Apex Photography Company Help Needed

[koufax1fan]

I would greatly appreciate any help about the Apex Photography player postcards. When did they start? Is there a player set checklist ? Are they difficult to find and value. Thanks very much for your help.
Phil

[thecatspajamas]

Can you post a scan of one of the postcards you are referring to? I am familiar with the 5x7 American League Service Bureau photos that they produced (some stamped American League Service Bureau on the back, some with just the Apex stamp on the back), but don't recall seeing any postcards produced by them (not saying they didn't produce any, but if so, I'd like to see what they look like).

[koufax1fan]

Hello Lance:
Thanks for your reply. The photos are 5x7 and have the original Apex Photo Stamping on the back and some have the American League stamping but not all…Does that make a difference in value ? Were these sold as only AL players only? Do you know the time frame when these photos were printed.

[thecatspajamas]

From what I understand, Apex provided the photography for the AL Service Bureau who in turn distributed the player photos to various outlets and publishers for use in newspapers and print publications. I'm not sure what the range of years were that they did this, but generally speaking, the date the print was produced will be concurrent or within a year of the image depicted. They were intended to provide up-to-date images of current American League players. The National League did the same thing, but their photos are typically larger than the 5x7 size favored by the AL.

In my experience, the ones with American League Service Bureau stamping might sell a little quicker due to the more recognizable name, but there doesn't seem to be much difference in value from that alone. The player depicted in the photo is still going to be the main driving force when it comes to value.

Any other members are welcome to disagree with me and/or provide further info. I've never attempted to document or checklist these, but it does seem like one of the few photo issues that could potentially be viewed as a year-by-year "set" for collecting purposes. Anybody taken on that project for either the AL or NL Service Bureau photos?

[koufax1fan]

Hello Lance:
Thanks once again for your expertise and information with regard to these 5x7 player photos. I do greatly appreciate it.
Phil