Gun that killed Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid fetches US$6 million at auction
- The Colt single-action revolver owned by sheriff Pat Garrett had been estimated at US$2-3 million and saw ‘lively bidding’
- Garrett used the .44-caliber gun to shoot Billy the Kid in the chest on July 14, 1881 in New Mexico. The gunfighter died at the age of 21
The pistol used to kill the notorious outlaw Billy the Kid in the days of the American Wild West has been auctioned for US$6.03 million, a world record for a firearm.
The Colt single-action revolver owned by sheriff Pat Garrett had been estimated at US$2-3 million and saw “lively bidding” on the phone, online and in the room in Friday’s sale, the auction house Bonhams said.
“It stands as a relic of one of the most important and well-known stories of the Wild West,” Bonhams said.
It said the gun was in “very good” condition with “well worn grips.”
Garrett used the .44-caliber gun to shoot Billy the Kid – who was born Henry McCarty but also went by William Bonney – in the chest on July 14, 1881 in New Mexico. The gunfighter died at the age of 21.
The previous record for a firearm was US$1.98 million, set by Christie’s in 2002 for a pair of flintlock saddle pistols carried by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, Bonhams said. They were gifts from his friend and ally the Marquis de Lafayette.