Collection: Test Pressings

A test pressing is one of the very first vinyl copies pulled from a new set of stampers, made before a title goes into full production — pressed in tiny quantities, typically only a handful to a few dozen copies, specifically so the label, producer, or artist can check for surface noise, skips, or defects before committing to a full run. They're usually black vinyl in a plain sleeve, often with a blank or handwritten label rather than final artwork, since the packaging isn't finalized yet. Because so few exist and each one played a real role in approving how a record ultimately sounded, test pressings are highly sought after by collectors — some even contain alternate mixes or unreleased material that never made it to the commercial release. Below are the test pressings currently in our inventory; each is a genuinely rare, one-of-a-few piece of a record's production history.