When collector William I. Koch bought a photo of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid for more than $2 million, it caught the attention of the public and created a buzz among historians who study America’s outlaws and lawmen.

It also sparked a wave of fraudsters who suddenly “discovered” more photos of Billy the Kid and other outlaws. That includes one that has created a wave of controversy in historical circles that claims to show Billy in a sweater playing croquet.

In June 2011, Koch bought the only authenticated photograph of Billy the Kid at auction for $2.3 million, the most ever paid for a historic image of the American West.

Billy has long been a frontier legend and the only known photograph of him has become legendary.

Since the record sale, the New York Post, BBC News, and National

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