DALLAS, TX.- Jesse James' personally owned Colt Single Action .45 Caliber Revolver, as seen in photos and identified by three generations of the James family as the weapon used by the infamous outlaw, is expected to lead an important selection of extraordinary and fresh-to-market objects in Heritage Auctions' Legends of the West Signature Auction Nov. 24 in Dallas.

First displayed by Jesse James, Jr. in a 1923 exhibition of guns and related items owned by his father, the classic Colt has a well-documented, continuous chain of ownership from that point forward. In light of the gun's rarity and historical significance, Heritage has set the lot's minimum opening bid at $400,000, said Tom Slater, Director of Americana at Heritage Auctions.

"There is just no way to predict what a gun like this might fetch at auction," Slater said. "It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The pistol left Jesse, Jrs.' possession in 1924, along with another of his father's pistols, when it was given as security for an unpaid medical bill. Jessie's wife later travelled from their home in California in an effort to reclaim the guns, and when that effort failed, she filed an unsuccessful suit against the doctor in question. In 1940 their daughter, Jo Frances James, made another attempt to reclaim the guns, by then in the possession of Missouri U.S. Senator Harry Hawes."

The pair had come to the attention of industrialist Henry Ford, probably as a result of their display at the Missouri Pavilion at the New York World's Fair. Jo Frances sought to have Ford bring pressure on Hawes to relinquish Jesse's guns, even offering to let him have one of them for his museum of American history if he could prevail on the Senator to relinquish them.

"Hawes stood firm, however, and the guns subsequently passed to another Missouri political figure, Congressman Frank W. Boykin," Slater said. "They remained in his family until 1975, but became separated when Boykins' son sold the Colt now offered by Heritage to another Michigan industrialist, William Mitchell, who was amassing an important collection of guns with historical connections. It was in Mitchell's collection until earlier this year," Slater said.

In 1994 Judge James Ross, Jesse James' great grandson, wrote to Boykin in an attempt to locate the guns to make sure they would be preserved for posterity. In that letter he gave up the family's quest to recover the guns, but confirmed their authenticity as having belonged to his outlaw ancestor. Ross wrote that "hopefully at some date (they may) reposit in a museum for all to see as they are definitely a part of Americana."

Additional highlights in the Nov. 24 Legends of the West Auction include more than 14 lots related to George Armstrong Custer including his personal travelling lap desk, expected to bring $7,500+, and one of his iconic buckskin jackets, which may hammer for $10,000+. A particularly interesting item is a rare 7th Cavalry document signed by Custer and two other prominent Little Big Horn casualties: Custer's brother-in-law James Calhoun and Lt. Algernon Smith, a member of Custer's inner circle, which could sell for $5,000+.

"Anything from the early days of Tombstone, Arizona is highly prized by collectors," Slater said, "and this auction has some great examples: a rare letterhead from the O.K. Corral Livery Stable, a historically-important check signed by Tom McLaury, who was killed in the famous gun fight, as well as Wyatt Earp's own wallet, presented with a minimum bid $7,500. The wallet carries his embossed name and has just about the best provenance one could ask for in a Wyatt Earp item, coming from the collection of John Gilchriese, himself a legend in Western collecting circles."

Few Western personalities are more famous than Annie Oakley, star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West. The auction features some 40 items which belonged to Annie and which descended through the families of two descendants who were both great-grandchildren of Annie's only brother, John Henry Moses. Some 30 of the items have been consigned by Bess Moses Edwards , who in 1984 established the Annie Oakley Foundation to help ensure accuracy in the recounting of Annie's life and exploits. Having reached the age of 91, Edwards felt that the time had come to share her treasured mementos. These range from signed and unsigned photographs — some never-before-seen images — to Annie's beloved Parker shotgun, used by her in shooting exhibitions for nearly two decades, offered with a $10,000 minimum opening bid.

Another Oakley gem — and unknown to scholars until it surfaced in the estate of her grand-nephew this year — is her gold charm bracelet. The simple bracelet is adorned with charms given to her by dignitaries for whom she performed, such as the Consul General of France, her husband Frank Butler, famous crack shot and Wild West show performer "Doc" Carver, and Buffalo Bill Cody himself. "This bracelet must have been among Annie's most precious possessions," observes Slater. "During World War I she made a public display of donating her many shooting medals and awards to be melted to help the war effort. But she held onto the bracelet, and is seen wearing it in a 1919 photograph."

An incredibly important complete archive of photos, documents, and artifacts covering the period from 1873 to 1883 on the Otoe Indian Reservation in Nebraska is estimated to bring $40,000+ and represents just a handful of archives offered at public auction.

"Such a complete assemblage is nearly unheard of, and represents a rare overview of the halting process through which a Native American people sought to assimilate into the ever-encroaching world of the white man," Slater said.