Old Photo Bought For $2 Turns Out to Be $5,000,000 Picture of Billy the Kid
It's only the second picture ever confirmed of the old west icon
![Old Photo Bought For $2 Turns Out to Be $5,000,000 Picture of Billy the Kid](https://www.popphoto.com/uploads/2019/01/17/UMXWFA6LHBU3W4YRSIUALMQX5U.jpg?auto=webp&width=785&height=470.59114583333)
![Billy the Kid Thrift Store Photo](https://www.popphoto.com/uploads/2019/01/17/KNBWWIAFQDK4PUTPVYRJV2AE34-1024x820.jpg?auto=webp&optimize=high&width=100)
Billy the Kid is an old west icon in the USA, and until recently, there was only a single authenticated picture of him. In 2010, however, a man named Randy Guijarro bought a $2 tintype photo of some people playing croquet in a thrift shop. It turns out one of the croquet players is actually Billy the Kid and the tintype could be worth up to $5 million.
The image has undergone great scrutiny by imaging experts and people who have studied the old west. They went through painstaking research in hopes that they could confirm the 4×5-inch tintype image shows Billy the Kid and his crew, the Regulators. After literally years of study, researchers feel confident that it is the infamous crew.
![Billy the Kid Thrift Store Photo](https://www.popphoto.com/uploads/2019/01/17/MO6UBJSHRCBG2XCPJLBPBNHXKQ-1024x614.jpg?auto=webp&optimize=high&width=100)
The photo was apparently taken in 1878 after a wedding. Billy is shown wearing a sweater and a hat resembling the one that can be seen in the other confirmed picture of him.
It’s actually a pretty great photo and I could see why someone would buy it even if it wasn’t a literal treasure. The spacing on all of the subjects is great and the big tree adds a lot of drama to the competition.
This is the kind of thing we all dream about when going into a thrift store. Personally, however, my thrift store dream is to come across a bag full of old Leica or Hasselblad gear that was donated and then put on the shelves by the employees. I haven’t found it yet, but I’ll keep looking.
From: The Guardian