Croquet Tintype
The Croquet Tintype is an alleged image of Billy the Kid and the Regulators purportedly taken in September 1878. If real it is the only known photo of Billy the Kid and the Regulators together and the only image to feature their wives and female companions.
History
The photo was purchased by Randy Guijarro along with two other antique photographs from an antique store in Clovis, California in 2010. Upon closer inspection Guijarro noticed the striking similarities between the appearances of the individuals in the 4"x 6" tintype he purchased and extant images of the known members of the group known as The Regulators and their female companions.[1]
Guijarro and his wife Linda then began working to have the photo authenticated. He enlisted the expertise of Kent Gibson, a facial and audio forensics expert, Will Dunniway, a 19th-century photography-technology expert, James Braun, a historian and paleography expert, to decipher handwritten documents pertaining to the events depicted in the photo, David J. McCarthy a senior numismatist at Kagin's to verify the specifics of the image, retired detective turned private investigator Steve Sederwall, to research the location in the image and Whitny Braun a professor and researcher to verify the events and timeline leading up to the moment the photo was taken.
Guijarro also sought out Brian Lebel, the man who in June 2011 brokered the sale of the only authenticated photo of Billy the Kid to date, the famous Upham tintype, to billionaire businessman Bill Koch of the Koch Brothers for a record-setting $2.3 million. At that time it was the most expensive photo ever sold at auction.[2]
Lebel showed interest but was hesitant to commit to the authenticity of photo without provenance. The photo has been the source of a tremendous controversy and many have been afraid to authenticate the photo for fear that it may be too good to be true and without a definite chain of custody collectors have called for further investigation and evidence to prove the photo is real.
Kagin's of Tiburon has insured the photo for $5 million but the image has yet to go to auction.
Documentary
In November 2015 the authenticity of the photo became the subject of a National Geographic channel documentary entitled "Billy the Kid: The New Evidence".[3] The documentary depicted the reticence of the Old West memorabilia community's reluctance to accept the tintype's authenticity.
Public Showings
In May 2016 the tintype was displayed at Witherell’s Old West Show in Grass Valley, California.
References
- ^ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/whitny-braun/billy-the-kid-the-six-mil_b_9866260.html
- ^ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-auction-billykid-photo/rare-billy-the-kid-photograph-sold-for-2-3-million-idUSTRE75O1HX20110627
- ^ http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/galleries/billy-the-kid-new-evidence/at/billy-the-kid-new-evidence14-2100466/
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