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Posted By: Bob Lemke

To satisfy my curiosity I looked a little deeper into this and spoke with a principal at American Memorabilia, who filled me in on some of the efforts they expended to authenticate the photos/proofs. Michael Petersen, who provided the COA for the photos, is a professional photographer of 40 years' experience; he is not connected with the sports collectibles hobby. Unlike some who have expressed an opinion on authenticity without actually seeing these particular items, I did examine them at length at the National. Admittedly, I'm not a forensic photography expert, but I've had 25 years of daily professional experience in the card hobby and I saw nothing to indicate these photos did not originate in the 19th Century. As I said before, the market will ultimately decide their value when the hammer falls in a month.