All right. I am totally confused about the wonderful world of
wire photos. I have seen them sell for thousands and have seen very nice ones sell for well under 20 bucks. What is the reason for this huge gap in price?
I understand that for any piece of memorabilia a few factors have to be taken into consideration:
- How rare is it?
- Is it original?
- How significant is it?
-How eye appealing is it?
-What condition is it in?
I honestly think you can throw at least one of these factors out the window when considering wire photos. I have seen many examples sell for big money even if they aren’t in great condition. Personally, I love the ones that have the AP stamp and date on the back. Crop marks are also a plus in my eyes.
The most important factor when determining the desirability of a wire photo seems to be if it is a first-generation photo. I am definitely not a wire photo expert, but I truly believe that most of them are first generation photos. If a Hank Aaron 715 HR photo has a 1988 stamp on the back of it, then I am sure that it is probably not a first-generation example, but as long as the stamps are from the general timeframe of the event, I would assume that it is an original first-generation wire photo.
The next factors when determining value are all very close as far as importance goes, in my opinion.
How rare, significant and eye appealing a photo is seems to be what buyers consider.
Here are my questions and why I am so confused.
The Joe Jackson photo on the right sold for $2,300, the Ruth sold for $1,100, the Aaron sold for $330 and the Rose sold for $220.
Now comes the confusing part and keep in mind, I believe all of these to be first-generation, original wire photos.
The Bill Russell/Red Aurebach photo only sold for $15, the Aaron photo picturing his very significant home run No. 600 went for a mere 20 bucks!
Yes, I understand that the Ruth and Jackson photos are very rare and very cool, but the Rose is from 1970 and doesn’t seem to be that much more significant that Aaron’s 600th HR. Not $200 more significant, I am sure of that.
These are just a few examples of what I am talking about. Punch in
“wire photo” on eBay right now and see for yourself.
Feel free to share with me what you have found.