BOOTLEG-REPRODUCTION...IS IT...OR ISN'T IT?

I'VE BEEN COLLECTING RECORDS FOR OVER 35 YEARS AND ALTHOUGH I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON MATRIX NUMBERS AND ABLE TO IDENTIFY EVERY BOOTLEG OUT THERE, I CAN GIVE MY TWO CENTS ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH A FEW BOOTLEGS I HAVE PURCHASED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

 ALMOST ALL OF THE DOO-WOP AND EARLY R&B RECORDS OF THE 50'S AND 60'S HAS BEEN BOOTED OR REPRODUCED AT SOME TIME. ESPECIALLY IN THE SEVENTIES WHEN DOO-WOP WAS MAKING A COMEBACK, AND  THE MARKET WAS HOT FOR REPROS OF THE ORIGINALS. SOME, ARE SO GOOD, THAT ONLY VERY SMALL DETAILS WILL GIVE AWAY THE FACT THAT IT'S A BOOT. AND EVEN NOW, WITH THE PRICE OF SOME ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSES IN THE HOUSE MORTGAGE RANGE, I AS A COLLECTOR CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE A MISTAKE AND SPEND HUGE MONEY ON A BOOT, EVEN THOUGH I'M AFRAID I HAVE RIGHT HERE ON EBAY MORE THAN ONCE. MOST SELLERS ARE STRAIGHT UP AND AGAIN WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS TO LOOK FOR, ALOT OF SELLERS JUST ASSUME THE RECORD IS ORIGINAL, SOME, KNOWINGLY SELL BOOTS AS ORIGINALS. SAD BUT TRUE. BUYER BEWARE!!

WHICH ONE IS THE BOOT / REPRO?? 

THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS A BOOT/REPRO. THE WAY TO TELL ON THIS ONE IS THE MATRIX NUMBER AND THE LENGTH OF THE BEGINNING DEADWAX. THE MATRIX NUMBER ON THE BOOT IN THE DEADWAX IS U-J08W-2212. THE BEGINNING DEADWAX IS ALMOST A FULL 1/4 INCH LONG. THE ORIGINAL COPY'S  MATRIX NUMBER IS MACHINE STAMPED AND THE BEGINNING DEADWAX IS ONLY AN 1/8 INCH THICK. I PAID ALOT FOR THIS BOOT, I ASKED THE SELLER AND HE ASSURED ME IT WAS AN ORIGINAL, IT WASN'T UNTILL A YEAR LATER THAT I FOUND THE ORIGINAL AND NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE. ANOTHER SMALL DETAIL IS THE LINES AROUND UNART RECORDS ARE NOT AS PROMINENT ON THE BOOT AS THE ORIGINAL. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST THE BOOT LOOKED ALMOST TOO CLEAN!. THIS 45 IS GETTING CLOSE TO BEING 50 YEARS OLD, IT'S GOING TO SHOW SOME KIND OF AGE NO MATTER HOW WELL IT'S BEEN TAKEN CARE OF.

AGAIN, THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS THE REPRODUCTION, THIS ONE IS MORE OBVIOUS. EVEN THOUGH THE MATRIX NUMBERS ARE THE SAME, "DOOTSIE WILLIAMS PUBLICATIONS" IS ON THE WRONG SIDE (LEFT) AND UNDER "DOOTONE" IS "RECORDS" AND THE ADDRESS IN LA COMPLETE WITH 9 DIGIT ZIP CODE. AND ONCE AGAIN, THE BEGINNING DEADWAX IS VERY WIDE PLUS THERE IS THE TELLTALE "LIP" ON THE EDGE OF THE RECORD. I BOUGHT THIS ONE KNOWING IT WAS A BOOT, BECAUSE IT WAS CHEAP AND I COULD SAVE MY ORIGINAL BY PLAYING IT INSTEAD

THIS TIME, IT'S THE ONE ON THE LEFT THATS THE REPRO. VISUALLY, THEY ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY IDENTICAL EXCEPT FOR THE "DASH" BETWEEN "SIXTY" AND "MINUTE". THE REPRO DOESN'T HAVE IT. BOTH OF THESE COPIES ARE VG+, BUT THE ORIGINAL SHOWS AGE, AND IT SHOULD, IT'S 55 YEARS OLD. THE REPRO HAS A WIDE BEGINNING DEAD WAX, 1/4 INCH AND A NARROW ENDING DEAD WAX 1/2 INCH. THE ORIGINAL WILL HAVE 1/8 AND 3/4 INCH RESPECTIVLY. FINALLY, MATRIX NUMBERS. ORIGINAL FEDERAL PRESSES HAVE A VERY PROMINENT MATRIX NUMBER, THEY ARE DEEP AND STAND OUT. THE REPROS HAVE SHALLOW NUMBERS. IN THIS EXAMPLE THE ORIGINALS MATRIX NUMBERS ARE F-45-108-1-MK. THE REPRO HAS A MATRIX OF F-45-108-CS (COLLECTOR SERIES). A M- VG+ COPY OF THE ORIGINAL CAN GO FOR $250.00-$500.00. THE REPRO CAN BE HAD FOR ABOUT $25.00. AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL LISTED HERE ON EBAY

AND FINALLY....

.

GOLDMINE  LIST THIS ONE FOR $1500.00 IN M- CONDITION, AND YOU BETTER BELIEVE THERE ARE BOOTS. THEY HAVE BEEN LISTED RIGHT HERE ON EBAY. I DID MY HOMEWORK ON THIS COPY FOR ALMOST A WEEK BEFORE I BID ON IT. THE MATRIX NUMBERS ARE CORRECT AND SO IS THE COLOR OF THE SILVER IN THE LETTERING AS IS THE LENGTH OF THE DEADWAX RUNOFF. AND EVEN THOUGH IT IS A VG+ COPY, IT DOES SHOW "AGE" LIKE IT SHOULD. I ALSO COMPARED THIS TO A KNOWN  ORIGINAL AND IT'S IDENTICAL IN EVERY WAY.  THIS ONE IS AN ORIGINAL.

SOME THINGS THAT I LOOK OUT FOR THAT MAY HELP YOU ALSO, IF IT LOOKS OR IS BEING LISTED AS "MINT", MINT-" OR JUST A VG++ ASK QUESTIONS, AGAIN, ALOT OF THESE RECORDS ARE ALMOST A HALF CENTURY OLD AND ARE GOING TO SHOW THEIR AGE.THE DAYS OF FINDING THE OLD M- RECORDS OF THE 50'S AND EARLY 60'S ARE GETTING FARTHER AND FEWER BETWEEN. IF THERE IS A "BUY IT NOW" AND THE PRICE IS WAY BELOW THE BOOK, ASK QUESTIONS. RECENTLY I PICKED UP A COPY OF THE SCARLETS "DEAR ONE" VERY CHEAP WITH A "BUY IT NOW", BUT BEFORE I DID, I CALLED THE SELLER AND ASKED WHY SO CHEAP, AND HE SAID  IT COST HIM MONEY TO LIST AND THIS WAS LIKE THE THIRD TIME OUT, SO HE DROPPED THE PRICE, PLUS HE GUARANTEED THAT IT WAS  AN ORIGINAL OR I COULD GET MY MONEY BACK. I GOT VERY LUCKY AND PICKED UP A GREAT ORIGINAL 45 FOR A SONG. A HONEST SELLER WILL STAND BEHIND HIS RECORDS, BE CAREFUL OF SELLERS WHO OFFER VAGUE DESCRIPTIONS OR HAVE ALOT OF NEGATIVE FEEDBACK. READ SOME OF IT, DOES IT HAVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT BOOTLEGS OR REPROS, OR DESCRIPTIONS THAT ARE NOT ACCURATE?  HOPE SOME OF THIS HELPS. AS COLLECTORS WE NEED TO HELP EACH OTHER OUT AND TRY TO KEEP THIS HOBBY ALIVE AND KICKING, WITHOUT THROWING AWAY HARD EARNED MONEY FOR SOMETHING THAT HAS ALMOST NO VALUE. IT'S A GREAT HOBBY, IT'S JUST GETTING A LITTLE MORE CHALLENGING!!!

FEEDBACK ON ABOVE RECORDS

IF ANYONE KNOWS ANY MORE INFO ON THE ABOVE 45'S, ESPECIALLY THE SUPERBS RECORDS, OR IF I'VE MADE A MISTAKE,  LET ME KNOW. ALL INPUT IS WELCOME