What is the value of an antique tintype?
Tintypes tarnish easily and many tintypes are often tinted or colored to enhance the look of the image. Ambrotypes typically feature a portrait of a little girl with rosy colored cheeks or an image of an Union soldier in a blue uniform. Collectors typically will pay between $35 to $350 for a good quality antique tintype in good condition.
Are tintype photographs worth anything?
Tintypes are more common photographs of the Victorian era and thus, they are not as valuable as ambrotypes or daguerreotypes which are more rare. If you aren’t sure if you have a daguerreotype, ambrotype, or tintype and you can’t tell the difference between these types of early photographs, don’t let it go until you know what it’s worth.
What are the disadvantages of tintypes?
The chief disadvantages of tintypes, other than the lack of a negative, was that the images they produced were dark to begin with and tarnished with age quickly. That’s why many tintypes were overpainted later, some in a folk-art style, others simply to brighten up old images.
How can you tell if a tintype is real?
Tintypes used a thin sheet of iron to host an image. The way to tell if you have an authentic tintype is to recognize a tintypes’ yellowish overall color or hue. Tintypes tarnish easily and many tintypes are often tinted or colored to enhance the look of the image.
What are the most valuable tintype photographs?
This tintype photo of Billy the Kid, created around 1880, was just sold for $2.3 million in June 2011. Was it because the picture was taken by a famous photographer?Jul 27, 2011
How can I tell if my tintype is real?
Detecting the Fakes The easiest way to detect the fakes is with a 10X loupe. All original photographs (including tintypes) are continuous tone images. That is they go smoothly from white to various grays to black. Printing presses, however, cannot produce a continuous tone.
How much are daguerreotype photos worth?
Record prices in excess of $30,000 have been paid for individual daguerreotypes at auction. At a 1988 Sotheby's auction, a group of 11 daguerreotypes brought more than $50,000. A common portrait (many are found in hand-tinted color) of an unknown individual in clean condition generally fetches about $30.Nov 16, 1990
How do you date a tintype photo?
Identifying characteristics: The thickness of the card stock, the color of its borders and whether it has rounded corners (1870s to 1900) or square corners (after 1900) can often help determine the date of a photograph. Many prints also included the name and location of the photography studio on the bottom of the card.
When did tintypes stop being used?
Tintypes enjoyed their widest use during the 1860s and 1870s, but lesser use of the medium persisted into the early 20th century and it has been revived as a novelty and fine art form in the 21st.
Do tintypes fade?
Will it fade? As with all photographs, your digital tintype should not be placed directly in the sun. We recommend that you preserve your image by properly framing your digital tintype. This will insure that your image will last for generations.
How do you tell a daguerreotype from a tintype?
0:353:09Cased Images Daguerreotypes and Tintypes - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd a tintype a daguerreotype will often have a very mirror. Like surface that is highly reflective.MoreAnd a tintype a daguerreotype will often have a very mirror. Like surface that is highly reflective. And this can be a giveaway to that tintype. Will be a little denser a little darker.
Where can I sell daguerreotype?
But daguerreotypes can also sell for $5 or $10 on eBay and at flea markets.
Are old family photos worth money?
Because age alone does not determine worth, historical photos are not considered valuable in their own right, but ''may have archival value--for study purposes,'' Lamb said. ''Historical prints could illustrate anything . . . like clothing design or housing design from a certain period.Dec 26, 1985
How old are tin pictures?
Tintypes, originally known as or ferrotypes or melainotypes, were invented in the 1850s and continued to be produced into the 20th century. The photographic emulsion was applied directly to a thin sheet of iron coated with a dark lacquer or enamel, which produced a unique positive image.
How old are metal pictures?
Ferrotypes first appeared in America in the 1850s, but didn't become popular in Britain until the 1870s. They were still being made by while-you-wait street photographers as late as the 1950s. The ferrotype process was a variation of the collodion positive, and used a similar process to wet plate photography.May 25, 2013
How do you store tintype pictures?
Tintypes in good condition are best stored in a sturdy four-flap enclosure if loose or, if cased, wrapped in acid-free tissue and placed in a folding box to prevent breakage and abrasion. Store vertically with dividers between each slide. May also be stored horizontally (flat).
When was tintype invented?
Patented in 1856, ... Tintype is the popular moniker for melainotype, which got its name from the dark color of the unexposed photographic plate, and ferrotype, named after the plate’s iron composition (for the record, tintypes contain no tin).
What are the disadvantages of tintypes?
The chief disadvantages of tintypes, other than the lack of a negative, was that the images they produced were dark to begin with and tarnished with age quickly. That’s why many tintypes were overpainted later, some in a folk-art style, others simply to brighten up old images.
What are tintypes in art?
Other genres of tintypes include post-mortem photographs (a particularly Victorian preoccupation) and tintypes of paintings and other works of art, which is why tintypes are frequently used by art scholars researching late 18th- and early 19th-century artists.
What is the smallest tin type?
The smallest tintypes were called gems for their tiny (½-by-1 inch) size. These tintypes were so small, they were often secreted into lockets and worn by a loved one like a piece of jewelry. More common were what are known as 1/6th-plate tintypes, which are roughly 2¾-by-3¼ inches.
What is the name of the plate that contains no tin?
Tintype is the popular moniker for melainotype, which got its name from the dark color of the unexposed photographic plate, and ferrotype, named after the plate’s iron composition (for the record, tintypes contain no tin). Patented in 1856,... Tintype is the popular moniker for melainotype, which got its name from the dark color ...
How to tell if a photo is a tintype?
Tintypes used a thin sheet of iron to host an image. The way to tell if you have an authentic tintype is to recognize a tintypes’ yellowish overall color or hue. Tintypes tarnish easily and many tintypes are often tinted or colored to enhance the look of the image. Ambrotypes typically feature a portrait of a little girl with rosy colored cheeks or an image of an Union soldier in a blue uniform. Collectors typically will pay between $35 to $350 for a good quality antique tintype in good condition. Tintypes are more common photographs of the Victorian era and thus, they are not as valuable as ambrotypes or daguerreotypes which are more rare.
What do ambrotypes look for?
With ambrotypes, collectors look for the images of famous people such as celebrities or politicians, young children in groups, soldiers in uniforms, and famous events or historic sites. Ambrotypes, depending on condition and subject matter, command several hundreds of dollars to several thousands of dollars in the current trading market.
How to make a photo smaller for appraisal?
If you are using a personal computer, try right-clicking on the photo file with the mouse and then selecting the ‘Email’ or ‘Sent to’ feature. You will most likely be prompted to select a smaller file version of the photograph that is acceptable for our review. We do not need large files and it only slows the Online Appraisal review process. Try keeping the size of the file to 800 pixels across or under 0.5 MB in size.
Does an appraiser have any future interest in the property being appraised?
The appraiser has no present or contemplated future interest in the property being appraised and neither the employment of the appraiser nor the compensation paid to the appraiser is contingent upon the appraisal value of said item.
How big is a ferrotype?
Ferrotype of three men, c. 1885, Science Museum Group collection. Size. Most ferrotypes are fairly small, about 2×3 inches. Rust spots. Because they are made on thin sheets of iron, ferrotypes often show evidence of rust spots or blisters on the surface where the enamel has started to lift off.
When did ferrotypes first appear?
Ferrotypes first appeared in America in the 1850s, but didn’t become popular in Britain until the 1870s. They were still being made by while-you-wait street photographers as late as the 1950s.
How did ferrotypes get blackened?
It was blackened by painting, lacquering or enamelling, and coated with a collodion photographic emulsion. The dark background gave the resulting image the appearance of a positive. Unlike collodion positives, ferrotypes did not need mounting in a case to produce a positive image.
What is a ferrotype known as?
In our next post about dating your old family photographs, Colin Harding shows you how to identify a ferrotype, more commonly known as a tintype.
Who invented ferrotype plates?
The ferrotype process was described in 1853 by Adolphe-Alexandre Martin, but it was first patented in 1857 by Hamilton Smith in America, and by Willian Kloen and Daniel Jones in England. William and Peter Neff manufactured the iron used for the plates, which they called ‘melainotype plates’.
Where were tintypes placed?
While some people still kept early tintypes in cases, most of them were placed in paper envelopes and book-like photo albums. Some images were also made on very small plates and called gem tintypes.
How long does it take to make a tintype?
A tintype can be produced within minutes and was incredibly affordable but provided the lowest-quality images. However, their low price and durability made them popular with the general public at the time.
Why are daguerreotypes so popular?
Today, daguerreotypes are the most prized items by collectors because of their high image quality.
What are daguerreotypes made of?
Daguerreotypes were made on delicate silver-plated copper. Even the smallest damage would leave permanent scuffs on these photos – which is why people store them in cases.
What was the last major photography development before paper photos?
Tintypes ( or ferrotypes) were the last major photography development before paper photos. Popularized in the 1860s, tintypes were printed on a thin iron plate coated with lacquer or enamel.
What happens if a daguerreotype fades away?
The picture recorded on an early photo is one-of-a-kind. If a daguerreotype’s image fades away, then it’s gone forever. Fortunately, modern digitization technologies can help you immortalize these old photos and protect them from Father Time.
When were ambrotypes invented?
Introduced in the early 1850s, ambrotypes used glass that was treated with light-sensitive chemicals to record their image. The development process resulted in a negative image that can then be placed on a black background to be displayed properly. Some ambrotype photos were placed in cases with a black backing, while others had black paint applied directly to the glass plate.
How to date tintypes?
Unfortunately, tintypes are usually found without a case, paper sleeve or revenue stamp, so we must rely on clothing clues to date them. For instance, look at the shape of a woman’s bodice and sleeves, or the shape of a man’s jacket or the width of his lapels. Women’s fashion changed from decade to decade, so the design of a woman’s dress can help you determine when the image was taken. Compare your photograph to examples in costume encyclopedias such as Joan Severa’s Dressed for the Photographer (Kent State University Press) to determine a time frame for the picture.
When was tintype made?
It should be kept in an acid- and lignin-free envelope for storage. Created with a process patented in 1856, tintypes remained popular into the 20th century. This tintype was once in a case—you can see the mark of the original brass mat that framed the image.
What did itinerant tintypists do?
Itinerant tintypists traveled from town to town in wagons loaded with chemicals, plates and darkroom equipment. Tintype photographers also walked the streets of major cities enticing customers to memorialize their visit with a photo.
Why were tintypes used in the Civil War?
Tintypes were fast, inexpensive and did not require elaborate studios to insure a high-quality image. During the Civil War, itinerant photographers accompanied troops to the battlefield and photographed soldiers so that they could mail images home with their letters. They had the added advantage of being durable and the right size for mailing. A publication by Floyd and Marion Rinhart and Robert Wagner, The American Tintype (Ohio State University Press), presents an illustrated history of this type of photograph.
What is a tintype?
A tintype is an image created on a thin sheet of metal. If you don’t know whether you have a tintype, here’s a trick: A magnet will be attracted to a tintype. As you can see on the edges of this photo, the emulsion (image layer) has a tendency to flake off. When you have an image with this type of damage, scan it immediately to digitally preserve ...
Was the portrait of the woman in the photo detective expensive?
The Photo Detective says: The portrait was expensive. This expert painting wasn’t cheap. Her dress has a v-neck, rather than a rounded collar. She wears her hair down. The combination of these clues suggest a date in the early 1870s. This is a very special family photo. It was taken for a reason. The look in this woman’s eyes makes me want to know more about her life, too.
