PSA set to encapsulate "TYPE" Photographs & Signed photos as well...

[GrayGhost]

On some photos, minus date stamps or captions etc. I still don't know how you could tell say a "blank photo" as a "type 1". This whole thing to me is confusing, but I guess it matters a lot to those who collect for value or deal in them, and obviously for rarity in some cases.

[Exhibitman]

CGC was experimenting with a similar endeavor for vintage photos a few years ago, with a softer holder similar to a thick Card Saver but sonically sealed. They did a big experimental job for Jay Parrino's The Mint then dropped it. I contacted them to try and get some of my stuff encapsulated and was told that they'd decided against the service. Too bad, since it was nice to have the photos in a thinner holder instead of a monster slab.

Regardless of the photo typing thing it does seem like a needed service and a rather nice way to display and protect autographed photos. I might just send them some of mine. What is the cost?

[sphere and ash]

Am I alone in thinking that slabbing photographs is an awful idea? I pray no one ever 'slabs' an Ansel Adams or a Walker Evans print; and I pray no one slabs a Horner or a Conlon. There is a good reason this has never caught on in the vintage photography market: it is not a good way to store prints, and it inhibits subsequent examination and appreciation (does your framer frame the slab?).

There are fantastic archival materials available to store prints (try Talasonline.com) and people with far more expertise at very reasonable prices who can answer questions about your print if you have reason to be concerned.

A slabbed photo will always be worth less to me--I have to pay someone to take it out of the slab.

Apologies to anyone in the thread who has an economic interest in PSA.

[steve B]

I'm very much on the fence about slabbing photos as well. I've gotten used to it for cards, but still feel that too many of the cards get slabbed.

I also have some concerns about the slabbing from an archival perspective. Preserving photos is somewhat complex, and I'm not sure the slab is the way to go. And for some cards, I think it may actually be damaging in the long run. It looks like the holder in in contact with the photo surface, something I usually try to avoid with any better photos I've got.

Steve B

[perezfan]

I'm completely against it as well. I collect these things for their aesthetic beauty and interesting subject matter. To me, a well composed photo and a PSA Bar Code will clash, and in no way compliment each other.

I fully understand the opposing stance of those who like it and feel it's necessary to the hobby. I am just not one of them. Neither side is "right or wrong"... it's simply a personal preference.

[GrayGhost]

Too bad that these companies couldnt send you a letter of authentication w a picture of the front/back of your own photo on it, designating type and all. You could then just keep the letter w it, or if framed, it could be inside the frame or something.

[barrysloate]

I'm also from the school that says too many things are being slabbed. I think soon everything wil be slabbed. Is that a good look for the hobby?

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by GrayGhost

Too bad that these companies couldnt send you a letter of authentication w a picture of the front/back of your own photo on it, designating type and all. You could then just keep the letter w it, or if framed, it could be inside the frame or something.

Scott...

PSA does this. Here's their letter for an item I just won in Mile High... Type 1 photo of Hank Aaron's 3,000th Hit (I was at this game as a kid in Crosley Field.... yay!)

Not sure, however, if they photograph the backs of the photos for their COAs (if not, they should!) To your point, I much prefer this avenue to the potential slabbing of the beatiful photo.

[jbsports33]

I will most likley give this try at some point, always like new ideas in the hobby

Jimmy

[53Browns]

Hi gang, I am very new to the forum and also new to vintage collecting. Can someone please tell me what a "type" photo is and also what the difference between a "type 1" and a "type 2" is? Thanks in advance!

[mr2686]

Well Jimmy, I shouldn't have said nothing ever leaves...for the most part, that is correct though. However, with all the opportunities to trade and sell on this board to upgrade important parts of my collection, I have found that my philosophy on that is slowly changing. It's obvious from your remarks that you
are heavily in favor of slabbing and it's no secret that you have a large collection of Type1's, so whether for collecting or investments, that would obviously work well for you. With that said, if you think that slabbing for authenticity is where it will stop, I think you're wrong. But no matter, if everyone wants to try and get all gem mint 10 type 1 photos just because some organization, that probably has less experience than you says so, well than go for it. I'll just take my little pat on the head and go collect raw photos like a good little boy.

[sphere and ash]

To answer your question: there is no such thing as a Type I or Type II photo. You can spend an entire lifetime working in the photography department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MOMA or the Getty and never once hear those words uttered.

All you need to know is whether a photograph is 'vintage,' which is to say that it was printed around the time the negative was produced. There is no specific time limit--it could be within 1, 5 or 10 years of the negative. There is usually no way to date a print so precisely; materials just did not change that quickly. The point is that the print should have been made close enough in time to have been printed with the same materials and artistic intention as a print done contemporaneously.

[perezfan]

I personally find it frustrating when the so called "Graders" know less than the collector who submits the item. I won't get into that here, but suffice it to say that it will be best if PSA simply authenticates the photos without trying to grade them (as they are currently promising).

I really feel disillusioned, seeing cards with a minute speck of paper loss that graded a 2 or 3 (when everything else it perfect). The whole grading process is preposterously subjective.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this saying applies to vintage photos more so than any category I can imagine. I do see a need for the service (for those who cannot determine authenticity themselves) but I won't personally utilize it. People collect for different reasons, and there is no right or wrong. Those who don't like it should simply not use it.

[drc]

I'm the photo advisor to Beckett and I don't use the terms Type I etc. If someone at Beckett says Type II, I sometimes have to look up what it means as I've forgotten.

Type I, Type II etc is was a system I think devised by PSA to label photos. All one really has to know is type I means original.

I would like note what I do at Beckett. I don't physically handle or assign labels to photos, just occasionally answer questions about tough photos. Beckett is in Dallas and I'm in Seattle. I did originally meet the folks at Beckett in person before they started.

I always am happy give advice via email to collectors, and often do about photos. Don't worry I'm not a marketer and don't make commission. In fact, the head of grading at Beckett said one specific reason they asked me to be adviser is I was known in the hobby who was impartial, judging things on the facts and not having alterior motives. To prove this, I will state I've seen PSA authenticated photos and I thought the LOA's description were accurate, I think the Mastro Guide is good and I've already stated I'm not a fan of grading photos (authenticating is fine). I've never owned, bought or sold an entombed photo and have owned perhaps 8 professionally graded cards in my entire life. I've advised REA on photographs, but have never won or consigned anything to their auctions. I did bid once, but was probably outbid by the next day! REA's stuff is too expensive!

There are a number of other folks on this sitie who are knowledgeable about photos and can offer sage advice on that wirephoto or tintype.

David : webiste

[Lordstan]

I think it's a no brainer for autographed photos of moderate worth.

I have a couple of issues primarily for press/news photos.
First is cost.
I am not, by any means, a whale in the collecting community. To spend $20-$30 per pic can cut into the actual collecting budget especially if you have a lot of pictures. Granted this is offset for pictures above a certain value, but what should be the cutoff? It is worth encapsulating a pic worth $100, $200, $500, $1000?
Second is the whole to slab vs not to slab discussion that seems to be renewed every year or so on the card side. Does a picture lose some of its charm if you can't hold it to appreciate it's physical characteristics like "game use", or texture of the paper, etc?
Third is a question about the slugs.
Part of the enjoyment if being able to read the story about the picture from the slug. For many pictures the slug is facing out, wholly attached to the back. The problem, is that on many, the slug is attached in an offset way where is hangs off the picture facing either direction.
Will they put the pic in a larger size holder so the flap is unfolded and readable? If so, how will they assure the picture doesn't slide all over the place in the holder?

Mark