PHOTO COLLECTING TIPS -- AVOID BUYING DISAPPOINTING IMAGES

Over the years I have collected hundereds of photographs looking for the most original copy or negative I can afford.  Here are some tips to help you avoid buying disappointing images. Everyone wants to be the sole owner of an image or negative.

Questions to ask:

1. When is the photo printed? Ask the seller! I'd much rather have an Elvis pic printed in the 70's than the 90's. Look for age and possibly rounded corners- circa (70's 80's) Sometimes the date is printed on back. Example:  Oct 1, 1976 etc.

2. Is it blurry? Photo quality is important. I bought a Beatles photo blown up to 8x10 (not by me and done a long time ago) very blurry. It looked sharper in the auction.  Interesting, but not displayable. Disappointed!

3. Original Image? Many sellers say the photo is the original image which is close in truth. Heck, its printed by a lab or whatever so its "their" original. How are they always to know if its original? I found a great train pic in a 25 cent box, only to have the seller honestly tell me someone photographed pics out of a book over 20 years ago. Looked good to me! Original images can also be by photgraphers like Vinnie Zuffante or George Tebbens (usually copyrighted). No one really knows how many pics they printed in the 70's-80's of the Beatles, Stones etc. Photos printed by them are still very hard to find and very collectible. Note: many edited or reprinted pics of theirs are showing up on eBay for 5-10 bucks. Yuck. However, I've dealt with numerous honest sellers which gave me awesome pics! 

4. Original negative? Believe it or not many negatives are copies. Some JFK negatives I recieved look very old, but may again have been photographed of pictures already taken. The picture quality was not there after developing. Probably not source negatives of the original photos.

5. Original slide or transparency? While these are great for making you own personal copies these "one of a kind" may be part of a more common publicity set or slide sent to the networks etc. They may also have copyrights associated with them. Some go as far as to remove the cardboard frame to make the "more" appealing. Still, you can score some awesome deals on these.

6. What was the slide, photo, or negative for? While it may be a very popular image, its value depends on how many cheap eBay copies are for sale. Sad, but true. Was it sent out for media outlets to use in newspapers? Or was it perhaps a fan who was lucky enough to sit near Elvis? This may greatly affect your decision to buy.

7. How rare is the subject? Can you buy stacks of  Allan Melvin (Sam the butcher- Brady Bunch) photos? Probably not, but you can easily find 100's if not thousands of the rest of the cast.

8. How reliable is your source? I bought several "one of a kind" photos only to find more of the exact same available from other sellers the next week!! Disappointed!! Not much money was spent however. Even the most knowledgeable person can get burned.

9. How much do you spend? Typically I try not to go over 10 bucks. But--- a rare beatles photo of John Lennon I paid lots more for. I have never seen that pic anywhere and it was printed at least 30 years ago! Don't know how many copies survived. Not disappointed!! That is one instance I totally trusted the seller and his description. I had no resevations whatsoever. Many buy-it-nows also can be a good deal, but paying $4.95 sh. while steep really shouldn't be a concern if you've really found a rare image. 

10. Other bidders? Be aware that you may lose your photo in the last 2 seconds to a sniper or to someone who will print dozens of copies to resell, so price is not an obect for them. Potentially they will recoup their costs and you will be empty-handed.

It is up to you what to do with your collection.  I have framed and displayed a number of mine where everyone can see them. If your a serious photgraph collector you know how good that feels! 

I haven't even scratched the surface of the pitfalls of  buying photos online, but where else can you find them? Overpriced antique stores? NO. Garage Sales? Few and far between. Thriftstores? The only thrift stores were have here sell ski's from the 80's and portable toilets for the hadicapped!  Not even worth photographing!

Happy hunting!!