Whether
you are a current collector of baseball photography,
or simply have an interest in sports images, Henry
Yee is a name with which you should be familiar.
Widely regarded as a foremost authority in the field,
Mr. Yee has been a collector of sports memorabilia
and sports photography for over two decades. In addition
to conducting regular eBay
auctions, Henry's recent achievements include
authenticating photographs for PSA/DNA,
and co-authoring A
Portrait of Baseball Photography - a book which
has helped bring an unprecedented level of standardization
to the world of sports photographs. Recently, Henry
was kind enough to take time out of his schedule and
answer a few questions for us.
1)
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became
involved in collecting baseball photographs.
My
first exposure to the world of collecting was photography.
After taking photo journalism and photography in high
school, I became fascinated with old images. I became
interested in images of historical figures from Presidents
to movie stars and of course sports figures. Being
based in New York City at the time, which was the
heart of all the major news services (Associated Press,
United Press International, New York Times, etc).
I was able to meet many folks who worked at the services
back in the days who provided insight into the world
of news service photography and how things were before
the advent of the digital age.
2) What in your mind makes collecting vintage
photographs so appealing?
The
photograph is a time machine. It is a way how history
has been preserved through images. They say a photo
is 'worth a thousand words'. Every photograph tells
a story. That is the appeal of the photograph.
Vintage
original photography has just started to be appreciated
by many of the major auction houses. People are finally
starting to realize that many of the true original
'period' news service photos are extremely rare. One
must remember that these are pieces that were never
issued to the public and only used among the media/news
industry. In other words, they are limited to begin
with (it is estimated that approximately 25 of each
photo were made off the negatives. They were distributed
to various news bureaus across the country). Over
time, many were lost, destroyed, or squandered and
in a many cases, ONLY 1 or 2 surviving original specimens
of a particular image might exist today. That in itself
is the key to the potential that lies ahead for the
future of collecting photography.
3)
Collecting vintage photographs is still a "wild-west"
of sorts. Tell us how your recently published book,
A
Portrait of Baseball Photography, can benefit
a new or even experienced collectors.
Baseball
photography has long been one of the most popular
and yet least understood sectors of sports collectibles.
Unlike cards and memorabilia, which have been documented,
analyzed, and evaluated ad infinitum, baseball photographs
are often overlooked. They can seem confusing and
disorderly–not quite so black and white as their
hues might suggest. There are no numbers or sets.
There are no production runs. No price guides either.
Without any concrete standardization and overarching
guidelines, hobbyists have had to improvise on what
they knew, or at least thought they knew. Myths and
misconceptions have reigned supreme, not for lack
of determined interest in baseball photography but
for lack of definitive research.
The
book is the first exhaustive account of baseball photographs–their
inception and evolution, their collecting criteria,
and their key news agencies and photographers. This
landmark volume has corralled the wild and unwieldy
subject of baseball photography, arming both beginning
and advanced collectors with the necessary tools to
make informed, knowledgeable decisions in the marketplace.
Additionally, for those whose interests may lie outside
the realm of baseball or even collectibles, the book
proves itself a worthy work of scholarship from which
historians of photography and/or mass media will no
doubt benefit.
4)
You co-authored the
book with Khyber Oser and Marshall Fogel. Take
us through the research and development process. Was
it hard to choose which photos should or should not
be included in this volume?
The book was over 10 years in the making. Much of
the research was gathered independently by myself,
my co-author, Marshall Fogel, and Khyber Oser from
Mastronet (now Mastro Auctions). We came together
because we all shared the same interest, baseball
and photography. The hard part was combining our research,
confirming facts and of course begging for interviews
and information from the industry itself ;)
Two major factors that really put
the book over the top was:
(1)
assembling the 'fossil record' of the stamping histories
of each major news service. This involved analyzing
over a million photographs and recording the dates
and stamp styles and confirming with the services.
This allowed us to be able to date virtually any news
service photo / wire photo on the stamps alone.
(2)
Gathering information on those who took or issued
the photos (the major news services, the studios,
the teams and of course the photographers). Information
on the services that are still functioning (The Associated
Press, New York Times, etc) was available but the
defunct services (Acme, Cosmo-Sileo, etc) was a major
challenge. Another challenge was getting information
on the famous photographers. We were able to track
down relatives and friends of many of the photographers.
There were a few times where the family members and
friends of these great masters were even surprised
at how much interest and appreciation we collectors
had for their works. One such family was those of
the great Carl Horner who shot many of the images
for the T-206 set including the most famous of cards,
the Honus Wagner.
5) Of the celebrated photographers of early
baseball (Charles Conlon, George Burke, Carl Horner,
etc), do you have a favorite? Any particular reason?
Of
the pioneer photographs, in my eyes, Conlon is the
king. If you look at his work, his use of the 'light
and shadow' technique is unmatched. Most of his photographs
have contrast that are so distinct that it makes you
wonder how long did he have a player pose until he
got the right shot during a session. My other favorite
is Paul Thomson. While it is rumored that not all
the shots that carry his stamping credit was taken
by he, the photos that came from his studio are nothing
short of exceptional.
Of
the Post-WWII photographers, I particularly like Malcolm
Emmons and William Jacobellis. Of course Jacobellis
had close relationships with many of the players which
allowed him to have a player pose in a certain manner
despite how hot it was outside or how little time
a player might have. Maybe that is why many of his
photos appeared in many of the magazines and the Topps
and Bowman baseball cards of the era.
6) In addition to A
Portrait of Baseball Photography, can you offer
some "must-have" resources, online or otherwise,
for a collector of baseball photographs?
Unfortunately
there is not a whole lot out there on baseball photography.
Marshall and I are working on several projects with
individuals and organizations that will hopefully
promote this sector of the hobby. One such project
is with PSA/DNA which we recently just announced the
photo authentication service.
7) Of the photographs found on eBay and offered
as "genuine" or "vintage", what
percentage would you say are the real deal?
Other
than when I sell
on eBay, I don't spend much time seeing what others
have to offer. I do get many emails inquiring about
whether this photo is vintage period or printed later
or just a copy. That is why PSA started the PSA/DNA
Photo Authentication Service so we can properly date
the photos with
a special 'Type Classification System' that Marshall,
Khyber and I came up with.
Improperly
dating a photograph is the biggest problem in the
hobby. You can have two photographs of say Babe Ruth
with an identical image but if one is
printed in the 1920's and another printed say after
his death in 1948 (either a second generation photograph
or one printed off the negative at a later date),
the 1920's example would be worth a whole lot more.
The goal of the PSA photo Authentication Service is
to solve all this and give the buyer as much information
on a photograph before a purchase.
8) As the owner of HY Ventures, LLC, you run
numerous auctions as hyee_auctions
on eBay. In doing so you have established yourself
as a reputable dealer, and knowledgeable source for
information. As a result, have you had individuals
come to you with extremely rare or formerly unknown
photographs?
All
the time. I am still amazed at some photos that are
presented to me.
9)
What do you see happening to the market for vintage
photographs over the next 10 years? 25 years?
I
believe that this sector of the hobby is still in
its infancy stage and with the PSA/DNA
Photo Authentication Service I believe it will
take off like we have never seen before. We are exactly
where we are with Pre-1968 baseball cards back in
the early 1990's.
