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Caveat emptor



Although I'm a long-time fan of The Who, I'm not a serious collector of
recordings, publications, or other Whoish items.  I do, however, have a
few interesting things, mainly relating to "Tommy" (my favorite Who
work).  I'm sure most of you know that some rare items have been
counterfeited over the years; I recently encountered one of the more
notorious facsimiles.  (All of you experienced collectors may now yawn
and go on to the next message!)

In 1969, Decca sent an elaborate, promotional set of 45's to American
radio stations to publicize the new "Tommy" album.  The set features a
black box with a gold cover and black lettering and artwork, a matching
black-and-gold leaflet summarizing the work and the songs enclosed, and
four 45's, also with matching gold labels.  The original is quite
beautiful and I'm very glad to have it.

The problem, at least for those of us inexperienced in acquiring rare
recordings, is that this set was duplicated sometime during the 1980's.
The resulting counterfeit closely resembles the original set, but there
ARE some significant distinguishing characteristics that differentiate
the original from the counterfeit:

--The genuine box has subtly rough, matte paper on the exterior; the
counterfeit has a slippery feel.  (This is very difficult to see or feel
without having both an original and a duplicate side by side.)  Also
beware of any box that appears brand-new, inside and out.

--The labels on the genuine 45's are clearly printed and the hole
punched in the center does not touch any of the lettering; the
counterfeit's printing is blurrier, the hole punch often takes away
parts of letters and words, and the labels are put on sloppily
(off-center and/or with wrinkles).

--The numbers printed in the run-off grooves of the genuine 45's are
stamped; those on the counterfeit are hand-etched.  (This is the easiest
way to distinguish between the genuine and bogus 45's.)

My advice is that you do NOT buy this set unseen, unless you trust the
seller and/or ask some specific questions about the merchandise.  I was
fortunate, in that the staff of the very reputable store that
(unknowingly) sold me the counterfeit was horrified at my discovery, and
reimbursed me, quickly and courteously, for the full purchase price as
well as my shipping costs to return the box.  I am also EXTREMELY
grateful to the wonderful Mr. Greg Biggs of CVC Collectibles for
personally examining the box and its contents and confirming my fears
(although I would have been happier had he not returned it to me in a
Scrod Cod box, but that's another story...).

If anyone can add more details to my comparison list of genuine
characteristics versus counterfeit, I would be grateful, and I'm sure it
would benefit many other fans.

--Cheryl

P.S. The store that sold me the bogus box set was Intoxica, in London.
Their immediate, direct, courteous, and very professional response to my
long letter of explanation and woe about the set was:  Return it!  I am
COMPLETELY satisfied with the way they dealt with my problem, and
recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone looking for collectible
recordings.  Every item they sell has an absolute guarantee; if the
buyer is not fully satisfied, the item can be returned for a complete
refund.  Intoxica has my full confidence; after the way they treated me,
I will deal with them again.  :)