Star Trek Early Varese Pressings

I have seen a lot of very early Varèse Sarabande pressings while processing the Jeanne Jones collection for FSMCDs.com.

I came across two slightly different discs of the Fred Steiner Star Trek, Vol. 1 CD from 1985. Fortunately I knew who to ask, John Stroud, a very knowledgeable collector, and generous with his time!

“They’re both Japan-for-U.S. pressings, but the top one is the original first pressing by Victor Musical Industries (as printed at the bottom on the label side!), while the bottom one was pressed later, most likely at a different location in Japan (as indicated by the letter “J” in parentheses below the catalog number, which was also used for a while for repressings once JVC opened their pressing plant in America, but without the words “Made in Japan” on the label side!). These early Japanese pressings are of very high quality and therefore more valuable than the later American repressings, but the top one is the most valuable because of the presence of “Victor Musical Industries” on the label side, which confirms its provenance!”

So there you go! The top one is on sale for $5. The bottom one is missing the tray card, so I haven’t listed it yet in case the tray card turns up later.