- Joined
- May 27, 2008
I could kick myself over an image like this - I once saw at my favorite fiea market a similar tintype of a cavalryman, holding a Volcanic across his chest! ( In case you're not up on handguns, that's a very rare and desirable one that looks like a baby Winchester, for which it was a prototype! ) But it similarly had a big chip out of the emulsion to one side of the fellow's head, somewhat like in my photo at top. I waited and hoped the asking price would go down, but as with things like this, waited a bit too long; it disappeared from the table. I saw it again only a month later in the next issue of Military Images magazine, obviously retouched to cover the missing emulsion!
****... I hate it when that happens. Light years ago I found a mint ambrotype with gutta percha case of a stunning girl probably in her late teens or early twenties. The image was crystal clear, just flawless. The girl had dark hair in curly locks and a beautiful white dress with patterns. She look so happy, just a slight slim perhaps. $28.00 and the dealer said she could do $25.00, I said I'll think about it. I believe it was a 1/4 plate. Anyway, I decided not to buy it because it wasn't a military image. Well, the image just haunted me.... I thought about it and thought about it. Finally, I had enough so I drove two hours the following week to add it to my collection. ****, if it hadn't sold.... and I still think about that image... my sad loss.