This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/24/2019
The strange case of Boston organized crime figure James "Whitey" Bulger is a cyclical tale of double-crossing informants and duplicitous investigations. Depicted as a Robin Hood-style social bandit, lifelong criminal Bulger served as an FBI informant for 20 years in exchange for operating his crime organization with impunity. In a reversal of fortune, Bulger became a fugitive placed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List as a result of media exposure of illegal law enforcement practices. It was during his incarceration at Alcatraz Prison from 1959-1962 that Bulger penned this extensive note on the back of a postcard featuring the mug shot photos of Robert Stroud, also known as “The Birdman of Alcatraz”. Bulger’s unaddressed lengthy note is a biographical outline of Stroud’s story. The fact that the note is not addressed to anyone allows for the strong possibility that this postcard was a sort of personal keepsake for Bulger written for his own amusement or education. Signed at bottom as “James Whitey Bulger”, the organized crime kingpin’s signature shows solid strength, accompanied by the inscription “1428AZ”, which was Bulger’s prisoner number at “the Rock”. The postcard is bright and glossy with clean surfaces. Accompanied by a full Letter of Authenticity from James Spence Authentication (JSA).