1873 Boston Cabinet in Mastronet Auction

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Posted By: Hankron

Due to its inbetween (and out of the ordinary) size, it's neither a cabinet card or a CDV. Substantially smaller than a cabinet card and larger than a CDV. I'm not aware of a standard name for this size, and would simply callit a 'card photograph' or 'photographic card.' These are generic names for all sizes of paper photographs pasted to cardboard or such mounts, and when in doubt what something is those are perfectly good names.

While this is a technicality, it doesn't mean it
insignificant. The names ('CDV' etc) are defined by their size (kind of like D and E are sizes for shoes, or A or AA for batteries), so when a knowledgeable photograph collector buys a 'cabinet card' he or she is expecting to receive a photograph of a certain size. Just as a baseball card collector will be dissapointed to find that the T3 is he receives in the mail is several inches or smaller than listed in SCD, a photograph collector may not be happy to find out this his photograph is a couple of inches smaller. Someone who calls it nitpicking, likely will get my point when they someday receive a AAA battery instead of a AA battery ('So it's got one extra 'A', what's the fuss?')

MastroNet's description makes the same 'cabinet' mistake. However, they list the size so there is no harm no foul. If the ordinary eBay seller incorectly says 'cabinet card' but clearly gives the measurement in the description, it's not a big deal. So, when in doubt, list the size of the photograph and there will be no issue.