Posted By:
ElliotI'm not sure why there is so much confusion about these items. Josh is correct in that these have been bouncing around the industry for a little while and I'm quite sure that David has examined these in person. David has no axe to grind and is quite knowledgeable with regards to photographs of this genre. He has been quite vocal in his opinion that these are not original "proofs" from the time period that is claimed.
Josh Evans (who admittedly has an axe to grind with the auctioneers) has also weighed in on the matter and has quite clearly agreed with David. I know of at least two other people who have handled these items in the past and both have no doubt that they are not as claimed by American Memorabilia. They have this opinion, despite the obvious financial incentive they would have had when they were in their possession to proclaim them to be real "proofs".
I think that it should be obvious to everybody that these are not "proofs" from the time period claimed. They are, however, an interesting collectible, and would certainly have some value. Given the fact that major auction houses have refused to market these items as "original", it should be clear that American Memorabilia would, in the least, be best served to have the pieces re-examined and reconsider their opinion regarding their authenticity, or auction them as a later generation photograph.