Sunday, March 9, 2014

Who owns this photo?

I have a day job that requires me to analyze things all the time.  I don't always succeed in turning off the analytical side on weekends, either.  But I couldn't miss this one.

Left: 2004 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Warren Spahn;  Right: 2013 Topps Allen & Ginter Warren Spahn
I'm sure there are a few photos of the late, great Warren Spahn available for use by card companies and memorabilia seekers.  It appears this photo, though, has either become a stock photo or an iconic photo.
A trip to Allposters.com, for example, gives people a chance to buy this photo as a poster in sizes ranging from 8x10 to 24x20:


Go to Main Line Autographs, and for just $30 (seems low to me...), you can buy this:

It all becomes clear when you do a reverse image search using Tineye.com (a great resource, by the way, if you make cards and find a small photo you need larger...if one exists, Tineye can find it).  Everyone is raiding Getty Images archive for the photo:


I can now see why people love making their own cards.  Use Getty Images, and you have access literally to the same photos that Topps uses.

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