Man Buys Old Photo for $2 at Garage Sale—Then Spots Hidden Detail That Makes It Worth Millions

In an extraordinary twist of fate, a collector from Fresno, California, stumbled upon what turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime treasure. While browsing through a local garage sale, he purchased an old, faded photograph for just two dollars—completely unaware that the small image he held in his hands was worth millions.
Upon closer inspection, experts later confirmed that the vintage tintype photo featured none other than the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid, casually playing a game of croquet. What seemed like a simple antique turned out to be a priceless piece of American history—now valued at an astonishing $5 million.
The discovery was authenticated by Kagin’s Inc., a respected numismatics and collectibles firm, after more than a year of painstaking research. The 4-by-5-inch image, believed to have been taken during the summer of 1878—possibly at a wedding—depicts Billy the Kid with members of his infamous gang, The Regulators.

David McCarthy, Kagin’s senior numismatist, shared insight into the extensive process behind verifying the photo’s authenticity. “When we first saw the photograph, we were understandably skeptical,” McCarthy explained. “An original Billy the Kid photo is considered the Holy Grail of Western Americana. But after a year of detailed analysis, including site inspections and expert comparisons, the evidence became undeniable.”

This remarkable discovery joins the ranks of only one other verified photograph of Billy the Kid, taken in 1880 at Fort Sumner, New Mexico. That smaller 2-by-3-inch tintype sold for $2.3 million back in 2010—making this new find one of the most valuable and significant artifacts ever linked to the iconic outlaw.