Mastro Auction Photos prices realized...

[barrysloate]

Rhys- as we know grading systems only survive because they spew out numbers. They never dispense with numbers in favor of a descriptive system. I'm not a photo guy but after reading this thread I am leery of the process. Is PSA getting this right nearly 100% of the time? What is their margin of error?

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Rhys- as we know grading systems only survive because they spew out numbers. They never dispense with numbers in favor of a descriptive system. I'm not a photo guy but after reading this thread I am leery of the process. Is PSA getting this right nearly 100% of the time? What is their margin of error?

I believe the margin of error is much much less in this classification system than it is in a subjective(1-10-with 1/2 graded) baseball card grading or auto authentication. Instead of.."i looks real" or "i think this looks like a 9" it is backed up by news stamps, date stamps, age of paper, captions, silver gel..etc..
Is there room for error because ALL facts are impossible to know? Of course..it is a guide/tool for the buyer/seller who loves photos to use in determining a value without being a photo expert. Is PSA making money? Well..I am sure yes. Are they providing a value to the photo industry on education? As a collector/buyer/rare seller of photos, I believe yes. That would be one definition of a successful business.

[sphere and ash]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

Rhys- as we know grading systems only survive because they spew out numbers. They never dispense with numbers in favor of a descriptive system. I'm not a photo guy but after reading this thread I am leery of the process. Is PSA getting this right nearly 100% of the time? What is their margin of error?

I have issues with the definitions, but my post was about error. If you believe the Marquard image was printed from the original negative at any time, then, in my opinion, you should not be grading or evaluating photographs for others. The error rate of the person responsible could be very high (and, presumably, one sided--copy prints will be represented as vintage prints and not the other way around).

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by sphere and ash

I have issues with the definitions, but my post was about error. If you believe the Marquard image was printed from the original negative at any time, then, in my opinion, you should not be grading or evaluating photographs for others. The error rate of the person responsible could be very high (and, presumably, one sided--copy prints will be represented as vintage prints and not the other way around).

Can you please state why you think he Marquard is not off the original negative?

[sphere and ash]

Originally Posted by Forever Young

Can you please state why you think he Marquard is not off the original negative?

If you Xerox a memo and then Xerox the copy, the clarity is reduced with each successive copy. The same is true for photographs. You also have another effect, which is increasing contrast--the middle tones start to disappear and become increasingly white or black. You can see that in the Marquard image. I once owned a vintage print of this image, and the clarity and tonal range was astounding. George Grantham Bain, by the way, very frequently copied the images of photographers who were not employed by his agency.