Recent near acquisition

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Posted By: Pete Z. 

I came across a 4x8 inch photo of Babe Ruth in a Red Sox uniform this weekend at an antique show. In it he's standing, mitt in hand, with noticeable grime on his leg. The photo was faded on thick paper stock and on the back somebody wrote "Babe" and "1942" and also "195". The dealer thought it was original, i.e., from the period (late teens), and said I could return it if I wasn't satisfied. So I paid him $75 for it, and proceeded to take it to other dealers in the show for verification. Most dealers I showed it to were worried about the lack of aging on the back (it was pretty white, no yellowing). One dealer said that it was indeed an old photograph, but maybe not from the period. I finally decided to return it to the guy and he was more than happy to give me my money back.

My question is, how much are old uncataloged photos of the Babe? Are there a lot of them in circulation? How easy are old photos to reproduce?

Thanks