Bonnie and Clyde guns sell for $504,000 at auction
NASHUA, N.H. (AP) — Two guns once in the possession of notorious gangsters Bonnie and Clyde when they were killed in a hail of gunfire sold at a New Hampshire auction Sunday for more than half a million dollars.
The guns were two of 134 artifacts that sold for a total of $1.1 million at the auction in Nashua. About two-thirds of the auctioned items were from Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, but items also came from other notorious criminals, including Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger.
Bonnie Parker's .38-caliber Detective Special that she had taped to her thigh when she was killed in 1934 drew the highest bid and sold for $264,000, said Bobby Livingston, vice president of RR Auction in Amherst, N.H., which held the auction.
Clyde Barrow's 1911 Colt .45-caliber automatic sold for $240,000 to the same bidder, who didn't want to be named, Livingston said.
"When rare items like that come up for sale you expect this kind of enthusiasm," Livingston said. "There was some serious bidding going on."
Many of the auction items came from the estate of the late collector Robert Davis of Waco, Texas, with the remainder coming from various other collections.
Most of the items came from famous gangsters and outlaws, but some were linked to law enforcement officials including Elliot Ness and Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, who led a posse that tracked down and killed Bonnie and Clyde in Louisiana.
Clyde Barrow's pocket watch sold for $36,000, Livingston said. A 1921 Morgan silver dollar that was found in his pocket after he was killed sold for $32,000
The guns were two of 134 artifacts that sold for a total of $1.1 million at the auction in Nashua. About two-thirds of the auctioned items were from Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker, but items also came from other notorious criminals, including Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd and John Dillinger.
Bonnie Parker's .38-caliber Detective Special that she had taped to her thigh when she was killed in 1934 drew the highest bid and sold for $264,000, said Bobby Livingston, vice president of RR Auction in Amherst, N.H., which held the auction.
Clyde Barrow's 1911 Colt .45-caliber automatic sold for $240,000 to the same bidder, who didn't want to be named, Livingston said.
"When rare items like that come up for sale you expect this kind of enthusiasm," Livingston said. "There was some serious bidding going on."
Many of the auction items came from the estate of the late collector Robert Davis of Waco, Texas, with the remainder coming from various other collections.
Most of the items came from famous gangsters and outlaws, but some were linked to law enforcement officials including Elliot Ness and Texas Ranger Frank Hamer, who led a posse that tracked down and killed Bonnie and Clyde in Louisiana.
Clyde Barrow's pocket watch sold for $36,000, Livingston said. A 1921 Morgan silver dollar that was found in his pocket after he was killed sold for $32,000
Probably a lot more money than they ever got robbing banks.
"Many of the auction items came from the estate of the late collector Robert Davis of Waco, Texas"
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How much did the crickets go for?
 @Kushfan not near as much as the worms...they know how to play penochle (sp?)
The amount of money people will spend on irrelevant nothings is astounding.
Sounds like they had more dollars than sense.
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 @badcatÂ
These werenât "Robin and Robyn Hoods", these were murders.
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Clyde was known for using a sawed-off BAR (THAT would be the weapon I should have bought if they had sold it) and shoot indiscriminately. Often he would just shoot law enforcement when he ran across them.
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Parker had at least on one occasion shot a law man in cold blood using that very weapon she was found with.
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On more than one occasion Barker had intentionally looked for law enforcement to kill.
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In all they stole very little for the 11 people they have confirmed to have murdered. All of which was worthless as they could not even get into motels for their notoriety. But spend it all they did.
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So yeah sure law enforcement could not do what they did then today. But how many groups of heavily armed bandits shooting up places with automatic rifles over the west do you see in this day?
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There were at least three in Parker and Barrow's day. These two murderous criminals were just one.
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Her gun would have gone for much more if it was taped higher up on her thigh.
"This is my weapon, this is my gun".
 @Kushfan Nice.
Tape??!!
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I remember back in the day women would use garters to hold their pistols.
@Kushfan I'm so old, I used to wear garters.
 @WendyTeagarden Would have been pretty damned effective birth control too.