Interesting and informative observations... Have you reached out to REA?
Actually I would put the onus squarely on the shoulders of PSA (and not REA), if their "Type 1" assessment is off. Below is a key portion of REA's description of the Cobb photo...
"We were immediately struck by the clarity and condition of the photograph, but because there have been so many second-generation prints made of this photo (Cobb himself kept them on hand to honor requests from fans), we remained cautiously optimistic that we had, perhaps, uncovered an incredible original example of this famed photograph. After thorough examination by PSA/DNA experts, it was confirmed to be only the second-known original example and the finest of the two reviewed to date."
If PSA misdiagnosed this one, I would not be too surprised. There is often a blurry line between "types" with photos of this era. The white border is definitely present, and it sounds like your experience/knowledge base is just as advanced as PSAs. Third party authenticators have a lot of undue power and influence these days, with collectors putting so much blind reliance on their word.
Are there any confirmed examples of White Bordered Type 1 Conlons that date to the earlier teens? I must say that the clarity of the photo appears second-to-none... especially in regard to the exploding infield dirt and well defined detail of Cobb's face. Perhaps some of the other photo experts here can produce evidence or exemplars that will add value to the discussion. Fascinating topic, regardless!
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