Bill Koch Buys Famed Billy The Kid Photograph

Wichita native William Koch made the winning bid of $2.3 million for a rare, 130-year-old photo of infamous outlaw Billy the Kid.

It’s the only authenticated picture known of Billy the Kid. It was expected to bring around $400,000 when it went up for auction Saturday night at the Old West Show & Auction in Denver.

Billy the Kid was born Henry McCarty. He’s known to have lived for a short time in Wichita during his youth. His mother, Catherine McCarty-Antrim, was one of the signers of a petition that led to Wichita’s incorporation as a city.

Organizers of the auction called the picture an iconic image of the Old West.

Bill Koch won the America’s cup in 1992. The billionaire son of Koch Industries founder Fred Koch is also an avid art collector.