LAS VEGAS -- A Southern Nevada man is hoping a tintype image of Billy the Kid will fetch thousands of dollars in an Internet auction.
The autographed photograph of William H. Bonney is believed to have been taken in 1873 in New Mexico when the outlaw was 14 years old. Bonney was killed in 1881.
The back of the 2-inch by 2-inch photograph bears a faint engraving reading, "To Do-a Valdez, Love William Bonney."
Researchers think Bonney had a crush on Valdez, who took food to him when he was in Sheriff Pat Garrett's jail in San Miguel County, N.M.
The photograph is believed to be one of five Bonney images in existence, said Bill Miller, president of Odyssey Auctions in Corona, Calif.
Miller and photograph owner Terry Donahue said Monday that it had been authenticated by forensic anthropologist Sharon Long of Laramie, Wyo., who has done work for the FBI and the Smithsonian Institution. Long could not immediately be reached Monday by The Associated Press.
Donahue said he got the tintype in 1997 from a man he met at a church rummage sale, swapping a painting and jewelry for it. Donahue said he spent thousands of dollars having it authenticated, and he hopes a buyer will display the photograph, called a ferrotype, which is on a thin metal plate.
"It's a part of America and history," he said. "I doesn't belong in some rich guy's safe."
Miller said the photograph could fetch $50,000 to $75,000 before bidding closes March 11. ------
On the Net: Odyssey Auctions: www.autographs.com
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