• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Man stunned after old photo he bought for $2 ended up being worth millions

Home> News> US News

Updated 17:31 6 Jan 2024 GMTPublished 17:28 6 Jan 2024 GMT

Man stunned after old photo he bought for $2 ended up being worth millions

What a find!

Lucy Devine

Lucy Devine

A man who bought an old photo from an antiques shop in California was stunned when he realised how much it was actually worth.

Randy Guijarro picked up the $2 photograph along with two others, from a memorabilia shop in Fresno County, California in 2010.

But once he was home and had the chance to take a closer look at the image, he realised it was a photograph of the infamous Billy the Kid.

Advert

Guijarro picked up the $2 (£1.50) photograph along with two others.
Kagin's

Billy the Kid - real name Henry McCarty (alias William H. Bonney) - was an Old West American outlaw.

The image in question, believed to be from 1878, appears to show Billy at a wedding, with four of his gang members and his girlfriend.

“I really just liked the looks of [it]. It’s 4 x 5 inches, it’s a tintype, and it’s a country scene,” Guijarro told National Geographic.

Advert

“It’s not till I put it under a magnifying glass [that I thought], ‘Oh my, what have we got going on here?'"

The photo shows Billy the Kid on the left.
Kagin's

Guijarro explained that he was familiar with Billy the Kid, and couldn't believe it when he realised the photo was of him.

He added: "When I got to the guy wearing the hat, I went, 'Wow, he’s really familiar, what’s up?'

Advert

"I’m familiar with Billy the Kid, so I knew who he was and what he looked like. I really looked hard and said, 'Man, this is Billy the Kid, I can’t believe it!' To me it was striking—the way he was standing, the hat, everything."

Billy the Kid was an Old West outlaw.
Getty

Guijarro and wife Linda set about researching and trying to prove the photo was authentic.

“It took us a year [of] initial research, reading up and getting up to speed. Linda and I became authenticators and historians by default,” he said.

Advert

The pair then spent four years travelling and speaking to experts, but many dismissed their claims.

Eventually, auction house Kagin's was able to verify the photograph, which is one of only two photos of the infamous outlaw. The photo has now been insured for a whopping $5m.

Guijarro and wife Linda set about researching.
YouTube/Inside Edition

While there are some people who still do not believe the photo is authentic, Guijarro says he 'laid out physical proof' but heard nothing back.

Advert

"I lay out physical proof, I get nothing back. So, I don’t even like to give credence to their names anymore," he added.

At present, there's only one other authenticated photo of Billy the Kid, bought by businessman William Koch back in 2011, for an eyewatering $2.3m.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Inside Edition

Topics: Life, US News

Lucy Devine
Lucy Devine

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
9 hours ago
10 hours ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Major update in case of baby discovered abandoned on random lawn before family members found dead in nearby town

    Four people who were related to an abandoned baby were found dead last week

    News
  • 9 hours ago

    Calvin Harris slammed by fans after he posts extremely graphic photos following birth of baby

    Calvin Harris didn't get shy about sharing all the gory details

    Celebrity
  • 9 hours ago

    Liam Neeson reveals he will ‘never work with’ actors who have this ‘disturbing’ on-set habit

    Liam Neeson has revealed the type of actors he doesn't particularly want to work with

    Film & TV
  • 10 hours ago

    Man with AI girlfriend admits he would be ‘devastated’ if he lost his chatbot and issues dire warning for future of dating

    A British man has opened up about his relationship with his AI chatbot

    News
  • Man bought old photo for $2 and learned it was worth $5,000,000 after experts discovered who is in the picture
  • Teen boy was told by doctors he pulled a muscle but it ended up being rare terminal cancer
  • Man discovers $7,500,000 hidden in storage unit he bought for just $500
  • Man bought two pizzas 14 years ago with 10,000 Bitcoin that's now worth eye-watering amount