Edition refers to the number of pieces or images created by a painter or sculpture from a single plate or mold. The first and most valuable piece is called the artist’s proof and it is not numbered. The second print would be counted as the first. If an artist or sculpture made 50 copies of the proof, they would be numbered as 1/50, 2/50 and so on, to reflect its position in the edition. An open edition is one where prints were made until the plate dried out while a limited edition is one with a pre-determined number. The copies in an edition are not considered “reproductions” as that term refers to pieces made by someone other than the artist.
