Josh Gibson - Type IV Photo question
 

I recently purchased the below Type 4 Josh Gibson photo from Heritage. Love the image and it's pretty well known.

Here's my question. Hopefully I don't expose my ignorance too badly. . . .

The photo is marked Type 4 and PSA titles it "Josh Gibson in 1945." The slug on the side is dated 2/8/72 and references Gibson and Buck Leonard being voted into the Hall of Fame. The slug goes on to say "Gibson, in 1945 file photo . . . ." Heritage describes it as "a wire photograph of the HOFer from the 1940s produced in 1972."

I guess my question is what does 1971 necessarily have to do with the photo. I realize in 1971 someone at UPI created this image w/ the slug to the side. But they reference the photo as being a 1945 file (not a wire) photo. I'm assuming the photo wasn't printed again in 1972, but maybe that's 100% the wrong assumption. Does the Type IV designation apply to the actual photo? Looks to me like a photo was taken from a file, glued onto a new backing, and a slug was affixed. I can see through the photo on close inspection that there is writing on the back of the photo. (Why would someone write on a photo if they just printed it to to glue on a new backing?)

Ok, that's more than one question. Appreciate any insights/thoughts.

A bunch of companies issued Gibson photos in 1971 and 1972 when it was announced the Hall of Fame would start inducting Negro Leaguers and they used the images to make the announcement.

They went back into their files and pulled an original image and made a new copy (your photo) then attached a paper label to the front so it could be used to make subsequent wire photographs (if indeed the caption on the front is paper and not embedded into the print). Yours would have been developed off a duplicate negative in 1971 (Type 4 Wire Photo)

This is actually a rarer version than the example where he is crouched as a catcher so it is a cool shot!

Thanks! Appreciate the info! FYI, caption is paper. If you look above his head you can see some of the writing on the reverse of photo.

Yeah love the image with glove on. Take care.

Congrats! I picked up the Gibson crouched type 4 from RMY. The one in heritage listed alongside yours did almost double.

Great value buys seeing as even thr Laughins are crazy expensive right now.

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Awesome! Yeah these are very cool.