Rinker on Collectibles

RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1746

Old Black and White Photographs - Where Does the Value Reside?

Attics are an endangered species. Many modern homes are built without functional attics. Modern homes that do have attics allow access through a hole cut in the ceiling of a walk-in closet and/or garage. A homeowner is blessed if (1) there is a fold-down set of steps and (2) room to stand. Forget finding a finished floor on which to walk or temperature control.

My family lived with my grandparents Prosser at 717 High Street in Bethlehem, PA, from early 1946 to the fall of 1948. 717 High Street had a walkup staircase leading to a large attic which ran the length of the house. The front half was a full room with one side of the eaves petitioned off with doors. The back half was tall enough for a young person to stand and an adult to walk in a squat position. The eaves to the left and right were filled with trunks, framed prints, photographs, documents, and an odd assortment of items ranging from discarded sleds, baby furniture, and other odds and ends “too good to throw out” according to the Pennsylvania German mindset of my grandparents.
The High Street attic was a treasure trove. In addition to objects belonging to my grandparents, the attic was filled with discards from my mother, her seven sisters, and two brothers. For someone with my curiosity, the attic was a treasure mine that provided countless hours of imagination and play and created memories that are as strong today as when first experienced.

My parents moved to 50 West Depot Street, Hellertown, Pennsylvania, in late fall 1948. My childhood home had no attic. Fortunately, my grandmother’s sisters Annie and Naomi Knoble lived in the Knoble homestead just two blocks up the street. It had an attic, which I visited on occasion. I own a number of treasures from that attic.

During my professional career, I had the privilege of visiting hundreds of attics, mostly to review objects as part of a walk-through or written appraisal. Many contained the accumulation of multiple family generations with objects often dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century.

As the 20th century came to a close, the number of attics I visited decreased. Today, I am lucky if I visit one or two attics a year. More often than not, what was once housed in an attic is now located in a garage, basement, or storage shed.

Attics traditionally were the graveyard for old black and white family photographs – some framed, others in albums, and most loose and individually stored in a variety of boxes ranging from old candy boxes to shoe boxes. By the time I rediscover them, the current owner has little idea who the individuals portrayed in the pictures are or the location the images were taken. The tendency is to collect them, put them into trash bags, and send them to the dump.

Taking this approach is a rush to judgment. Some of these images have value, especially to specialized collections.

Before identifying those images that do have value, it is necessary to dispose of the vast majority of photographs known affectionately as “instant ancestors.” They are the myriad of head and shoulder photographs of individuals and groups for which no identification is available on the front or back of who appears in the pictures. While these can be used to identify period clothing and hair styles, they are available in such a large quantity that they have little to no value to the average collector or the modern generation whose grandparents and great grandparents they may portray.

When the product of a professional photographer, many of the photographs contain the name and location of the photographer. A local collector might pay fifty cents to a dollar to add an example to a collection.

When the product of an amateur photographer, unidentified instant relative images are worthless. Many photographs exhibit a lack of depth of field, far too much background, and other amateur photography faults.

[Author’s Aside: If a picture is out of focus, discard it. Fading, tears, and other defects can be corrected using today’s computer software. Out of focus images are too costly to correct.]

When sorting through old black and white photographs looking for those that have some value (in this instance. some meaning fifty cents or more), here are some guidelines to follow:

1. The image must be sharp and clear. Using a magnifying glass, the magnification must enhance rather than blur the image.

2. When sorting through the instant ancestor pile, set aside those pictures that show the use of jewelry or haute-couture. Ordinary clothing is ordinary. The same applied to ordinary jewelry. Look for the unusual.

Photographs showing an individual in work clothing, for example, a blacksmith or butcher, has strong appeal, especially if the individual is pictured in front of or inside a shop. The addition of information on the location of the photograph adds value.

3. Images of animals and individuals with animals have strong collector appeal. The keys are (1) the animal occupies a major portion of the image and (2) the type and breed of the animal is easily identified. Images of animals pulling wagons, especially children’s wagons, sell well.

4. Images of children with toys, especially when being used in play, have strong appeal to doll and toy collections. Again, the doll or toy needs to be able to be identified specifically. Pictures of dolls and toys under a Christmas tree is a key secondary collecting category. Focus is critical, especially since the image usually needs to be enlarged to provide positive identification for the dolls and/or toys.

5. Early sport images, especially those dating before 1920, appeal to sport collectors. Team photographs that provide team information/location and names of players are highly prized. It makes little difference if the image is of a professional, semi-professional, or high school team.

Because the secondary market for these images is so strong, many images have been reproduced and mounted on period-like paper. Examine every image carefully before buying.

6. Interior images of eating establishments, factories, merchant shops, and institutions provide historical documentation on how these institutions functioned. A slight premium is attached to value when workers are present. Interior images of business offices, such as the office of an accountant or lawyer, have less value. Interior images of homes that show the placement of furniture and furnishings, especially kitchens, are important studies of period decorating styles. Images from lower- and middle-class home are scarcer than those from upper class homes.

7. Town or street views appeal to local collectors. The smaller the town, the more desirable the view is a good general rule. Again, the building and store fronts need to be sharp enough to allow multiple magnification.

8. Vehicle images, especially when the exact make and model of an automobile or farm wagon can be identified, are sought by farm and transportation collectors and owners of the full-size vehicle shown in the picture. The vehicle must stand alone. The addition of individuals blocking it is a negative.

9. School, church, and other organization group pictures are of interest only if the location and date is clearly noted. A list of individuals in the pictures is plus. Value rests with local collectors and individuals whose relatives are included in the pictures.

10. While military head and shoulder images have little value, those images showing identifiable weapons or field activities are collectable. The general rule is the more information known about the image, the greater the value.

These are the major categories within old black and white photography that can add value to an image. Vacation photographs, forgetting the standard lake, mountain, and seashore views, is a secondary category.

In summary, these old black and white photographs appeal to crossover collectors, individuals who are more interested in the image pictured than any individuals associated with it. As to value, it varies depending on the information known and the potential buyer. Some historic images can exceed fifty dollars. Most sell for a dollar or two.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Selected letters will be answered in this column. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

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