test pressing in Muriel's collection (22 items)
A test pressing is one of the very first copies of a record, pressed to check the sound quality before the vinyl goes into production. They usually come with plain white labels, in a blank sleeve, sometimes with handwritten notes or cutting information, and are made in small quantities.
Collecting Amon Amarth test pressings became my main focus over the years. For the early albums, from Once Sent from the Golden Hall to Twilight of the Thunder God, I've gathered test pressings of the original German pressings, the picture discs and the UK Back On Black reissues, sometimes all three for the same album. The picture disc test pressings are my favourite fun ones: often completely white, they look nothing like the colourful picture disc they were made for! Later ones get scarcer, like the Surtur Rising German 2LP test pressing, only 5 made.
Still hunting: my collection stops at Deceiver of the Gods, and I don't have any test pressing for the more recent albums yet. If you have one, or any from my wantlist, I'm happy to buy or trade. Contact me!