Bateman is about as close to a superstar wildlife artist as you are going to get. My father in law (a naturalised Canadian citizen) queued for an age once just trying to meet the guy. This is a well known painting and I suspect what you have is a print produced by Bateman's publishers. It is not the type of print which Bateman refers to in the article, these are original prints from 'blocks' made by the artist then, after a limited print run, the block is destroyed which ensures that there can be no more prints made from it. Lithography ('writing' on stone) is a term which not only refers to this original print making process, but also to printing as we all know it in everyday applications. There are a plethora of new techniques from the 'digital age', chief among these for artists is the 'giclee' print. Publishers and artists like the technique because it doesn't use a regular pattern like litho print and, therefore, produces very subtle tones and blends. Publishers use both litho and giclee to produce limited edition prints. This type of print is generally a relatively short run and each print is individually checked, signed and numbered by the artist. At the very start of the run 'artist's proofs' are made which enables the artist to make any corrections to colour or spot any flaws before the main run is made. Thse are generally signed in pencil with the letters AP. The rest of the run is numbered sequentially as they come off the press, so 1/100, 2/100 etc. The lower numbered prints usually have a slightly higher value. This was based on the quality of the printing plate deteriorating over the course of the run, though how that applies to digital prints is difficult to fathom.
Robert Bateman is highly collected, particularly in his native Canada, so any print or work by him has a value. I'm sure that Bateman's publishers (Mill Pond Press) will be able to give you an accurate assesment of just what you have and I would suggest that they are the people to contact.
Of course the real value is that you have a beautiful picture by a wildlife art master that you can look at and enjoy any time.
Mike
