Jesse James Photo Bought on eBay for $10 Worth $2 Million

A Jesse James photo offered as just an old Victorian tintype on eBay for $10 actually could be worth $2 million after being identified as a rare picture of the 1800s Western outlaw.

Justin Whiting, of Spalding, England, purchased the image last July on the internet after he believed the youth in the picture resembled a photo he saw of Jesse James in a book, Fox News reported.

Tintype photos were created by applying chemicals to a thin metal sheet. Whiting's tintype of James is 3 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches, The Telegraph reported.

"Anything is possible on eBay so I kept buying the odd photograph for a few quid, like other people would buy a lottery ticket," Whiting said, per the Telegraph. "… (the picture) was a bit blurry on the site but when I got it, it was a lot clearer. I thought to myself: 'Gee wizz, this could be a real photo!'

"I've been obsessed with American outlaws for years and read lots of books and study their faces. The picture was identical to the one in my book, except it was full length. All my friends said it was the same but I knew I needed to contact experts. I didn't dare to believe they would say it was genuine and worth at least two million."

California 19^th century photograph expert Will Dunniway, though, confirmed the picture was of the infamous bank robber when he was 14, The Telegraph said.

A second verification came from Los Angeles forensic expert Kent Gibson, per the Telegraph reported.

"The Jesse at 14 tintype is very similar to an image I found on the James Foundation site," Gibson told Fox News. "I presume taken at the same session."

Fox News said since there are few original photos of outlaws in existence, they can command high prices when they come on the market. For example, a portrait of Billy the Kid taken in Fort Sumner in 1880 sold for $2.3 million in 2011.

"I'm definitely selling it," said Whiting, who has been out of work since 2003 because of back pains, per the Telegraph. "I'll be able to buy my own house and my own car. I can't wait. Good things do happen sometimes."

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