Jesse James photo sold for $51,240

A signed photo of notorious Missouri outlaw Jesse James sold at auction Tuesday for $51,240

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago had estimated the photograph would sell for between $20,000 and $30,000.

The photo shows James with his hair slicked back and looking away from the camera at an angle.

Underneath it’s signed J.W. James.

The auction house has said it’s the only known signed photo of the outlaw.

But not everyone is sold on its authenticity.

Gary Chilcote, the director of the Jesse James Home Museum in St. Joseph, says the outlaw rarely signed anything.

Jesse James was shot and killed in his home in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1882 at the age of 34.

Maria Altman, St. Louis Public Radio

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Jesse James photo to be auctioned in Chicago

ST. LOUIS, MO (ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO) - The only known signed photo of Jesse James, the notorious outlaw from Missouri, will go to auction next week in Chicago.

The photo shows James with slicked back hair and gazing away from the camera at an angle. It’s signed J.W. James.

Mary Williams with Leslie Hindman Auctioneers says she was skeptical until she saw the signature first-hand and noted its similarity to a letter James is said to have signed.

"It’s incredibly similar to an item being offered by History for Sale. It’s a two-page letter from Jesse James where he signs on the front with his full name, Jesse James, and on the back he sign J-W James like on our photograph, and the two are extremely similar," Williams said.

The photo is expected to sell at the auction next Tuesday for at least 20-thousand dollars.

But not everyone is sold on its authenticity.

Gary Chilcote, the director of the Jesse James Home Museum in St. Joseph, says the outlaw rarely signed anything.

Maria Altman, St. Louis Public Radio

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