Rumor has it that I’m related to Jesse James. As much as Sebastian & I have been able to learn about our families through genealogy, I can’t confirm or debunk this at this point. Regardless, it does mean that I spent quite a bit of time as a child checking out Jesse James-related sites when visiting Western Missouri during family gatherings.*
Anyway, the Colt .45 owned by my possible distant cousin is apparently going up for auction soon. This account claims that they expect it to go for more than $1.6 million.
While I mentioned this to Sebastian, he wondered if the gun used to shoot Jesse James was actually worth more money. A quick search indicates that while the price of that gun has been on the rise over the last 20 years, it’s not nearly as valuable. It was apparently predicted to go for about $150,000 when auctioned in 1993 and then again in 20033 for $350,000.
*I will not be surprised if I can eventually debunk this family myth. On the other hand, the James family that appears in my tree may have come from Missouri around the right time.
Colt Collectors are an obsessive lot.
I’ll be surprised if the winning bid is a low as $1.5M.