A few rookie questions about old photos
 

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?

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-Baseb...1713042&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

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