Quote:
Originally Posted by 71buc
I am relatively new to this section of the hobby. I collect all things pertaining to members of the MLB HOF. That being said I must admit that for the past year 80% of my purchases have been photos. I believe you will find that photo collecting shares many of the same elements as other baseball collectibles. Players such as Cobb, Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Williams and DiMaggio command top dollar. Works by the major photographers Conlon, Bain, Thompson and their ilk are highly sought after and out of my fiscal reach.
That being said what I enjoy the most is the hunt. I have found that if you are diligent you can build a nice collection without a second mortgage. Due to the sheer volume of vintage News Service photos coupled with the lack of knowledge by some sellers you can find some nice examples very cheaply. As an example, I have been looking to buy a nice Mickey Mantle photo for my collection but did not want to pay a fortune. To accomplish this I looked up the opening day match ups between all teams and the Yankees for each season that Mantle played. I used phrases such as Yankees Senators 1955 photo. My rationale was that opening day is highly photographed and occasionally there are sellers who don't recognize the players depicted if the photo does not have a caption attached to the back. This was a lot of work but fun nonetheless. Last week the words "Yankees vs Orioles 1959 photo" yielded a very attractive 8x10 picture of Mantle sliding into third base taken from an unusual angle. The seller did not include his name in the description as a result I paid $14.99.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BS-PHOTO-aev...item3cc74a6301
I too don't believe that there will ever be a price guide or catalog of photos for the same reasons addressed by Craig. I am also very pleased by that. Like other collectors I prefer Type 1 vintage originals but learning to consistently identify them has been confusing. The book A Portrait of Baseball Photography was essential but apparently is now out dated. I hope that Mr. Yee is able to publish his recent findings soon. In the meantime you will find many advanced and knowledgeable friendly collectors here who are more than willing to share their insight. |
I fully agree Mike, often the most rewarding finds are those that bear the fruit of hard work and, in this particular case, rather ingenious criteria for the search.
20 or 25 years ago there were only a handful of collectors who even found vintage photos to be interesting. Whereas that number has expanded significantly in recent years, even more surprising has been the inclusion of collectors such as yourself whose primary interests appear to lie in other segments of the hobby but now (because of the increased exposure?) have also been captured by these remarkable vintage images frozen in time.
I just think its great!!!
By the way, the Mantle photo is super and highlighted by both the unusual angle from which it was taken as well as the relatively large image of Mickey,especially for an action shot. Well done!!!!!
Craig