Need help identifying this SD 7201 Led Zeppelin III mystery pressing!!!

[mightyvinyl.com]

Calling all you specialist vinyl Zeppelinites!

I acquired an item from the estate of a deceased collector that has me stumped. It appears to be an original SD 7201 US pressing (no marking on back, LED ZEPPELIN III SD 7201 in white on the black spine, working riveted spinner and heavy-duty gatefold cover) but the weird part is that it's in one of those fancy Sealed Poly Bags that have a vertical perforated end (on the left of the cover) so it can be easily opened, and then the bag can be used to protect your now-opened vinyl purchase. The bag is "loose" around the edges.

I've seen these bags before, I associate them with some of the newer high-end audiophile reissue labels like MoFi or Classic Records. It's not something that a used-store or collector would have access to,  it's a professional job. but I cannot find any reissue pressing that makes sense either. 

The cover inside exhibits some wear along the top edge and some minor corner bumps, and bears all the hallmarks of a really nice VG++ to NM original issue, but without being able to see the labels & runouts I have no idea what this really is. I don't want to open it, but I just may have to if no one can suggest a likely culprit for the source of this pressing. 

The original buyer had a note with the item indicating they paid $200 for it in June 2019, plus $24 postage and $22 tax. The weirdest part is that a knowledgable buyer probably wouldn't be buying a re-sealed "original" pressing without being able to verify the vinyl grade, and even if he did, who could he have bought a used pressing from that had access to this sort of professional sealed bag?

The collection consists of some really cool high-end stuff. Sealed Mobile Fidelity, Analogue Productions & Audio Fidelity SACD issues. Sealed Mofi vinyl. Sealed Warner reissues of Metallica vinyl, high-value high-grade Beatles Capitol US vinyl original pressings, so I doubt this was a goof or a fake.

Attaching photos to show the perforated bag and some other specific details.

HELP!!!!

[Pb!]

I have only seen those bags on MoFi releases. Possibly the Classic reissues form the 90's did too? They did use the 7201 catalog number. Maybe weigh it to see if it's 180 or 200 gram.

Edited September 8 by Pb!
misspelling

[mightyvinyl.com]

Thanks! I think you're probably right, I missed the 90's Classic reissues! Only problem is there's a 180g and a 200g issue and there's no way to tell them apart without opening the package (and weighing the vinyl without the cover). At least I think I've got a 1 in 2 chance of properly identifying this now though!

[Autumn Moon]

On 9/8/2024 at 8:33 PM, mightyvinyl.com said:

Thanks! I think you're probably right, I missed the 90's Classic reissues! Only problem is there's a 180g and a 200g issue and there's no way to tell them apart without opening the package (and weighing the vinyl without the cover). At least I think I've got a 1 in 2 chance of properly identifying this now though!

Your LP is certainly not a MoFi release, as every MoFi release has a banner on the top of the front and backcover bearing "Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab" or "Original Master Recording". Most of the Classic Rec. 200g issues from 2005 should have a perforated poly bag but also with the "200g Quiex SV-P" stickers on it. The last 200g pressings had an open (at the top) poly bag "sealed" with a sticker. The 180g issues from 2000 had a poly bag without perforation and a "Quiex SV Super Vinyl" sticker, very early pressings without stickers. I have some 200g issues but don´t remember if the poly bags had a perforation. I still have the records in the opened original bags and will check that on the weekend- I will let you know.

[Pb!]

If you weigh it with the cover and it weighs less than 200g then it has to be 180. You could find an empty gatefold for another record to determine how much it weighs approximately.