signed “Alphonse Capone,” six pages, 8.75 x 14.5, April 26, 1930. Special demurrer in relation to the case between the State of Florida and the defendant Alphonse Capone, in part: “Come now the defendants, Alphonse Capone, Mae Capone, John Capone and Frankie Newton, by their undersigned solicitors, and jointly and severally, specially demur to that certain part or portion of the second paragraph of the bill of complaint filed herein reading as follows: ‘Persons engaged in the illegal use, sale and exchange of spiritous wines, malts and liquors, in violation of the laws of the State of Florida, and of the Constitution of the United States;’ upon the following grounds: 1. Said part or portion of said bill is scandalous. 2. Said part or portion of said bill is impertinent. 3. A building or place frequented by persons engaged in the illegal use, sale and exchange of spiritous wines, malts and liquors, in violation of the laws of the State of Florida, and of the Constitution of the United States, is not a nuisance as defined in and by the law of the State of Florida.” Signed at the conclusion in purple ink by Capone. Includes a civil witness subpoena from the State of Florida–County of Dade Circuit Court, one page, 8.5 x 7, June 5, 1930, in part: “You are hereby requested to summon Alphonse Capone, Frankie Newton, Frank Gallatt and Louis J. Schwartz personally to be and appear before the Judges of our Circuit Court of the State of Florida, at the Court House in Miami, on the 10th day of June, A. D., 1930, at 10:00 A. M., to testify in behalf of the State in a certain suit pending in said Court, wherein State of Florida is Plaintiff, and Alphonse Capone, et al., Defendant and herein fail not under penalty of the law.” In fine condition. On April 23, 1930, a week after being released from Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary following an eight-month stretch on a concealed weapon charge, Capone found himself atop the Chicago Crime Commission’s list of ‘public enemies.’ Unable to return to the Windy City, Capone sought refuge down south. In spite of Florida Governor Doyle E. Carlton’s best efforts, the mobster returned to his Palm Island mansion on Easter Sunday, April 20, 1930, protected by an injunction that barred law enforcement of Florida’s twenty counties from ‘seizing, arresting, kidnapping and abusing’ its infamous new resident. This demurrer, which lists Capone, his wife Mae, his younger brother John, and Frankie Newton, the caretaker of the Palm Beach villa, likely relates to a raid conducted at the aforesaid residence by Dade County sheriffs on March 20th, 1930, during which the latter two men were arrested for vagrancy and possession of alcohol; all charges were dismissed on August 1, 1930. After a myriad of other court appearances, Capone was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on October 24, 1931. A superb document that spotlights the start of a decade of near constant imprisonment for the Chicago gangster. Starting Bid $5,000
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“Humoresque”—a rare musical composition from Capone while at Alcatraz 2103. Al Capone Handwritten Musical Lyrics. Exceptional
handwritten musical manuscript of ‘Humoresque,’ unsigned, written in pencil by Capone on an off-white 9.5 x 12.55 musically lined sheet. While incarcerated at Alcatraz, Capone wrote out the music and lyrics to ‘Humoresque,’ in full: “Strains of hum–or–esque di–vine, you / thrill and fill this heart of mine, with glad–ness like a sooth–ing sym–pho– / ny. Over the air, you gent–ly float, and in my soul, you strike a / note, of passion with your mel–o–dy. Sun–beams are / play–ing, flow–ers and trees are sway–ing, cap–tured with–in your mag–ic / spell. Lit–tle children are danc–ing, lov–ers are all ro– / manc–ing, is it an–y won–der, ev–ry one is sing–ing, strains / of hum–or–esque di–vine, you thrill and fill this heart of mine, with glad–ness / like a sooth–ing sym–pho–ny. Over the air you gent–ly float, / and in my soul, you strike a note, of pas–sion with your mel–o– / dy.” In fine condition, with intersecting folds. Accompanied by a photo of another musical manuscript written by Capone, entitled “Madonna Mia.” As a prisoner at the newly opened Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1934, Capone lobbied the warden for a year before prisoners were allowed musical instruments. Upon receiving permission, Capone had his family send top-of-the-line guitars, banjos, and music charts to the prison. He learned how to play the banjo and formed a prison band, The Rock Islanders, which included George ‘Machine Gun’ Kelly on the drums. When Capone went solo after a fight in the band, he took to writing more songs with greater concentration. His most popular, ‘Madonna Mia,’ was a love song about his wife Mae, which he presented as a Christmas gift for his friend and confidant Vincent Casey, a Jesuit priest in training who visited Alcatraz to offer spiritual counsel to prisoners in the 1930s. Although Capone is known to have played and written music during his time at Alcatraz, only two examples, ‘Madonna Mia’ and ‘Humoresque’ have come to light. A tremendously rare piece. Starting Bid $2,500
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Artifacts from ‘Capone’s Castle’
2104. Al Capone Lexington Hotel Artifacts. Collection of artifacts taken from the Lexington Hotel in Chicago, including: a single lightbulb fixture; a framed assemblage of a swatch of Capone’s office wallpaper (depicting Florida flora to remind him of his new estate there), and two small pieces of his iconic Nile green and purple bathing facility; a terra-cotta fragment of exterior decor; and a piece of interior ornamental plaster decor. Also includes a .45 bullet fired from the Thompson submachine gun used by Geraldo Rivera at the time of his infamous live TV special, ‘The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults,’ which took place at the Lexington Hotel in 1986. The bullet is mounted on a stand along with a numbered button issued to members of the television programming team, including crime researcher Bill Helmer. Also includes a few laminated newspaper articles, modern prints of photos of Capone, a DVD, a small plaster bust of Capone, and some other ephemera. In overall very good condition. From the collection of well-respected gangland historian Bill Helmer. After a brief mayoral ‘clean-up’ campaign drove Al Capone from his Near South Side operations to the neighboring suburb of Cicero, he returned to the Metropole Hotel in 1925 while the nearby Lexington was brought ‘up to spec.’ The Lexington had been built in time for the city’s world’s fair, the Columbian Exposition in the 1890s. Capone took it over in 1928 and established his ‘Outfit’ there until his conviction for tax violations in late 1931. A unique and historic collection of Capone memorabilia. Starting Bid $200
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Capone’s grand art deco diamond-studded pocket watch
2105. Al Capone’s Diamond Watch. Al Capone’s personally-owned and –used platinum rounded triangular pocket watch made by the Illinois Watch Company, measuring approximately 1.5 x 1.75, with the circumference of front bezel set with a series of seventy-two cut diamonds, a platinum face, and gold-tone impressed numerals and watch hands; the reverse of the case bears the initials “AC,” which consists of twenty-three cut diamonds, and is encircled by twenty-six more. The interior of the case is marked “Illinois Watch, Springfield,” with serial no. 5281719, and it contains a 17-jewel movement with gold wheels and jewel cups; the serial number indicates that the watch was manufactured between 1928 and 1929. Includes the original 12˝ watch chain made of 14K white gold. In fine condition. Accompanied by a copy of an affidavit from Eric Griese, the great-grandson of Al Capone, in part: “Shortly after the passing of Albert Francis ‘Sonny’ Capone, his daughter, Barbara Prince, nee Capone, a resident of California, delivered the watch described below to me, along with other personal property that at one time was the personal property of my great grand father, Alphonse G. Capone. My great grandfather had given this material to my grandfather; my grandfather Albert Francis ‘Sonny’ Capone told his daughter Barbara Prince that this property was to be given to me following his death.” Also accompanied by a photo of the Griese family with ‘Sonny’ Capone holding an infant. Unlike his more maligned moniker of ‘Scarface,’ Capone preferred that those closest to him call him by ‘Snorky,’ a slang term which meant ‘sharp’ or ‘well-dressed.’ Eager to be perceived as an elegant gentleman, the formidable Capone was fastidious about his appearance and style, forgoing subtlety in favor of fine, flashy suits, large pinky rings, and no shortage of diamonds. Capone insisted that his Chicago Outfit also dress the part, and required each of his men to wear gray fedoras and spotless tailored suits. Supported by excellent provenance direct from the Capone family, this brilliant pocket watch exudes all of the ritz and power redolent of the Windy City’s most notorious gangster. Starting Bid $2,500
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Pocket watch owned by the St. Valentine’s Day killer
2106. Fred Burke’s Elgin Pocket Watch. Midwestern armed robber and contract killer during the Prohibition era (1893–1940) who is considered a prime suspect in the infamous St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. Fred Burke’s personally-owned circa 1917 Elgin pocket watch, measuring 1.75˝ in diameter, featuring a gold-tone case and blue hands, with an inset seconds dial. The watch is suspended from a 12˝ long chain, which has a thin matching pocket knife at the end. In fine condition, with some spotting to edges of the dial; the hand-wound mechanical watch still ticks and seems to function well. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the owner, in part: “The enclosed Elgin pocket watch, previously owned by Fred Burke (Dane) was passed down to me directly by my Aunt Charlotte Crossman, who was a personal friend of his…I was reared by my Aunt and Grandmother in Michigan, and Washington, D.C., and for many years it was pointed out by my Aunt Charlotte that this was his personal Elgin pocket watch.” Supplementing evidence includes color photocopies of a letter from Burke (writing under his alias ‘F. Dane’) to Charlotte Crossman, a copy of Burke’s funeral expenses submitted to Mrs. Jennie Crossman, and a newspaper article naming Charlotte Crossman, her mother, and a sister-in-law as the only mourners to attend Burke’s funeral. A remarkable artifact with excellent provenance, associated with one of Al Capone’s key hitmen. Starting Bid $200
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Sought-after brick from the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre garage wall 2107. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Brick and Archive. Origi-
nal rectangular brick from the garage on 2122 N. Clark Street, in Chicago, the scene of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Unique to Chicago, known as a ‘Chicago Common’ in the trade, the brick was made from local clay following the Chicago Fire. The brick measures 8.5 x 4 x 2.5, with a white paint identification notation to one side. Accompanied by a note of provenance from David G. Christensen, which states: “This brick was removed from the north wall of the ‘St. Valentine’s Day Massacre’ garage, 2122 North Clark St., Chicago, at the time of its demolition in November 1976 [sic, 1967].” In fine condition, with the bottom glued to the wooden base of a small display case. Includes a rare cupro-nickel bullet recovered from the house of suspected St. Valentine’s Day killer Fred Burke, mounted in a small frame along with the business card of Joseph C. Wilimovsky of Calvin Goddard Associates, a pioneering forensic ballistics firm that worked on the St. Valentine’s Day investigation. Additionally includes three Goddard Crime Lab cardstock photos distributed at the 1933–34 World’s Fair, and a glossy photo of a bullet under magnification, marked “Fatal” on the reverse. Also accompanied by an original page about the massacre from the Chicago Daily Tribune of February 15, 1929, a large quantity of research material in several binders, a Jim Beam decanter in the shape of a Chicago police car, and a later souvenir edition of a newspaper. In overall very good condition. Among the research materials are copies of the massacre report by the Chicago police at the time of the killings; the medical examiner’s autopsies on all seven victims; a particularly rare five-months-long stenographic record of the special Coroner’s Jury investigation of the ‘gangland crime of the century’; an FBI report that was not conducted until 1935 when a fugitive, captured in connection with another crime, turned out to be one of the massacre lookouts; and newspaper articles on massacre suspects. This brick was picked up by David Christensen at the time workmen were tearing down the building at 2122 North Clark Street, the site of ‘Bugs’ Moran’s garage and booze depot at the time of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929. The garage was soon refurbished and rented or sold to other companies, the last of which used it mainly for storage before it was razed in 1967. At that time a Canadian, George Patey, arranged with the demolition company to purchase and label the section of bricks from the building’s north wall where the shootings had taken place, and he later rebuilt it in the men’s room of his dinner club. The here-offered brick was acquired directly from Christensen by noted gangland historian Bill Helmer. An impressive assemblage of St. Valentine’s Day Massacre material highlighted by this rare brick. Starting Bid $200
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2108. Dutch Schultz Wanted Poster. Original
8 x 8 wanted poster for Arthur ‘Dutch Schultz’ Flegenheimer, issued on November 19, 1934, by the US Department of Justice for a violation of Federal Income Tax. Poster features Flegenheimer’s fingerprints and mug shot, and lists a physical description, several of his aliases, “George Schultz, ‘Dutch’ Schultz, George Shultz, ‘Artie,’ ‘The Dutchman,’” and his criminal history, including arrests for assault, robbery, and homicide. The bottom states that Flegenheimer was “indicted in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York on January 25, 1933, for violation of the Federal Income Tax Law.” In very good condition, with missing upper right corner, ink notes to right edge, and hole to upper left affecting portion of alias listings. Starting Bid $200
2109. Jacob Shapiro and Louis Buchalter Wanted Poster. Original 10.5 x 16 wanted poster for Jacob Shapiro
and Louis Buchalter, issued by the United States Department of Justice, November 8, 1937, offering a $5,000 reward for “information furnished to the Federal Bureau of Investigation resulting in the apprehension” of both men, or $2,500 per man. The poster features mug shots of both men with physical descriptions, and outlines the charges as follows: “Jacob Shapiro was convicted in Federal Court at New York, New York, on November 8, 1936, of violating the Federal Antitrust Laws, and was sentenced to serve two years in a Federal penitentiary and to pay $10,000 fine. On appeal, this conviction was affirmed, and on June 14, 1937, upon his failure to surrender to the United States Marshal, as ordered, his bail in the amount of $10,000 was declared forfeit and a warrant issued for his arrest. An indictment was returned by the Federal Grand Jury at New York, New York, on November 6, 1933, charging Shapiro and Buchalter, and others, with violating the Federal Antitrust Laws. Both Shapiro and Buchalter failed to appear in federal Court for trial on July 6, 1937, and bail in the amount of $3,000 for each was forfeited and warrants issued for their arrests on July 7, 1937.” In fine condition, with multiple intersecting folds. Starting Bid $200
2111. Harvey Bailey Wanted Poster. Remembered as ‘The Dean of American Bank Robbers,’ Bailey (1887–1979) was one of the most successful larcenists during the 1920s, amassing a total of over $1 million. Original 8 x 8 wanted poster for Harvey J. Bailey, issued on June 22, 1933, by the US Bureau of Investigation. Poster features Bailey’s fingerprints and mug shot, and lists a physical description, aliases, and his criminal history, including burglary and bank robbery. The bottom states that Bailey was “received at the Kansas State Prison at Lansing, Kansas on August 17, 1932, under a sentence of ten to fifty years for bank robbery, and escaped therefrom May 30, 1933, is wanted in connection with the murder of Otto Reed, Chief of Police of McAlester, Oklahoma, William J. Grooms and Frank E. Hermanson, police officers of Kansas City, Missouri, Raymond J. Caffrey, Special Agent of the United States Bureau of Investigation, and their prisoner, Frank Nash, at Kansas City, Missouri, on June 17, 1933.” In fine condition, with toning and staple mark to upper left. After escaping from Kansas State Prison on June 1, 1933, Bailey was recaptured and found guilty of complicity in the Urschel Kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison on October 7, 1933. He was sent to Leavenworth, transferred to Alcatraz, returned to Leavenworth, and then transferred in 1960 to Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution in Texas, where he remained until he was released on March 30, 1964. Starting Bid $200
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2112. Wilbur Underhill, Jr Signed Photograph. American criminal and Depression-era outlaw (1901–1934) who was one of the most wanted bandits in Oklahoma during the 1920s and 1930s; known as ‘Mad Dog’ or the ‘Tri-State Terror,’ he co-led a gang with Harvey Bailey that included many fellow Cookson Hills outlaws. Scarce vintage 3.5 x 5 postcard photo of Underhill in his prison uniform, with his prisoner ID number on his chest, signed and inscribed on the reverse in black ink, “To Mrs. Grace Baine, From, Wilber,” adding his full name, the date, and his physical description above: “Wilber Underhill, July, 4th 1924, Age. 23. Height 6 ft., Wt. 174 1/2 lb.” In fine condition, with trimming to top edge and toning to reverse. Starting Bid $200
A month before his prison break, ‘Mad Dog’ writes to his sister and mother 2113. Wilbur Underhill, Jr Autograph Letter Signed.
Scarce ALS signed “Wilbur Underhill #2337. Box #2,” one page both sides, lightly lined, 8.5 x 11, May 3, 1933. Written from the Kansas State Penitentiary, a letter to his mother and his sister, in part: “I just now come in off the yard, & I’m nearly froze. I walked so much that I’m hungry (again) a special T. Bone Steak & fried spuds wouldn’t last long in front of me…Yes I read about them finding that little girl dead. I think that it is one of the most heinous crimes there is, and most generally the one’s that does it (if murder isn’t committed with it) they get off light, and are trusted prisoners when they get in prison. I think it is awful to mistreat a woman like that, and still worse, a mere child being treated like that, that’s one crime that should have a death penalty. I may be considered a bad guy, but old Wilb would never think of doing a crime like that…And Mom, I won’t lose hopes, when I write gloomy letters pay no attention to it, for my moods change fast. I may be in good spirits one hr. & at the bottom of despair the next, what makes me feel blue most, is that you & Dean are having such a hard time. I tried to raised you some money but failed, but I will try again.” In fine condition, with several intersecting folds and right side of envelope missing portion. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in his own hand. On Memorial Day 1933, less than a month after writing this letter, Underhill and nine others escaped from the state prison using smuggled guns and taking the warden and two guards hostage. Starting Bid $200
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From Lansing prison— “Let us laugh at our tough breaks, they say that when sorrow is at its climax, joy is just a head” 2114. Wilbur Underhill, Jr Autograph Letter Signed.
Scarce ALS signed “Wilbur Underhill. #2337. Box #2,” one page both sides, lightly lined, 8.5 x 11, May 21, 1933. Written from the Kansas State Penitentiary, a letter to his sister Dorothy, in part: “Sorry that you are feeling so blue. Cheer up old pardner ain’t that silly to say cheer up, when there’s nothing to cheer up for. Let us laugh at our tough breaks, they say that when sorrow is at its climax, joy is just a head. Sounds like a lota hooey, doesn’t it?…I told you about me trying to get a tan, I don’t set in the sun too long at a time to get blistered just 15 or 20 min’s at a time. I’ve got a wheat straw tan now & it feels good, now don’t tell me I look like a life guard. If you had any privacy there where the neighbors couldn’t see, you should get a tan, makes you feel 50 percent better…I’m like you, I’m sure sick of every one, except you & Mom & Hugh. You can imagine why I detest every one, I’ve seen so much crooked work on every one’s part, that I’ve nearly lost faith in human nature. Outside you & Mom I don’t care for no one. I wish we three could go off some place to live & never go around any one else, especially our relations. But Deania one consolation we have, we know that we are far above the one’s that has treated us the way the way they have (in principal I mean). I’m not conceited but I know that I’m better than jillions I know, & you & Mom are too. There isn’t one woman in 10 thousand that is as loyal as you & Mom.” In fine condition, with several intersecting folds. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope, addressed in his own hand. On Memorial Day 1933, a little over a week after writing this letter, Underhill and nine others escaped from the state prison using smuggled guns and taking the warden and two guards hostage. Starting Bid $200
Fingerprint card for a noted Purple Gang soldier 2115. Purple Gang and Harry Meltzer Fingerprint Card and Paper Archive. Detroit
gangster and owner of the Oakland Baths, or ‘the Schvitz,’ a health club and restaurant frequented by the Purple Gang in the early 1930s. Original fingerprint card for Harry ‘Chinky’ Meltzer, 8 x 8, completed by the Detroit Police Department, and bearing Meltzer’s fingerprints individually and simultaneously, with a few ink notations adding information for number (“73118”), color (“W”), and sex (“M”). Includes a copy of a fingerprint card for Meltzer issued by the Cleveland Police Department, 7.75 x 7.5, dated November 13–14, 1946, with fingerprints and number matching those found on the Detroit card. In very good to fine condition. Accompanied by two postal telegraphs from the Detroit Police Department, dated November 29 and December 5, 1933, both relating to Purple Gang member Harry Kirshenbaum, a recorder’s court disposition for defendant Harry Meltzer, March 30, 1950, with a warrant charge of “1–Poss of Valerium 2 Purchase of Valerium,” and a detached slip issued by the Federal Correctional Institution of Milan, Michigan, with a received date of November 29, 1945, listing an eight month term for Harry Meltzer. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2116. The Fischetti Brothers Collection of (8) Original Vintage Candid Photographs. Original vintage set of eight glossy
candid photos, ranging in size from 3.5 x 5 to 4.5 x 3.25, depicting the Fischetti brothers— Charlie, Rocco, and Joey—and their families during a Miami Beach vacation in the late 1940s. In overall fine condition. The infamous Fischetti brothers were high-ranking members of the Chicago outfit and first cousins of Al Capone, for whom they served as bodyguards and drivers. In addition to operating some of the biggest illegal gambling clubs in Illinois, the brothers were close friends with Frank Sinatra. In 1946 they accompanied the singer to Cuba to meet with Lucky Luciano at the Havana Conference, where it is believed that they received the contract to kill Bugsy Siegel.Starting Bid $200
Boss of all Bosses
2117. Vito Genovese Signed Document. Rare partial DS, one page, 7 x 6, June 18, 1947. Fifth and final term of a jurisdiction agreement stipulating that “The corporation may have an office outside of the State of New Jersey for the convenience of its officers and trustees, and where meetings of the trustees may be held.” Signed at the conclusion in fountain pen by Genovese, as well as seven other business partners. Matted and framed with an engraved biography plaque, a full-length mug shot of Genovese, and an unsigned 1937 individual income tax return for “Vito Genovese & Wife,” stating that “Mr. Genovese sailed for Europe on January 10, [1937] and has been there since. He had no income during 1937,” to an overall size of 24 x 25.75. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. More than nine years after exiling to Italy, Genovese returned to New York in the summer of 1945 to be arraigned on murder charges for the 1934 killing of Ferdinand Boccia. When the charges dropped and he was released from police custody in 1946, Genovese pursued his place atop the Luciano crime family by organizing hits on acting boss Frank Costello and ruthless Cosa Nostra mobster Albert Anastasia. Signed during his gradual reascension to power, this document represents just the second Genovese signature we have offered in more than a decade. Starting Bid $300
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Seldom-seen signature from the exiled Mafioso
2118. Lucky Luciano Signature. New York Mafia boss (1897–1962) instrumental in the development of organized crime in the US; he was responsible for splitting the Mafia into five different crime families. Crisp ballpoint signature, “Lucky Luciano,” on a 3.75 x 2.5 suggestion card for the San Francisco Night Club in Naples, Italy. The reverse of the card bears informational text, “Located at Piazza Municipio, 7, Phone 320.410, Near the Fleet Landing / When you leave your club, we will be waiting for you at the San Francisco / American style music every night, floor show nightly, enjoy the American atmosphere.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a letter of provenance from the original recipient, in part: “I met Mr. Luciano myself and obtained this autograph myself when I was a sailor with the USN circa 1959. My friend took me to see him and we met him at the California Bar where we asked him for a suggestion of a good bar to go to. He suggested the San Francisco bar in Naples and gave us this pass. I have corresponding information providing I was in Naples at this time, a noted period of time that Luciano spent in Naples after being deported. He dressed like a businessman in a suit. Very well dressed and very sophisticated. He talked to us for 15 minutes and asked about ourselves and where we were from. He made us feel very comfortable and was a true gentleman. My friend said he was a gangster but I had never heard of him. Later, watching a TV show called the ‘Untouchables’ I heard his name mentioned. I was startled and ran to my room to get the signature. It scared the daylights out of me.” Also accompanied by the aforementioned corresponding information, a strategic plotting chart of the Mediterranean Sea. The Bureau of Narcotics believed that Luciano owned and used the San Francisco Bar and Grill for various smuggling operations, wisely employing Frankie ‘Skeets’ Culla to front the popular nightclub. Deriving from the time of his exile, this is a boldly signed and unusual format from the Italian Mafioso, a figure who remains exceedingly rare and sought-after. Starting Bid $300
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Extremely rare Bugsy-signed stock certificate representing the New York mob’s interest in the Flamingo 2119. Bugsy Siegel Signed Stock Certificate. Rare DS,
signed “Ben Siegel,” one page both sides, 10.5 x 8, April 18, 1947. Nevada Project Corporation stock certificate issued to Louis I. Pokrass for “75 shares of the Common Stock of the Nevada Project Corporation.” Signed at the conclusion in black ink by Siegel as president, and countersigned in black ballpoint by N. Joseph Ross as secretary; Ross was Siegel’s Beverly Hills Attorney and one of the principal officers of the famed Flamingo Hotel. Reverse of the certificate is signed by Pokrass and Siegel’s New York connection Walter R. Mansfield. In very good to fine condition, with several vertical folds, one through a single letter of signature, and scattered staple holes. Document originates from the estate of Louis Pokrass, the former vice president of the Nevada Project Corporation and one of four directors of the Flamingo Hotel. When developer William Wilkerson exhausted construction funds for his new Flamingo Hotel in early 1946, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, and other crime heads emerged as silent partners with a one million dollar investment. According to When the Mob Ran Vegas by Steve Fischer, Pokrass’s shares in the Flamingo were actually owned by a group of fifteen New York mobsters—Joe Adonis and Frank Costello among them—but were put in Pokrass’s name to conceal their hidden ownership. In order to run the hotel, Siegel appointed himself president of the Nevada Projects Corporation in June 1946. The Flamingo opened the day after Christmas, but building costs, poor turnouts, and large gambling losses resulted in its quick closure, and Siegel scrambling to find additional backers. The Flamingo reopened on March 1, 1947, and showed modest profits soon thereafter, but Siegel’s mob partners, fed up with waiting for reimbursement, had the gangster gunned down just two months after he signed this certificate. This historic stock certificate not only represents the legend of Bugsy Siegel in Vegas but also the New York mob’s original interest in the Flamingo—there may be no surviving document more crucial to the mob’s history in Vegas and the origins of the Flamingo than this. Starting Bid $2,500
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Las Vegas innovator: “This gambling crime is being abused the same as prohibition was”
2120. Meyer Lansky Handwritten Diary Entry on Gambling. Diary entry written by Meyer Lansky discussing
the laws and morals of gambling, unsigned, three pages, lightly lined, 8 x 10.5, no date but circa 1973–1974. In part: “We speak of gambling as though it is a commodity one time, and a sin another time. Saratoga was a great example of how gambling was used as a political hammer to club a few tools to satisfy Kefauver’s desire for the Presidency and Dewey seeking the lamb to protect his innocency. I was picked as the lamb for Dewey. Here in Saratoga it was used for an economic purpose and pleasure. We should know that gambling was first created as a pastime pleasure at first. Later the smart boys turned it in to a lucrative business, business for some; a pleasure for those with control. In order to stop the weaklings that would destroy themselves and families it was made a cardinal sin…This gambling crime is being abused the same as prohibition was. I will read a statement supposedly made by a Governor. We don’t want legalized gambling, the reason: (1) It will bring crime—the big lie used over and over by those that have a political purpose for using it because the press doesn’t want it (2) it will cost to police it. Well as far as crime is concerned it is well proved that we all lend ourselves to bring it about…I agree that gambling isn’t the best moral habit when you become addicted to it. For that matter what is good when you abuse it? Some of the crime books speak of meetings of me, Charlie,
and Frank. I met with them on many occasions but not for crimes against the people. Some time for social chatter, other times for the same crime that we are all guilty of. When isn’t it a crime or immoral act if it is legalized, (Gambling). I’m not going to try to impress anyone that I was and am a Yashiva student, I just want to reveal and call the attention of the public to be well aware of the do-gooders who were going [to] suppress crime. Instead these arch criminals did pass laws to suppress the people for their political purpose to perpetuate their power. Fortunately not all the laws were past. You well know who they are. Attorney Generals, assistant A. G. and what not. When the real culprits go to jail we do not know. They really showed the beast in man. No compassion for anyone. Nothing mattered, but power. Any means to an end for their purpose.” Lower right corner of last page bears an embossed “Library of Meyer Lansky” blindstamp. In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. After returning from Israel, Meyer Lansky was approached about writing an autobiography. Meyer, wanting to clear his name and get his side of the story out, asked his step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan, a recent journalist graduate, to tape record his thoughts which he began to put down on paper. After a couple sessions of recording and writing, Lansky’s lawyer advised him to stop, putting an end to the book. A rare and fascinating manuscript from the renowned innovator of the gambling industry. Starting Bid $300
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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Lansky buys interest in West Virginia oil territory 2122. Meyer Lansky Signed Oil Contract.
Scarce DS, four pages, 8.5 x 14, no date. Purchase and sale agreement between Rodosa Investments, Ltd., and Meyer Lansky, in which the former, owning a fifty percent “undivided one-half interest in and to all oil, gas, and other minerals, in and under, and that may be produced from those certain lands situate in St. George, District of Tucker County, West Virginia,” agrees to sell to Lansky “an undivided forty-five percent (45%) interest in the one-half undivided interest in and to all of the oil, gas and other minerals” from the aforesaid region, for a total sum of $75,000, to be paid in periodic installments over the next ten years. Signed on the third page in blue ink by Lansky, and countersigned by a Rodosa representative and four witnesses, with a “Schedule A” legal description stapled to end of contract. In fine condition, with three horizontal folds. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Starting Bid $200
Handsome custom suit owned by the gambling kingpin 2123. Meyer Lansky’s Yellow Sports Coat. Meyer Lansky’s
personally-owned and –worn custom-made beige sports coat. This stylish three-button tailored coat with notch lapel features a welt pocket, two front jetted pockets, and two buttons to the end of each coat sleeve, with the vest lining bearing a salmon-colored pattern and a pair of interior chest pockets. In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s stepgranddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Along with fellow mobsters Frank Costello, Lucky Luciano, and Anthony Carfano, Lansky proved himself a decidedly modish figurehead of the crime underworld, with this discerning, well-kempt sports coat reflecting Lanksy’s noted clean sartorial style. Starting Bid $300
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Dapper sports coat tailored for Lansky 2124. Meyer Lansky’s Navy Blue Sports Coat. Meyer
Lansky’s personally-owned and –worn custom-made navy blue sports coat. This exquisitely fitted three-button coat with notch lapel features a welt pocket, two front jetted pockets, and three buttons to end of each coat sleeve; the lining bears a handsome diamond pattern and a pair of interior chest pockets. In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Along with fellow mobsters Frank Costello, Lucky Luciano, and Anthony Carfano, Lansky proved himself a decidedly modish figurehead of the crime underworld, with this impeccable, expertly tailored sports coat reflecting Lanksy’s clean sartorial style. Starting Bid $300
2125. Meyer Lansky’s Dark Blue Overcoat. Legendary organized
crime leader (1902–1983) who headed the notorious ‘enforcement’ syndicate Murder, Inc., which emerged in the early 1930s as successor to the warring Prohibition gangs and the old-line Mafia, and continued to operate into the 1950s. Meyer Lansky’s personally-owned and -worn navy blue Mariner III Kangaroo Coat by Harbor Master. Made of Dacron polyester and cotton, this handsome five-button coat, size 36 short, features two side pockets, three interior pockets, and a single vent back. Interior left pocket bears a Saks Fifth Avenue label. In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Starting Bid $300
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2126. Meyer Lansky’s White Dress Shirt. Meyer Lansky’s personally-owned and –worn white long-sleeve dress shirt, no size but likely 36 short, which was Lansky’s standard shirt size. Shirt bears no designer tags, but the collar area is stitched with blue lettering, “HS.” In fine condition, with some spots of soiling. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Starting Bid $200
2127. Meyer Lansky’s Blue Square Design Bow Tie. Meyer Lansky’s personally-owned and –used dark blue Sulka butterfly bow tie, made of pure silk and featuring a Ty-Rex clip-on bar. In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Starting Bid $200
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The mob accountant’s unusual 14K gold Masonic watch
2128. Meyer Lansky Personally Gifted Masonic Hiram Watch. Meyer Lansky’s personally-gifted impressive 14K gold
triangular Masonic pocket watch made by Hiram, measuring approximately 2 x 1.75, featuring a case engraved on all sides with Masonic symbolism, a dark blue face with raised gold-tone Masonic symbols, and a winding stem topped with a blue stone cabochon. The interior of the case is marked “Hiram Watch Inc., 14K, No. 215,” and it contains a 15-jewel Elgin movement. In very good to fine condition, with a cloudy plastic crystal; the watch seems to be nonfunctioning with a frozen movement. This watch was gifted to Teddy’s daughter-in-law, and it was later passed on to Teddy’s granddaughter Cynthia. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Interestingly, President Warren G. Harding—who voted in favor of Prohibition while in the Senate—owned an example of the same watch, serial numbered 145. A fantastic timepiece with beautiful craftsmanship which is desirable on its own, made all the more valuable as one of Lansky’s personal possessions. Starting Bid $500
Smooth criminal—Meyer Lansky’s razor 2129. Meyer Lansky’s Gold-Tone Gillette Razor. Meyer Lansky’s
personally-owned goldtone Gillette razor, measuring 3.25˝ long, marked “Gillette” along the top and engraved below, “Reg. U.S. Pat. Off., Gillette, Made in U.S.A.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Always well-groomed, Lansky was named one of the best-dressed mobsters by Esquire. Starting Bid $200
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Meyer’s own 80 proof Remy Martin 2130. Meyer Lansky’s Remy Martin Cognac Champagne. Unopened
bottle of E. Remy Martin Grande Champagne cognac from the liquor collection of Meyer and Teddy Lansky, serial no. B17817, 80 proof, 4/5 quart. The front of the dark green bottle bears a gold ribbon and wax seal, and the top is sealed with a US Internal Revenue tax label. Affixed to the rear is a State of Florida excise tax sticker. Includes its original white presentation box. In fine condition, with slight soiling to the box. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Purchaser shall make itself aware of the limitations and restrictions imposed by various states in regards to the transportation and importation of alcoholic beverages and purchaser has the sole responsibility to research and comply with all permit and licensing requirements. RR Auction shall not be responsible for obtaining any permits or licenses on behalf of purchaser and no sale shall be cancelled or refunded for lack of purchaser’s noncompliance with permitting and licensing issues. Starting Bid $300
Rare bottle from the bootlegger’s collection 2132. Meyer Lansky’s Remy Martin 1974 Anniversary Cognac. Unopened
bottle of limited edition Remy Martin 250th Anniversary Cognac (1724–1974) from the liquor collection of Meyer and Teddy Lansky, serial no. 007535B, 80 proof, 4/5 quart. The top retains its original US Internal Revenue label, which is at one side. Includes its original wooden presentation box. In very good to fine condition, with portions of the wax cracking and crumbling, remnants of which have fallen to the bottom of the case and smudged the sides of the bottle. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Production of these special bottles was limited to 38,709, and said to use a special blend of old and rare cognacs ranging between 80 and 100 years old. During Prohibition, Lansky ran a lucrative bootlegging operation with his friend Bugsy Siegel. The ‘Bugs and Meyer Mob’ served as the predecessor to Murder, Inc. A desirable bottle of cognac in its own right, this offers a fantastic connection between Lansky and his early Prohibition-era exploits. .
Purchaser shall make itself aware of the limitations and restrictions imposed by various states in regards to the transportation and importation of alcoholic beverages and purchaser has the sole responsibility to research and comply with all permit and licensing requirements. RR Auction shall not be responsible for obtaining any permits or licenses on behalf of purchaser and no sale shall be cancelled or refunded for lack of purchaser’s noncompliance with permitting and licensing issues. Starting Bid $300
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Unique assemblage from Lansky’s long marriage
2133. Meyer and Teddy Lansky’s Silver Dollar 25th Anniversary Set and Signed Cards. Three items from Lansky’s relationship with
his wife Thelma ‘Teddy’ Lansky, including: two ornate silver keychain bezels holding original Morgan dollars, with engraved plates across the back, one reading, “Meyer, 25th Anniversary,” and the other, “Teddy, 25th Anniversary”; a Valentine’s Day card from Meyer to Teddy, signed inside in black ink, “Meyer”; and a Valentine’s Day card from Teddy to Meyer, signed and inscribed inside in green ballpoint, “To my Meyer, Your own, Teddy.” Includes an original vintage 4 x 3.25 candid photo of Lansky and Teddy from their June 1949 honeymoon on the Italian island of Anacapri. In overall fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Meyer Lansky married Teddy, his second wife, in 1948, and they remained together until his death in 1983. Despite being married to a legendary mob figure, Teddy was not a public figure and insisted that she could never comment on her husband’s business because she had never asked him what he did for a living. Starting Bid $200
2134. Meyer Lansky Signed Birthday Card to His Wife.
Birthday card given to his wife Teddy, with a front design featuring a floral painting by Lili Gaydos and cursive text, “For My Wife, With Love,” measures 13 x 9.25 open, signed inside under a preprinted sentiment in black ballpoint, “Love, Meyer.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Starting Bid $200
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2135. Meyer Lansky Signed Hotel Receipt. DS, two pages, 5.75 x 8.5, June [no year]. Hotel receipt from the Beverly Hills Comstock for a multi-night stay between June 15–21, amounting to a total sum $570.33. Signed on the first page in blue ballpoint by Lansky. Upper left corner bears Lansky’s typed address: “5255 Collins Ave., Miami Beach Fla. 33140.” In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Lansky’s trip to California was important as he traveled to Los Angeles to visit his friend Al Smiley, who had hadn’t seen in thirty years. Smiley was a noted gangster and close associate of Bugsy Siegel. The 1981 Lansky–Smiley dinner meeting is written about in Cradle of Crime: A Daughter’s Tribute, by Luellen Smiley. Starting Bid $200
2136. Meyer Lansky Signed Credit Card Receipt. DS, one page, 7.5 x 3.25, stamp-dated June 10, 1981. Universal credit card charge receipt issued by Gold Coast Travel for flights from “Miami—San Francisco, Los Angeles—San Diego, Miami,” amounting to a total cost of $761. Form is filled out in another hand and signed in the upper left corner in black ballpoint by Lansky. In fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Lansky’s trip to California was important as he traveled to Los Angeles to visit his friend Al Smiley, who had hadn’t seen in thirty years. Smiley was a noted gangster and close associate of Bugsy Siegel. The 1981 Lansky–Smiley dinner meeting is written about in Cradle of Crime: A Daughter’s Tribute, by Luellen Smiley. Starting Bid $200
2137. Meyer Lansky Hilton Hotel Receipt. Unsigned hotel receipt for a one-night
stay at the Airport Hilton in San Francisco, California, for a total sum of $85.55, one page, 6.75 x 8.5, June 14–15, 1981. Lansky’s typed surname appears in the upper left corner. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Lansky’s trip to California was important as he traveled to Los Angeles to visit his friend Al Smiley, who had hadn’t seen in thirty years. Smiley was a noted gangster and close associate of Bugsy Siegel. The 1981 Lansky–Smiley dinner meeting is written about in Cradle of Crime: A Daughter’s Tribute, by Luellen Smiley.Starting Bid $200
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2138. Meyer Lansky’s Pair of Books From His Library. Pair of books from the personal library of Meyer Lansky: a pocket edition of Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet, published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1979; and a pocket classic of Oscar Wilde’s The Ballad of Reading Gaol, published by the David McKay Company in 1930. An embossed “Library of Meyer Lansky” blindstamp can be found on an opening page in each book. In overall fine condition. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Meyer Lansky’s step-granddaughter Cynthia Duncan. Provenance: The Thelma Lansky Trust. Starting Bid $200
The Cosa Nostra turncoat 2 1 3 9 . J o s e p h Va l a c h i Autograph Letter Signed.
The first Mafia member to publicly acknowledge its existence (1903–1971), whose exploits were publicized by the movie The Valachi Papers, starring Charles Bronson as Joe Valachi. ALS signed “Joe,” one lightly-lined page, 8 x 12.5, July 19, 1965. Letter to Dorothy Ball, in part: “Well well, my sincerest congratulation, I wish you every happiness in the world, and it comes right from the heart. Of course send me the photo of both you and your husband, did you need to ask? Well you should know that I would be at the reception if I could…Glad to hear that you have a fine husband, of course you are a nice girl too, so he should thank the lord for finding such a fine girl like you…Tell him I said lots of luck to him for marrying such a fine and beautiful girl…I don’t approve you going to work, you should take the whole summer off, nothing new on the book, but he still says everything will be in our favor.” Handsomely suede-matted and framed between an image and two engraved descriptive plaques to an overall size of 28.5 x 20, with the frame backing bearing an engraved transcription. In fine condition. Accompanied by the original mailing envelope addressed in his own hand and a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA. Starting Bid $300
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2140. ‘Mad Sam’ DeStefano Set of (3) Courtroom Sketches. Notorious Chicago Outfit loan shark and brutal murderer (1909–1973). Three color courtroom sketches, ranging in size from 17.5 x 19 to 24 x 19, each showing a different aspect of DeStefano’s trial for the murder of Leo Foreman. One sketch shows DeStefano testifying at the stand, and the other two are of attorneys for the case. In overall fine condition, with clipped corners and various bits of paper loss to edges. Starting Bid $200
2142. New England and New York Crime Bosses Collection of (4) Wanted Posters: Manocchio, Vendituoli, Squillante, Persico. Grouping of four original
8 x 8 “Wanted by FBI” posters for crime bosses from the New York and Rhode Island areas: Vincent James Squillante (conspiracy to defraud US Government), Alphonse Carmine Persico (extortionate credit transactions bond default), Frank Anthony Vendituoli (interstate transportation in aid of racketeering; conspiracy), and Luigi Giovanni Maocchio (interstate transportation in aid of racketeering; conspiracy). The posters are dated between February 1961 and June 1981, and individually feature fingerprints, mug shot, physical description, known aliases, and criminal history. In overall very good to fine condition, with tear to top of Squillante. Starting Bid $200
2143. Ronnie Kray Marriage Certificate. Twin
brothers Ronald ‘Ronnie’ Kray (1933–1995) and Reginald ‘Reggie Kray (1933–2000) were English gangsters who were the foremost perpetrators of organized crime in the East End of London during the 1950s and 1960s. Copy of a partly-printed marriage certificate for Ronald Kray and Kate Howard, one page, 11.5 x 5.75, November 6, 1989. Issued by the General Register Office, the certificate affirms that the marriage was “solemnized at Broadmoor Hospital, Crowthorne in the District of Bracknell in the County of Berkshire,” and lists Kray, age 56, as a “Wardrobe dealer,” and Howard, age 33, as a “carpenter.” Matted and framed to an overall size of 14.5 x 9. In fine condition. After Kray and his brother were sentenced to life imprisonment in Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Ronnie was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and moved to Broadmoor Hospital, a high-security psychiatric facility where he was married twice. He wed Elaine Mildener in 1985, divorcing her four years later, and then married Kate Howard, whom he also divorced in 1994. Starting Bid $200
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2145. Joseph Bonanno Handwritten Diary Note Page. Diary entry written
2144. Joseph Bonanno’s Coat. Joseph Bonanno’s personally-owned and
–worn beige houndstooth sports coat. Designed by Edward Perkins Men’s Wear of Tucson, Arizona, the two-button coat is made of 100% cashmere, features two front flap pockets and one welt pocket, two interior chest pockets, and a single vent back. No size but likely a 40, which was Bonanno’s standard coat size. In fine condition, with some staining and tearing to interior lining. Accompanied by a notarized certificate of authenticity signed by Rosalie Bonanno, the daughter-in-law of Bonanno. Starting Bid $200
by Joseph Bonanno while incarcerated at a federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, unsigned, one page, 6 x 9.25, dated “Friday,” January 6, 1984, in part: “My left leg was hurting me all night—you ask for pain killer & you get only Tylonel Regular—or… Ben Gay—you receive no answer—if you write or ask again, you are in trouble—the nurse scares you!” In fine condition. Accompanied by a notarized certificate of authenticity signed by Rosalie Bonanno, the daughter-in-law of Bonanno. At the age of 78, Bonanno served almost eight months of a one-year sentence in a federal prison for obstruction of justice. Starting Bid $200
2146. John Gotti Autograph Letter Signed. ALS signed “John,” two pages, lightly lined, 8.5 x 11, no date but circa 1998. Letter to Barbara DeCicco, the daughter of Gregory ‘Big Georgie’ DeCicco, concerning a variety of matters, including a recent operation to treat his throat cancer, in part: “As always I hope this finds you and everyone in good health and with clear mindsets. I received your wonderful card just this week. I wasn’t allowed to send nor receive any mail for five weeks—and then after the surgery I wasn’t physically able to write—excuse my poor hand writing as I still don’t have full use of my right arm. I will in a week or two. During the surgery the doctors couldn’t avoid severing some nerves in my shoulder. In any event, the surgery went well—even though for five weeks I had more tubes in me than an old T. V.—I started six weeks or radiation this past Monday, and though its no picnic I feel like a lion, and a young lion at that. As for my family, other than a scare from my daughter Vicki—she was hospitalized with a clot near her heart, she is doing fine now—they are all fine and strong. I still don’t have much communication with home as these beauties have me under twenty four hour lock down and just two calls each month. Getting to you and family, I hope everyone is doing well as you’re unique and classy and like family to me.” Gotti adds a brief postscript: “Tell Georgie to keep the martinis cold—.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Gangsters, Outlaws, & Lawmen | June 24 2017
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2147. James ‘Whitey’ Bulger Wanted Poster. Original 8
x 8 wanted poster for James J. ‘Whitey’ Bulger, issued on January 15, 1999, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for violations of “Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations; Extortion.” Poster features Bulger’s fingerprints and three images: two of Bulger and one of his accomplice, Catherine E. Greig. Includes a physical description, known aliases, criminal record, and a reward of $250,000 for information leading to his arrest. Cautionary text to bottom states that “James J. Bulger, a major organized crime figure in the Boston area is being sought for extortion and RICO charges. Bulger has funded his activities through the extortion of all illegitimate criminal operations in South Boston to include gambling, loan-sharking and drugs. He is believed to have travelled extensively, visiting Italy, Ireland, and Canada. He is known to have a violent temper and possesses a knife at all times. Consider armed and dangerous.” In fine condition. Starting Bid $200
Whitey’s Dunhill aviator sunglasses
2148. James ‘Whitey’ Bulger’s Glasses. James ‘Whitey’ Bulger’s personally-owned and -worn Alfred Dunhill aviator sunglasses with gray gradient lenses and lightweight titanium frame. Sunglasses feature Dunhill gold plates to bridge and temple side arms, with the inside of each arm engraved: “Frame made in Austria 6096, 20, 61–14, 140” and “Dunhill, 18K DECO, 019.” Includes the original LensCrafters case. In fine condition. Consignor notes that the item originates from the US Marshals Service auction of items seized from Bulger’s Santa Monica apartment in 2011. Starting Bid $200
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CONDITIONS OF SALE ANYONE EITHER REGISTERING TO BID OR PLACING A BID (“BIDDER”) ACCEPTS THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE AND ENTERS INTO A LEGALLY, BINDING, ENFORCEABLE AGREEMENT WITH R&R AUCTION COMPANY OF MASSACHUSETTS, LLC (“RR AUCTION,” TOGETHER WITH BIDDER, THE “PARTIES”). The following terms and conditions (“Conditions of Sale”) constitute the sole terms and conditions under which RR Auction will offer for sale and sell the property described in the catalog of items for auction (the “Catalog”). These Conditions of Sale constitute a binding agreement between the Parties with respect to the auction in which Bidder participates (the “Auction”). By bidding at the Auction, whether in person, through an agent or representative, by telephone, facsimile, online, absentee bid, or by any other form of bid or by any other means, Bidder acknowledges the thorough reading and understanding of all of these Conditions of Sale, all descriptions of items in the Catalog, and all matters incorporated herein by reference, and agrees to be fully bound thereby. This acknowledgement is a material term of these Conditions of Sale and of the consideration under which RR Auction agrees to these terms. RR Auction and Auction: This Auction is presented by RR Auction, a d/b/a/ of R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC, as identified with the applicable licensing information on the title page of the Catalog or on the www. RRauction.com Internet site (“RRauction.com”). The Auction is conducted under these Conditions of Sale. Announcements and corrections from the podium at live auctions and those made through the Conditions of Sale appearing on the Internet at RRauction.com supersede those in the printed Catalog. Bidder: Bidder shall mean the original Bidder on the property offered for sale by RR Auction and not any subsequent owner or other person who may acquire or have acquired an interest therein. If Bidder is an agent, the agency must be disclosed in writing to RR Auction prior to the time of sale, otherwise the benefits of the warranty shall be limited to the agent and not transferable to the undisclosed principal. The rights granted to Bidder under these Conditions of Sale are personal and may not be assigned or transferred to any other person or entity, whether by operation of law or otherwise without the express written assent of RR Auction. Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey these Conditions of Sale or any of the rights herein, and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void. No third party may rely on any benefit or right conferred on any Bidder by these Conditions of Sale, and no third party is intended as a beneficiary of these Conditions of Sale. Bids will not be accepted from minor persons under eighteen (18) years of age without a parent’s written consent containing an acknowledgment of the Conditions of Sale herein and indicating their agreement to be bound thereby on behalf of the Bidder. All Bidders must meet RR Auction’s qualifications to bid. Any Bidder who is not a client in good standing of RR Auction may be disqualified at RR Auction’s sole option and will not be awarded lots. Such determination may be made by RR Auction in its sole and unlimited discretion, at any time prior to, during, or even after the close of the Auction. RR Auction reserves the right to exclude any person from the Auction. If an entity places a bid, then the person executing the bid on behalf of the entity agrees to personally guarantee payment for any successful bid. By accepting the Conditions of Sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment.
Credit: In order to place bids, Bidders who have not established credit with RR Auction must either furnish satisfactory credit information (including two collectibles-related business references) or supply additional information if requested, well in advance of the Auction. Bidders who are not members of RRAuction.com should pre-register before the close of the Auction to allow adequate time to contact references. Credit will be granted at the discretion of RR Auction. Additionally Bidders who have not previously established credit or who wish to bid in excess of their established credit history may be required to provide their social security number, or the last four digits thereof, so a credit check may be performed prior to RR Auction’s acceptance of a bid. Check writing privileges and immediate delivery of merchandise may also be determined by pre-approval of credit based on a combination of criteria: RRAuction.com history, related industry references, bank verification, a credit bureau report and/or a personal guarantee for a corporate or partnership entity in advance of the Auction venue. Buyer’s Premium: The Bidder acknowledges and agrees that a 22.5% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on all individual lots sold in timed Auctions (the “Buyer’s Timed Premium”), and a 25% buyer’s premium will be added to the hammer price on live Auctions (the “Buyer’s Live Premium,” together with the Buyer’s Timed Premium, the “Buyer’s Premium”). For payment other than by cash, delivery will not be made unless and until full payment has been received by RR Auction, i.e., check or wired funds have fully cleared. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, signed by RR Auction, payment in full is due within thirteen (13) calendar days of the Auction or within twelve (12) calendar days of the invoice date, whichever is later. All purchases delivered to Massachusetts are subject to applicable Massachusetts sales tax unless the purchaser possesses a Massachusetts sales tax exemption number. Bidding: Each Bidder’s determination of its bid should be based upon its own examination of the item(s), rather than the strict reliance as to what is represented in the Catalog, online or elsewhere. In any purchase or sale, the value of the item(s) is determined by the price. THE BIDDER HEREBY ASSUMES ALL RISKS OF VALUATION CONCERNING ANY AND ALL PURCHASES. RR AUCTION IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ERRORS IN BIDDING. A Bidder should make certain to bid on the correct lot and that the bid is the maximum (plus the Buyer’s Premium) that the Bidder is willing and able to pay. Since other Bidders (by mail, facsimile, online, and in person) will be present, and since a re-offering could damage the momentum of the sale, once the hammer has fallen and RR Auction has announced the winning Bidder, such Bidder is unconditionally bound to pay for the lot, even if the Bidder has made a mistake. All prospective Bidders who examine lots in person prior to the sale shall personally assume all responsibility for any damage they cause in so doing. RR Auction shall have sole discretion in determining the value of the damage caused, which shall be promptly paid by the prospective Bidder. Title to any lot remains with Consignor, any secured party of the Consignor, or assignee of Consignor, as the case may be, until the lot is paid for in full by Bidder. RR Auction reserves the right to require payment in full before delivering any lot to the successful Bidder. It is the Bidder’s responsibility and obligation to have the lots fully insured while in their possession. Bidder assumes any and all RISK OF LOSS once the lot(s) is in Bidder’s possession. Bidder grants to RR Auction or its assigns the right to offset any sums due, or found to be due by RR Auction, and to make such offset from any past, subsequent or future consignment, or items acquired by Bidder in possession or control of RR Auction or from any sums due to Bidder by RR Auction. Bidder further grants RR Auction
a purchase money security interest in such sums or items to the extent applicable, and agrees to execute such documents as may be reasonably necessary to grant RR Auction such security interest. Bidder agrees that RR Auction and its assigns shall be a secured party with respect to items bought by Bidder and in the possession of RR Auction, to the extent of the maximum indebtedness, plus all accrued expenses, until the indebtedness is paid. By bidding in this sale, Bidder personally and unconditionally guarantees payment. The authorized representative of any corporate Bidder who is present at the sale shall provide RR Auction or its agent, prior to the commencement of the bidding (or at the time of registration), with a statement signed by a principal, director or officer that they he or she personally and unconditionally guarantees any payment due RR Auction. RR Auction may at its sole and absolute discretion, make loans or advances to Consignors and/or prospective Bidders. In the event of a successful challenge to the title to any goods purchased pursuant to these Conditions of Sale and the exclusive remedies provided herein, RR Auction agrees to reimburse any Bidder in an amount equal to the successful bid price actually paid by Bidder at auction plus any Buyer’s Premium actually paid, in full and complete satisfaction of all claims, which once tendered by RR Auction, relieves and releases RR Auction from any responsibility whatsoever to the Bidder, even if the instrument is not cashed or is returned. Bidding Options: Non-Internet bids (including but not limited to in-person, facsimile, phone and mail bids) are treated similarly to floor bids in that they must be on-increment. Any in-person, facsimile, phone, or mail bids that do not conform to a full increment will be rounded up or down to the nearest full increment and this revised amount will be considered Bidder’s high bid. When identical mail or facsimile bids are submitted, preference is given to the first received. To ensure the greatest accuracy, written bids should be entered on the standard printed bid sheet and be received at RR Auction’s place of business at least twenty-four (24) hours before the Auction start. RR Auction is not responsible for executing mail bids or facsimile bids received on or after the day the first lot is sold, nor Internet bids submitted after the published closing time; nor is RR Auction responsible for proper execution of bids submitted by telephone, mail, facsimile, e-mail, Internet, or in person once the Auction begins. In all Auctions, bids on an item must raise the current high bid by at least 10%, or as specified on a per-Auction basis. Bids will be accepted in whole dollar amounts only. No “buy” or “unlimited” bids will be accepted. In a live sale, bids on an item can change at the discretion of RR Auction. RR Auction reserves the right to accept or decline any bid. Bids must be for an entire lot and each lot constitutes a separate sale. All bids are per lot unless otherwise announced. Live auction lots will be sold in their numbered sequence unless RR Auction directs otherwise. It is unlawful and illegal for Bidders to collude, pool, or agree with another Bidder to pay less than the fair value for lot(s). For live auctions, RR Auction will have final discretion in the event that any dispute should arise between Bidders. RR Auction will determine the successful Bidder, cancel the sale, or re-offer and resell the lot or lots in dispute. RR Auction will have final discretion to resolve any disputes arising after the sale and in online auctions. If any dispute arises, RR Auction’s sale record is conclusive. Payment: Subject to fulfillment of all of the Conditions of Sale set forth herein, upon the sooner of (1) the passing of title to the offered lot pursuant to these Conditions of Sale, or (2) possession of the offered lot by the Bidder, Bidder thereupon (a) assumes full risk and responsibil-
ity (including without limitation, liability for or damage to frames or glass covering prints, paintings, photos, or other works), and (b) will immediately pay the full purchase price or such part as RR Auction may require. In addition to other remedies available to RR Auction by law, RR Auction reserves the right to impose from the date of sale a late charge of 1.5% per month of the total purchase price if payment is not made in accordance with the conditions set forth herein. All property must be removed from RR Auction’s premises by the Bidder at his/her expense not later than thirty (30) business days following its sale and, if it is not so removed, RR Auction may send the purchased property to a public warehouse for the account, at the risk and expense of the Bidder. Payment is due upon closing of the Auction session, or upon presentment of an invoice. RR Auction reserves the right to void an invoice if payment in full is not received within thirteen (13) calendar days of the Auction or within twelve (12) calendar days of the invoice date. In cases of nonpayment, RR Auction’s election to void a sale does not relieve the Bidder from their obligation to pay RR Auction its fees (seller’s and Buyer’s Premium) on the lot and any other damages pertaining to the lot. All sales are strictly for cash in United States dollars (including U.S. currency, bank wire, cashier checks, eChecks, and bank money orders), and are subject to all reporting requirements. All deliveries are subject to good funds; funds being received in RR Auction’s account before delivery of the Purchases; and all payments are subject to a clearing period. RR Auction reserves the right to determine if a check constitutes “good funds”: checks drawn on a U.S. bank are subject to a ten (10) calendar day hold, and ten (10) business days when drawn on an international bank. Clients with pre-arranged credit status may receive immediate credit for payments via e-Check, personal or corporate checks. In the event that a Bidder’s payment is dishonored upon presentment(s), Bidder shall pay the maximum statutory processing fee set by applicable state law. If Bidder attempts to pay via check and the financial institution denies the transfer from Bidder’s bank account, or the payment cannot be completed using the selected funding source, Bidder agrees to complete payment. If RR Auction refers any invoice to an attorney for collection, the Bidder agrees to pay attorney’s fees, court costs, and other collection costs incurred by RR Auction. If RR Auction assigns collection to its house counsel, such attorney’s time expended on the matter shall be compensated at a rate comparable to the hourly rate of independent attorneys. RR Auction shall have a lien against the merchandise purchased by the Bidder to secure payment of the Auction invoice. RR Auction is further granted a lien and the right to retain possession of any other property of the Bidder then held by RR Auction or its affiliates to secure payment of any Auction invoice or any other amounts due RR Auction or affiliates from the Bidder. With respect to these lien rights, RR Auction shall have all the rights of a secured creditor, including but not limited to the right of sale. In addition, with respect to payment of the Auction invoice(s), the Bidder waives any and all rights of offset he might otherwise have against RR Auction and the consignor of the merchandise included on the invoice (the “Consignor”). If a Bidder owes RR Auction or its affiliates on any account, RR Auction and its affiliates shall have the right to offset such unpaid account by any credit balance due Bidder, and it may secure by possessory lien any unpaid amount by any of the Bidder’s property in their possession. All checks, cashiers checks, bank checks, or money orders are payable to R&R Auction Company of Massachusetts, LLC. Delivery; Shipping; and Handling Charges: Bidder is liable for shipping and handling. RR Auction is unable to
combine purchases from other auctions or affiliates into one package for shipping purposes. Lots won will be shipped in a commercially reasonable time after payment in good funds for the merchandise and the shipping fees is received or credit extended, except when third-party shipment occurs. Bidder agrees that service and handling charges related to shipping items which are not pre-paid may be charged to a credit card on file with RR Auction. Successful international Bidders shall provide written shipping instructions, including specified Customs declarations, to RR Auction for any lots to be delivered outside of the United States. NOTE: Declaration value shall be the item’(s) hammer price and RR Auction shall use the correct harmonized code for the lot. Domestic Bidders on lots designated for third-party shipment must designate the common carrier, accept risk of loss, and prepay shipping costs. Title: Title shall not pass to the successful Bidder until all invoices are paid in full. It is the responsibility of the Bidder to provide adequate insurance coverage for the items once they have been delivered to a common carrier or third-party shipper. Rights Reserved: RR Auction reserves the right to withdraw any lot before or at the time of the Auction, and/or to postpone the Auction of all or any lots or parts thereof, for any reason. RR Auction shall not be liable to any Bidder in the event of such withdrawal or postponement under any circumstances. RR Auction reserves the right to refuse to accept bids from anyone. Conducting the Auction: RR Auction reserves the right to postpone the Auction or any session thereof for a reasonable period of time for any reason whatsoever, and no Bidder or prospective Bidder shall have any claim as a result thereof, including consequential damages. RR Auction’s Discretion: RR Auction shall determine opening bids and bidding increments. RR Auction has the right in its absolute discretion to reject any bid in the event of dispute between Bidders or if RR Auction has doubt as to the validity of any bid, to advance the bidding at its absolute discretion and to determine the successful Bidder in the event of a dispute between Bidders, to continue the bidding or to reoffer and resell the lot in question. In the event of a dispute after the sale, RR Auction’s record of final sale shall be conclusive. RR Auction also may reject any bid if RR Auction decides either that any bid is below the reserve of the lot or article or that an advance is insufficient. Unless otherwise announced by RR Auction at the time of sale, no lots may be divided for the purpose of sale. Reserves: Lots may be subject to a reserve which is the confidential minimum price below which the lot will not be sold. Consignors may not bid on their own lots or property. RR Auction may, from time to time, bid on items that it does not own. Off-Site Bidding: Bidding by telephone, facsimile, online, or absentee bidding (advance written bids submitted by mail) are offered solely as a convenience and permitted subject to advance arrangements, availability, and RR Auction’s approval which shall be exercised at RR Auction’s sole discretion. Neither RR Auction nor its agents or employees shall be held liable for the failure to execute bids or for errors relating to any transmission or execution thereof. In order to be considered for off-site bidding in any manner, Bidders must comply with all of these Conditions of Sale and the terms contained on the Registration Form. RR Auction’s Remedies: Failure of the Bidder to comply with any of these Conditions of Sale or the terms of the Registration Form is an event of default. In such
event, RR Auction may, in addition to any other available remedies specifically including the right to hold the defaulting Bidder liable for the Purchase Price or to charge and collect from the defaulting Bidder’s credit or debit accounts as provided for elsewhere herein: (a) cancel the sale, retaining any payment made by the Bidder as damages (the Bidder understands and acknowledges that RR Auction will be substantially damaged should such default occur, and that damages under sub-part (a) are necessary to compensate RR Auction for such damages); (b) resell the property without reserve at public auction or privately; (c) charge the Bidder interest on the Purchase Price at the rate of one and one-half percent (1.5%) per month or the highest allowable interest rate; (d) take any other action that RR Auction, in its sole discretion, deems necessary or appropriate to preserve and protect RR Auction’s rights and remedies. Should RR Auction resell the property, the original defaulting Bidder shall be liable for the payment of any deficiency in the purchase price and all costs and expenses associated there with, including but not limited to warehousing, sales-related expenses, reasonable attorney fees and court costs, commissions, incidental damages and any other charges due hereunder which were not collected or collectable. In the event that such Bidder is the successful Bidder on more than one lot and pays less than the purchase price for the total lots purchased, RR Auction shall apply the payment received to such lot or lots that RR Auction, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate. If RR Auction does not exercise such discretion, the lots to which the payment shall be applied will be in descending order from the highest purchase price to the lowest. Any Bidder failing to comply with these Conditions of Sale shall be deemed to have granted RR Auction a security interest in, and RR Auction may retain as collateral such security for such Bidder’s obligations to RR Auction, any property in RR Auction’s possession owned by such Bidder. RR Auction shall have the benefit of all rights of a secured party under the Uniform Commercial Code (U.C.C.) as adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Warranties: RR Auction does not provide any warranties to Bidders, whether expressed or implied, beyond those expressly provided in these Conditions of Sale. All property and lots are sold “as is” and “where is”. By way of illustration rather than limitation, neither RR Auction nor the Consignor makes any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to merchantability or fitness for intended use, condition of the property (including any condition report), correctness of description, origin, measurement, quality, rarity, importance, exhibition, relevance, attribution, source, provenance, date, authorship, condition, culture, genuineness, value, or period of the property. Additionally, neither RR Auction nor the Consignor makes any representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to whether the Bidder acquires rights in copyright or other intellectual property (including exhibition or reproduction rights) or whether the property is subject to any limitations or other rights. RR Auction does not make any representation or warranty as to title. All descriptions, photographs, illustrations, and terminology including but not limited to words describing condition (including any condition reports requested by Bidder, see also Terminology), authorship, period, culture, source, origin, measurement, quality, rarity, provenance, importance, exhibition, and relevance, used in the Catalog, bill of sale, invoice, or anywhere else, represent a good faith effort made by RR Auction to fairly represent the lots and property offered for sale as to origin, date, condition, and other information contained therein; they are statements of opinion only. They are not representations or warranties and Bidder agrees and acknowledges that he or she shall not rely on them in determining whether or not to bid or for what price. Price estimates (which are determined well in advance of the Auction and are therefore subject to revision) and condition reports are provided solely as a convenience to Bidders and are not intended nor shall they be relied on by Bidders as statements, representations or warranties of actual value or predictions of final bid prices. Bidders are accorded the opportunity to inspect the lots and to otherwise satisfy themselves as to the nature and sufficiency of each lot
prior to bidding, and RR Auction urges Bidders to avail themselves accordingly. All lots sold by RR Auction are accompanied by an Auction Certificate (“AC”). On any lot presented with an AC issued by RR Auction, the certification is only as to its attribution to the person or entity described or to the lot’s usage and only as explicitly stated therein (the “Certification of Authenticity”), to the exclusion of any other warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to those pursuant to the Uniform Commercial Code. The Certification of Authenticity inures only to the original Bidder (as shown in RR Auction’s records). Bidder may not transfer, assign, or otherwise convey the Certification of Authenticity, and such purported transfer, assignment, or conveyance shall be null and void. The Certification of Authenticity is valid from date of the Auction in which Bidder was awarded the lot (the “Auction Date”) until five (5) years after the Auction Date, without exception. FIREARMS. RR Auction complies with all Federal and State rules and regulations relating to the purchasing, registration and shipping of firearms. A Bidder is required to provide appropriate documents and the payment of associated fees, if any. Bidder is responsible for providing a shipping address that is suitable for the receipt of a firearm. Limitation of Damages: In the event that RR Auction is prevented for any reason from delivering any property to Bidder, or Bidder is otherwise dissatisfied with the performance of RR Auction, the liability, if any, of RR Auction, shall be limited to, and shall not exceed, the amount actually paid for the property by Bidder. In no event shall RR Auction be liable for incidental, special, indirect, exemplary or consequential damages of any kind, including but not limited to loss of profits, value of investment or opportunity cost. Unauthorized Statements: Under no circumstances is any employee, agent or representative of RR Auction authorized by RR Auction to modify, amend, waive or contradict any of these Conditions of Sale, any term or condition set forth on a registration form, any warranty or limitation or exclusion of warranty, any term or condition in either the Registration Form or these Terms and Conditions regarding payment requirements, including but not limited to due date, manner of payment, and what constitutes payment in full, or any other term or condition contained in any documents issued by RR Auction unless such modification, amendment, waiver or contradiction is contained in a writing signed by all parties. Any statements, oral or written, made by employees, agents or representatives of RR Auction to Bidder, including statements regarding specific lots, even if such employee, agent or representative represents that such statement is authorized, unless reduced to a writing signed by all parties, are statements of personal opinion only and are not binding on RR Auction, and under no circumstances shall be relied upon by Bidder as a statement, representation or warranty of RR Auction. Bidder’s Remedies: Under no circumstance will RR Auction incur liability to a Bidder in excess of the purchase price actually paid. This section sets forth the sole and exclusive remedies of Bidder in conformity with the Warranties and Limitation of Damages provisions of these Conditions of Sale, and is expressly in lieu of any other rights or remedies which might be available to Bidder by law. The Bidder hereby accepts the benefit of the Consignor’s warranty of title and any other representations and warranties made by the Consignor for the Bidder’s benefit. In the event that Bidder demonstrates in writing, in the sole discretion of RR Auction, that there was a breach of the Consignor’s warranty of title concerning a lot purchased by Bidder, RR Auction shall make demand upon the Consignor to pay to Bidder the Purchase Price (including any premiums, taxes, or other
amounts paid or due to RR Auction). Should the Consignor not pay the Purchase Price to Bidder within thirty days after such demand, RR Auction shall disclose the identity of the Consignor to Bidder and assign to Bidder all of RR Auction’s rights against the Consignor with respect to such lot or property. Upon such disclosure and assignment, all responsibility and liability, if any, of RR Auction with respect to said lot or property shall automatically terminate. RR Auction shall be entitled to retain the premiums and other amounts paid to RR Auction - this remedy is as to the Consignor only. The rights and remedies provided herein are for the original Bidder only and they may not be assigned or relied upon by any transferee or assignee under any circumstances. If Bidder wishes to challenge the AC within the period of the Certification of Authenticity, Bidder must present written evidence that the lot is not authentic as determined by a known expert in the field. If RR Auction agrees that the lot is not as represented, Bidder’s sole and exclusive remedy shall be a refund of their purchase price, with no other costs, liabilities or amounts recoverable. If RR Auction does not agree with the claim by Bidder, then the Parties shall follow the dispute resolution procedures of these Conditions of Sale. Any such challenge concerning an AC or Certification of Authenticity must, without any exception, be brought within one (1) year of Bidder’s notice to RR Auction of Bidder’s contention that the lot was not authentic, or six (6) years from the Auction Date, whichever is sooner. If the description of any lot in the Catalog is materially incorrect (e.g., gross cataloging error), the lot is returnable if returned within five (5) calendar days of receipt, and received by RR Auction no later than twenty-one (21) calendar days after the Auction Date. If there is any discrepancy between the description in the Catalog and the AC, then the description in the AC shall control. This paragraph shall constitute Bidder’s sole right with respect to the return of items, and no refunds shall be given for any items not returned to and received by RR Auction. NO RETURN OR REFUND OF ANY AUCTION LOT WILL BE CONSIDERED EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN THESE CONDITIONS OF SALE. RR Auction’s Additional Services: For Bidders who do not remove purchased property from RR Auction’s premises, RR Auction, in its sole discretion and solely as a service and accommodation to Bidders, may arrange to have purchased lots packed, insured and forwarded at the sole request, expense, and risk of Bidder. RR Auction assumes no and disclaims all responsibility and liability for acts or omissions in such packing or shipping by RR Auction or other packers and carriers, whether or not recommended by RR Auction. RR Auction assumes no and disclaims all responsibility and liability for damage to frames, glass or other breakable items. Where RR Auction arranges and bills for such services via invoice, RR Auction will include an administration charge. Headings: Headings are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret the substantive sections to which they refer. Entire Agreement: These Conditions of Sale constitute the entire agreement between the parties together with the terms and conditions contained in the Registration Form. They may not be amended, modified or superseded except in a signed writing executed by all parties. No oral or written statement by anyone employed by RR Auction or acting as agent or representative of RR Auction may amend, modify, waive or supersede the terms herein unless such amendment, waiver or modification is contained in a writing signed by all parties. If any section of these Conditions of Sale or any term or provision of any section is held to be invalid, void, or unenforceable by any court
of competent jurisdiction, the remaining sections or terms and provisions of a section shall continue in full force and effect without being impaired or invalidated in any way. Governing Law and Enforcement The Parties agree that any agreements between the Parties including but not limited to these Conditions of Sale are entered into in Boston, Massachusetts, no matter where Bidder is situated and no matter by what means or where Bidder was informed of the Auction and regardless of whether catalogs, materials, or other communications were received by Bidder in another location. The Parties agree that these Conditions of Sale, and any other related agreement(s) are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard for its conflict of laws principles. The Parties agree that any dispute related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale, or related to or arising out of any other related agreement(s) shall be submitted to confidential binding arbitration (the “Arbitration”) before a single Arbitrator of the American Arbitration Association (the “AAA”). The Parties agree that the Arbitration shall be conducted pursuant to the commercial rules of the AAA. In the event that the Parties cannot agree on the selection of the Arbitrator, then the Arbitrator shall be selected by the AAA. The prevailing Party in the Arbitration shall be entitled to recover all of its related costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the Arbitration, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and, if RR Auction prevails, the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. The Parties agree that Bidder shall have no right to recover consequential or indirect damages, or lost profits damages. The Parties consent to the enforcement of the decision in the Arbitration pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act in either the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Except as provided in Bidder’s Remedies with regard to the Certification of Authenticity, any dispute, claim, cause of action related to or arising out of these Conditions of Sale or any other agreement(s) between the Parties must be brought within one (1) year of the acts, omissions or circumstances giving rise to the alleged claim, without exceptions. This provision is intended as a full, complete and absolute release of any claims after one (1) year of such acts, omissions or circumstances. The Parties agree further that these waiver provisions are intended to be binding on all parties in the event of any dispute, specifically including but not limited to third party claims and cross-actions brought by either RR Auction or Bidder. These provisions are consideration for the execution of these Conditions of Sale. The Bidder hereby agrees that RR Auction shall be entitled to present these Conditions of Sale to a court in any jurisdiction other than set forth in this paragraph as conclusive evidence of the Parties’ agreement, and the Parties further agree that the court shall immediately dismiss any action filed in such jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, RR Auction may, in its sole discretion, enforce its rights pursuant to these Conditions of Sale in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts rather than in an Arbitration related to or arising out of any Auction of an item sold for less than $10,000. This right shall relate to the individual item price, such that RR Auction may, in its sole discretion, enforce its rights pursuant to these Conditions of Sale in the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts rather than in an Arbitration for items that in the aggregate exceed $10,000. The prevailing Party in such a proceeding shall be entitled to recover all of its related costs, whether before or after the formal institution of the proceeding, including but not limited to its reasonable attorneys’ fees and, if RR Auction prevails, the Buyer’s Premium as defined in these Conditions of Sale. This right of enforcement is unique to RR Auction, and these Conditions of Sale are a waiver by the Bidder of any right to enforcement or adjudication outside of an Arbitration.
CONDUCT OF AUCTION Estimate Prices: In addition to descriptive information, each item in the Catalog sometimes includes a price range which reflects opinion as to the price expected at auction (the “Estimate Prices”). In other instances, Estimate Prices can be obtained by calling RR Auction at (603) 7324280. The Estimate Prices are based upon various factors including prices recently paid at auction for comparable property, condition, rarity, quality, history and provenance. Estimate Prices are prepared well in advance of the sale and subject to revision. Estimates do not include the Buyer’s Premium or sales tax (see under separate heading). Owned or Guaranteed Property: RR Auction generally offers property consigned by others for sale at public auction; in very limited occasion, lots are offered that are the property of RR Auction. Before the Auction: Bidder may attend pre-sale viewing for all of RR Auction’s auctions at no charge. All property to be auctioned is usually on view for several days prior to the sale. Bidder is encouraged to examine lots thoroughly. Bidder may also request condition reports (see below). RR Auction’s staff are available at viewings and by appointment. Maximum Bids – All Auctions: To maximize Bidder’s chance of winning, RR Auction strongly encourages the use of maximum bids. RR Auction will then bid for Bidder until the lot reaches Bidder’s specified maximum. Maximum bids are strictly confidential. Placing arbitrary, non-incremental bids on lots with prior maximum bids may result in these lots being sold for less than 10% above the under Bidder’s bid. Successful Bids: The fall of RR Auction’s hammer indicates the final bid. RR Auction will record the paddle number of the Bidder. If Bidder’s salesroom or absentee bid is successful, Bidder will be notified after the sale by mailed or emailed invoice. Unsold Lots: If a lot does not reach the reserve, it is bought-in. In other words, it remains unsold and is returned to the Consignor. RR Auction has the right to sell certain unsold items after the close of the Auction. Such lots shall be considered sold during the Auction and all these Terms and Conditions shall apply to such sales including but not limited to the Buyer’s Premium, return rights, and disclaimers. Bidding—Timed Auction: Bidder may open, monitor, and/or raise bids at any time before the close of a lot through www.rrauction.com. RR Auction offers a callback service the day of the Auction, but Bidder is responsible for supplying a correct telephone number(s) where Bidder can be reached until the Auction closes. Bidder must request this service in writing. RR Auction will make reasonable efforts to ensure that Bidders who request a callback are contacted if outbid; however, RR Auction does not guarantee this service and it is merely a courtesy and not an enforceable right. The auctioneer may also execute a bid on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve, either by entering a bid in response to salesroom, telephone or absentee bids. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on behalf of the consignor above the reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify bids placed on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve. To ensure proper registration, those Bidders intending to bid via the Internet must visit www.RRauction.com and register accordingly at least one full day prior to the actual auction. Winning bidders will be notified by RR Auction. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids.
Any Bidder may bid on any lot prior to 6 pm EST/EDT. At that time, an extended bidding period goes into effect. If Bidder has not bid on a lot before 6 pm EST/EDT, Bidder may not bid on that lot after 6 pm EST/EDT. Only those Bidders who have placed bids on a lot before 6 pm EST/EDT will be allowed to bid on that lot after 6 pm EST/EDT. If Bidder is the only Bidder on a lot at 6 pm EST/EDT, that lot is awarded to Bidder. During the extended bidding period, a lot will remain open only to those who bid on that lot prior to 6 pm EST/ EDT. All lots WITHOUT an opening bid at 6 pm EST/EDT will remain OPEN to ALL Bidders until 7 pm EST/EDT or until they receive their first bid. These lots will close immediately upon receipt of a bid or at 7 pm EST/EDT, whichever comes first. For all lots that are active after 7 pm EST/EDT, bidding will remain open until 30 minutes pass without a bid being placed on THAT lot (the “30 Minute Rule”). The 30 Minute Rule is applied on a PER LOT BASIS; each lot in the Auction closes individually based on bidding activity after 7 pm EST/ EDT. On a PER LOT BASIS, the 30 minute timer will reset each time a bid is placed after 7 pm EST/EDT. If Bidder is the high Bidder, raising Bidder’s maximum bid will NOT reset the timer. RR Auction reserves the right to close the Auction at any time at its sole discretion. Bidding - Internet – Live Auction: Bidder may open, monitor, and/or raise bids at any time before the close of a lot through www.rrauction.com. RR Auction offers a callback service the day of the Auction, but Bidder is responsible for supplying a correct telephone number(s) where Bidder can be reached until the Auction closes. Bidder must request this service in writing. RR Auction will make reasonable efforts to ensure that Bidders who request a callback are contacted if outbid; however, RR Auction does not guarantee this service and it is merely a courtesy and not an enforceable right. To ensure proper registration, those Bidders intending to bid via the Internet must visit www.RRauction.com and register accordingly at least one full day prior to the actual auction. Winning bidders will be notified by RR Auction. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids. Property is auctioned in consecutive numerical order, as it appears in the catalog. The auctioneer will accept bids from those present in the salesroom or absentee bidders participating by telephone, internet or by written bid left with RR Auction in advance of the auction. The auctioneer may also execute a bid on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve, either by entering a bid in response to salesroom, telephone or absentee bids. Under no circumstances will the auctioneer place any bid on behalf of the consignor above the reserve. The auctioneer will not specifically identify bids placed on behalf of the consignor to protect the reserve. During live Auctions, internet bids can be placed in real time through one or more of the following Third Party services: www.liveauctioneers.com, www.invaluable.com and www.icollector.com. RR Auction is not responsible or liable for any problems, delays, or any other issues or problems resulting out of use of the Internet generally or specifically, including but not limited to transmission, execution or processing of bids. RR Auction treats any third-party site bids as floor or telephone bids. Floor bids and telephone bids are always considered first over third party sites bids, and floor bids are considered earlier than telephone bids. All RR Auction lots purchased through the third party sites carry an additional Buyer’s Premium. Miscellaneous: Agreements between Bidders and Consignors to effectuate a nonsale of an item at Auction, inhibit bidding on a consigned item to enter into a private sale agreement for said item, or to utilize RR Auction’s Auction to obtain sales for non-selling consigned items subsequent to the Auction, are strictly prohibited. If a subsequent sale of a previously consigned item occurs in violation of this provision, RR Auction reserves the right to charge Bidder the applicable Buyer’s
Premium and Consignor a Seller’s Commission as determined for each auction venue and by the terms of the seller’s agreement. Acceptance of these Terms and Conditions qualifies Bidder as a client who has consented to be contacted by RR Auction in the future. In conformity with “do-not-call” regulations promulgated by the Federal or State regulatory agencies, participation by the Bidder is affirmative consent to being contacted at the phone number shown in his application and this consent shall remain in effect until it is revoked in writing. RR Auction may from time to time contact Bidder concerning sale, purchase, and auction opportunities available. Rules of Construction: RR Auction presents properties in a number of collectible fields, and as such, specific venues have promulgated supplemental Terms and Conditions. Nothing herein shall be construed to waive the general Conditions of Sale by these additional rules and shall be construed to give force and effect to the rules in their entirety.
GLOSSARY OF CONDITION TERMS FOR DECADES, RR AUCTION HAS LED THE INDUSTRY IN PROVIDING AN ACCURATE AND DETAILED CONDITION STATEMENT FOR EACH ITEM THAT WE SELL. STARTING IN 2016 WE’VE DECIDED TO TAKE A FRESH APPROACH TO DESCRIBING EACH ITEM’S CONDITION. As our website and catalog images continually improve, and bidders can see obvious details from those excellent images, we’ve decided to simplify things, using the same terminology to describe an item’s overall condition (on an ascending scale of 1 to 4: good, very good, fine, very fine), but only adding specific details, if any, that would not be obvious from the illustration. VERY FINE describes an item in virtually flawless condition, and is used sparingly for items of exceptionally attractive appearance. FINE is the most common statement of condition, and applies to most items that we offer. It describes items that show expected handling wear, generally acceptable random flaws (such as light creases, small bends, etc.), and an overall appearance that is pleasing to the majority of collectors. VERY GOOD describes an item that exhibits more moderate flaws (such as toning, light staining, professional reinforcements or repairs, etc.). Most collectors would be comfortable with items in very good condition, and this would be the expected condition for many formats (early presidential documents, for example). GOOD describes an item with obvious visible flaws, including heavy wear, missing portions, or repairs that affect appearance; generally items in this condition are offered only if an item is otherwise exceedingly rare or important. Of course we’re more than happy to provide more in-depth information about any item via phone or email. We hope this new system will make for easier reading and a more pleasant bidding experience.
Remarkable Relationships LEAD TO
Remarkable Results
Let’s make history—together For over 35 years, relationships have been the backbone of RR Auction. We have made it a priority to keep our consignors informed and involved, encouraging them to share their voices, to instill their knowledge, and to forge a partnership based on our shared passion for history. With a mutual desire to achieve greatness, these relationships are at the heart of our success.
This September we will be holding our Remarkable Rarities auction, featuring the most treasured names and cornerstone pieces for all devoted collectors. If you are ready to sell and looking for a company that cares about your items as much as you do, call us. Please contact the auction's director, Tricia Eaton, at (603) 732-4280, or via email at Tricia@RRAuction.com.
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