Latest Reprint Trend – Copying Baseball Ambrotypes

[Archive]

Posted By: jason

Hi Guys,

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ambrotype-Photo-Baseball-Team_W0QQitemZ120045412735QQihZ002QQcategoryZ13704 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I just thought that it might be a wise idea to inform people about this just in case they make it back onto the market as genuine.

They are currently not very good mind you but they could be passed off as old and faded. They are also ready made for deception with an old half ambrotype case included.

The seller is clearly marking his auctions as remakes (as he should do) but if they got into the wrong hands, then someone could be out serious money the next time.

[Archive]

Posted By: davidcycleback

There are a few ambrotypes around that are easily identified as they are on plastic
instead of glass. This seller doesn't mention what his is made out of.

A problem I have with this reprint is that if you're making a good, honest reprint,
you try and make the image look sharp and clean and attractive. Ordinarilly,
out of focus, butt ugly, overly 'aged' images are used on forgeries-- ala all
those fake T206s that looked like they were cooked in the oven before being
boiled in oil and shat by the dog. There's no sense in using this really bad image this
abmrotype, unless someone's going to try and fool someone, because it's too butt ugly to
enjoy for its looks alone.

I would think if you wanted to make a modern ambrotype, you should make an attractive one
of Ty Cobb or even Derek Jeter. Not only could it be cool, but the players are too
modern to have appeared on real ambrotypes. Put it in an original ambrotype
frame and case.

I should note, whether George Burke or an 1800s photographer, a professional
team photographer wouldn't photograph the entire posed team, then amputate half the players
from the final photograph to fit into a 25 cent frame. The team mananger or whomever
hired the photographer would say, "I'm not paying for this piece of crap."