Quote:
Originally Posted by D. Bergin
In most cases, when the typed comments are on the front, it's generally an indication that the photo has been through the wire, sound, tele or radio photo process. Generally considered a Type III, although I'm not a big fan of the classification system.
Not as desirable as a photo from the original neg or contact neg because you can usually see the process in the photos, as it robs it of much of it's clarity.
Still, they are usually of the period and can have plenty of value themselves, especially if it is of a popular shot that is tough to find in 1st generation form, like Ali standing over Liston with his arm flexed, that I believe went for over 300 bucks in the Yee auction.
Not to say, some wire, sound, etc., type photos can be found with back type slugs instead of front captions, but it is not typical, and sometimes collectors will trim off the front wire tag to make a wire photo more aesthetically pleasing to them.
Easiest way to tell a wire photo, is to put a light and lower power magnifying glass over it, and you will see the wavy lines in the wire process.
Ironically, the highest quality wire photos seem to be from the mid-30's, when the process first became widely used, and if the front tag is trimmed off, you may need to put it under magnification to be sure it's a wire process shot.
As the years went on, the process became cheaper, but lower quality, and 60's-70's era's wire shots are usually very easy to spot with just the naked eye.
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Just to add a few additional comments to the excellent points Dave has already made. Most "wire photos" are typically second generation images where a first generation photo with the written caption physically attached to the front was placed on a wire photo machine at one agency, "scanned" and transmitted over the phone lines and received at a second news agency and the image printed (line by line) on a second wire photo machine. The resultant wire photo now has the written caption as part of the photo the image of which has been degraded by the process.
AP invented the wire photo process and in general their wire photo images are usually far superior (the scanning lines are much closer together ) than the corresponding wire photos of United Press (Telephoto) or INS (Sound Photo), especially those from the early '50's. Occasionally, you can find the original Type 1 photo with the caption physically attached to the front as well as Type 1 original, first generation photos with a paper caption containing "Telephoto or Sound Photo" at the bottom. Both are Type 1 photos. If you are unsure, just check the image with a 10X loop, even the best wire photos will be comprised of parallel scan lines.