Alice in Chains Facelift 12x12" Album Flat, Layne Staley & Mike Starr, Jerry, +1

Description

This is not an album, it is a 12x12" flat used to hang in record ships to promote albums. When I bought this many years ago, I was told that it was signed at a pre release party the band hosted. I have seen 3 or 4 other signed flats from this album signed pop up over the years and they all have a similar history so I have no reason to question it. The signatures are a spot on examples of early AIC autographs with a superior Layne that has much more letter formation compared to later signatures that got much more sloppy and more of a low profile. Short of an actual vinyl for this album which I personally have never seen signed, this is a pinnacle piece of AIC signed memorabilia from this period. This flat is in really great condition with only very minor wear.
On 4/25/2021 I received this message from a fan and figured it would be nice to post here. I have seen several of these promo flats signed on ebay and various auction houses and almost everyone I have seen is a total mess, the band was drained, probably buzzed or worse and they started really getting sloppy with gibberish doodles all over them. Mike was particularly known to do this. This one is from the top of the stack, and was kept in near mint condition.
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I wanted to let you know i was friends with Mike starr and he had dozens and dozens of home videos from those early years when he was still in the band. And i actually saw a video from that pre release party for facelift. And they were signing stacks of posters, cds, and LPs. Your lucky that copy must've been one of the earlier ones. Because at one point Layne or mike started just doing super quick squiggles instead of clean normal autograph. And pretty soon the rest of the band joined in. So by the bottom of the stack it was maybe initials or possibly a check mark"
Thank you so much for viewing my auctions. I have been getting autographs in person in the Pacific Northwest for over 2.5 decades. I also traveled frequently over the years to get autographs up and down the west coast and beyond. Getting autographs in person is not easy and understanding the logistics of a person is an ever evolving art form and tracking them down takes skill, time, and money. Couple this with the fact that more and more people simply don’t sign or sign very little. This is why only a handful of people do this in each city and is why people who sell real autographs have seemingly high prices. 99% of everything I sell I got signed myself, however I do buy items from fellow hounds now and again and acquire premium vintage signed items for my store as well.
Shipping, media mail is still cheap but costs have nearly doubled in the last few years. I don’t profit from shipping so if the costs seem abnormally high please bring this to my attention. For albums I use crush proof mailers and I used chip boards and backers and bubble envelopes etc…. and this all cost money so that is built into the rates. Please keep this in mind. International shipping is crazy high now. Ebay requires tracking too so I cannot use the cheaper first class rates. I also use the Global Shipping Program. International buyers, please email me first for all our options and better more accurate quotes.
Condition and specific items details. I list a lot of stuff guys. It takes a lot of time. I can’t always list every single detail so I ask that if you have a specific question about condition or potential minute flaws that you just ask. Getting autographs can be like a scrum and items can get little marks or dents along the way. Usually not, but it can happen. So while 99% of the items are perfect relative to the context, for example a used record is USED!! Some items may have minor flaws so if you are a stickler for details shoot me a message here and I will specifically check for you but it it’s noteworthy I’d be forthcoming or just not list it. This also applies to where I got the items signed. I do not take “proof” photos. Proof photos are one of the biggest scams in the hobby. 99% of the time they don’t show your specific items being signed so they prove nothing other than said person was signing autographs at some point in time. These photos are used repeatedly as a license to forge. People alter these images by photo shopping items into pictures and you can go online and grab any “proof” photos and use them as your own. The other reason I do not take them is because once those cameras come out the signer usually stops signing as they know it’s for ebay. I don’t wish to make the signer uncomfortable and stop signing, my goal is to get more autographs, not generic images of them signing. “Proof” photos are big business in LA and NY for example where that photo being a license to forge is more valuable than the autograph itself. NY, LA and the UK are cesspools of the forging empire. Keep this in mind.