Taking the plunge

[Archive]

Posted By: Hankron 

As my friend Scott taught me that one has to due things the old fashioned way-- charge a fee--, in the near future I will be offering a photograph examination/authentication/LOA service. This will be for celebrity subject photographs, which will range from baseball to Greta Garbo, Abe Lincoln to Joe Louis. Non-celebrety subjects, including photos by famous photographers, will be considered for review on a case by case basis. Related printed material will also be considered on a case by case basis.

While general condition may be noted and presence of restoration will, this will be an authentication service and not a grading service. Also, there will be an online review (including of images) before anything is accepted for in person review, so the basic initial questions, concerns and expectations (both of the photo's owner and mine) can be addressed beforehand. For example, obvious fakes or later generation photos can be weeded out right away from an image or description of a photographer's stamp, and I won't accept/charge a fee to review something that I know is worth less than the cost of the fee. Review can be of single high end photos, and of entire collections.

Photographs is an esoteric area, and many photos are rare to unique. It's not like checking the Beckett to verify the card number and size. Original photos were often reprinted ('second generation') in vintage times, and one regularly finds things on the order of a vintage 1870 CDV with a reprinted image of Abe Lincoln, or a 1905 panarama showing an 1890 baseball team. This service will be particularly useful for high end and unique photographs, where the seller or owner wishes to obtain a LOA attesting to the age and authenticity.

Thanks!