THE SMITHS RANK INNER PROOF ARTWORK SLEEVE MORRISSEY

	£		29
	$		39

The Smiths.
"Rank"
Cardboard inner bag "Proof" Sleeve. U.K Issue Rough 126
Sleeves were issued by condor litho printers whom were Rough Trades Official printers of these proof sleeves.
Printed on card stock. The card measures 25" by 13" and shows the front and back of this iconic inner sleeve (ie where you slip the vinyl into to protect it) which features Morrissey and Marr as the cover stars .
The sleeve looks (well to me anyway) like its the version that was finally passed for the released inner sleeve the only difference being the image of Morrissey and Marr on stage is sharper and the colours lighter in contrast to the released inner sleeve bag. 
Only 12 of these were printed. 
The condition of the sleeve is near mint flat and un folded as i have kept them in professional storage boxes in a cool,dark and damp free environment. Also an added bonus is all my items come from a smoke and pet free home. 
Up for auction is a proof sleeve for the above release for the sole purpose of seeing what the sleeve would look like aesthetically before they went to print. These mock sleeves were printed up for Joe Slee who was the art co-ordinator for Rough Trade Records. I came across these pieces of historic art around 1998 and was just bold over by the history of it all its not everyday you come across items like these and there so stunning to look at and hopefully my pictures will try to allay this to you.
I purchased these items from a person who i cannot name but they did work at Rough trade up and till they closed in the 1990's. These pieces of art pop history are genuine, not re-worked prints i can and will 100% guarantee this and anything else i will be selling.
Hopefully these items will appeal to you as much as they did to me over a decade ago and i think there's something here for every kind of enthusiast and every type of collector from the completest to the occasional collector but i must stress that these individual proofs are very rare and were not made in the 100's they were very limited mostly to only 6 or 7 of each and others that i own are less than that number as they were only made so that Caryn Gough,Joe slee and Morrissey could view them to see if they had the finished product they all liked or to view alternate versions of sleeve. These are very rare items indeed and it's unusual to find any bands proof sleeves never mind The Smiths proof sleeves. Here's a chance to be the envy of the Smiths collecting world.
I have been an avid Smiths and Morrissey collector for over 20 years and enjoyed every minute of collecting you know that searching for an item, the smell the feel and the satisfaction you feel when you find the one or see and hear new things its a great buzz.  I hadn't planned to sell any of my collection until my world was turned upside down as my wife was diagnosed with "cancer" and now i want to start selling my collection to raise some money so i can take her away to New York a place she has always wanted to go. I will be posting items up over several weeks until its gone. So if you like the items I'm posting up on here make sure you keep coming back weekly.
Rank is a live album by English band The Smiths. It was released in September 1988 by their British record company, Rough Trade, and reached No. 2 in the British charts. In the United States, the album was released on Sire Records and made No. 77. Morrissey hated the LP and wrote "Rank by Name rank by nature"
Rank was released as a contractual obligation, a year after the band had split. It was recorded on 23 October 1986 at National Ballroom in Kilburn, London, and is a fourteen-track distillation (of 21 songs) by singer Morrissey from the complete concert recording that had earlier been transmitted by BBC Radio 1. The album rode high on Smiths nostalgia and the success of Morrissey's debut solo album, Viva Hate, earlier the same year.
The sleeve for Rank, once again designed by Morrissey, stars actress Alexandra Bastedo. The album's sleeve, a gatefold, featured dozens of Smiths fans ripping apart Morrissey's shirt, which is from the 1986 GMEX concert.
The artwork proof sleeves will be posted flat and posters will be sent out in plastic tubes all carefully packaged to help prevent damage.
I will also combine postage costs to multiple winners where possible and i welcome bids from all over the world as i will ship items worldwide.
 All items and/or multiple items over the value of £40 will be sent recorded mail. Sorry no exceptions can be made as then we are all covered if things get damaged or lost GOD FORBID that would be tragic.
If i have missed something out that you need to know however large or small please email via ebay and i will get back to you as soon as i can with an answer.
Please note the auction starts at 99p i've only done this so everybody gets a fair chance of owning one of these spectacular pieces of pop Smiths Rough Trade history.
*******As for the postage and packaging prices quoted they are rough prices so please wait for me to send you an invoice after the auctions end with an exact price, possibly the NEXT DAY.  I can assure you it will be at cost. Its only the insurance that will have to be factored in.You never know it could be less than quoted********
Thanks to all who read this and good luck to you all in collecting and life.