Graceland Auction --> Scotty's 1954 "Santa Claus"?

[drjohncarpenter]

Surveying the upcoming Graceland auction this caught my eye:

THE AUCTION AT GRACELAND • ELVIS WEEK • AUGUST 12, 2018

LOT #8:

1954 Sun Records Acetate for Elvis Presley’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (Sun 209) with Additional Recordings on the Reverse

3366_lg.jpg

The recording by Elvis Presley of “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” is widely considered by many to be the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. When Elvis exploded on the Memphis airwaves, changing popular music forever, Sam Phillips charged into the future and had his records on the shelves only days later, on July 19, 1954. Argued by Rolling Stone magazine to be the first rock ‘n’ roll record, Elvis’ “That’s All Right” was recorded in July of 1954 and released later that month by Sun Records as catalog number 209 with “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on side B.

Elvis’ version of the Bill Monroe classic “Blue Moon of Kentucky” was a more upbeat version of the original and Scotty recalls its recording in the book Blue Moon Boys - The Story of Elvis Presley’s Band: “We all of us knew we needed something... and things seemed hopeless after a while. Bill is the one who came up with ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’... We’re taking a little break and he starts beating on the bass and singing ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky,’ mocking Bill Monroe, singing the high falsetto voice. Elvis joins in with him, starts playing and singing along with him.” They had discovered something they wanted to hold onto with the previous night’s rendition of “That’s All Right,” but the first couple of songs they tried weren’t clicking. After several takes of this new version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” they played a version, for which producer Sam Phillips exclaimed, “That’s fine, man. Hell, that’s different — that’s a pop song now, nearly ‘bout!” And was it ever. “That’s All Right” reaps most of the historical references for those fateful July days in 1954, but “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (its B-side) was every bit the local hit record itself, and certainly deserves its place right beside “That’s All Right” in the list of songs that launched Elvis on his path to legendary status. It was almost instantly that both songs were being played on the radio but by October “Blue Moon of Kentucky” had eclipsed “That’s All Right” on the Billboard charts.



..



The offered Sun 209 “Blue Moon of Kentucky” acetate, a seminal component of the Sun Studio recordings, does its part to help translate the traditions of pop, country, blues, bluegrass and gospel in the hearts of Elvis Presley into the new language of rock and roll. This acetate has no formal label and only a piece of tape on which is written, “ELVIS BLUE MOON OF KEN.” and "SANTA CLAUS, short inst. by Scotty Moore." The tape and its notations could very well be from a later period, but they have been on there for some time, most likely several decades, at least. The tape is affixed between the center hole and top of the three pressing holes. It should be noted that these three holes, from Sam Phillips "Presto" record lathe, arranged as such constitute the holes that form the "delta" marks on the labels of Elvis' first four Sun recordings. The grease pen handwritten marks “Sun 209” and the matrix number “U-129” and partially covers the red “Audiodisc” circular marking on one side.

The approximately 2:01 side A recording of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” plays surprisingly clearly, with very few expected pops, and transports the listener right back into the studio with Elvis. This is the same version as released on Sun 209. The reverse side of the acetate contains what is most likely a Christmas-time radio segment and opens with a jingle, then transitions into the voice of Santa Claus asking children what they want for Christmas and encouraging them to write letters to him to tell him what they want him to bring down their chimney. The 3:09 minute recording has Santa speaking and laughing for over 2 minutes as he laments the difficulty in deciding what good boys and girls would want Santa to bring them for Christmas and reminding them to be good, until 20 seconds of music ends the recording. Based on the lable notation, it's possible this instrumental is played by Scotty Moore.

The offered acetate, and the following two lots of other Sun acetates, were acquired from the collection of Steve LaVere. LaVere is a somewhat contoversial and somewhat legendary figure in the history of American blues music. He was involved in some of the early efforts in the 1960s by the Imperial label to gather historical blues compilations, and he was a key figure in helping the family of blues legend Robert Johnson establish claim to his publishing rights--a process steeped in public and professional contention, to say the least. Along the way, Steve also amassed a large collection of rare and obscure blues and rock and roll records. These Sun production acetates were purchased from his collection.

This incredible acetate measures 12 inches (30.48 cm) in diameter. It is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated.

The acetate presents with a few expected scuffs and scratches. The recording contains several skips, pops and crackles throughout as one would expect with a recording of this age.

Excellent condition.

http://auction.graceland.com/1954_Sun_Records_Acetate_for_Elvis_Presley_s__Blue-LOT3366.aspx

What really jumped out:

This acetate has no formal label and only a piece of tape on which is written, “ELVIS BLUE MOON OF KEN.” and "SANTA CLAUS, short inst. by Scotty Moore."

The reverse side of the acetate contains what is most likely a Christmas-time radio segment and opens with a jingle, then transitions into the voice of Santa Claus asking children what they want for Christmas and encouraging them to write letters to him to tell him what they want him to bring down their chimney. The 3:09 minute recording has Santa speaking and laughing for over 2 minutes as he laments the difficulty in deciding what good boys and girls would want Santa to bring them for Christmas and reminding them to be good, until 20 seconds of music ends the recording. Based on the lable notation, it's possible this instrumental is played by Scotty Moore.

What in the heck?

First of all, why was Sam Phillips cutting an acetate on "Blue Moon of Kentucky" circa late November-early December 1954, when Sun 209 was issued in July? And what in the world is this Scotty Moore participation on a Santa Claus commercial?

What is the instrumental he's playing? Is it an original, or an Elvis tune? This is really something.

The second part of the video includes some of the instrumental:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKjGKdOFipc&t=17s

It's not just one instrument. Could Elvis also be involved?

The Sun period is absolutely fascinating, and so important both musically and historically.

What other mysteries might be on acetate?

[BobDylan]

Surveying the upcoming Graceland auction this caught my eye:

THE AUCTION AT GRACELAND • ELVIS WEEK • AUGUST 12, 2018

LOT #8:

1954 Sun Records Acetate for Elvis Presley’s “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (Sun 209) with Additional Recordings on the Reverse

3366_lg.jpg

The recording by Elvis Presley of “That’s All Right” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky” is widely considered by many to be the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. When Elvis exploded on the Memphis airwaves, changing popular music forever, Sam Phillips charged into the future and had his records on the shelves only days later, on July 19, 1954. Argued by Rolling Stone magazine to be the first rock ‘n’ roll record, Elvis’ “That’s All Right” was recorded in July of 1954 and released later that month by Sun Records as catalog number 209 with “Blue Moon of Kentucky” on side B.

Elvis’ version of the Bill Monroe classic “Blue Moon of Kentucky” was a more upbeat version of the original and Scotty recalls its recording in the book Blue Moon Boys - The Story of Elvis Presley’s Band: “We all of us knew we needed something... and things seemed hopeless after a while. Bill is the one who came up with ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky’... We’re taking a little break and he starts beating on the bass and singing ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky,’ mocking Bill Monroe, singing the high falsetto voice. Elvis joins in with him, starts playing and singing along with him.” They had discovered something they wanted to hold onto with the previous night’s rendition of “That’s All Right,” but the first couple of songs they tried weren’t clicking. After several takes of this new version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” they played a version, for which producer Sam Phillips exclaimed, “That’s fine, man. Hell, that’s different — that’s a pop song now, nearly ‘bout!” And was it ever. “That’s All Right” reaps most of the historical references for those fateful July days in 1954, but “Blue Moon of Kentucky” (its B-side) was every bit the local hit record itself, and certainly deserves its place right beside “That’s All Right” in the list of songs that launched Elvis on his path to legendary status. It was almost instantly that both songs were being played on the radio but by October “Blue Moon of Kentucky” had eclipsed “That’s All Right” on the Billboard charts.



..



The offered Sun 209 “Blue Moon of Kentucky” acetate, a seminal component of the Sun Studio recordings, does its part to help translate the traditions of pop, country, blues, bluegrass and gospel in the hearts of Elvis Presley into the new language of rock and roll. This acetate has no formal label and only a piece of tape on which is written, “ELVIS BLUE MOON OF KEN.” and "SANTA CLAUS, short inst. by Scotty Moore." The tape and its notations could very well be from a later period, but they have been on there for some time, most likely several decades, at least. The tape is affixed between the center hole and top of the three pressing holes. It should be noted that these three holes, from Sam Phillips "Presto" record lathe, arranged as such constitute the holes that form the "delta" marks on the labels of Elvis' first four Sun recordings. The grease pen handwritten marks “Sun 209” and the matrix number “U-129” and partially covers the red “Audiodisc” circular marking on one side.

The approximately 2:01 side A recording of “Blue Moon of Kentucky” plays surprisingly clearly, with very few expected pops, and transports the listener right back into the studio with Elvis. This is the same version as released on Sun 209. The reverse side of the acetate contains what is most likely a Christmas-time radio segment and opens with a jingle, then transitions into the voice of Santa Claus asking children what they want for Christmas and encouraging them to write letters to him to tell him what they want him to bring down their chimney. The 3:09 minute recording has Santa speaking and laughing for over 2 minutes as he laments the difficulty in deciding what good boys and girls would want Santa to bring them for Christmas and reminding them to be good, until 20 seconds of music ends the recording. Based on the lable notation, it's possible this instrumental is played by Scotty Moore.

The offered acetate, and the following two lots of other Sun acetates, were acquired from the collection of Steve LaVere. LaVere is a somewhat contoversial and somewhat legendary figure in the history of American blues music. He was involved in some of the early efforts in the 1960s by the Imperial label to gather historical blues compilations, and he was a key figure in helping the family of blues legend Robert Johnson establish claim to his publishing rights--a process steeped in public and professional contention, to say the least. Along the way, Steve also amassed a large collection of rare and obscure blues and rock and roll records. These Sun production acetates were purchased from his collection.

This incredible acetate measures 12 inches (30.48 cm) in diameter. It is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated.

The acetate presents with a few expected scuffs and scratches. The recording contains several skips, pops and crackles throughout as one would expect with a recording of this age.

Excellent condition.

http://auction.graceland.com/1954_Sun_Records_Acetate_for_Elvis_Presley_s__Blue-LOT3366.aspx

What really jumped out:

This acetate has no formal label and only a piece of tape on which is written, “ELVIS BLUE MOON OF KEN.” and "SANTA CLAUS, short inst. by Scotty Moore."

The reverse side of the acetate contains what is most likely a Christmas-time radio segment and opens with a jingle, then transitions into the voice of Santa Claus asking children what they want for Christmas and encouraging them to write letters to him to tell him what they want him to bring down their chimney. The 3:09 minute recording has Santa speaking and laughing for over 2 minutes as he laments the difficulty in deciding what good boys and girls would want Santa to bring them for Christmas and reminding them to be good, until 20 seconds of music ends the recording. Based on the lable notation, it's possible this instrumental is played by Scotty Moore.

What in the heck?

First of all, why was Sam Phillips cutting an acetate on "Blue Moon of Kentucky" circa late November-early December 1954, when Sun 209 was issued in July? And what in the world is this Scotty Moore participation on a Santa Claus commercial?

What is the instrumental he's playing? Is it an original, or an Elvis tune? This is really something.

The second part of the video includes some of the instrumental:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKjGKdOFipc&t=17s

It's not just one instrument. Could Elvis also be involved?

The Sun period is absolutely fascinating, and so important both musically and historically.

What other mysteries might be on acetate?

The most logical mystery recording would be "Tiger Man." At long last it's been found!!!! This is clearly the one that Sam "must have pressed and taken to DJ's for review." Mystery FINALLY solved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dougpoindexter]

The Santa Claus instrumental is Ring Out Those Bells by Red Hadley, released on Meteor 5017. Flipside of Brother, That's All, a very early attempt at rockabilly. I think Red's brother Jay plays guitar on this one. There's NO Santa Claus voiceover on the Meteor release.

[dougpoindexter]

Red Hadley also recorded a fine unissued session for Sun in late '52 or so (am hiding from the Texas heat in Buenos Aires for a couple more weeks, so I cannot access my records) and one Sun track I'd Be A Millionaire is a decent honky tonker. IIRC they were from Covington, Tn, close to Malcolm Yelvington's area. The "Santa Claus" (actually Ring Out Those Bells) is available on a Meteor reissue CD set from about 15 years ago.

[dougpoindexter]

Red also recorded for Trumpet, Lillian McMurray's Mississippi label, and the sessions were done at 706 Union by Phillips. Trumpet used Phillips several times for sessions though not all were issued. It's possible that the Meteor session was done at 706 Union as well, since Lester Bihari of Meteor sometimes had trouble with his recording equipment. Bud Deckelman's regional country hit on Meteor 5014 (co written by Scotty Moore) was mastered at Sun though recorded by Bihari after Bud patched the machines back together. Phillips had rejected Deckelman's recording and regretted it after it hit.

[drjohncarpenter]

The Santa Claus instrumental is Ring Out Those Bells by Red Hadley, released on Meteor 5017. Flipside of Brother, That's All, a very early attempt at rockabilly. I think Red's brother Jay plays guitar on this one. There's NO Santa Claus voiceover on the Meteor release.

Red Hadley also recorded a fine unissued session for Sun in late '52 or so (am hiding from the Texas heat in Buenos Aires for a couple more weeks, so I cannot access my records) and one Sun track I'd Be A Millionaire is a decent honky tonker. IIRC they were from Covington, Tn, close to Malcolm Yelvington's area. The "Santa Claus" (actually Ring Out Those Bells) is available on a Meteor reissue CD set from about 15 years ago.

Red also recorded for Trumpet, Lillian McMurray's Mississippi label, and the sessions were done at 706 Union by Phillips. Trumpet used Phillips several times for sessions though not all were issued. It's possible that the Meteor session was done at 706 Union as well, since Lester Bihari of Meteor sometimes had trouble with his recording equipment. Bud Deckelman's regional country hit on Meteor 5014 (co written by Scotty Moore) was mastered at Sun though recorded by Bihari after Bud patched the machines back together. Phillips had rejected Deckelman's recording and regretted it after it hit.

Wonderful information! Thanks for solving this mystery.

The Meteor Studio was located at 1746 Chelsea Avenue in Memphis, about four miles north of Sun Studios on 706 Union Avenue, so perhaps Sam was mastering Meteor 5017 for its late December 1954 release and "borrowed" a bit for a commercial.

Here are both sides of the single:



..

"Red" Hadley's Wranglers "Ring Out Those Bells" (Meteor 5017, December 24, 1954)



..

"Red" Hadley's Wranglers "Brother, That's All" (Meteor 5017, December 24, 1954)



I'm curious about your claim that Scotty Moore co-wrote the Bud Deckelman single A-side "Daydreamin" (Meteor 5014).

The label does not give him credit, it reads "Cantrell-Claunch-Deckelman." Was this omission intentional?

[BobDylan]

Alas, much ado about nothing. Again.

[dougpoindexter]

Thanks for catching my error there, John, a mild brainfart brought on by too much Argentine beer this morning; it was the Doug Poindexter Sun 202 disc that Scotty co-wrote, not the Deckelman. I did manage to score an original 45 of the Poindexter earlier this year. 6 more and I 'll have all of the original Sun and Flip singles.
I met Deckelman's ex wife at an Arkansas yard sale about 26 years ago. She remembered destroying every record Bud owned when they split. She hated him with a passion.

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks for catching my error there, John, a mild brainfart brought on by too much Argentine beer this morning; it was the Doug Poindexter Sun 202 disc that Scotty co-wrote, not the Deckelman. I did manage to score an original 45 of the Poindexter earlier this year. 6 more and I 'll have all of the original Sun and Flip singles.

I met Deckelman's ex wife at an Arkansas yard sale about 26 years ago. She remembered destroying every record Bud owned when they split. She hated him with a passion.

Wow, ol' Bud must have had done some special kind of carrying on.

Thanks so much for your input on this topic. Even though it's not Scotty Moore playing that instrumental as the Graceland auction site suggested, it is fascinating to learn how Sam Phillips was working not only with his own artists at Sun in December 1954, but also other acts in town on some level. Plus he was crafting commercials as well!

All of it is insightful in better understanding this amazing period in American music history, and makes this acetate discovery all the more worthwhile. Who knows what else is yet to be found in Steve LaVere's collection?


-----


Thank you again, dougpoindexter, for nailing down the origins of that instrumental before anyone else, anywhere else.

This is why FECC is the #1 forum for Elvis Presley in the world. Everyone visits here first.

[AndrewJ]

I saw this on the auction website - I think this gives a little credence to the fact that Sam Phillips could have cut dubs of Elvis recordings on acetate to test them out, as this evidence shows that he was cutting other acetates that were previously unknown.

Note I said could, not did.

[drjohncarpenter]

I saw this on the auction website - I think this gives a little credence to the fact that Sam Phillips could have cut dubs of Elvis recordings on acetate to test them out, as this evidence shows that he was cutting other acetates that were previously unknown.

Note I said could, not did.

Actually, it's a fact that Sam Phillips cut acetates of Elvis recordings to test them out with local radio. We know this from the testimony of WHBQ disc jockey Dewey Phillips, about pre-release recordings of both "That's All Right" and "Blue Moon of Kentucky," one of which survives today, and from the existence of "I'm Left, You're Right, My Baby's Gone," on acetate, found many years later in Memphis.

So with this December 1954 acetate we see more of the same experimentation regarding Sam and the music at his disposal.

[dougpoindexter]

Thanks, Doc! My passion has always been those Sun singles from 175 to 407... my big dream is that aside from Tiger Man by Elvis surfacing, is that "Christmas Time Again" by Harmonica Frank would surface on acetate. I guess hoping for the Elvis/Jones Brothers gospel jam that singer Johnny Prye of the Jones Brothers claimed was cut to acetate would be fine too. Too bad his estate was hauled to the landfill.
I'd like to ask any record collectors here to be on the lookout for any early (pre209) 45s or 78s I need for my collection, but especially these 6 Sun singles:
175 Johnny London 78 only
177 Handy Jackson 78 only
190 Ripley Cotton Choppers 78 only
201 Hardrock Gunter 45 or 78
213 Jones Brothers 78 only (mine has a piece missing)
222 Five Tinos 45 or 78
369 Bobby Wood 45 only
$$$$ paid.
I had a near complete set of Sun singles 21 years ago, but sold it to finance a well needed divorce.

[Rtn 2 Sndr]

Thanks, Doc! My passion has always been those Sun singles from 175 to 407... my big dream is that aside from Tiger Man by Elvis surfacing, is that "Christmas Time Again" by Harmonica Frank would surface on acetate. I guess hoping for the Elvis/Jones Brothers gospel jam that singer Johnny Prye of the Jones Brothers claimed was cut to acetate would be fine too. Too bad his estate was hauled to the landfill.
I'd like to ask any record collectors here to be on the lookout for any early (pre209) 45s or 78s I need for my collection, but especially these 6 Sun singles:
175 Johnny London 78 only
177 Handy Jackson 78 only
190 Ripley Cotton Choppers 78 only
201 Hardrock Gunter 45 or 78
213 Jones Brothers 78 only (mine has a piece missing)
222 Five Tinos 45 or 78
369 Bobby Wood 45 only
$$$$ paid.
I had a near complete set of Sun singles 21 years ago, but sold it to finance a well needed divorce.

This is an impressive achievement. You probably have a lot of great stories about finding some of these treasures.

[drjohncarpenter]

Thanks, Doc! My passion has always been those Sun singles from 175 to 407... my big dream is that aside from Tiger Man by Elvis surfacing, is that "Christmas Time Again" by Harmonica Frank would surface on acetate. I guess hoping for the Elvis/Jones Brothers gospel jam that singer Johnny Prye of the Jones Brothers claimed was cut to acetate would be fine too. Too bad his estate was hauled to the landfill.
I'd like to ask any record collectors here to be on the lookout for any early (pre209) 45s or 78s I need for my collection, but especially these 6 Sun singles:
175 Johnny London 78 only
177 Handy Jackson 78 only
190 Ripley Cotton Choppers 78 only
201 Hardrock Gunter 45 or 78
213 Jones Brothers 78 only (mine has a piece missing)
222 Five Tinos 45 or 78
369 Bobby Wood 45 only
$$$$ paid.
I had a near complete set of Sun singles 21 years ago, but sold it to finance a well needed divorce.

There's nothing quite like the Sun singles legacy. It's nice to see you consider the possibility that Elvis, Scotty and Bill cut a version of "Tiger Man" in 1954, a record that "not a lot of people heard." The 1951 Harmonica Frank cut seems more of a long-shot, if only because he was a fringe artist from the start, and Sam Phillips was busy with other acts, and expanding his business.

I'd forgotten about the rumoured jam at Sun with the Jones Brothers. I first read about it in Escott and Hawkins' Good Rockin' Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock 'N' Roll.

Any song of the quartet with a 19 year-old Presley would no doubt be an incomparable thrill. Their December 1954 Sun release came out about the same time as Presley's third disc for the label, "Milkcow Blues Boogie" b/w "You're A Heartbreaker." They were pretty cool, but not at all commercial. Yet the Jones Brothers were the only quartet Phillips ever released on Sun, and only on 78 RPM.





Jones Brothers "Every Night" (Sun 213, December 1954)





Jones Brothers "Look To Jesus" (Sun 213, December 1954)
"Jubilee" gospel done to perfection.

[dougpoindexter]

Yes, I've been lucky to meet some of the Sun artists, back in the 90s, and family members nowadays. The most famous was Carl Perkins (a truly nice guy), but also Malcolm Yelvington, with whom I recorded a 45 rpm record back in 1995. With only 300 copies pressed, it is rarer that his Sun 45s. His voice hadn't changed, and I recorded him in his house with simple Scotty and Bill instrumentation; 2 guitars and bass fiddle. I also knew Jimmy Haggett, who had hoarded everything over the years (I bought it all) including the Elvis AFM contracts from the B&B Club in Gobler, Missouri, which was run by Jimmy. Johnny Bragg I met while he was a tourist at 706 Union; he was rather shocked to be recognized! Also the members of the Ripley Cotton Choppers and maybe the neatest guy of all, Johnny London, who recorded the first released Sun single of all, Sun 175. He had been out of the music business for a long time, was doing IT work and traveling, and was very happy.

[drjohncarpenter]

Yes, I've been lucky to meet some of the Sun artists, back in the 90s, and family members nowadays. The most famous was Carl Perkins (a truly nice guy), but also Malcolm Yelvington, with whom I recorded a 45 rpm record back in 1995. With only 300 copies pressed, it is rarer that his Sun 45s. His voice hadn't changed, and I recorded him in his house with simple Scotty and Bill instrumentation; 2 guitars and bass fiddle. I also knew Jimmy Haggett, who had hoarded everything over the years (I bought it all) including the Elvis AFM contracts from the B&B Club in Gobler, Missouri, which was run by Jimmy. Johnny Bragg I met while he was a tourist at 706 Union; he was rather shocked to be recognized! Also the members of the Ripley Cotton Choppers and maybe the neatest guy of all, Johnny London, who recorded the first released Sun single of all, Sun 175. He had been out of the music business for a long time, was doing IT work and traveling, and was very happy.

Great stuff. As an expert on these things, what do you feel, after all these years, is the chance we find something more on Elvis from the Sun years?

[AndrewJ]

Yes, I've been lucky to meet some of the Sun artists, back in the 90s, and family members nowadays. The most famous was Carl Perkins (a truly nice guy), but also Malcolm Yelvington, with whom I recorded a 45 rpm record back in 1995. With only 300 copies pressed, it is rarer that his Sun 45s. His voice hadn't changed, and I recorded him in his house with simple Scotty and Bill instrumentation; 2 guitars and bass fiddle. I also knew Jimmy Haggett, who had hoarded everything over the years (I bought it all) including the Elvis AFM contracts from the B&B Club in Gobler, Missouri, which was run by Jimmy. Johnny Bragg I met while he was a tourist at 706 Union; he was rather shocked to be recognized! Also the members of the Ripley Cotton Choppers and maybe the neatest guy of all, Johnny London, who recorded the first released Sun single of all, Sun 175. He had been out of the music business for a long time, was doing IT work and traveling, and was very happy.

I love this story! Great detective work. Did you record any of their reminisces?

[Scarre]

This auction is once again proof of that they only care about the money. If they knew that EIC would be a hit, it would be on the market in an instant.

[Tony C]

This auction is once again proof of that they only care about the money. If they knew that EIC would be a hit, it would be on the market in an instant.

Your assumption presumably being that EPE are selling this acetate. They're not, they only host the auctions. Will that message ever sink in with people?

[drjohncarpenter]

This auction is once again proof of that they only care about the money. If they knew that EIC would be a hit, it would be on the market in an instant.

Your assumption presumably being that EPE are selling this acetate. They're not, they only host the auctions. Will that message ever sink in with people?

Your clarification is appreciated. Thank you.