A Fresno, California man unknowingly struck gold at a garage sale, purchasing a vintage photo for just $2. Upon closer inspection, he discovered it featured Billy the Kid, the legendary outlaw, casually playing croquet with his gang, The Regulators, in 1878.
Kagin’s Inc., a numismatics firm, authenticated the 4×5-inch tintype after over a year of analysis. Experts hailed it as “the Holy Grail of Western Americana,” valuing it at $5 million. This is only the second confirmed photo of Billy the Kid, adding to his iconic legacy. The first, taken in 1880, sold for $2.3 million in 2010.
This discovery transforms a simple garage sale purchase into a priceless piece of American history.