Here's the info from Rick Barrett (I found this article a while back at http://www.77266.com/ZepList/site/ZepObject.html, but that link doesn't work anymore): The Led Zeppelin "Object" by Rick Barrett I get LOTS of questions about the famous statue that was on the cover of Led Zeppelin's seventh album. Hopefully this feature will give some background on it and answer some questions that commonly arise! First of all, after the company Hipgnosis designed the Presence album cover, in which The Object was painted into the various scenes, Led Zeppelin had real Objects produced. That's what was used to photograph the album's black and white inner sleeves. Shortly thereafter, Alva Museum Graphics in New York was contracted to produce 1000 individually numbered 12" tall black Objects for Swan Song to use in their promotion of the record. On the base of each Object was imprinted the following on four sides: 1) LED ZEPPELIN (1/4" tall lettering) 2) "THE OBJECT" c 1976 SWAN SONG INC (VERY small lettering) 3) PRESENCE (1/4" tall lettering) 4) __/1000 (The individual number was here; this information wsa etched by hand onto each Object) The originals cam in brown cardboard boxes taped shut with brown filament tape. On the side of each box was a flat white sticker with "The Object" and "Copyright 1976 Swan Song" written in red. Some boxes have the number of the Object inside written in black magic marker on the outside of the box, on top. These brown cardboard boxes were nothing fancy; without the sticker it was just a plain brown cardboard box. When opened, one could see that The Object was packed in a brownish padded blanket of sorts… like those padded mailers filled with that shredded newspaper stuff. (Originals were NOT packed with bubble wrap). This is the only way and the only time The Object was ever released by Swan Song/Atlantic Records. In the late 1970s –early 1980s, somewhere in the vicinity of 500 reproductions were made. Seems like there were a lot more than that, but this is fact. There WERE many variations of the bogus Objects, though they were all from the same source. None of the repros were numbered higher than 650 if memory serves me well, though there was one numbered 666! I do recall that there happened to be an overlap of some of the numbers on the fakes. I doubt there are any more than three of the same number on any of the repros. The numbering on these were done by hand, but they were not done chronologically; seemed like whatever suited the bootleggers at the time was the norm. The first run of repros had some cheap green felt on the bottom of The Object; subsequent ones were just plain black bottomed. I’m fairly certain the information on the numbering is right; hopefully someone here will clarify if necessary. Differences between the originals and repros are as follows: 1) Originals: flat black paint. Repros: glossy or semi-gloss black paint 2) Originals: very smooth sides and base; little or no imperfections. Repros: bulges and pits were prevalent, though not all that noticeable from a fair distance away; various flaws abound… brush marks from the paint, difficult to read etchings on the base, bulging top edge 3) Originals: underneath the black paint, a flesh-color may appear IF a scratch or chip is not very deep; if deep then white shows through. Repros: Only a white color shows through if scratched or chipped ** Both Originals and Repros were made of a hard plaster called hyrdrocale, and weighed the same. The originals were made of a higher quality material, which is one reason why there are less flaws than the hastily produced fakes. Both are the same height. It is fairly safe to say that once one has seen an original Object, then you’ll always be able to tell the difference between genuines and fakes. The differences are subtle enough for some to have been fooled by bootleg ones. Original Objects are NOT easy to find; most people who have them seem to want to keep them. Unlike many a Zep items that seem to just appeal to hardcore Zeppelin fans, there are a LOT of music fans and collectors of promo items that want or have an Object. Real ones in an unopened box are VERY rare and sell for at least $1,000.00; most people that get them open them up! I can’t tell you how many people opened ones that we sold when I had a batch for sale in the late 80s – early 90s; one of my foreign customers had the unfortunate experience of having their original Object in the box opened by a Customs agent. This is a really cool item; it’s a GREAT conversation piece in any room and is quite an attention getter on a coffee table or shelf. If you’re looking for an Object, good luck in your search!

I have an original Object #447 that I got from Rick Barrett back in the day. I don't have tons of Zep memorabilia, but Presence is my favorite album, so I made the effort to get an Object.