He Was A Collector
Randy was a collector and expressed his fascination with old things and junk at a very young age. His mother thought that was just a phase and growing up he would move on….
She was totally wrong as Randy continued to collect weird things more and more as he was becoming an adult.
A Fateful Day
It all started when Randy passed a red brick building with a sign outside of it. It spelled: “Fulton’s Folly Antique Collective.”
Randy had promised his wife that he would not bring anything back home again but decided to take a look anyway.
A Perfect Shop
Randy’s jaw dropped the minute he stepped into the shop. It was like a dream for him… old armchairs, pianos, books, sculptures, pottery, jewels, painting, vintage radios and records.
Everything that Randy had dreamed of acquiring one day was in that shop.
He Picked Up A Lot Of Things
Randy’s mind was blown and soon, he found himself inspecting and willing to buy a dozen things. He picked up almost everything, but suddenly he remembers his promise to his wife…
He understood that he mustn’t buy anything and headed to the exit when something amazing happened.
Something Caught His Attention
While exiting the store, Randy saw two men giving a handshake and tons of boxes with old stuff.
It seemed like that the store was aiming to get rid of some of its antiques fast and one of the men seemed to have bought all of them. Randy decided to step in.
Another Collector
As you’ve already guessed, the guy was another collector. Randy asked him if he could take a look inside the boxes and the other man said that he could pick up anything that he’d like.
How tempting!
Some Weird Photographs
Randy didn’t want trouble with his wife, so he decided to pick up something he could hide from her.
After searching through the boxes for a while, he discovered three old black and white photographs… He had to have them!
A Symboblic Fee
Randy offered to pay the man for the photographs, but he refused. Randy offered to give the man a symbolic fee for his effort, and after a small friendly negotiation, the man accepted a small payment of $2.
The photographs were official Randy’s. But why was he so obsessed about these photographs?
He Told Her
Upon returning home, Randy couldn’t resist and present his wife with the three photographs.
His wife was annoyed at first because she thought that her husband had just -again- spent a fortune for some junk, but after seeing the photos, she remained speechless… Why?
Rushed To A Historian
Randy’s wife didn’t hesitate a minute. She said that something was up with the photographs and if her theory was right, these could worth a fortune!
She took her husband and immediately visited a historian friend of theirs.
A Great Discovery
The historian's eyes widened when he first stared at the photographs…
He spelled “Billy, the Kid” and Randy, who didn’t know what was happening up to this point, demanded answers…
“Billy, the Kid”
It appears that Randy had just bought some scarce photographs of one of the most well-known figures of the American Wild West. "Billy the Kid."
Billy was one of the most dangerous men in the wild west and he had escaped multiple prisons after being convicted numerous times. All of these before the age of 21, hence the kid.
Checking The Facts
Randy was shocked! It seems that the last known picture of Billy was recently sold at the astonishing price of $2,300,000! Randy had three of them…
If these photos were original, Randy would become a millionaire overnight.
No Proof
The couple had no proof that these photos were original, but they were devoted to finding reliable proof.
They got down and did long and detailed research about Billy’s history, last known photos and family photographers.
Found An Expert
Soon their story attracted lots of attention and the expert found them herself. They were getting close!
We did photo overlays and all kinds of fancy computer stuff and dove into the history. After a month, we were both confident that it was a photo of Billy and four of the ‘Regulators.’
Face Recognition
After extensive research using state-of-the-art software and computers, the expert could confidently say that the picture was most likely genuine.
It appears that using facial recognition of other known photos of Billy, the one that Randy had bought was a 70% match.
Decided To Visit All The Landmarks
The couple decided to visit all three of the landmarks depicted in the photos to collect extra proof that their photos were unique.
This lasted a long time and cost a lot of money, but the couple decided to take the bet.
An Exhausting Journey
“This is a journey I never expected to take. But the truth doesn’t always matter. And I can’t figure out why,” Randy said.
They had spent almost all of their life’s savings and five years of their lives pursuing the ghost of Billy the Kid, but he remained elusive—a mysterious, fleeting figure.
Genuine
After all, the photos appeared to be genuine! Randy and his wife decided to step back from the spotlight at this point to protect themselves as well as the precious photographs. Randy admitted that he is planning to sell the photos anytime soon!
> "I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world. To find this is a privilege. People ask me all the time, what do you think it’s worth, what do you think it’s worth. I won’t put a price on it. Quite frankly, it’s priceless."