John Dillinger's highest valued memorabilia item sold for $95,600

John Dillinger remains the top-selling Public Enemy #1

Despite bids of €48k, love letters by French '#1' Jacques Mesrine fell short of his US counterpart

Notorious bank robber and Former French Public Enemy #1 Jacques Mesrine "was robbed" over the weekend.

A collection of love letters written by Mesrine to a lover failed to find a buyer, after the lot missed its €50,000 reserve by just €2,000.

The letters - penned between June 1973 and May 1979, and featuring drawings and poems by the notorious bank robber - attracted bids of up to €48,000.

Mesrine's letters are signed "Bruno", a name given to him by his lover Jocelyne, while her's are signed "Joyce". Many of the letters are illustrated with cartoons.

Mesrine's love letters auctioned with an estimate of €60k-80k

According to auctioneers Drouot, the highest-grossing lot at the sale of Mersine memorabilia was a gold signet ring engraved with the gangster's initials. It realised €12,392.

In contrast to the Mesrine sale, letters and memorabilia attached to John Dillinger, one-time US Public Enemy #1, sold with plenty of success last year.

A rare letter written by Dillinger while in an Indiana County Jail, in 1932, realised over $60,000 - more than 10 times its opening bid of $4,000-6,000.

John Dillinger's carved wooden gun sold for over $19k

Dillinger made his escape from the same County Jail on March 3, 1934, with a fake gun carved out of wood. A gun alleged to be the same wooden replica also sold for $19,120 last year.

However, never let it be said that justice is forgotten on the auction block.

The highest-selling piece of Dillinger memorabilia is a Colt Army Special revolver - used by an east Chicago Police Captain to fatally shoot the gangster in 1934.

It sold in 2009 for an astonishing $95,600.

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Image: Drouot