What to do with old framed photos?

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Posted By: Bryan

I recently purchased an old photo that has the orginal frame to it. The back of the frame is covered with the original backing so in order to get to the picture I would need to cut through the original backing. My question is that do you think that it is best to just keep the picture the way it is? My thought was to open it and see if there is any writing or identification marks on the back of the picture itself. Am I losing value by opening, if I were to ever sell the picture?
Did most people write on the backs of pictures before they were framed? Or would this be a lost cause? The picture, I am guessing is from the teens or maybe early 20's era. Nice picture of a baseball player though - even though I have no idea who it is.