At an antique shop, a man unintentionally discovered a photograph known as ‘the holy grail of Western Americana’.
Randy Guijarro, a collector, discovered the image in question at a shop in Fresno, California, and purchased it for under $2 in 2010.
The black-and-white typeface image depicts a group of people standing outside a barn, some of whom are playing croquet.
Randy took the snapshot home, examined it under a microscope, and identified one of the persons.

He discovered one of the men playing croquet was Henry McCarty, better known as the 1800s bandit Billy the Kid.
Kagin’s, a San Francisco-based Americana company, validated the photograph and confirmed that it was of McCarty.
He was observed with numerous other Lincoln County regulators in New Mexico.
People say they took the photograph around 1878, three years before McCarty’s death.
Randy discovered only the second confirmed image of the renowned criminal. The earliest confirmed photograph of Billy the Kid sold for $2.3 million in 2011.

The Guardian reported in 2015 that its rarity led to a stunning $5 million appraisal.
Naturally, the experts were hesitant when Randy first brought the photograph in for confirmation.
“The Guardian quoted David McCarthy of Kagin’s as saying that an original Billy the Kid photo is the pinnacle of Western Americana.”
We needed to ensure our ability to promptly respond and confirm the location, time, method, and purpose of the image’s capture. In this situation, simple likeness is insufficient; we need to establish a team of specialists to address every element in the shot, ensuring nothing is out of place.

Following his historic discovery, Randy encouraged others to go treasure hunting.
“I hope this prompts others out there to look into trunks and attics because there are so many lost treasures out there,” he told me.

Randy went on to say that he wanted to utilize his newfound income to purchase a new automobile. We’d like to hunt for forgotten parts of history, whether in the United States or throughout the world. We enjoy being adventurous. The hunt is a truly magnificent event.
Kevin Costner narrated Billy the Kid: New Evidence, a National Geographic program that documented the significant discoveries and its five-year path to authenticity.