RARE: Sun 78 #209,ELVIS That's Alright/Blue Moon Ky,VG+
$
350
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
Whatever the arguable first rock 'n' roll record may have been, for all historical purposes, rockabilly, r'n'r, and the whole Rock Era was jumpstarted in 1954 by Sam Philips issuing Sun Records 78 number 209, with the unknown Elvis Presley (plus Scotty and Bill) rocking through "That's Alright Mama" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky"--Blues on one side, upbeat Country on the other. Elvis became an instant phenomenon and a hot property, and by the time of his fifth single release a year later... his contract had been sold to RCA, and the world-conquering began.
Here's the copy of Sun 209 I've owned for a few decades, offered for sale now if a fair price can be found. My copy is effectively VG+ on That's Alright and E+ on Blue Moon... except this copy has a hairline crack started in a portion of the Blue Moon side, which I halted by means of strategically placed clear-tape bits. This did prevent any serious splitting, and the edges in fact fit so snugly that there's basically no sound flaw, just a barely audible tick like a light scratch--in other words, even the VG+ side plays great, much less the closer to perfect E+ side. Labels reflect the wear too, with That's Alright scuffed and a bit faded, Blue Moon looking nearly new. The photos are accurate, with little or no sign of the crack on the Blue Moon side. You could frame that side out and have quite a showpiece.
So what's this copy worth--a few hundred? a grand? The original 78 of 209 is rare in any condition, and this one is better than most, even with the hairline crack. I'm ignorant of current collector prices, so I'm just asking a decent amount which I hope matches the interest of some serious Elvis fan...
(The question of secure packing and insurance and such must be addressed separately; eBay's $4 figure won't cut it.)
price rating
