From Outlaws to Poets: Bonnie and Clyde Archive Among Highlights in Heritage’s Americana & Political Auction

Hindenberg relics, first-generation iPhone and painting by President Dwight D. Eisenhower also among April 24-25 event highlights DOWNLOAD DIGITAL PRESS KIT DALLAS, Texas (April 10, 2026) — The mystique surrounding Bonnie and Clyde is less about who they were and more about their story and how it has been told and romanticized over the years. Criminals during the Great Depression, robbing banks and stores and assuming the roles of revered outlaws, rebels who pushed back against a system many considered broken. They were wanted by law enforcement because of their behavior that became the stuff of legend. Newspapers essentially celebrated their exploits through sensational headlines and sometimes photos. No longer were they common criminals; instead, they evolved into folk heroes on the run. Now collectors will have an opportunity to pursue some of the creative work of the duo when Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow: Poetry Attributed to the Folk Hero Outlaws crosses the auction block in Heritage’s April 24-25 Americana & Political Signature® Auction. This extraordinary archive has been consigned by Barrow’s nephew, who got it directly from his mother — Clyde’s older sister. The “anchor piece” is a 4-inch-by-6-3/4-inch green leatherette “Year Book” (appointment book) for the year 1933 that apparently was discarded by its golf-playing original owner before ending up with Bonnie and Clyde, who repurposed it as a journal for poetry. Many of the contained verses revolve around their lives of crime and doomed efforts to elude capture, and ultimately, prosecution. When they were killed in a 1934 ambush, Bonnie’s mother, Emma, and Clyde’s sister, Nell, wrote a history titled, “Fugitives: The Story of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker” — the second copy of which is illustrated on page 188. Clyde also wrote a poem, with language that reveals his minimal education and is full of “gangster-ese” language. “Few, if any, criminals in American history have captivated public attention like Bonnie and Clyde did,” says Ray Farina, Historical Consignment Director at Heritage Auctions. “Their story became the subject of songs and movies, so to have something like this, that they wrote, is an incredible opportunity, because it tells their story from a perspective nobody else can.” Another timeless treasure that will end up in a new collection is a Dirigible LZ-129 Hindenburg: Lighting Fixture Relic, Photos, & Postcard from the German passenger airship that was destroyed May 6, 1937, while attempting to moor at the Naval Air station in Lakehurst, New Jersey. The lot includes a lighting fixture recovered from the wreckage, representing a structural component from the interior of the airship, and a rare real-photo postcard, postmarked May 21, 1937, depicting the Hindenberg less than three weeks after the disaster, among the most famous in American history. Also included in the lot are two pages of original photos extracted from a family album containing numerous original photographs documenting the smoldering wreckage. According to family provenance, the consignor’s father was stationed with the U.S. Marine Corps at Quantico at the time of the disaster and was among those assigned to guard the crash side in the days following the explosion. During the course of those duties and related recovery efforts, he salvaged the lighting fixture included. Modern collectors will be drawn toward a First Generation iPhone: Original Factory Sealed [MA501LL/A, Model A1203, 4GB], Apple 2007 USA that represents the start of the smartphones that now are ubiquitous. This is an incredibly rare 4GB example of the original iPhone that was offered for an incredibly short time, introduced in June 2007 and discontinued less than three months later. The 4GB configuration was produced in far smaller quantity than the subsequent 8GB configuration. A foundational model that launched Apple’s smartphone platform, this relic of modern technology is offered in its original retail box, still sealed in the factory shrink-wrap. Dwight Eisenhower is known best as the Supreme Allied Commander in World War II, and later as the 34th president of the United States, but during the 1940s he also started painting landscapes, portraits and Western-themed scenes — a passion he continued to pursue throughout his presidency and retirement. His artistic talent will be on display in this auction in Dwight D. Eisenhower: Original Oil on Canvas titled, “Painting of an Indian Encampment.” Eisenhower gave this painting to his friend, Alex Frieder, a prominent American businessman and humanitarian who played a critical role during WWII in facilitating the rescue of approximately 1,300 Jewish refugees, helping to secure their safe passage from Nazi-controlled Europe to the Philippines under the auspices of President Manuel L. Quezon. Among the most seriously collected of all American presidents is Abraham Lincoln, who is represented in 71 lots in this auction, including Abraham Lincoln: A Significant Variant of this Classic 1860 Campaign Flag. Measuring 17 inches by 11 inches, the glazed cotton flag is inscribed “Lincoln and Hamlin” in curved letters with the canton positioned in the correct corner. It features a five-pointed “Great Star” pattern with a total of 33 stars, graphically arranged. This can only be considered a marquee addition to the most advanced and sophisticated collection. A Western Union: Thomas A. Edison Classic 1920s Stock Ticker Tape Machine With Glass Dome, standing 14 inches tall, and with a diameter of 8 inches, is an exceptional example of the innovation that was invented in 1867 by Edward A. Calahan (the one offered in this auction is in the classic 1920s design). Edison’s improvements to this machine enabled all of the tickers on a line to be synchronized so that they printed the same information in unison. It includes the original glass dome with a roll of original paper ticker tape, which rarely is found with these business machines. Also offered is a Boston Marine Compass Presented by Senator Edward M. Kennedy to Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey. This 19th-century relic was presented May 15, 1989, by Kennedy to Haughey in a gesture reflecting the longstanding relationship between the Kennedy family and Ireland, a bond strengthened during President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 visit to Ireland and sustained in later decades. Haughey, who served three terms as Taioseach (Prime Minister of Ireland). The selection of a historic Boston nautical instrument as a diplomatic gift underscores both the Kennedy family’s Massachusetts heritage and President Kennedy’s well-documented association with the sea. Following Haughey’s death in 2006, the compass was given to a close family friend who had shared in the Haughey family’s maritime activities, including time aboard Celtic Mist and visits to Inishvickillane. Other auction highlights include, but are not limited to:   • A pen used by President Lyndon B. Johnson to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which then was presented to UPI News Film Correspondent Fred Lawrence   • A Lincoln & Hamlin: 1860 Jugate Campaign Ribbon   • An Admiral George Dewey: Circa 1910 Mills Novelty Co. “The Dewey/Musical Cabinet” Slot Machine, Chicago Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/6327. Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world's largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Heritage also enjoys the highest Online traffic and dollar volume of any auction house on earth (source: SimilarWeb and Hiscox Report). The Internet's most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has more than 2 million registered bidder-members and searchable free archives of 7,000,000 past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos. Reproduction rights routinely granted to media for photo credit. For breaking stories, follow us: HA.com/Facebook and HA.com/Twitter . Link to this release or view prior press releases . Hi-Res images available: Steve Lansdale, Public Relations Specialist 214-409-1699 or SteveL@HA.com