Rare UK Led Zeppelin Four ?

Sorry, my second sentence here above is not so correct...please red so:
Anyway I have evidence that this mistake is present on some of all the four variants, so not in the early copies only.

 

Going by labels and typos on them is a little inexact with respect to time. There's no guarantee of earlier/later, and you can't believe everything said even in the expert books or postings. Unless they were there at the time, buying multiple copies as they hit the stores. Or better still actually making the labels. All else is observation and guessing. You can say what you want in an auction, but to me they're just interesting variations.

Now, those little numbers in the dead wax, that's there and means something.

As to what and where of those... well, Polydor made quite a few records in the UK, and once you get into looking at all or many of them, correlate that with their sound quality and probable pressing numbers, vintage, and so on (e.g. it's quite likely that for LZ4 there won't be a perfect first set 111/111, but for an obscure piano sonata disc it's very likely only one pressing run would be done initially and that's where you see the 111/111 sets). So by osmosis, those are the negative, mother, and stamper. Plus, the first number is always 1. Someone had a 'mark the part, even though there's only ever one of them' mentality. If you look really carefully, and you'll need a microscope, you can also see that two of those number stamps are bumps - raised up, not incised. That's what happens when you use a metal stamp on something, say a stamper, and then use it as a mold. Hence, those marks are made on the individual metal parts.

As with any record, don't assume there's a 111 of either side that exists. When you have a choice, you might want to choose the lower copy - I almost always do.

 

OK, here's some examples from my collection. All are UK plum label:


Example #1
Produced by Jimmy Page on labels
Side two label has inverted feather and Misty Mountain Top
Side one - A//3 1 2 4
Side two - B//4 1 1 9

Example #2
Produced by Jimmy Page on labels
Side two label has correct feather and Misty Mountain Hop
Side one - A//3 1 3 9
Side two - B//3 1 2 10

Example #3
Produced by Jimmy Page on labels
Side two label has correct feather and Misty Mountain Top
Side one - A//3 1 2 14
Side two - A//3 1 2 4

Which one is earliest? I think #1 is, what do you think?

 

I'd say #1 too. I'd be buying a matched 3/3 as well, but this is Porky and quite often there's a reason the first cuts got replaced. He does go overboard on the levels sometimes. You have to hear them both to appreciate the distortion difference. Looks like #1,#2 cuts went missing in action. Or maybe they didn't get numbered and went to Atlantic USA. Mine are still back in the UK, if my family haven't sold them all yet. Continuous battle, that. Can't afford to have them all shipped, parents getting old and they're taking up room.

 

I know my total ignorance of the meaning of what is etched in dead wax, so thank you MikeyH for these your explanations.

I agree that only those who were present in those days could tell the story of this title and say with certainty which version came first in the shops.
I also do not believe everything sellers say, often say things just because they need to sell what they have in their hands in that moment...so...

The belief that the two labels that I mentioned at the beginning are to be considered "the requirement" to identify the first release is mostly due to the fact that these big mistakes on the labels related to copyright and followed by legal problems, are usually found in the early editions, then withdrawn to be corrected in order to solve the problem. The next sequence production did not have this problem of course ... and we all know how Mr. Page was (and is) picky and hard on this issue.
This is why I believe that the vinyl of the fourth Led Zeppelin album with the label where there are credits to Peter Grant, then covered with stickers, are the oldest ones.
....now I need to understand the "logic" of the dead wax's info...and in this lovely forum my poor English doesn't help me...

Anyway, here below what I have regarding the UK plum label for LZ 4 and my conclusion. Please let me know your opinion...

1) Stikers on labels.
Side two label has inverter feather and Misty Mountain HOP
Side one - A//3 1 1 1 0 (what is the meaning of this zero?)
Side two - B//3 1 1 1

2) Peter Grant credits on labels.
Side two label has correct feather and Misty Mountain HOP
Side one - A//3 1 1 3
Side two - B//3 1 1 3

3) Produced by Jimmy Page on labels.
Side two label has correct feather and Misty Mountain HOP
Side one - A//3 1 2 1 0
Side two - B//3 1 2 4

4) Produced by Jimmy Page on labels.
Side two label has inverted feather and Misty Mountain TOP
Side one - A//3 1 2 14
Side two - B//3 1 2 4

5) Produced by Jimmy Page on labels.
Side two label has correct feather and Misty Mountain HOP
Side one - A//3 1 | 31 (here the second digit is not like a number "1" to my eyes but is like a vertical bar...)
Side two - B//4 1 | 5 (same as above)

My conclusion: the erliest one is the number 1.
They are listed from oldest to youngest.
Not sure for the number 5 due to the bar instead of number...

 

It has TOP and the feather is up side down

 

Thank you!
Please, just to be sure...in your previous post you said that you have the following matrix info:
Side one - A//3 1 1 1
Side two - B//3 1 11
On side two, is there a space between the second and the third number "1" (like on side one), or, is it confirmed the number eleven (11) and no other number after that?

 

Yes it is a little space between the second and third 1 on both sides.

 

We have another example of UK plum label from Mad:

- Produced by Jimmy Page on labels.
Side two label has inverted feather and Misty Mountain TOP
Side one - A//3 1 1 1
Side two - B//3 1 1 1

As my copy number 1 here above reported, it is another case of 1 1 1 of either side, with A//3 and B//3.

Following the expalnation of MikeyH, if my understanding is correct, both should be a very early pressing.

Are they the earliest ones with the UK plum label??

 

To my knowledge, yes. This is the first stamper made from a//3 b//3, which seems to be the first issued lacquer.

 

NICE !!! (and I didn´t pay top money either, condition is VG+ish)

 

I am happy too, not so expensive also in my case. Condition is EX+, so...