Classic Vinyl Bootleg Revisited: PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE 3LP box (continued)

This is a follow-up survey I conducted in the last post to determine which label, specifically generic yellow or Slipped Disc Records, corresponds to the very first issue of PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE, a real landmark release among his entire vinyl bootlegs (By the way, the slick insert cover of this box release states Piste, rather than either of the above-mentioned two, as the record label on the right bottom corner).

As I explained in the last post, my guess is that the generic yellow label is way earlier than the other. In order to support this thought further, I continued to examine the limited-numbered copies by extending the survey to include those that are NOT in my collection. A lot of photographic images of the numbered copies are uploaded on various internet sites; the best sites are the ones that enumerate internet auction results with item images, such as Popsike. So, it was not difficult to conduct this survey; just check these uploaded images for the variable factors mentioned in the last post, the results of which are shown in the vertical columns of the updated table here.

The total number of the limited-numbered copies used in this survey counts 35 copies including 8 from my collection that have been used in the previous survey. So, the 27 copies listed in this table are not owned by myself but by someone I don't know (In fact, I do know only a few owners including Mr. "D"). It is possible that someone reading this blog is, or once was, an actual owner of a listed copy. I'd appreciate any feedback if I have made mistakes or put wrong information in this table.

The sample number (i.e. n = 35) could not be enough, if more than 5,000 copies were indeed pressed and circulated, but probably substantial to give an answer that sounds credible. Essentially, my own interpretations of this survey can be summarized as follows:

• The majority of the numbered copies are released in a black box with a white slick insert cover, which seems to be strict to the lower numbered copies (below #1,000) with the exception of fewer copies coming with a pale blue insert. 
• As far as the lower numbered copies examined here, all come with the sticker-stamped numbers and carry the generic yellow labels (except for two sealed copies whose labels remain of course unknown).
• On the other hand, the Slipped Disc Records labels occur only with the supposedly later copies whose numbering starts in #1,000's. 

I don't think that the bootleggers have managed to number individual copies in quantities as large as 5,000, although these limited numbers indicate so (e.g. the largest one I've seen thus far is #5739). From my viewpoint, these limited numbers are not trusted in a strict sense, but would probably reflect the overall sequence of their appearance (I mean, the copies with lower limited-numbers came out relatively earlier and those with higher numbers later). So, I think that this updated survey further supports the generic yellow label version as the very first release of this classic vinyl bootleg.

The following are additional notes that may be worth mentioning:

• As shown in the pictures, stamp number fonts differ in size between the early sticker (larger font size) and later non-sticker (smaller) versions.
• Light cream-colored slick inserts seem to come only with white boxes.
• There is a variation in digit numbers (4 or 5) for the later copies (numbered #1,000's to 2000's), and 5-digit numbers seem to be found exclusively with the Slipped Disc Records label version.

As notified in the last post, the next post will discuss this topic from a different view, particularly in relation to the release of LIVE IN THE PROMISED LAND, another landmark 1978 Tour bootleg produced by the same bootlegger who has made PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE.
— To be continued.