Bustin Babe's - Larrupin Lou's- barnstorming AUT?

[Leon]

From time to time (almost daily) I get folks sending me stuff for authentication. I told the gentleman that sent this that about 95% of them are not real photos but I would check with folks that know more about photos than I. Real or not, and why, pretty please? (to me it doesn't have the sharpness of a Gen 1 photo, but what do I know?)

[David Atkatz]

The original photo, with facsimile signatures, was sold at the barnstorming games, and was not great quality to begin with. The photos with "double autographs," like this one, are copies of a genuinely signed original, and so cannot be first generation.

[Leon]

Thanks for the info.....A question though...

I have seen real ones of these that were in fact signed twice and sold for big money (haven't I?). I assume they were signed (again) after the photo was given away at the ballpark or wherever they were distributed. On those types aren't there 2 signatures too, or is there only 1 signature on the real ones? Thanks again.

[thekingofclout]

A) Original photo was printed off the negative at the time it was taken. Then Babe & Lou signed it.

B) A duplicate negative was taken of the original signed photo and many thousands of prints were then made from the dupe neg for souvenirs to be sold at the games. Those souvenir photos are TYPE III photos. Babe & Lou would sign these when the fans requested, hence the "double" signatures of both Ruth & Gehrig appearing on these TYPE III prints.

I hope that answers your question.

Best, Jimmy

[David Atkatz]

The second set of signatures is also facsimile. The photo is a copy of a signed example of the facsimile-signed ball park souvenir. And there are many identical examples floating around. They are quite common.

There are genuinely-signed examples of the facsimile-signed original. They go for big bucks.

[jacksons]

One sold in Hunt's July auction for $42,000

http://huntauctions.com/live/imagevi...=449&lot_qual=

Lot # 449

Description: Superb Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig autographed photograph c.1927-28. While Babe Ruth autographed photos can be fairly easily attained, and Lou Gehrig signed images, although rare, occasionally surface, it seldom occurs that photographs signed by both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig become available to the collecting public. In addition to the aforementioned scarcity, it is also extraordinarily difficult to find a Ruth and Gehrig signed photo in a high condition grade. Offered is a recently discovered example of this classic sepia tone photograph of Ruth and Gehrig in their barnstorming uniforms, which was commonly given out during their tours of 1927 and 1928. The photo itself remains very clean with strong original contrast. Both Ruth and Gehrig have signed the image in bold black fountain pen rating 10 out of 10 each. We have been fortunate in handling a few of these signed images, and have noted a handful of other examples in other auctions. Regarding the other known exemplars, however, only a small percentage remain in a high condition grade. To even the most discriminating collector, the offered specimen must be considered the finest known of its type. Image quality, signature strength, non-personalization, and highly uncommon Christy Walsh Tour stamping on the reverse all place this particular photograph among the elite Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig signature items we have handled. 8"x10" matted and framed with a singular minute pinhole at the top white margin (not visible under matting) mentioned for acute accuracy only. Includes LOA from JSA: Photo: EX-MT, Signatures: NM/MT-MT

[drc]

I've seen genuine unsigned versions of the photo. There's only one set of faux signatures (one for Ruth, one for Gehrig), like the faux signatures on many Exhibit cards. Also notice the back of the Hunt photo has a Christy Walsh stamp. I wouldn't be surprised if they all came with that. But, in short, four faux 'in the image' signatures (2 for Ruth and 2 for Gehrig) automatically proves it's a reprint.