Quote:
Originally Posted by Leon
Thanks Kevin. No, I can't read the label on the bat even with a huge scan. I thought maybe late 1870s because of the bibs, but I got this from Scott F. and I think (but am not sure) he had it listed as 1880. Maybe circa 1880 would be good?
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I try to be conservative with age guesses, but I really do think circa 1880 is good for this one. We often see age arguments built based on the presence of ring bats, bibs or pillbox hats - I might start a new thread: "Show us your baseball images with bibs, ring bats or pillbox hats, from the 1900's" Some of you would be quite surprised.
I try to start by looking at the qualities of the photo and mount first, then key on the other stuff as support for my first gut reaction - you don't want a bib, ring bat or pillbox hat clouding your judgement. Attaching an age to an old photos is often based on a lot of stuff going on in your brain at a less conscious level - hard to put your finger on it, but you have a gut feel based on the sum of all the knowledge you've accumulated and pieces you've seen. When I see people assertively state that something's from say, 1880, and I have a strong feeling that it's more like 1900, I should probably just keep my opinion to myself - without 'proof', it's all just one collector's knowledge and experience vs another's.
I do remember getting bamboozled by a mount that I was certain was circa 1905, and then I found one from the 1890's in my own collection that could be definitively dated to that period. There are always opportunities to learn.