A photograph bought for $10 in a second hand shop in North Carolina has turned out to be an ultra-rare image of Billy the Kid.
Bizarrely, this isn’t the first time this has happened.
In fact, this is one of only three confirmed photos of the legendary outlaw, and the other two were both found in junk shops.
Billy the Kid can be seen second from left, while Pat Garrett is the last on the right
In 2010, one lucky thrift store patron picked up a tintype of Billy the Kid posing with a rifle for $2.
It sold a year later for $2.3m.
In 2015, another photo of Billy playing croquet turned up in California. The buyer paid $2. While he hasn’t sold it yet, it’s estimated to be worth around $5m.
But this most recent photo is likely to be the most valuable of all.
That’s because it shows Billy with a group of four other men – one of whom is believed to be Sherriff Pat Garrett.
Billy and Garrett were once friends. But in 1880, Garret was appointed sheriff of Lincoln County, New Mexico.
The two men found themselves on opposite sides of the law.
Garrett shot Billy dead in 1881 after infiltrating a house where he was staying. This extraordinary image is thought to date to sometime between 1875 and 1880.
The photo also bears a signature on the reverse that has been confirmed as Garrett’s.
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