THE HOLY GRAIL OF ELVIS RECORDS——the 5 SUN ORIGINAL 45s

A note by Susan brian james
THE HOLY GRAIL OF ELVIS RECORDS——the 5 SUN ORIGINAL 45s

 

Guide to Elvis 45 rpm Sun records.

It all started in 1953 when an 18-year-old named Elvis Presley walked into Sun Studios to record “My Happiness” for his mother at a cost of $4.00. At least that is how the legend goes. According to the folks at Sun, he came in to hopefully be heard by Sam Phillips. In late 1954 he was invited back by Sam Phillips to record with Scotty Moore and Bill Black. The first hit was “That’s Alright Mama”.

There were four more releases before Sam Phillips sold Elvis’ contract to RCA. Who would have known back then to have saved those old Elvis Sun Records? Who could have possible known that they would become the holy grail of record or Elvis collections? Today there seems to be a frenzy to obtain an original piece of what is arguably the most important of rock and roll records. I have watched the value of a mint “That’s All Right” go from $150 twenty years ago to $8000 plus today. It is no wonder that there are so many counterfeits out there.

Since the advent of eBay, I have seen dozens of fakes get passed off as genuine. And I have seen genuine ones get sold by a seller who is convinced that they are fake !!. This guide is designed to help you distinguish the real ones from the bootlegs.

For what ever reason, there seems to be a lack of printed material on authenticating Sun records.

My expertise has come from many different sources over many years of collecting. 


Authenticating 


The Elvis Sun records were originally, it was thought, pressed in a plant in Memphis, and in a plant in Los Angeles, California. It is rumoured that there was a third release of the originals, pressed in Philadelphia which are identical to the California pressings.

All pressings have serial numbers etched into the trail-off. The records are Sun #209 “That’s All Right” (1954), #210 “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (1954), #215 “Milk Cow Blues Boogie” (1954), #217 “Baby, Let’s Play House” (1955) and #223 “Mystery Train” (1955). The rarest issues are 209 and 215, then 217, while 210 and 223 are considered to be easier  to find. The first four records have engravings in the trail-off that end with the number 72. The fifth, Sun 223, “Mystery Train”, ends with the number 20.

The Memphis pressings, except for “Mystery Train”, have three ¼ inch circular  push marks around the center hole, forming a perfect triangle, or Greek “Delta”. Hence, the name “Delta pressings”. These marks are not found on “Mystery Train”, nor on the Los Angeles or Philadelphia pressings. It is this lack of “push marks” that may cause original Suns from the other plants to mistakenly be wrongly identified as “fakes” or “bootlegs”. Also, misinformed or unscrupulous “buyers/sellers” have claimed that the 72 denotes the “year of issue” out of ignorance or to use lower prices.
The Los Angeles and Philadelphia pressings are identical to the Memphis pressings, except for the push marks, and the Philadelphia pressings, we learn , can be further identified by a tiny “MSI” stamped into the vinyl, supposedly for “Memphis Sun Inc.”. The California pressings have a small triangle etched into the vinyl near the record label.

 

All 5 records have been verbally guaranteed to me as original by Scotty Moore and D J Fontana, when I met them in 1993. Their words to me were ‘these are the real deal’. A lot of the information above came from them.

 

VITAL

 

The most certain way of distinguishing the original 1950’s issues from subsequent re-issues is to look at the last two digits of the serial number in the trail-off———the72 on the first 4 Suns and the 20 on the fifth one.  On the originals, the last 2 digits are approximately half an inch from the other digits.  On the re-issues, the distance is doubled, to well over an inch.

This is the most important factor in distinguishing the original Suns, NOT the push marks.

So, LOOK before you buy,  but bear in mind, that not all sellers are crooks

 

Please contact me at brjames@btinternet.com

 

Map of Sheffield, Yorkshire , UK in 1736

A note by Susan brian james

Map of Sheffield, Yorkshire , UK in 1736

For sale

Overview
High-Resolution image
Vintage handmade item
Instant Digital Download: JPG

INSTANT DOWNLOAD

You will receive a super digital file of this drawing in high-resolution 300dpi A4 size

Once payment has been processed by Etsy the image shown above, will be ready to download and print immediately. As this is a digital download, a frame is not included.

This print is sold for private use only, and may not be used for resale, or commercial purposes.

Do please let us know if you have any questions regarding this purchase, or if you encounter a problem downloading your order,
and we will immediately respond to you by email. Thank you, and enjoy your purchase!

Great Vintage Prints, Drawings etc covering many many topics

A note by Susan brian james

 

Great Vintage Prints, Drawings etc covering many many topics

Overview

High-Resolution image

Vintage handmade item

Instant Digital Download:  JPGs!

 

 

 INSTANT DOWNLOAD

 

You will receive a super digital file of these drawings in high-resolution 300dpi 8 x 10 inches, or A4 size dependent on the shape of the drawing

 

Once payment has been processed by Etsy the images shown above, will be ready to download and print immediately. As these are digital downloads, frames are not included.

 

These prints are sold for private use only, and may not be used for resale, or commercial purposes.

 

Do please let us know if you have any questions regarding this purchase, or if you encounter a problem downloading your order,

and we will immediately respond to you by email. Thank you, and enjoy your purchase!

 

 

 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ClassicsAndMasters?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

 

 

 

Great Handmade Gifts For Home

A note by Susan brian james

Great Handmade Gifts For Home

Most gift givers today prefer handmade gifts over the traditional ones because they feel that these exude sincerity and effort. For those who are planning to give gifts that can help one to beautify his or her home, there are so many handmade gift options for you to choose from.

Practical handmade gifts for home

Home décor accessories are the most common handmade gifts that people can give for those who love decorating their homes. This is because these will help the receiver in decorating their homes the easier and more practical way. How? If they will be receiving gifts from people that they can use, they can finalize the list of home accessories that they will be needing. This list is very important for the receiver because it will be easier for him or her to organize things inside the home once they start decorating.

For gift-givers, the following are some of the major handmade home décor and accessories that will help the receiver to have a house that is more organized and great looking:

– pillows. In living rooms and bedrooms, pillows indeed take a great part in the overall look of the house. This is because pillows soften empty corners of the bed as well of the chairs and sofas. The impact will be so much better if these are handmade. Today, there are so many types of pillows available in the market, you can choose from solid pillows, striped pillows, patterned pillows, floral pillows, floor pillows, rectangular pillows, and outdoor pillows depending on the personality and the needs of the receiver so you should consider these very well.

– handmade candlelight set. This is a considered as one of the most romantic home décor accessories out there because they give soft and cozy feel in the house once use for their purpose. Today, handmade candlelight sets are the trend because they are more sophisticated and unique. If you choose this as a gift, you should consider coming up with matching candleholders, candles, and candle coasters.

– unique handmade vases. Categorized into tabletop, floor, bud, and accent, vases play a very big role in the beautification of one’s home because each kind can highlight a certain part of the house and make it more appealing to people living inside the house and to visitors as well. Aside from holding flowers and other things inside the home, vases can also serve as decorative and artistic pieces. If you are giving this as a gift, consider the handmade ones from exotic places because these are indeed unique and very sentimental.

– wall décors. Whether it is framed or custom art, metal, or native, wall decors play an important role in making the house livelier because they fill empty walls and make them more pleasant to the eye. There are so many handmade wall decors available in the market today. These can be more appealing since they tend to be unique when it comes to style, material, and texture.

– handmade native baskets. Although they might seem minor, baskets—especially the native and handmade ones—are significant home décor accessories because they serve as organizers. Since they hold almost everything and keep them in place, baskets of any kind should be present in any home.

– handmade area rugs. These play a major role in any home decoration because it serves as a main highlight in various parts of the house. Today, there are so many styles of area rugs that you can choose from depending on the need, taste, and preference of people.

If you are giving these a handmade gift, consider choosing handmade braided rugs, oriental tugs, Persian rugs, contemporary rugs, or character rugs depending on the taste of the receiver.