The Gun That Killed Billy The Kid Is Going Up For Auction. Starting Bid: $2 Million

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/22/1019391848/gun-killed-billy-the-kid-auction-2-million



A revolver that killed one of the most famous wanted men in the Wild West 140 years ago is slated to be offered for millions of dollars next month.

Prior to his killing, a judge is said to have sentenced famed outlaw Billy the Kid to hang until "you are dead, dead, dead." Billy was rumored to respond, "And you can go to hell, hell, hell."

Legends like these — some facts and others fiction — chronicling the Kid's life have persisted more than 100 years after his death. And they've kept history buffs captivated by Billy the Kid's tale. They have also driven interest in pieces of Wild West history, for which collectors are prepared to pay hefty prices. In 2008, for instance, Bonham sold Billy's gun for $64,350.

Billy the Kid, a gunslinger often said to have killed eight men, had been on the run for three months when Sheriff Pat Garrett hid in a dark bedroom and shot him in the chest on July 14, 1881, in Fort Sumner, N.M., according to Garrett's account. The single action revolver Garrett used will be offered at Bonhams auction house, which estimates it could go for $2 million to $3 million. Garrett had taken the gun from another member of the Kid's gang, Billy Wilson, after he arrested him.

(excerpt)

Out of my price range, sadly.

[jaysunb]

1. Gun fetish at its finest.

Throw in a little extra judicial murder and jeans are being creamed across the land. 😞

[Chainfire]

2. The gun that one sociopath used to bushwhack another 140 years ago, of course

it is worth three million bucks. I just asked my wife if I could bid on it, and the reply was in the negative, so you all can fight over it. I seem to remember Jack Ruby's revolver being auctioned off some time recently.

[Dial H For Hero]

4. Ruby's revolver was up for auction in 2016. Minimum price: $1 million.

Bidding only hit $200,000, so no sale.

[Thtwudbeme]

3. This should be in a museum

instead it is going to end up in a den somewhere- and in a couple of generations in a garage sale.

I would love to see the provenance on it-

[tenderfoot]

5. You can trade in your porsche to buy it - how cool would that be?

[Dial H For Hero]

6. I would do so in a heartbeat...then sell the gun. Profit: $2.975 million.

Works for me!

[tenderfoot]

7. You're that wealthy yet spend your time online.

[Dial H For Hero]

8. I wouldn't describe the ability to purchase a $25,000 car as making one "wealthy".

[tenderfoot]

9. So you bought "used"

got it.

[Dial H For Hero]

10. Yup. 2007 Boxster S.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

12. Nice. nt

[Dial H For Hero]

13. It's a fun drive! Needs a bit of work, slow coolant leak, a couple of of underbody panels.

Nothing too serious, but I’m going to stay on top of it.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

11. I guess some think that owning a Porsche as being wealthy,

so I guess that would make me a gazillionaire because I own a $100,000 truck.

[Devil Child]

14. I see you in your cab, staring down at us unwashed masses, eating your caviar!

[MarineCombatEngineer]

19. Oh, you wouldn't believe what I see on our roads,

suffice to say I've seen a lot of nasty things while going down the highways.

[Maru Kitteh]

17. I knew a dead-ass-broke dumb kid who had a Porsche for a few weeks

because he thought it would help him get laid. It was a dysfunctional yellow nightmare of a vehicle and he spent more time fixing it than driving it. He drove it back to the dealership about 3 or 4 weeks later.

[MarineCombatEngineer]

20. Yep, all it takes is good credit and you too can own a high class vehicle,

or a truck like mine.

[Dial H For Hero]

21. A used Porsche isn't a car to buy lightly.

I would run, not walk, from a $10,000 2007 Boxster.

[Devil Child]

15. Hope the eventual purchaser is willing to loan this weapon out to an appropriate museum.

Quite the history behind this firearm.

[Dial H For Hero]

22. I wouldn't be surprised if they did. Mind you, they may buy it strictly as an investment.

In that sense, it's no different than someone buying Action Comics #1.

Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons recently had a video in which he expressed the opinion that the vast majority of collectible firearms should not be in museums, but rather in private hands. He made some excellent points.

[Kingofalldems]

16. Gungeon post. This is GD.

[Dial H For Hero]

18. The Gungeon is for posts about gun politics. This story is not that.

(edit to add)

For that matter, would you direct all stories that advocate gun control away from GD? There have been plenty of those lately.

[LeftInTX]

23. I'm don't understand this country's obsession with Billy the Kid...

[tenderfoot]

24. Because America loves criminals

Hence the 10 million films/documentaries about Ted Bundy

[LeftInTX]

25. Bundy is different because we learn from these cases, but Billy the Kid obsession is

like Alamo obsession.....

I don't get it...

Then every once in a while, someone comes up with a picture that "could" be Billy the Kid and the whole world goes wild..I just don't get it.......