Amazing Goose wrote:Well reading through this thread has ruined my peace of mind and I've since looked over all of my early spine numbers. Most look legit (including my copy of This is Spinal Tap that I managed to get for about $20 last summer) except for Nights of Cabiria (which I also grabbed last summer for around $25.) The label printing on the disc looks flat and uniform, while all of the other discs from that time seem to have printing that's slightly textured and unprinted for clear areas the design, letting the shiny surface of the disc show through; my Cabiria label doesn't have that. So that feels like a bootleg. (Cover and insert all look pretty legit...)
One question though: can someone explain exactly what the Nimbus logo is and where to look for it, as well what's meant by "frosted ring" vs. "clear ring" (and which one signifies what?) I've seen those mentioned around here ever since the days of Salo being OOP and going for hundreds of dollars on eBay but have never found a definition for what those all mean. (I recently found a copy of "Hard Boiled" at a reasonable price and that's what sent me here in the first place.)
I'll try to best answer your questions. I pulled these 3 spines out for comparison. They are all authentic Criterions.
Here is the Amaray case for all three. Having this case is a strong indicator that you have an authentic disc.
You
could of course possibly have a bootleg disc with an Amaray case, but it's been my experience that this almost never happens.
These particular cases are very unique to the early spines and obtaining one for a bootleg seems unlikely.
Here is the front of The Killer DVD on top of its case. This is an example of a
frosted inner ring.
Here's the back of The Killer DVD. This is the exact font of how "NIMBUS" should look.
Also, notice the 8 dots grouped together to the left of NIMBUS. This is prevalent on The Killer, Blood for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein and indicates an authentic disc.
Here's Salo and a close up of its inner ring and NIMBUS. Notice the 5-dot pattern on the front.
Here is Nights of Cabiria in its case. The front is raised and textured.
This is an example of a
clear inner ring.
You can see right through it to the back of the Amaray case.
I've included the back so you can compare markings and serial numbers.
If you're interested in what other spines have frosted vs. clear inner rings I can take a peek at 2-51 sometime later. I know that others forum members have claimed of legitimate versions of The Killer with a clear inner ring, but the frosted one has always been preferred for authentication purposes since it's impossible to duplicate.
I don't know if Nights of Cabiria ever had a frosted ring or NIMBUS; my guess is no. Others can comment.
The actual labels on the DVDs for both Salo and Nights of Cabiria are definitely raised and textured. Only The Killer has a completely smooth surface. I would definitely question the authenticity of your copy of Nights of Cabiria if it's smooth, does not have similar markings around the back inner ring, and does not have the original Amaray case. Fair market price for this disc is around $60-80 used or $125-$150 new.
Hope this helps!