The Angels – The weapon that killed Billy the Kid, an outlaw of the American Wild West, sold for more than $ 6 million at auction on Friday in Los Angeles, more than double the pre-sale estimate. It is precisely the Colt revolver that Sheriff Pat Garrett used to take down Billy the Kid in 1881 and was bought over the phone by a person who wanted to remain anonymous.
Bonhams, who 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 was expected to reach between 2 and 3 million dollars, but after a few raises it immediately reached the astronomical figure.
Billy the Kid was a wanted man in Arizona and New Mexico, killing eight men. After a months-long chase, Garrett tracked him down to a ranch in Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and killed him on July 14, 1881. Billy the Kid was 21 years old.
The story of the 19th century outlaw has been told in pop culture for nearly 100 years, including in films like “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” and “Young Guns”.
The gun came from the collection of the Texan couple Jim and Theresa Earle, who have been accumulating Western firearms and other artifacts for about 50 years.
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