I'm pretty sure this isn't what the buyer thinks it is.

Here is a copy of Dan Fogelberg Greatest Hits sealed in a longbox that went for $15.50 on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4003075651&category=307

The seller claims that the disc was made in Japan. The problem is that the back insert says "Record manufactured in Japan by CBS/Sony Records...", and CBS/Sony did not changer the inserts when it started pressing this title in the US. Thus, a US pressing has identical inserts to the original Japanese pressing. Now, I can't believe that the original Japanese pressing would have come in a longbox that said "BEST VALUE". It wouldn't make sense for the original CD to have been released some 20 years ago as a BEST VALUE. I'm almost certain that the BEST VALUE designation came much later. So, my guess is that the buyer thinks he is getting a rare sealed first pressing, when in fact, he getting a common US pressing, albeit sealed.

Does anyone know something I don't?

 

It's always possible it was pressed in Japan, but more likely, the US. Had this been for a blister-packed CD, then more likely a Japan pressing. Not sure that makes any difference soundwise, however, CBS was kinda slow in remastering stuff.


ED

 

You know what, this actually looks like it could be the kind of longbox that CDs have been known to be sold in at places like COSTCO. This could be fairly new, and not made in 1982 at all.

Come to think of it BEST VALUE CDs didn't come around to long after 1982. AND I know that very early CDs were in blister-paks, and weren't even sold in the US until around 1983 (I think). I worked in a record store when CDs first came out - so I should know a little

Well as they say - buyer beware.

 

Totally agree, Keith.

 

Thanks for the replies. I remember the early CBS/Sony longboxes. They did not have a cut-out showing the jewel case. They showed the album cover in a relatively small square on the front, and the front was yellow. The front said "CBS COMPACT DISC" or something like that in red capital letters. As I recall, the front also showed a generic CD. The back of the longbox showed a generic CD and listed the tracks on the particular disc. I'm quite certain that the original Japanese pressing of the Fogelberg disc would have come in a longbox like this. The BEST VALUE designation came later.

 

Check this out. The same seller is offering a 1987 Michael Bolton CD sealed in a BEST VALUE longbox. See this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4003637526&category=307

Now, the front of the Bolton jewel case also sports the BEST VALUE sticker, but the longbox looks the same. I am convinced that the Fogelberg longbox is a later issue.

 

I'm pretty sure those are not original longboxes. You can see the silver security strip on the back of the Bolton disc, and I don't believe we had those until sometime well into the 90's. God, I hated those things!

 

Yes - those silver tags never seemed to come off cleanly at all. At least the seller might not be so far off about "old stock". I rarely, if ever, see that kind of security sticker on sealed CDs anymore. It might not be from 1987, but it is definitely not "new stock".

 

Those silver security strips sucked. I come across a lot of used CDs still with the residue on the cases (now dark gray or black residue after all these years). Yuck.