Most avid garage sale shoppers dream of finding something with a $1 price tag that turns out to be worth much, much more.  The original Picasso thought to be another replica print; the vase that really was “Made in China,” but during the Ming Dynasty; the long lost hand written memoirs of insert famous name here.  It has happened from time to time and like picking the 6 winning lottery numbers, many have dreamed of such find.  One such find by a California man has caused quite a stir with experts claiming he has authentic long lost negatives created by none other than Ansel Adams while the famous photographer’s descendants are saying “no way.”

Experts on Adams along with hand writing analysts concluded that the $45 garage sale buy of 65 negatives are in fact early work of Ansel Adams and are valued at $200 million dollars.  Matthew Adams, Ansel’s grandson, says they are not his grandfather’s work.  He claims the handwriting on the negatives that the experts attribute to his grandmother, Virginia Adams, is not a match and she would never have made the spelling errors found on the negatives.  He also claims his grandfather’s meticulous record keeping and organization would never have allowed for losing such a valuable piece of his collection.  The experts are standing by their conclusion however.

In the end, they are worth what somebody is willing to pay for them.  If the dispute raises questions of authenticity in the minds of potential buyers, then they may just be worth the $45 that was originally paid.  However, if the Ansel Adams family’s doubts are silenced with enough scientific evidence there may be a lot more garage sale shoppers out there hoping they stumble upon such a win fall.

You can read the full story Ansel Adams’ Grandson: ‘Lost’ Negatives Aren’t Real from AOL News.

1 Response to “Ansel Adams “Lost Negatives,” Real Or Not”

  1. Mike, Studio city

    on July 28 2010

    I saw this on the news yesterday. So far I believe they are Adams, but I will be watching and listening for more information. M.

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