A Mysterious Find
He didn’t think much of it when he bought the old photo for $10 at a flea market. But under the dust and scratches lay something remarkable—a rare glimpse of the legendary Billy the Kid. Yet what stunned historians most wasn’t the outlaw himself…it was the man sitting right next to him.
A Curious Purchase
Attorney Frank Abrams picked up the tintype at a North Carolina flea market in 2011, thinking it was just a neat antique. “I just thought it was an interesting old picture,” he told CBS News. It hung quietly on his wall for years.
Owner of valuable ‘Billy the Kid’ photo instantly knew it was special, KOAT
A Forgotten Relic on the Wall
The image showed five men in dusty frontier clothes, likely from the late 1800s. Abrams admired it for its charm—but never suspected it might hold a secret from the Wild West.
Owner of valuable ‘Billy the Kid’ photo instantly knew it was special, KOAT
A Documentary Changes Everything
In 2015, Abrams watched a program about a rare croquet photo of Billy the Kid that had sold for millions. Something about it struck him. He turned to the tintype on his wall and felt a spark of recognition.
Ben Wittick (1845–1903), Wikimedia Commons
A Familiar Face Appears
As he compared faces online, Abrams suddenly realized one man looked eerily familiar. “Oh my gosh,” he said, “that’s Pat Garrett.” Garrett was the sheriff famous for killing Billy the Kid. But what if Billy himself was in that same frame?
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Calling in the Experts
Abrams contacted retired Arizona State University professor Robert Stahl, a longtime Billy the Kid scholar. Together, they began analyzing every detail—the clothing, the weapons, the chemistry of the plate, and the people pictured.
Beyond My Ken, Wikimedia Commons
Evidence in the Metal
Photographic specialists examined the plate and confirmed it was genuine 19th-century iron. The exposure, attire, and backdrop all pointed to the late 1870s, with most experts agreeing on 1879–1880—exactly when Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett crossed paths in New Mexico. But that wasn’t all.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The Handwriting Clue
A faint inscription on the image read Aug. 2, 1880. A Texas handwriting expert compared it to ten known samples of Pat Garrett’s signature and called it a strong match in a notarized letter—a finding that linked the photo to a pivotal moment in the West.
Heritage Auctions, Wikimedia Commons
Technology Steps In
A Los Angeles forensic video analyst used facial-recognition software to compare the figures to authenticated photos. His verdict: the two key faces were “most likely Garrett and Billy the Kid,” according to a signed declaration. The more tests they ran, the stronger the case seemed.
Owner of valuable ‘Billy the Kid’ photo instantly knew it was special, KOAT
The Potential Jackpot
If confirmed, the tintype would be only the second known photo of Billy the Kid—and the only one showing him beside Pat Garrett. Experts told CBS News that such an image could be worth $5 million or more, based on previous sales of rare Billy the Kid photos.
“I Feel Lucky Beyond Words”
Abrams told Smithsonian Magazine, “I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world… To find this is a privilege.” Still, he said, his focus wasn’t money—it was history.
Owner of valuable ‘Billy the Kid’ photo instantly knew it was special, KOAT
Locked Away, For Now
The tintype now sits in a safe-deposit box, protected from damage. Abrams rarely moves it. “I don’t travel with it,” he said. “It’s too important.” Yet even in storage, it continues to spark debate.
The Provenance Problem
No one knows how a photo from 1880s New Mexico ended up at a North Carolina flea market. That missing trail of ownership—known as provenance—keeps some historians cautious. Without it, complete verification remains elusive.
Philippe49730, Wikimedia Commons
Dividing the Experts
Some scholars still insist the only universally authenticated photo of Billy the Kid is the Upham tintype sold for $2.3 million in 2011. Others, including Stahl and the forensic team, argue that the evidence here is simply too strong to ignore.
A Snapshot of Fate
If authentic, the photo freezes a haunting moment—the outlaw and the lawman sitting side by side before destiny split them apart. Within a year, Garrett would shoot Billy the Kid, sealing both their places in Western legend.
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
The Weight of History
“It’s one of the most intriguing and historically significant of those tintypes of the Old West,” said ASU’s Robert Stahl. Whether or not it gains universal acceptance, it deepens our understanding of two men forever linked in myth.
When Technology Meets Legend
AI analysis, chemical dating, and handwriting verification have revolutionized authentication. Yet even with today’s tools, history remains part science, part storytelling.
The Radiocarbon Dating Process: the Journey of a Sample, University of Oxford
The Allure of Mystery
Maybe that’s why this story endures. Whether it’s worth millions or simply priceless to historians, the tintype reminds us that legends aren’t confined to museums—they can resurface anywhere.
The Power of a Flea Market Find
Collectors everywhere took notice. If a $10 photograph could connect to Billy the Kid, what treasures might be hiding in dusty boxes and attic trunks across America?
Duncan Rawlinson, Wikimedia Commons
A Legend Reborn
Whatever the final verdict, one thing’s certain: Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett are once again sharing headlines—nearly 145 years after they first sat together in that frame.
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