MY newest Gehrig pick up and a question for the photo guys.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

They usually run between $30-45 on eBay when they turn up. They don't usually turn up that often though. I would say maybe once every 2-3 months on average? If I ever see one under $30, I buy it whether I currently have a copy or not, so if you want one cheaper than that, you'll have to catch it before I do If I didn't already have a copy, I wouldn't have any problem spending $50 for one. I do agree $145 is a bit steep though unless you need the info right now or are too lazy to keep watch for a cheaper copy.

(FWIW, I'm not sitting on a hoard of these. I just think that the book is a very good all-around reference for new collectors of sports photography, and they make great gifts, which is why I'm not sitting on a pile of them.)

Oh, Lance, sure you're not hoarding them.
I know you're trying to corner the market on these bad boys. This reminds me of the Hunt Brothers trying to corner the silver market in the 1980's.
That worked out pretty well for them. LOL

[bgar3]

for my 2 cents, or 50 dollars i would much rather have a reference or historical book than an authentication for a single photo.

[GoCubsGo32]

Dang Mark!!!!


Congrats!!!! What a beauty!!

[drcy]

Free download of my photo guide in pdf form

[Lordstan]

Wow. Great thread guys. I've been busy at work, so I haven't gotten to reply until now. I want to thank all of you for the congrats and the advice.

This photo sold in Henry's last auction for $630 or so. Joey was kind enough to make it available to me for a small profit, that I was happy to pay. I think Ben brought up something that I hadn't considered in detail and that is the cost of repairs. Obviously, it would be foolish to spend another $1k to remove the tape and clean it a little. I guess I was figuring it wasn't going to cost that much, so price wouldn't be a significant issue.

It doesn't surprise me that there are more of these signed than not. I think it is likely that a higher percentage of Burke's sales were to the players than to the casual fan. I can definitely see Gehrig, Ruth, or even Christy Walsh ordering these to have signed and give out as gifts to friends and business associates. I think that probably far fewer were ordered by the casual fan to hang on their wall.

I am curious as to the size of Ben's prints. I say this as his seem much more rectangular than either mine or Al's copy. Certainly the more vertical rectangular shape would explain why Ben's copies have much more of the whole photo at the top and bottom. Perhaps, Burke decided to crop it down on the bigger prints to increase the focus on the face. Perhaps some of these different crops came at the request of the ordering player?

Thanks to all who have contributed so far and I hope more info continues to be added.

Mark

[Runscott]

Mark, the smaller ones I owned that show the heavy silver halide hints are 5x7.

This is probably in Burke's book, but the players had their favorite photos that Burke took, and they would order them from him. So the ones that you see most often may not be the best Burke image in our opinion, but it was to the players.

[Lordstan]

Well. After reading all the various opinions, I think I will either have the tape marks and some dirt removed, if it's reasonably priced, or nothing at all if it's expensive or I don't find a place I feel comfortable with. No retouching or repairing of the nicks and tears.
One last question...Does anyone have any recommendations of any companies they have used for this type of repair work?
Thank you all for your help.


Lance,
Based on your research, can you tell what year the image was likely taken?


Al,
Our images appear to be siblings. Does that make us in-laws?


Scott,
the smaller ones I owned that show the heavy silver halide hints are 5x7.

Most of the Burke's I have seen have been smaller in size as well. I have seen the larger ones, but they definitely seem much less common.


Mark

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by bgar3

for my 2 cents, or 50 dollars i would much rather have a reference or historical book than an authentication for a single photo.

That is the wisest thing I have read in this forum in a long time - nicely put!

Years before the Yee/Fogel book was written, I purchased hardcopies of ALL of David's books and studied them intently. Later, I was lucky enough to meet David and we have shared photos/thoughts for many years now.

I haven't read the Yee/Fogel book, but based on what others have said (and especially Ben, as I very highly respect his opinion), my thinking is that if you ('you' being anyone who reads this post) got hold of that book, read David's books and continue to read the posts on this forum and handle a lot of vintage photos yourself, you are going to be just fine.

I also feel certain that a copy of the Yee/Fogel book would help me personally, and if I had one I would certainly spend hours studying the material. But I haven't needed to, so I haven't looked for a copy.