A few rookie questions about old photos

[M's_Fan]

So I'm primarily a card collector, but I'm trying to learn a few things about the memorabilia world, expecially old photos. Here are some of my questions:

What constitutes an "original press photo" ? Is there only one original press photo? Couldn't a hundred or thousand of photos have been printed from the same plate? I confess my ignorance about early 1900's photgraphy.

Also, if you go to sell an original press photo, is there a common way of authenticating the item with the buyer?

[Lordstan]

Well I am a novice to vintage photography as well.
This thread has many answers to your questions.
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=122360
Dr Cycleback's online PDF book will answer your questions as well as his course.

Another good reference would be this book
http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Baseball-Photography-Vintage/dp/0971609713/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271713042&sr=8-1
Cowritten by Henry Yee and Marshall Fogel. (I just bought mine on ebay)

As I have learned, there really is an art form to telling the difference between photo types.

Companies like PSA/DNA and Beckett have started to grade and encapsulate pictures. Henry Yee and Marshall Fogel both consult for them doing authentication of photos.
http://www.psadna.com/photo_authentication.chtml

These are the current accepted categories, from PSA/DNA's web site:
Type I - A 1st generation photograph, developed from the original negative, during the period (within approximately two years of when the picture was taken).

Type II - A photograph, developed from the original negative, during the period (more than approximately two years after the picture was taken).

Type III - A 2nd generation photograph, developed from a duplicate negative or wire transmission, during the period (within approximately two years of when the picture was taken).

Type IV - A 2nd generation photograph (or 3rd or later generation), developed from a duplicate negative or wire transmission, during a later period (more than approximately two years after the picture was taken).

I am not recommending or endorsing any company, just linking them for information purposes.
Hopes that helps getting you started.
Mark

[drc]

There can be multiple original press photos. An original press photo is a photo made directly from the original negative soon after the image was shot. Ordinarily, there will be only several at most of a particular original press photo, as a limited number were made and many are lost or destroyed. If you have a 1920 original of Ty Cobb there may only be 5 in existence, maybe only one. There won't be 100 of them. The photos were only distributed to subscribing newspapers and magazines, so there is a finite limit to the number.

You can usually determine the age of a press photo by the stamping and tag on back. For example a Pacific & Atlantic stamp should show the photo is old, as that photo service existed only a short time. Then, if the image is crystal clear that would show it was made from the original negative.

The below linked pdf guide includes a chapter on press photos, on the stampings and tags. It has a list of the stamps and when they date from. This alone will serve you well in collecting the photos, as you be able to determine the relative age of a photo.

http://www.cycleback.com/pdfbook.html