I would not say it does not make a difference, I would just say who are we to decide one hundred years later that 1912 is fine and 1913 is not. Or 1919 is great but 1925 is not. In a perfect world where people are generally educated on what they are buying, I believe a photographers work should stand on its own, then a period of production should be listed (c. 1910), then the buyers should really decide. A 1910 print of the Cobb should be more valuable than a 1915 print, but this would play out in the market with all information available to the buyers, both however are Conlon's original work.
I have actually toyed with the idea when I sell photos of just having a small checklist.
Off original Negative Yes/No
Known Photographer Yes/No
Paper Type __________
Date of Creation __________
Date of Production _________
That would give you all the information you would need to know. Granted, a "Type 1" PSA designation checks off most of those boxes without saying a single extra word, it is easy to understand, and that is why people like it.
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