No luck with vintage photos

[JoeyF1981]

Been looking for a nice genuine Babe Ruth or Gehrig Type 1 photo but have had no luck. Seems like the majority of the sellers arent sure what they have or the ones that are for sale are over-priced. Are there any websites besides ebay that sell original press photos?

[Runscott]

That sucks, Joey.

I have plenty of original Ruth photos, and have sold plenty of them as well, so I really feel for you, being shut out of the process and all. I suggest that you wait until Henry Yee has his next auction - he starts everything at 99 cents and just lets it fly, so whatever you end up paying is market value. Which I guess makes my Ruth photos about 1/3 of market value, but what's a few hundred bucks?

[JoeyF1981]

Hey scott! Ya I think my best bet is just waiting it out until then so I know im getting the real deal. I should be getting my fogel/yee book anyday so I can know what to look for. All im really looking for is a nice clear image of gherig or ruth thats not insanely expensive

[obcbeatle]

Been looking for a nice genuine Babe Ruth or Gehrig Type 1 photo but have had no luck. Seems like the majority of the sellers arent sure what they have or the ones that are for sale are over-priced. Are there any websites besides ebay that sell original press photos?

I feel your pain. I'm in the same boat. Been looking for original photo's of stars (1900-1950's) online for some time now and most either get bought quickly by people that know more than me (I'm kinda' slow doing the research since I'm new to collecting photo's, even though I now have the Yee/Fogel book), or the photo's are way out of my price range. I wish there was a one-stop shop for original sports photo's online for the great photographers like Conlon, Brace Burke ... so I could take my time and browse thru to look and learn and maybe pick a few up. I'll keep my head up and keep trying :-)

PS: I look forward to the next Yee auction which I think is next month!

[thecatspajamas]

I wish there was a one-stop shop for original sports photo's online for the great photographers like Conlon, Brace Burke ... so I could take my time and browse thru to look and learn and maybe pick a few up.

The closest thing you are likely to find in terms of quantity is Rhys Yeakley's eBay store (prewarsports). A targeted search for several likely photographers returned over 100 matches:

http://stores.ebay.com/prewarsports/_i.html?_nkw=%28conlon%2C+bain%2C+oeyen%2C+vanoeye n%2C+%22carl+horner%22%2C+%22paul+thompson%22%2C+e mmons%2C+%22c+greene%22%2C+jacobellis%2C+dorrill%2 C+scharfman%2C+%22don+wingfield%22%2C+%22barney+st ein%22%2C+%22ozzie+sweet%22%2C+burke%2C+brace%29&submit=Search&LH_TitleDesc=1&_sid=21472248

For comparison, the same search in my own store returned about a dozen matches (minus Burke photos, of which I have an abundance of later examples that were throwing off the search), with most of mine being the latter-era photographers:

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Cats-Pajamas-Comics/_i.html?_nkw=%28conlon%2C+bain%2C+oeyen%2C+vanoeye n%2C+%22carl+horner%22%2C+%22paul+thompson%22%2C+e mmons%2C+%22c+greene%22%2C+jacobellis%2C+dorrill%2 C+scharfman%2C+%22don+wingfield%22%2C+%22barney+st ein%22%2C+%22ozzie+sweet%22%2C+burke%2C+brace%29&submit=Search&LH_TitleDesc=1&_sid=94814

I believe Rhys may also have an announcement soon (or did I miss it already?) regarding a certain banner ad for a new auction house that I've seen popping up at the top of the page...

Disclaimer: My post here was neither prompted nor endorsed by Rhys. I doubt he'll mind a few more eyes on his wares though :D
Also, out of fairness, if any other eBay photo sellers would like me to run a similar search and post the link here, I would be glad to add it as well.

[71buc]

Both Lance and Rhys always seem to have beautiful images for sale. I am a bottom feeder in comparison to other collectors on this site. Because of this Prewarsports has always been a bit out of my price range. Despite my limited budget I was able to build a small collection of attractive images by spending hours upon hours searching on eBay. What I lacked in financial resources I made up for in effort. The tribune site always seemed to have a few nice photos each week sprinkled among their usual plethora of crap. I typically made 3-4 purchases from them monthly. Now even those hard earned gems seem to be far and few in between. Is it my imagination or is it getting harder to find attractive pre-1955 images at a price that a collector on a budget can afford? Suddenly Rhys prices are appearing to be very reasonable to a small time photo collector such as I.

[drcy]

Original Ruth and Gehrig photos are not rare. You WILL find some worthy of purchase if you're patient. Maybe sooner rather than later.

[repsher]

This is a tough hobby to continually get your "fix". I think if you limit yourself to just Ruth and Gehrig photos you may continue to be disappointed. I've limited myself to mostly hall of famers but I have purchased outside of that limitation if I like a shot or if the photo is from a certain photographer.

I actually do the same thing as Mike. I spend hours searching ebay and sometimes find something special. I actually think Mike and my techniques (or obsession) are too close as I've seen him post many photos that could of been in my collection if I was just a few seconds quicker. :)

A year ago at this time I was picking up so many photos on a weekly basis I thought I was going to go broke. Now I wish I'd bought some I passed on, as right now there are slim pickings, but I do believe things will pick up again.

The fogel/yee book is a great resource but I believe this forum is the best resource your are going to find. When I was able to find my fogel/yee book for a reasonable price ($36), I realized that I already knew a lot of what was in that book because of this forum and the great people here willing to share their knowledge. I would suggest going back and looking at old posts and especially the monthly pickup threads as you won't only see some great photos but there sometimes is some great information about them.

[drcy]

A good way to do it is to look for vintage baseball photos in general, or even sports photos. You'll find some choice examples, whether or not they Ruth and Gehrig. Plus you can eventually pick up a Ruth and Gehrig too.

[Runscott]

Agreed, David.

By the way - Rhys has plenty of nice Ruth photos. I was looking through a binder full of them at the National, but never checked any prices. I know, though, that he will give you a very fair deal.

[JoeyF1981]

Agreed, David.

By the way - Rhys has plenty of nice Ruth photos. I was looking through a binder full of them at the National, but never checked any prices. I know, though, that he will give you a very fair deal.

How do I get in touch with him?

[Forever Young]

Original Ruth and Gehrig photos are not rare. You WILL find some worthy of purchase if you're patient. Maybe sooner rather than later.



Can you please point me in the direction of high end single Ruth and Gehrig Conlons, Bains, Paul Thompsons, Van Oeyens, Burkes, in uniform in 1920-23, 1927 or early(rookie era-Red sox ruths/ gehrig 23-24) original photos please? :)

THE BEST/TOP NOTCH IMAGES ARE VERY VERY RARE AND HARD TO FIND. IT TOOK ME 5 YEARS TO FIND A WORTHY CONLON OF BOTH.

I would agree with David in that if you want A image of these greats, it will be relatively easy to find. There are many late career, post career, street clothes images ect..that can be more affordable alternatives. But make no mistake, the best images of these greats are very rare, very pricey and don't come up very often.
I know, because I check every auction, ebay and am willing to pay top dollar( FOR MANY YEARS) and still they were/are hard to find.

They will be harder to find as more get into the photo hobby and the neophytes graduate into collecting them. They have gotten tougher to find and more expensive every year. Economics 101; suppy and demand:)

[Runscott]

I like Ben, but I am looking forward to his estate sale.

[Forever Young]

I like Ben, but I am looking forward to his estate sale.

They will be buried with me:)

[repsher]

They will be buried with me:)

You think that will stop us? ;)

[billyb]

Wow Ben, Ryan sounds serious. You will never be able to RIP.

Ryan,
On second thought, I got the pick, you bring the shovel....lol

[Forever Young]

Wow Ben, Ryan sounds serious. You will never be able to RIP.

Ryan,
On second thought, I got the pick, you bring the shovel....lol

Let's nip this is the butt right now. If anyone digs me up for my photos, I will haunt them and their families forever. MO HOO HOO HA HA HA :)

[billyb]

Lol, okay, I felt the nip.

[thecatspajamas]

The Curse of the Bambino is nothing compared to the Curse of the Weingarten!

[Forever Young]

the curse of the bambino is nothing compared to the curse of the weingarten!

hahaha! The curse of weino :)

[JoeyF1981]

Let's nip this is the butt right now. If anyone digs me up for my photos, I will haunt them and their families forever. MO HOO HOO HA HA HA :)

After looking at some of your collection I had to make a stop at home depot to pick up some shovels and face masks. lol..If those photos are being buried with you Im gonna have no choice but to dig you up. I already gave my family a heads up so theyre prepared. :) By the way how long have you been collecting and whats your favorite photo you own?

[obcbeatle]

The closest thing you are likely to find in terms of quantity is Rhys Yeakley's eBay store (prewarsports). A targeted search for several likely photographers returned over 100 matches:

http://stores.ebay.com/prewarsports/_i.html?_nkw=%28conlon%2C+bain%2C+oeyen%2C+vanoeye n%2C+%22carl+horner%22%2C+%22paul+thompson%22%2C+e mmons%2C+%22c+greene%22%2C+jacobellis%2C+dorrill%2 C+scharfman%2C+%22don+wingfield%22%2C+%22barney+st ein%22%2C+%22ozzie+sweet%22%2C+burke%2C+brace%29&submit=Search&LH_TitleDesc=1&_sid=21472248

For comparison, the same search in my own store returned about a dozen matches (minus Burke photos, of which I have an abundance of later examples that were throwing off the search), with most of mine being the latter-era photographers:

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Cats-Pajamas-Comics/_i.html?_nkw=%28conlon%2C+bain%2C+oeyen%2C+vanoeye n%2C+%22carl+horner%22%2C+%22paul+thompson%22%2C+e mmons%2C+%22c+greene%22%2C+jacobellis%2C+dorrill%2 C+scharfman%2C+%22don+wingfield%22%2C+%22barney+st ein%22%2C+%22ozzie+sweet%22%2C+burke%2C+brace%29&submit=Search&LH_TitleDesc=1&_sid=94814

I believe Rhys may also have an announcement soon (or did I miss it already?) regarding a certain banner ad for a new auction house that I've seen popping up at the top of the page...

Disclaimer: My post here was neither prompted nor endorsed by Rhys. I doubt he'll mind a few more eyes on his wares though :D
Also, out of fairness, if any other eBay photo sellers would like me to run a similar search and post the link here, I would be glad to add it as well.

Thanks for posting the links Lance. I've been perusing those this weekend. Nice to be able to see some Burke's, Bain and Colon's together, although the premiums paid for originals by the great photographers kind of surprised me a little, but I suppose it shouldn't. I guess I'm a "bottom feeder" too, to steal a phrase from someone else in this thread. I've really been looking hard for "great shots" or maybe I should say, photographs that *I* think have great content. I've bid on quite a few of that type photograph on eBay, but unfortunately I usually get out bid by quite a lot. So I suppose that might be a compliment or at least a guess that I am on the right track :-) Just have to be patient I suppose :-) Thanks again for everyone's help!

[drcy]

Nice photos with both sellers.

[thecatspajamas]

I believe Rhys may also have an announcement soon (or did I miss it already?) regarding a certain banner ad for a new auction house that I've seen popping up at the top of the page...

There's that announcement I thought I had missed:
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=173978

Best of luck to Rhys in this new venture. From the looks of the previews, there are going to be some swooning photo collectors once the auction goes live and we see the full breadth of offerings.