RARE Rolling Stones STREET FIGHTING MAN Picture Sleeve REPRODUCTION - no record

$

36

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RARE
Rolling Stones
STREET FIGHTING MAN
Picture Sleeve ONLY
REPRODUCTION 
This REPRODUCTION Sleeve
has never had a record inside it

SLEEVE HISTORY
From only one of many websites documenting
the history of this very rare sleeve

 The Rarest Rolling Stones Picture Sleeve
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London Records had ordered a run of picture sleeves for the American release of the single, which was the norm for any single by the Rolling Stones. But the norm was usually a posed photo of the group, which ranged from the striking (such as Let’s Spend The Night Together) to the just plain silly (think of Jumpin’ Jack Flash.
For London 45-909, Street Fighting Man / No Expectations, someone in London’s graphics department opted for another kind of image: the sleeve was a plain black and white photo with a rather garish orange border. But it wasn’t the border that caused anyone’s eyes to turn to the sleeve. Here is how Bonhams described the sleeve in its catalog:
“Street Fighting Man was the first picture sleeve released by the Stones that did not feature an image of the band. The single was first released in August of 1968, just before the Chicago Democratic National Convention, where riots broke out between demonstrators and the Chicago police force.
The Stones’ picture sleeve used two images depicting police brutality taken from one of the many riots that had broken out in over one hundred U.S. cities [earlier] that year. The record company deemed the sleeve to be inappropriate and it was immediately withdrawn.
No one knows for sure how many examples of this sleeve have survived but most estimate the number to be between ten and eighteen copies, placing it among the rarest pieces of Rolling Stones memorabilia.”

No way in hell is that going out!

The poor wanker in London’s art department?—?who may go forever unnamed and therefore unenshrined?—?could have been oblivious to his environment and simply thought the photo appropriate for a record with such a title. We will probably never know if any heads rolled or positions were terminated due to the ensuing fiasco.
Someone at London must have seen the sleeve prior to its general release and decided, “No way in hell is that going out of here!”

Well now, what can a poor boy do,
except to sing for a rock and roll band,
’cause in sleepy London town there’s just no place
for a street fighting man!

As far as we know, almost every copy was destroyed. Now, when a picture sleeve for a new single by a major record-selling artist is manufactured, it is mass-produced on a large scale. While we may never know how many were made, we can assume that it was in the thousands?—?if not the tens of thousands.
We can also assume that every one of those sleeves went through some kind of heavy-duty paper-shredder and ended up in tiny pieces, all destroyed prior to the record’s general release.

It is possible that not a single sleeve found its way onto the racks of retail stores anywhere in America in 1968. Daring to assign a number to how many copies of the sleeve escaped destruction is not something that I am willing to do.

Avid Record Collector’s price guide

Nonetheless, a few copies of the picture sleeve did escape the shredder?—?possibly by a few sticky-fingered London employees?—?and they can be found for sale on a rare occasion. Needless to say, they are among the most valuable record-related collectables in the world! Below find my take on the few documented sales of this sleeve found on the Internet.

•  In 2008, a copy graded VG++++++ (sic) was offered at auction on eBay, and while the seller may have been displaying a sense of humor about grading the sleeve with redundant plus-signs, the image of the sleeve used on the ad is heavily marred by record indentation and wear.

And, it may not even be the item be sold, but a photo pulled from the Internet!

Nonetheless, it sold for $9,001.

That is the only copy of the London Street Fighting Man picture sleeve to sell on eBay in the past ten years!

•  In 2011, Bonhams also sold a copy of Street Fighting Man:  their copy (lot #2264) does not list a grade, but if the picture used is the actual item, then it appears to have been in near mint (NM) condition.

Given its beautiful condition and being sold by so prestigious a firm, it commanded a hefty $17,080!

“Having dreams are nice but let’s face it, you will never find a real one. You might as well hope to win Power Ball, too. Along with a purple and white stock copy of Stoned, the Street Fighting Man picture sleeve is the Holy Grail for Stones collectors.” 3

•  In 2015, an ungraded copy was auctioned on eBay. While the seller did not assign any grade to it, he did include three notes on the sleeve’s condition:
   “Sleeve has a couple bends and white spots near edges.”
   “Sleeve has some white marks on the edges and very slight fading in the coloration.”
   “This is not a verified sleeve, the gloss of the paper around on the edges are possibly questionable and are hard to compare without seeing it in hand.”

Nonetheless, it sold for $17,1000!

That the damage didn’t dissuade several bidders is understandable?—?after all, it was the first copy offered for sale on eBay in six years! But the fact that its authenticity was questioned by the seller makes this transaction rather extraordinary.

•  In 2017, an ungraded copy sold for $3,199. This is an absurdly low price which I believe was achieved by the seller’s absurdly bad advertisement:
The seller opened his ad with this disclaimer: “Another relist as a result of a troll bidding up with no intention of following through with the transaction.” This must have confused some bidders. 4
The seller did not verify the authenticity of the sleeve.
The seller did not grade the sleeve.
The seller included an excellent photo of the sleeve but did not assure bidders that the item in the photo was actually the item for sale.
The seller packaged the American sleeve with a Canadian record, which must have confused some bidders already not confused by the above! 5
Unauthorized reproductions

High-quality reproductions of the American London picture sleeve were manufactured in the ‘80s and usually sell as collectables. Alas, neither I nor the Avid Record Collector knows how to differentiate the better reproductions from the authentic sleeve.

•  In 2012, six copies from one seller sold for $100 each.
•  In 2012, an obvious repro that was not listed as a repro sold for $305.
•  In 2013, a repro that was listed as a repro sold for $203.

PLEASE READ COMPLETE AUCTION DESCRIPTION
BEFORE BIDDING
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PAYMENT DUE WITHIN
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OF AUCTION CLOSING
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