ELVIS PRESLEY. THE SECOND RAREST EP IN THE WORLD ?

	£		365
	$		484

THE SOUND OF LEADERSHIP

ELVIS PRESLEY

"heartbreak hotel" on a 1956 RCA Victor EP.

Catalogue number SPD-19

At a meeting of the RCA Victor sales force in Miami in June 1956 there were a few boxed collections containing 8, four track, EPs given out as souveniers.  These were called "The Sound of Leadership" and contained tracks of all RCA Victors' 'million sellers', the most recent being "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis.  This particular track appeared on side 16 as the last track.

This EP has always been regarded as being the second rarest Elvis appearance on record, beaten to first place by the (only seen once, I believe) 10 EP various artists set given away as a promotional item to American Juke box operatives in December 1955 bearing the number SPD 15.

The SPD numbers were assigned to the 'Special Promotions Department' at RCA Victor and this EP set has the number SPD 19.

I could not believe my eyes when I bought this from a lady here in the UK.  These are rare beyond belief in the US and I would never have thought I would find one in England.  It seems, though, that her late husband was very high up in the 'His Masters Voice Record Label' Company in the 1950s and had actually been flown over to the Miami Meeting!

Let me describe what we are offering here:

A 7" gold cardboard box with a white cover showing the 'Nipper Dog' logo and the title "THE SOUND OF LEADERSHIP" at the top and "Souvenir of the Miami Meeting June 1956" under the logo.  Inside there are eight, four track EPs each on grey labels with purple writing.  They all have the legend '45 EP NOT FOR SALE' at the three o'clock position.

Record side number 16 has, as the first track, Perry Como singing "Hot Diggity" and as the second track, Elvis Presley with "Heartbreak Hotel".

Each of the records is seperated by a printed paper sheet having the heading "All time Pop Best Sellers", "All time Red Seal Best Sellers" or "New Orthofonic High Fidelity Albums".  There is also a sheet saying "Contrary to Custom. . . " that goes on to explain why the records in the album have not been put into paper sleeves!

There is also the four sided, folded sheet listing all the tracks and explaining the reason for the compilation.  This is headed "The Sound of Leadership"

The condition of all the records are "near mint".  The paper inserts also are unmarked and show only the slightest of handling marks.  The box itself is complete with no writing or tears.  There is some light scuffing around the edges where the white background shows through the gold and the white front cover has some 'fogging' which is normal on printed documents of this age.

This is one of the rarest Presley records in the world and I am expecting some very serious bidding on this from the top echelon of collectors

If you have any queries about this  item or can offer any further information I would be delighted to hear from you and will post your comments on this site.

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As with other rare items I am listing I would like to tell you a little about me to give you confidence in bidding and to assure you that these are absolutely genuine items. I am the managing director of the world famous BEANOS RECORDS and we have had our shops in South London for over 30 years. I write about rare records, appear on TV and Radio and constantly in the National Press. It is BEANOS LIMITED that are selling this most desirable item but I want to be your contact for any queries and, also, to take away the faceless negotiation that an important international auction can sometimes have. I can tell you everything you need to know about this auction lot if you email me with any questions and, you are welcome to visit our shop and view the actual item (by prior appointment) with myself. I have to point out that most of the goods I offer on eBay are also on sale in my shop and I might have to end an auction early if I have another buyer.

David Lashmar
Managing Director
BEANOS LIMITED