Bonnie & Clyde's Tommy Gun and Winchester 1897 to sell in Missouri auction

Weapons including a Tommy Gun and Winchester 1897 which belonged to Bonnie & Clyde are to sell

Whether it's Jesse James, Billy the Kid or John Dillinger, the memorabilia of outlaws who've had a legend built around them can be very valuable indeed.

For many, the most iconic outlaws are the lovers Bonnie and Clyde. Recreated in a Hollywood movie with Warren Beatty (albeit without much accuracy), they are remembered almost as heroes.

Historic firearms believed to have been owned and used by the outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker are now to be sold at auction. A 45 Caliber fully automatic Thompson Sub-machine Gun and a Winchester 12 Guage Model 1897 will be sold to the highest bidder.

The seller's great-grandfather, who was in law enforcement at the time, was given the two guns by another peace officer who had seized the weapons after a raid on the pair in Joplin, Missouri in April of 1933.

Just months prior to the raid, Bonnie & Clyde kidnapped a police officer named Thomas Persell. Persell recounted the events of the abduction for the Springfield Daily News and the Joplin Globe, mentioning each time the "Tommy Gun" Mrs. Parker proudly held.

Bonnie and Clyde's Thompson Sub-machine 'Tommy' Gun

The raid occurred at the height of the duo's crime rampage that cut a wide swath across Middle American during the Great Depression. The raid did not produce any arrests as the two had a knack for being one step ahead of law enforcement, but it did yield a cache of weapons, plus a camera.

When the film was developed, there were some of the iconic pictures of the couple with some of their guns.

Mayo Auction and Realty has not set an estimate for the guns, but given that John Dillinger's Remington sold for $95,000 in 2009 and Al Capone's revolver sold for the equivalent of $109,000 in 2011, they are likely to prove valuable.

The sale takes place in Missouri on January 21.

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Images: Mayo Auction & Realty