How much would you pay for photomatching?

[Vintagedeputy]

Photomatching seems to absolutely be the way to go these days. I was just wondering, what monetary value a collector would assign to have photographic proof that his item was in fact game used?

Would you pay $5 per bat? $10?

just wondering....

[jon_8_us]

Photomatching seems to absolutely be the way to go these days. I was just wondering, what monetary value a collector would assign to have photographic proof that his item was in fact game used?

Would you pay $5 per bat? $10?

just wondering....

If someone could photomatch a bat for me where i have failed i would pay 5-10 bucks....
Jon

[skipcareyisfat]

Depending on the item, there's no doubt that I would pay a lot more than $10 -- and so would most other collectors. I imagine, for instance, that Dave might be willing to pay a few hundred or more for indisputable evidence that Ripken used the HA glove.

[ahuff]

It would almost depend on the value of the item. I guess it would be like the recent craze of having sports cards graded.

Certainly an item that if photomatched would fetch $10,000+, I would say several hundred dollars would be reasonable if not too low. However, would I pay the same amount for one of my $100-200 Jeff Kunkel jerseys. No way. I would expect to pay maybe $50 for something like that. Because obviously I would want a professional quality 8x10 photo (or larger) which wouldn't be cheap. I'd expect to pay for the photo, research, and everything else.

[bigjimsguitars]

Not to throw a monkey wrench into all of this, but photomatching is not an exact science, but in many instances it is prertty damn close.

However, one must consider the source of the photo match as it's all to easy to photoshop or create a picture to match something and then place a hefty price tag on it. The source must be of public record and gee look what I found in a pile of pictures (although that could be were it may legitimately found).

[ahuff]

However, one must consider the source of the photo match as it's all to easy to photoshop or create a picture to match something and then place a hefty price tag on it. The source must be of public record and gee look what I found in a pile of pictures (although that could be were it may legitimately found).

Very good point!!! Especially, in today's world, where it is so easy to alter photos.

[Vintagedeputy]

good points by all, thank you.

[bigtruck260]

Has anyone seen the new Heritage catalog cover?

Ruth and Cobb using the bats offered in the catalog (or great photo shop work)

[bscott]

My best guess is that, realistically, the cost of photomatching should begin at around $50.00 an item, and that is just for modern bats and jerseys. Vintage bats and jerseys would command a hefty premium to be photomatched.

Authentication is an insanely difficult science to begin with, but photomatching will open up a whole new era in sports memorabilia collecting.

Photomatching gives the buyer and seller evidence that a particular item has actually been "game used." With this evidence in hand, sellers will be able to charge much more for items (think of the rock solid provenance -and high prices- that come along with Steiner items), and buyers, I believe, will pay more for these items, knowing that they're getting the real deal. This mutual feeling of comfort between buyers and sellers is desperately needed in this business. COA's and LOA's are great if they come from trusted sources, but photomatching is the closest thing to proof of game use that exists in this hobby/industry.

That said, of course there will be problems: doctored photos, inconclusive photos, or no photos at all. And these problems will be amplified regarding vintage items. Moving forward, however, there will only be more and more photographs (or still images taken from High Definition Video) of any particular game to reference. Databases such as Google Images, Getty, Corbis, MLB.TV, etc. are all in their infancy. In time, there should be no shortage of photos to match items to.

In fact, it would be great if MLB Authenticated got involved in photomatching early on. Also, it would be good to see PSA/DNA begin to offer photomatching with their authentication services.




-bscott.

[kylehess10]

For me personally, I'd pay depending on how long I've been looking for a certain photomatch. For example, I've had my Juan Encarnacion game worn unwashed TBTC jersey for a year now and I've searched far and wide and still haven't even come up with a single picture of him from the game. That I would pay big for when it comes to a photomatch. But for something like my Jarrod Saltalamacchia & Edgar Renteria game used bats which I aquired just 2 days ago, I wouldn't pay that much for a photomatch being that I haven't even searched that much yet. I always like to do as much searching as I can for a photomatch so if I don't find anything in the end, THEN I'll pay big.