Melvin Purvis Autographs
Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an FBI agent who was instrumental in capturing bank robbers John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd in 1934. In his later military career, he was directly involved with General George Patton, Hermann Göring, and the Nuremberg Trials.
Purvis was born in Timmonsville, South Carolina, to Melvin Horace Purvis Sr. (1869–1938), a tobacco farmer and businessman, and Janie Elizabeth (née Mims, 1874–1927); he was the fifth of eight siblings. He attended Timmonsville High School where in 1920 he was the yearbook's business manager, historian for his graduating class, on the football and baseball teams, was a president of the literary society, on the debate team, and played drums in the school orchestra. He then enrolled in the University of South Carolina and joined the Rho chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order there in 1921. He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1922. Upon graduating, he passed the bar examination in South Carolina and practiced law in Florence as a junior attorney at the firm of Willcox & Hardee, for two years, and as an insurance adjuster for W. H. Clarkson & Co for 18 months. Seeking adventure, he went to Washington DC and unsuccessfully sought a job in the Foreign Service as a diplomat. He applied at the Justice Department and was hired by the Bureau of Investigation, the forerunner to the FBI, in December 1926 and began serving there in February 1927. BOI investigators looking into Purvis' character and background were told that he was honest, industrious and ambitious, but not brilliant or hard-working enough to be a "money maker."
Purvis' performance reviews always rated his appearance and loyalty to the Bureau at 100%. He rated lowest for his understanding of the Manual of Instruction and the Manual of Rules and Regulations, which stayed at about 80% and for which Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover once chided him as being unacceptable. Just before becoming Special Agent in Charge of Chicago, his score on the rules and instruction rose to 100% and stayed there. He rose quickly through the ranks and by 1932, he had headed the Bureau of Investigation offices in Birmingham, Alabama, then Oklahoma City followed by a move to Cincinnati. In 1932, Hoover placed him in charge of the Chicago office. He led an investigation into the crash of United Airlines Trip 23, which uncovered foul play as the cause of the crash.
Read more about Melvin Purvis on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Melvin Purvis
The most expensive item with a signature of Melvin Purvis (Melvin Purvis Autograph Letter Rare Content PSA DNA Signed Auto FBI Dillinger) was sold in October 2025 for $895.00 while the cheapest item (2023 Historic Autograph's Mob 2 Melvin Purvis FBI Card #191) found a new owner for $2.99 in February 2026. The month with the most items sold (5) was January 2021 with an average selling price of $17.33 for an autographed item of Melvin Purvis. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in September 2025 with $895.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $15.50 was June 2020. In average, an autographed item from Melvin Purvis is worth $125.00.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Melvin Purvis were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | 1943 PSA/DNA Melvin Purvis Signed Letter Auto FBI Dillinger Autograph G-MAN | $520.00 |  |
 | Melvin Purvis - Famed FBI Agent - Signed Memorandum, 1931 | $21.55 | |
| Melvin Purvis Autograph Letter Rare Content PSA DNA Signed Auto FBI Dillinger | $725.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis Autograph Letter Rare Content PSA DNA Signed Auto FBI Dillinger | $725.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis Autograph Letter Rare Content PSA DNA Signed Auto FBI Dillinger | $895.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis Autograph Letter Rare Content PSA DNA Signed Auto FBI Dillinger | $895.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis Autograph Letter Rare Content PSA DNA Signed Auto FBI Dillinger | $895.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis FBI Agent Duel Signed Autographed Letter To His Wife Nov. 7, 1943 | $500.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis FBI Agent Lead on Dillinger & Baby Face Nelson Autographed Letter | $210.27 | |
| Melvin Purvis G-Man FBI Agent Captured John Dillinger Signed Letter 1931 Rare | $450.00 | |
| Melvin Purvis signed letter, FBI agent (Baby Face Nelson, Dillinger etc) w/coa | $39.99 | |
| Melvin Purvis Signed PSA/DNA COA 1944 Cut Signature Auto Autographed FBI Agent | $399.99 | |
| Melvin Purvis Signed PSA/DNA COA Army Envelope 3X Signature Auto Autographed FBI | $649.99 | |
| Melvin Purvis Signed PSA/DNA COA Army Envelope 3X Signature Auto Autographed FBI | $649.99 | |
| Melvin Purvis Signed PSA/DNA COA Army Envelope 3X Signature Auto Autographed FBI | $649.99 | |
