How to Purchase Authentic, High Quality Farrah Fawcett Prints

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Over the past few months, I have noticed several images that I have posted on Facebook are ending up on eBay for sale. Because technology makes it easy to download, share, and print images, you have to be careful when making a purchase. With this in mind, I decided to create a list of tips that will help you determine if you are buying a first-generation, authentic Farrah Fawcett print. 

1. In the item's description section, look for the phrase "Printed from the original licensed transparency or negative." This is the most important indicator that the print you are purchasing is high quality and a first-generation print. My recommendation is DO NOT purchase ANY PRINT THAT ISN'T BEING PRODUCED FROM THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE OR TRANSPARENCY. The results are inferior. 
2. If the seller is only offering small-sized prints, for example, 5x7, chances are they downloaded the file from a website and printing it on a cheap printer. It takes a high-resolution file to make large prints (8x10, 11x14, 16x20, etc.), and most images downloaded from the internet, even when upscaled, are poor resolution. Additionally, to produce an archival print it requires an expensive printer, inks and paper. 
3. Read the reviews carefully. If anyone mentions that the print they received looks pixelated that is a red flag that it was pirated off the internet and printed. 
4. Check to see if the image has been cropped. This is another red flag because many times illegitimate sellers will crop out a watermark (that was in the website image) to protect themselves. 
5. Look out for sellers that offer prints in quantity. While not always a clear indicator, I've noticed that cheaper quality prints are often offered with batch discounts.
6. Take note of the price. Most high quality prints are more expensive than knockoffs because they involve purchasing a license among other factors involved. For example, an 8x10 can start out at $24.99 each and go up as high as $3,500.00. Additionally, I have seen some e-bay sellers mention that the print they are selling is "licensed" when in fact it's not. Many of the images that have been pirated off my social media pages are not available for licensing. 
7. What many scammers don't realize is that it's very easy for a person to identify whether or not their image has been pirated off their social media pages and website. In the old days, Ansel Adams referred to the negative as a score, and it's up to the composer on the interpretation. This isn't any different for digital files.
   
   Depending on the graphic artist, their interpretation of the final image isn't something that can easily be reproduced. For example, I know all my images that have been stolen off my page and website because of how they were dodged and burned. This means certain areas where darkened and others lightened. So when sellers try to pull a con saying "it's not mine," I know they are full of shit. Each one of my images is identifiable as a thumb print.