Dating Volk life masks and hands continues to be an imprecise art. It is doubtful whether anyone will ever publish a definitive article or monograph on the subject. Unless dated by the foundry, our standard has always been the amount of detail displayed. The greater the detail, the closer the object is to “first generation”. To illustrate the point, we show an early 20th century lantern slide that features a Volk mask of Lincoln that is a “first cast made from Volk mold.”  As can be seen, there is quite a bit of detail. We have nothing more to add, but advise collectors to keep this characteristic in mind when contemplating a purchase.