Randy Guijarro’s knack for thrifting paid off in a way no one could have imagined.
What seemed like an ordinary tintype photo picked up at a Fresno, Calif., junk shop for just $2 turned out to be a rare and priceless piece of Wild West history — only the second known photograph of the infamous outlaw Billy the Kid.
The tintype, dating back to 1878, captures Billy the Kid and several members of his gang, the Regulators, casually playing croquet after a wedding in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Guijarro, the lucky collector, initially almost passed on the photograph.
Billy the Kid, left, was visiting this New Mexico home for a wedding. Photo courtesy of Kagin’s Inc.
“I had just a couple of bucks left, and I found three photographs I liked, and of the three, the oldest tintype, I actually kind of chucked it back in the box,” Guijarro said. But, he said, a voice in his head convinced him to keep it.
That small decision proved life-changing. After Guijarro purchased the photo, Kagin’s Inc., a San Francisco-based company specializing in Western Americana, authenticated it. The process took years of meticulous research, including pinpointing the photograph’s location and using expert facial recognition technology to verify its subjects.
(It’s) perhaps the single most compelling piece of Western Americana that we have ever seen,” said Donald Kagin, owner of Kagin’s Inc.
The historical value of this discovery is staggering. Billy the Kid, born Henry McCarty and also known as William Bonney, is one of the most iconic figures of the Wild West. Famous for his rebellious spirit and criminal exploits, he became both a folk hero and an outlaw, credited with at least eight murders before his death at the age of 21.
“The historical importance of a photograph of Billy the Kid alongside known members of his gang and prominent Lincoln County citizens is incalculable,” Kagin said. The photo’s value has been appraised at $5 million, making it a truly remarkable find.
Billy the Kid, circled in red, was visiting this New Mexico home for a wedding. Photo courtesy of Kagin’s Inc.
David McCarthy of Kagin’s highlighted the painstaking verification process. “We had to be certain that we could answer and verify where, when, how and why this photograph was taken. Simple resemblance is not enough in a case like this,” McCarthy said.
This discovery isn’t just rare — it’s almost unprecedented. The only other authenticated photograph of Billy the Kid, a portrait, was sold in 2011 for $2.3 million. In comparison, Guijarro’s tintype offers a candid glimpse into the life of the notorious outlaw, showing a lighter moment in an otherwise turbulent life that the outlaw lived.
Now appraised and insured for $5 million, the photograph has been sold to a private collector, cementing its place as one of the most extraordinary thrift-store finds in history. For Guijarro, that $2 purchase turned out to be the ultimate jackpot — a priceless piece of Americana that links him forever to one of the Wild West’s most legendary figures.
