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

[mikeyp]

Group buy?

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

An iconic piece of the Wild West goes up for sale: the gun that killed Billy the Kid.

www.npr.org

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.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Out.

 

[In God We Trust]

Kind of morbid

 

[not new guy]

Guns don’t kill people.

I’d rather own his actual gun, not the one that killed him. I wonder what the 2021 auction price on that would be.

 

[Brewer]

Cool, but at that price I'd settle for a replica.

 

[SHOCKNAWE]

Cool, but at that price I'd settle for a replica.

That would be a smart move, the amount of fraud in memorabilia is epic, it hit the sports related market big time in the past, people were paying huge money for bats, jerseys ect and a lot of them were found to be fakes. I’m not saying this gun is fraudulent but who knows really.

 

[Reptile]

I'd rather have Billy's gun.

Way cooler.

 

[snubnose]

Imagine how it would be listed on Gunjoker ?

 

[mothybee]

Or NES

 

[Reptile]

Imagine how it would be listed on Gunjoker ?

Or NES

"Rare".

 

[Picton]

Or NES

BNIB. Only one box through it. Minor handling marks.

 

[TrashcanDan]

"I only shoot Smith & Wesson Pre-locks..........."

 

[Penniepup1]

BNIB. Only one box through it. Minor handling marks.

Pre Healey

 

[TrashcanDan]

What sellers think they look like when adding "Rare" or "Rare in Mass" in the classifieds-




And what they look like to everyone else-

 

[snubnose]

I'm thinking on Gunjoker it would go something like this:

Used Historic Colt Army Revolver 7 1/2" barrel - Penney Auction - NO RESERVE

Up for sale is this 1876 .45 Colt revolver believed to have been used to kill Billy the Kid.

The gun shows some handling and holster wear, has minor pitting and features its original wood grips with seven areas of minor damage on the right side, the bore is bright and shiny.

Current Bid 0 Starting Bid $3,750,000.01 Buy Now $3,750,000.02

Please view the 1241 high def photographs we have provided and be certain of your purchase and that the gun can be owned in your State.

NO REFUNDS/EXCHANGES all sales final

All shipping and handling is the responsibility of the winning bidder-FFL-FFL only

Customer is responsible for verification of historical standing

*Dopeseeker Arms is a mega super duper Gunjoker FFL and has 2,766,787,321 quadruple 'A+++++' ratings

The 15 minute rule is suspended for this sale

 

[KBCraig]

Guns don’t kill people.

Guns don't kill people, Pat Garrett kills people.

 

[HarryPottar]

Can they prove that gun shot Billy the Kid, some say Garrett shot the wrong man and Billy escaped. To complicate matters further, at least two men emerged decades later who were believed by some to be Billy

 

[Waher]

I don't get how half this historical stuff isn't in museums. You'd think museums would be buying this stuff or having it donated for the valuation in a tax write off.

 

[Mesatchornug]

I don't get how half this historical stuff isn't in museums. You'd think museums would be buying this stuff or having it donated for the valuation in a tax write off.

Rich people trading cards. Can't keep moving them around from one collection to another if they're all tied up in museums that lack funding and invite the unwashed masses

 

[Toast]

Can they prove that gun shot Billy the Kid, some say Garrett shot the wrong man and Billy escaped. To complicate matters further, at least two men emerged decades later who were believed by some to be Billy

There was a running joke in the 70s about a museum that posted a sign saying "We don't have the gun that killed Billy the Kid. Two other places do."

 

[daekken]

There was a running joke in the 70s about a museum that posted a sign saying "We don't have the gun that killed Billy the Kid. Two other places do."

Reminiscent of how if you rounded up all the purported pieces of the True Cross floating around in reliquaries you could have hung half of Jerusalem.

 

[AHM]

Spoiler

Found gun in pile of dirt

I had dirt delivered for a yard project and found this in the dirt! Just looking over the web to see if I can identify what kind it might be. It is completely rusted out. The unique design sets it apart that I thought I could at least get an age range. Thanks!

www.1911forum.com

 

[enbloc]

 

[MaverickNH]

Reminiscent of how if you rounded up all the purported pieces of the True Cross floating around in reliquaries you could have hung half of Jerusalem.

Yep - plenty of Thorns from the Crown of Jesus to be had along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem last time I was over. A few Tears of Mary in little bottles too - looked a lot like table salt to me.

 

[gerrycaruso]

There's one in Whitefield New Hampshire that looks exactly like that one and it's also a .44/40. I thought 5 grand was a little pricey but maybe not. Mine is a 1st generation in .45 Colt and it's a very good shooter but I have other old guns that are very good shooters. I don't know what makes the Colt SAA so expensive.

 

[KBCraig]

There's one in Whitefield New Hampshire that looks exactly like that one and it's also a .44/40. I thought 5 grand was a little pricey but maybe not. Mine is a 1st generation in .45 Colt and it's a very good shooter but I have other old guns that are very good shooters. I don't know what makes the Colt SAA so expensive.

That's because SAA is highly collectible, and that's an unusual configuration.

I was in there yesterday. Josh is my LGS guy. Despite being an operator type, he loves history and collects antique Lee rifles.

 

[Qwikdraw45]

Or NES

" $5,000,000,000. No lowballers; I know what I got!"

 

[Mtn_Guy]

What sellers think they look like when adding "Rare" or "Rare in Mass" in the classifieds


And what they look like to everyone else-

that picture of Reptile is sooooooo creepy

 

[Andy in NH]

Gun that killed Billy the Kid sells for $6 million​

LOS ANGELES, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The gun that killed American Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid sold for more than $6 million at auction on Friday in Los Angeles, more than double the pre-sale estimate.
Bonhams auctioneers said the Colt single-action revolver that Sheriff Pat Garrett used to take down Billy the Kid in 1881 was bought over the phone by a person who wished to remain anonymous.
Bonhams, which described the gun as "the most iconic treasure of early Western history," said the $6.03 million price was a world record for any firearm.
It had been expected to fetch between $2 million and $3 million.