Possible sealed copy of Led Zeppelin II RL pressing??

I would gamble for the right price, and if the odds were stacked in my favour. I don't think that's the case here.

 

this isn't funny anymore

 

I told understand it either.

 

Not an R. Ludwig. Call it a hunch.

 

I applaud you. I figured you would've tucked tail and run after showing your hind quarters like a baboon. In all seriousness, you have been proven to make factual statements with so much conviction that have no merit whatsoever. How could anyone NOT be a LZ fan?? Their Celebration Day concert ranks in my top 3 of live recordings (along with Bruce-Hammersmith Odeon '75 and The Ramones-It's Alive). Every record store I go into, the first thing I look for is the LZII RL pressing. Everytime. I didn't think I had the find of the century. I thought at the time that I got a sealed copy of LZII with the 8236 catalog number. Since I'm such a noob, how would I know about this pressing if I weren't into Zeppelin? Also I'm not a fan of the album?? The first 4 albums of LZ are the greatest first 4 albums any group has ever produced. Front to back. Start to finish.

Also, I invented an elaborate story around the album? Why? To what end? I have no idea what portion of my story doesn't check out but I can back and verify every piece of information in this story. For the record (no pun intended) since I started this thread I have purchased an RL copy, and a MOFI copy and hope to get that soon to listen to.

Lastly, you state that there is no way in hell this copy is an RL. I have absolutely no idea if it is or isn't. I have definitely taken all the information on this thread to heart and examined it. The issue I have with the visual grading a lot have done here is that 1) There is no other sealed copy that has been locked away for 30+ years to compare this to, 2) and visual certainty from an Iphone as to matte or glossy, shades of brown, have seemed inconclusive. As I stated this entire thread is full of examinations, that have to do with stickers and colors. After all this conjecture the one thing I'm certain of is that their is no certainty in stickers and placement, and usage. Also, some albums have faded to the point that the green stereo label is now blue. Some covers seemed washed out. Originally on this thread the thought was that my copy was too brown. Then it wasn't brown enough. Then it's too red. And as you pointed out so eloquently, there were no versions with promo punches sold. Didn't happen. You'd never seen it. Didn't exist. Then I posted every one I found and they were all RL/WLP promos. That's the only factual thing I have found. Well that and every thing you are so certain about is based somewhere down deep. There is something more to all this, than just I don't think this album is what it is. It's personal. Why is that?

 

This actual, factual info is so great!! Thank you! When you say it's not an original sleeve what does that mean? If it wasn't resealed and the packaging was never disturbed with proper sticker, does that mean they grabbed an old cover with a new pressing in the factory? Or grabbed an old album with a new cover in the factory?

 

Yup, you are right. In the immortal words of a certain Mister Rotten....

 

Just open the damn thing up.

 

Just did an actual measurement and the hole is less than 1 cm. The closeups look way worse than when you just look at the album cover as a hole. As to how a promo punch is supposed to age appropriately I have no idea.

 

The SH version of an orgy that has been going on for so long that everybody wonders why the hell they came here in the first place

 

I think you're using excuses re: the cover. Understandable as it's evidence against what you are hoping to discover. The general consensus is that it's different. That's the gist of it really. How they express that difference is semantics.

In addition, you could easily find out if that cover is textured without doing much of anything to decrease the value of your record.

You should really consider the cover and do more work in that regard. If you could show that it is indeed the right style, it could change the course of this thread and the answer to your question.

To answer your questions, no to both. I'm not sure how you can say that every example posted in the last 10 years with a punch is an RL because you haven't seen that much of a sample size. Ebay and Popsike don't keep records for that long nor do they have all the records In addition your punch hole is nothing like any of the examples you posted.

As to your second question, I can't say that for certain either.

Here's a question for you. Have you found either an RL or WLP with a punch hole like yours? The examples you posted so far all differ to yours in terms of LZ II's.

I'm really not sure why you think the facts around promo punches is 100% certain. You haven't proved it in my opinion. But if you do feel that way, why not open the record? If you're close to being convinced it's either a WLP or an RL you'd be crazy not to open it.

If it is the price difference between a recently opened and unplayed WLP/RL is not going to be much different to one where you have to hope that buyers convince themselves it is indeed a WLP or RL. Not to mention that I do feel it would be dishonest to present your item as being potentially just that without producing all the evidenced to suggest otherwise. That $900 auction you posted, you'll get that if you open it, document it, don't play it and then list it as long as it is what you believe it to be. I really hope it is. That would be a very cool find.

 

You gotta know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to purchase sealed vintage albums

 

I always wondered what The Gambler was supposed to be such a fountain of knowledge, when he died after resorting to begging for alcohol and tobacco.

 

But its not a fact. The internet is trolling you.

Led Zep II is an Atlantic records product - merely one of hundreds of titles they released in 1969 alone. There was nothing special about the record when it was released, it wasn't given special treatment when packaged or distributed for promotional purposes.

Atlantic & Atco record promos had stickers affixed, they did not have holes punched. That does not mean somewhere down the line someone not associated with the label used some sort of non-return mark, like a punch hole. All untampered-with Led Zep II promos I've had or seen (and I've seen / had a lot over the decades going all the way back to the 70's) had the promo stickers, not punch holes.

The photos you linked are taken forty plus or minus years after the fact. And frankly you have no idea whether the person who took the photo or sold the record did a Frankenstein job to them, which is increasingly common now as people try to crank money out of their big RL auction. Just like the ebay auction of the RL LP inside a 1976 era LP cover with a Korvettes sticker 698 price code - same as on the Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years LP sitting here.

 

Right. I thought it looked small. Which is why I suggested that you could get a good sample by turning into a neat punch.

No need to call folks baboons, though...

 

To me? The later by far. You never know what youre getting with a sealed album that is 30+ years old. Could be mint, could be a crackly mess. Plus, sealed records are for sissies

And when and if I did find an unplayed Zep 2 RL Id want it play graded with samples of something that Id pay hundreds of dollars for. Or at least purchased from someone I trust without a doubt on grading.

For a collector? Probably the sealed one. But Im not a collector now.

 

I've seen copies online that do not have the promo sticker, much like other promo copies. I'd guess that the cover was probably swapped out but it could be that they just didn't put the sticker on the cover. I know a record store owner who has a bunch of promo stickers he's collected over the years that have fallen of covers and I think he even had some unused ones.

 

Indeed, his supposed knowledge adds up to nothing - I mean, everybody knows that you have to know these things, but he never tells us how to make these calls. Frickin' poseur.

 

The reason I said there was 100% certainty from my research is because I couldn't find one with a promo punch that wasn't an RL or WLP. If it happened all the time, surely I'd be able to find one copy in the last decade. Yes I understand the sample size is extremely small, but the results were 100%. As to whether I have a promo punch or a drill hole is another story that I'll have to research. When you ask if I've found one with a punch like mine I'm not sure what you mean. The edges on mine appears way more frayed in the close up pics. In fact when I bought it I didn't notice the punch. When I show it to people, I have to point that out as well. It appears in the correct spot and the approximate size, but I have no conclusive proof because the example auctions have closed and I can't pull up the other pics.

 

What you have is not a promo punch. It may be a cut-out drill hole, but that's not the same thing as a promo punch. This is what I mentioned earlier, and you seemed to take offense. Why your copy of Led Zeppelin II has a cut out hole drilled into it remains to be seen.

 

I was just thinking - this thread is cranial masturbation without the climax.

Is it an RL?
Dunno, you'd have to open it.
Well, he should open it.
He won't open it.
But he has to so we can find out!
He won't open it.
But...is it an RL?