Many examples of imitations or infractions of this patent have been found, with peculiar variations on the idea of sealing two glass plates together. Application methods varied, and it can appear as a thin varnish or a thick coating. Bare plates were photographed as part of the preservation treatment process when image details were revealed that would otherwise be obscured within the image package. In the Bancroft cased photograph project, an attempt was made to identify cases and locate them in one of four reference sources on miniature cases. Users should note that Rinhart numbers 230 and higher are found in their work The American Daguerreotype rather than their American Miniature Case Art, which contains the lower plate numbers.
Double cases have two wells, with an image in each.
The image package is set snugly in the well. Cover glass was placed over the brass mat and, generally, sealed to the plate with a paper tape around its edges. The brass preserver was then placed around this package. Some ambrotypes were cased without cover glass, with the brass mat at the surface. For the Bancroft Library collection, a protective cover glass was added over the mat of such objects.