Collecting log: Collectable acquisitions in 2017 (Part 3 of 3)

Here is the final part of the three consecutive posts on this year's collectable selection (Part 1 and Part 2 here). As written on the last paragraph of this post, a question arises on the item introduced here which hopefully gets answered from knowledgeable visitors. This post is also the latest addition to a featured blog series DARKNESS US pressing LP variations.


DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN US white label promo LP - Terre Haute pressing (US Columbia JC 35318)

From the auction page: I hadn't noticed a indigo-blue rubber stamp on the front sleeve indicating
where this copy came from, until I received the record shipped by the U.S. seller.

Ok, probably you wonder why this relatively worn, white label promo (WLP) vinyl disc is chosen here as one of the three collectables from this year's acquisition. It undoubtedly pales by comparison with the previous two collectables in terms of rarity. In fact, I am not sure whether this rather common, WLP deserves a year's selection or 

Hand-etched "T2" and "T1" markings specify where this WLP
copy is pressed (i.e. Terre Haute, Indiana), so the matrix
number suffixes -1D/-2E (side 1/side 2) are specific to this
Columbia Record plant. Other suffix combinations found in
my collection include -1D/-2H, -1E/-2E, and -1F/-2H from
this pressing plant. "TML-S" and "TML-M" machine stamps
serve as the signature for early U.S. pressings of this album.

not. Maybe, it should have been expressed as a "potential collectable". Anyway, I obtained this promo LP from an eBay seller in the U.S. That was part of my effort to collect US-pressing copies of the DARKNESS album because I have recently been curious about how many different factories participated in pressing the first run of the album (The reason is explained in the first post of the relevant series here). I had two reasons for bidding this particular copy. One was the demand for a variety of WLP: For some reason or other, all my DARKNESS promo copies are Terre Haute pressings (this copy also turned out to be the same, though). Another reason was a relatively low competition of the bidding (resulting in a winning bid of US $5.77), although the shipping from the U.S. cost more than triple of the winning bid ($19.95). Still, in my opinion, the total expense ($25.72) is comparable to or cheaper than the prices here generally assigned to used WLP imports from the U.S., provided that a given copy is at least in acceptable conditions.

Obviously, this WLP copy was a property of the WMMR radio station. Then who had kept and played this copy at the station?
A clue to this question may lie in what seems to be someone's initials that are handwritten with a silver marker underneath the gold promo stamp.

As shown by the rubber stamp on the front sleeve, this WLP copy was previously owned by WMMR, a rock radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, although the seller did not mention anything about it (and so I was not aware of it at the time of bidding on the auction till I received it). Consistently, the seller's address is right there one of the oldest and most historically significant U.S. cities. This prompted me to check further the LP sleeve, and just below a gold promo stamp on the upper left corner of the rear, I found a signature-like, silver-inked handwritten script probably indicating someone's initials. Living in a country where English is practically not needed, I am not familiar with hand-written letters and still not sure of what the spelling is exactly in this case (and what it means). I was seeking to draw what connected with Springsteen, DARKNESS, promo LP, Philly, radio station, and WMMR ...  and an idea pinged into my head: Isn't this "ES" that refers to a radio legend Ed Sciaky (1948—2004), one of the earliest known enthusiastic disc jockeys/supporters of the Man and His Music?  No information as to this was available from the seller. I am totally not confident about my guess, and so probably I got the wrong idea (wondering if someone can answer this). However, at least I had some small fun delving into this simple handwriting, which explains why I picked it up here. Finally, I'd like to wish everyone who has visited my blog a Happy New Year. Happy hunting, happy collecting, and enjoy your lovely vinyl discs!