Wild West relics — including Butch Cassidy’s mugshot — to be auctioned

Nypost · May 12, 2026 · 289 words · By SWNS

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What to know about Wild West relics — including Butch Cassidy’s mugshot — to be auctioned

Wild West relics — including Butch Cassidy’s mugshot — to be auctioned A fascinating Wild West auction features rare items from Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and General Custer.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Wild West relics — including Butch Cassidy’s mugshot — to be auctioned A fascinating Wild West auction features rare items from Sitting Bull, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and General Custer.

Why it matters

A sale highlight sees an 1885 contract signed by Sitting Bull for his appearance in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show.

Common ground

The document is part of Boston-based RR Auction’s Western Americana auction of Jochen Zeitz, a dedicated single-owner sale featuring approximately 170 artefacts assembled over several decades.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Wild West relics — including Butch Cassidy’s mugshot — to be auctioned?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Also up for auction are garments from George A. Custer, including a navy blue wool bib-front shirt worn during the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/wild-west-relics-including-butch-cassidys-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “Also up for auction are garments from George A. Custer, including a navy blue wool bib-front shirt worn during the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general auction is corroborated, the specific detail about the 'navy blue wool bib-front shirt worn during the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition' is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets, though Custer is mentioned as part of the collection.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy

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https://www.navyfederal.org/

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Claim 2: “A sale highlight sees an 1885 contract signed by Sitting Bull for his appearance in Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results specifically mention the 1885 contract signed by Sitting Bull for the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show being available/auctioned.

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web search NEUTRAL — He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Europe.William Frederick Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill, was an Ameri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill

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web search NEUTRAL — Sitting Bull's signed contract to appear in the 1885 season of the "Buffalo Bill Wild West Show".In 1885, Sitting Bull agreed to join Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show, seeing it as an opportunity to…
https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/35123470742605…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sitting Bull signed hundreds of autographs, but he famously never put his name on a treaty. There is no other Sitting Bull contract. And as for Wild West paper of significance, there is nothing in pri…
https://historical.ha.com/itm/autographs/celebrities/sitting…

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Claim 3: “The May 21 auction spans frontier-era manuscripts, early photography, and historical relics”

CORROBORATED

One source explicitly states 'The May 21 auction spans frontier-era manuscripts, early photography, and historical relics'.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jochen Zeitz is a former businessman who served as the chairman and CEO of Puma for 18 years, and served as chairman, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson and LiveWire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jochen_Zeitz

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web search NEUTRAL — When Jochen Zeitz took over as CEO of Harley-Davidson in March of 2020, he needed to address some immediate challenges—namely, shrinking margins and the impa...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeA5MklS7PQ

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web search NEUTRAL — Harley-Davidson's Jochen Zeitz plans to retire as CEO in 2025, the company said Tuesday, ending a five-year tenure marked by efforts to revive the American motorcycle maker struggling with plummeting …
https://nypost.com/2025/04/08/business/harley-davidson-ceo-j…

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Claim 4: “According to RR Auction, a portion of the proceeds from the sale is intended to support conservation initiatives connected to the ZEITZ Foundation in Kenya”

CORROBORATED

Evidence confirms Jochen Zeitz founded the ZEITZ foundation and that proceeds from his sales (specifically mentioned for the Gipsy Moth) go to the foundation's conservation efforts in Germany and Kenya.

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web search NEUTRAL — Founded by Jochen Zeitz and the ZEITZ foundation in 2009, The Long Run is a membership organisation of nature-based tourism businesses that are committed to driving sustainability through a holistic 4…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jochen_Zeitz

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web search NEUTRAL — Jochen Zeitz, the co-founder of Cape Town’s Zeitz MOCAA, The Zeitz Foundation and owner of Segera, is no stranger to conservation.
https://www.roarafrica.com/blog/giving/2024/03/tipping-the-s…

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web search NEUTRAL — Proceeds will go entirely to the ZEITZ foundation , a nonprofit organization registered in Germany and Kenya and founded by the current owner of the Gipsy Moth, Jochen Zeitz. According to the annual r…
https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2024/february/2…

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Claim 5: “Highlights include an original glass negative of Butch Cassidy’s mugshot taken at the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie in 1894, the first and only time he was arrested.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the existence of the 1894 glass negative mugshot of Butch Cassidy from the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie and its inclusion in the auction.

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web search NEUTRAL — Cassidy's mugshot from the Wyoming State Prison in 1894. On August 13, 1896, Cassidy, Lay, Logan and Bob Meeks[16] robbed the bank at Montpelier, Idaho, escaping with roughly $7,000. Cassidy recruited…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butch_Cassidy

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web search NEUTRAL — Summary. DescriptionButch Cassidy mugshot detail.jpg. English: Butch Cassidy's mugshot from the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie. Date. 1894. Source. image extraction process. This file has been …
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Butch_Cassidy_mugshot…

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web search NEUTRAL — Original glass negative of Butch Cassidy’s mug shot taken at the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie in 1894, the first and only time he was arrested.
https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/35124670742613…

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Claim 6: “The document is part of Boston-based RR Auction’s Western Americana auction of Jochen Zeitz, a dedicated single-owner sale featuring approximately 170 artefacts assembled over several decades.”

CORROBORATED

Web results confirm RR Auction is hosting the Western Americana auction of Jochen Zeitz and that it is a single-owner sale.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jochen Zeitz (born 6 April 1963) is a former businessman who served as the chairman and CEO of Puma for 18 years, and served as chairman, president and CEO of Harley-Davidson and LiveWire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jochen_Zeitz

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web search NEUTRAL — The sale at RR Auction in Boston is predicted to raise up to $1m (£600,000), with the cup alone estimated to fetch more than $200,000 (£119,000). The sale also includes technical drawings of the ship,…
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2014/apr/15/titanic-auct…

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Claim 7: “The material includes artefacts associated with figures such as George Armstrong Custer, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and Davy Crockett.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly list George Armstrong Custer, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, and Davy Crockett as figures represented in Jochen Zeitz's auction.

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web search NEUTRAL — James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok

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web search NEUTRAL — Among the figures represented are George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Bat Masterson and members of the James-Younger Gang.
https://artdaily.com/news/195706/Jochen-Zeitz-s-Western-Amer…

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web search NEUTRAL — Wyatt Earp. Wild Bill Hickok. Pat Garrett.Wyatt Earp (1848-1929) was an American lawman and gunfighter who helped shape the history of the American West. He was a buffalo hunter and a teamster in Illi…
https://www.havefunwithhistory.com/lawmen-of-the-old-west/

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Claim 8: “The Western Americana auction of Jochen Zeitz by RR Auction will close on May 21.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state the May 21 auction date for the Jochen Zeitz Western Americana collection at RR Auction.

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web search NEUTRAL — - RR Auction presents the Western Americana Collection of Jochen Zeitz in May 2026—a sweeping journey through the legends, conflicts, and cultures of the American frontier. This expertly curated aucti…
https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/details/742-the-western-a…

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web search NEUTRAL — The May 21 auction spans frontier-era manuscripts, early photography, and historical relics — an unusually broad cross-section for a single-owner Western Americana offering.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/wild-west-relics-inclu…

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web search NEUTRAL — Now open for bidding: The Western Americana auction of Jochen Zeitz. Assembled over several decades, the single-owner sale features material tied to Sitting Bull, George Armstrong Custer, Butch Cassid…
https://x.com/RRAuction/status/2049962336773890550

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.