Old Judge Proofs?

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Posted By: hankron

As this espisode may have scared some folks, the following are a few useful notes for collectors and potential collectors of 19th century cabinets and similar mounted photos.

1) These 'proof' cabinets are the exception, as the makers, apparently, had access to the original negatives. Original 19th century baseball negatves are rare-- and notice that these fakes are all for Old Judge subjects. The reason these fooled many people is because the images are so clear. This clarity will rarely exist on other examples.

2) The most common forgery is a computer print fake. Either the whole thing can be a computer print or just the image can be a computer print. In cases (non-baseball), the forger made a computer print of the paper photo part (invariably a famous subject) and pasted it to a genuine mount ... These fakes are easy to identify, as the image is made up of a tiny patter on color dots under a magnifying glass. Genuine photos have no ink pattern, as there is no ink and printing press involved.

3) Many baseball photos are misrepresented-- ala it really isn't Babe Ruth or a baseball player or the photo is not as old as they say. Here, good observation or asking for anothers' opinion will solve. As the age itself of a photo is directly related to its value, it's not a bad idea to get a second opinion as to whether the photo is really from the 1860s or 70s ... Though not wishing to make a plug, my baseball photo guide has detailed listings on how to date a mount by it's color and design (qualities you can observe even when the image is online) and the how to date the uniform the player is wearing (again, something observable even if you don't have the photo in person) ... For example, Rob asked about the age of his tintype. I said 1880s-90s. Why? Because the player was hold a type of ring bat (rings on barrell) that was made in 1880s-90s.

4) Beyond authenticity, the value of baseball photos is greatly effected by the style, size and type. For example, certain styles of 19th century photos are rare and/or unusually visually pleasing and will gain a big premium in price. Certain photographers, i.e. Horner or Joseph Hall, will give a huge boost in price. Even something as simple as an usnual color mount can give boost. Also, some players are much harder to find in photo form than others. Babe Ruth is relatively common, but Addie Joss or Ed Delahanty are rare ... Personal experience and observation will help the collector see what is unusual, along with asking the opinion of the more experienced ... I don't actively buy baseball photos, other than a few here and there if the price is right, so potential bidders should not fear to ask me as I might be bidding competition.