Posted By:
Mark FimoffI appreciate Brian responding on the forum - not an easy thing to do.
I usually like to stick to fact based analysis but from observation let me speculate and make a couple of very generalized points with respect to auctions of some of these early baseball photos
1) Auctioneers (and apparently authenticators) lack the in depth historical knowledge and basic facial ID skills that would aid in many of these identifications
2) Since there are relatively few photos like this auctioned compared to the volume of, say, cards, the cost of having such expertise on staff does not make sense
3) As a result, auction houses and authenticators are highly dependent on the claims of the consignor or some prior seller in the chain, some of whom are taking advantage of the situation
Keep in mind that I have very few Negro league related resources in my collection, but it took me about a minute to find a photo of Wilkerson that showed the ear mismatch 100% determinative - case closed. The height issue took about an hour to check out. Of course contacting the family took several days - but still it was not difficult.