I agree with all the comments posted so far - they will make a big difference in your ability to accurately judge the authenticity of vintage photos as well as enhance your appreciation of this field of collecting.
I would add one additional thing that has proven invaluable to me in becoming familiar with a critical tool for evaluating the age and time window of publication for vintage photos.
Henry Yee_Auctions on Ebay (about 4 times a year) posts hundreds of photos with accurate descriptions and ,more importantly, clear photos of the front and back. Being exposed to this great diversity of different types of stamps and paper captions on the back of photos will serve you well. For example, subtle differences in stamps of the major news services often will allow you to pinpoint a photo to a specific year, for example a United Press photo from 1953 vs 1955.
Whereas, all of these suggestions that have been posted will provide a scaffolding of information - and information is the most important commodity for collecting- your primary goal should be to enjoy the photos.
Good luck.
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