Hello everyone!

For the longest time I believed that "Sample" copies with the sticker on the cover were simply normal production batches that were picked up randomly, got a sticker, and were shipped around as test/preview.

But I found out that I was a little wrong about it. They put a little more efforts in making sample (pre?) production batches because the disc labels ALSO indicate that the copy was a sampler.

It sometimes comes as an additional sticker on the label itself (見本盤) but most of the time the label is printed with these additional Kanjis.
That means they really made a separate batch of sampling copies before starting the real production batch.

Example:



Julien

I knew it, I always thought that samples were special like pre releases or something.
Sad that they never caught on as a collectible, in other fields people collect samples and prototypes but not so much in LDs.

Thanks for that Julien, really interesting.

Got a few SAMPLE copies & quite a few are clearly sticker applied during/after production as I have duplicate copies of some titles & they are exactly the same as the SAMPLE ones.

I am going to check the SAMPLE LDs I have as I had never noted that difference but would not have been looking for it so time to check, will get round to it soon & get back if any of my SAMPLE labels showing similar marks.

Thanks again for the information.

Cheers for now,

John

I have a few (mostly F1 LDs) with SAMPLE stickers & would go for the sample one if more than one copy was for sale particularly if the sample one was sealed.

Time to look through them again as I would never have spotted the difference.

Cheers

je280 Just want to make sure you see as it took me a few minutes to see.
That block of Kanji after Laserdisc on the top.

I'm sure all the samples have that.

Also wanted to post this for others as its not easy to notice that block of Kanji for non Japanese readers.

I just checked my copy of Nijiotoko (The Rainbow Man) (1949) [PILD-7066] and the label is indeed one made with the sample goods mark.

So technically these are real promos then, I guess, although not very exciting ones. It’s nice for us that they are regular releases otherwise with all the regular inserts and a nice sleeve.

Yeh got that thanks rein-o .

Cheers

The first F1 "SAMPLE" LD I checked - The Men of Legend: F-1 Grand Prix 1992 Special (1992) [PILW-1086] - has the marking on the disc label on side one (the side with the play contents).

Will dig out some other PIONEER "SAMPLE" discs to see if they are all the same.

Got have some non PIONEER issued SAMPLE LDs also so will check them too when I get to them.

Cheers.

I believe they would be QUITE collectible if the production batch never made it past the Samplers and was not green lighted for mass production.
But I doubt it happened, or it would just be the usual white/generic sleeve with something written on the label for test discs.

I can understand now why they chose to use a non-removable sticker on the cover:

1/ To not print a different cover, just a different label on the disc
2/ To make sure the sticker can't be removed and pass as a regular copy (samplers are not for sale... initially!)

I believe the Samplers were not sold in a sealed plastic wrap but include obi or not (I have samplers with obi).

With: TOEI TV Tokusatsu Shudaika Daizenshu (Anime Theme Song Collection): vol.1 [LSTD01268]
Without: Berlin: Wam Bam, Live in Japan (1987) [SM058-3170]

Someone on Discogs went to the trouble to list separately standard and promo releases:

Standard: https://www.discogs.com/The-Cure-The-Cure-In-Orange/release/10098548
Promo: https://www.discogs.com/The-Cure-The-Cure-In-Orange/release/11541680

Being the completist that I am, should we consider to add a "Sampler copies known to exist" for LDs?
Just a "yes" checkbox if you do happen to own one.

Julien

I’m pretty sure the samples came from production batches so sample only LDs probably don’t exist.

I like the idea of a check box. If the sample system never varies then that’s enough.

I believe the Samplers were not sold in a sealed plastic wrap but include obi or not (I have samplers with obi).

Not sure if this is of any help but I have been lucky enough to have opened a few new/sealed "SAMPLE" LDs, most were PIONEER F1 LDs which came with all the inserts that were included with the "regular" issues. They all came in the standard heat sealed poly bag with the air hole punch.

Only checked a few of the PIONEER ones so far but pretty sure I have a few more which were not PIONEER issues so will check them also when I get to them to see if they are similar in nature.

The known sample box thing might be an idea.

Will try to get to the "SAMPLE" LDs over the weekend & update any differences if there are any.

Well spotted Julien, played some of these discs a few times & never noted the sample label thing.

Cheers

見本盤 Sample Laserdisc Gamera 2 Attack of Legion Deluxe Edition DLZ-0204 Japan

Interesting listing on ebay just now.

If you pop laserdisc sample into ebay search there are quite a few listed with sample stickers - crazy (in my opinion, whatever that is worth) prices on most of them though.

I bought quite a few SAMPLE LDs around 2006 or '07 from a seller in Japan who I had been getting a few F1 LDs from. He let me have any with SAMPLE stickers at around 50% less than usual - I was more than happy with that & he was only charging $5 to $10 for LDs so most cost around $3 each. A couple or three of them were "new" & all the others were in almost perfect condition, as close to mint as you would find. The postage cost more than the purchase price of the LDs.

All my PIONEER LDs with SAMPLE stickers that I have checked so far carry the label tag, still to get to some others not from PIONEER.

Hope to get to them over the next couple of days, interested to see if they also carry the label tag.

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It works on boxsets as well!

Tom & Jerry: Cartoon Festival vol.1 [ML-10]



Tom & Jerry: Cartoon Festival vol.2 [PILA-1429]



Julien

I guess it doesn't work ALL THE TIME!



Julien

I was hoping to get back to this before now but between one thing & another.....

Still got a few LDs to get to but so far there do appear to be quite a few variants of the Japanese LD SAMPLE thing, printed labels, stickers, ink stamps with different manufacturers using different methods though some of them look to have used various types.

Will get round to taking the pictures of them & forward them on.

Cheers for now.

When I can I'll check my playboy VHD since it has a sample sticker but I have yet to look for the kanji or whatever on the case.

This LD sampler thing is getting a bit involved.

Thought I had seen most examples but just got a few LDs, most of them Japanese, & another sample example among them.

It is a sealed copy of Babe: Pig in the City - PILF 2769 issued on the 24th Sept 1999 so one of the latter LD releases.

There are no disc label sample marks & no sticker on the cover but there is a very small red metallic sticker with the Kanjis on it applied to the outer poly bag over the barcode which is on the obi.

Any other sample LDs that have had a sticker on the outer bag that I have seen have also had at least a sticker applied to the cover somewhere & if the box with the Kanjis were not on the disc labels a sample sticker was often applied to them, perhaps being one of the latter releases there may have been less attention paid to the sample thing but obviously cannot be sure of that.

A few other sample LDs to go through & will update any other variations when I can.

Cheers

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Can we be sure these are actually part of a separate sample (or 'final test') run (ie: some form of mint marking on the disc itself) or the initial pressings off the production run that had 'sample' stickers applied to the packaging and disc to discourage resale of something likely given out free for promotional purposes?

They would be the same discs as the retail version with very rare exception. Test pressings are for the people very close to the production of the movie or LD. They are used to review the LD and decide to pull the trigger on a huge run. Once that run is underway then promos go to influential players, people like magazine editors and shops. In the record world DJs are a huge part of this but that’s not matters for LDs.

This kind of thing has been done with records and CDs since forever. It varies by publisher. Google “promo” and you’ll see all kinds of ways of doing the same thing. It’s not that amazing or that big of a deal except that Pioneer was so neat about it. Most promos records and CDs just have some ugly stamp on them or they are a special release for radio/DJ play that usually is boring in design with two tracks. Nowadays I don’t think they even mark music promos %99 of the time since music is all worthless anyway.

Any sample LDs that I have seen have the same mint & stamp run numbers as the "normal" (for want of a better word) issues on the LDs.

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