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Posted By: davidcycleback

An original is made from the original negative soon after the image is shot. Anything
that isn't made from the original negative or is made from the original years later is
not an original. These later generation images will often be of noticable lesser quality,
while the originals will often be crystal clear (thus, their higher value).

If you know what stamps are old, that's half the battle as a collector. If you see a
Mickey Mantle photo with an ACME News Service, whether or not the image was made from
the original negative, you know the photo's vintage. ACME went out of business in the
1950s. Even in an only auction, you can see a stamp and be sure the photo's no modern
reprint. So once you know the stamps, life is a lot easier for the collector.

If the ACME Mantle photo has a crystal clear image, you own an original. Vintage
stamp + crystal clear image = original.

And if you get the photo and realize the Mantle image is a bit too muddy to be first
generation, the photo will still have value as it's vintage. As with baseball cards
the age itself of the photo has value.