"magic" stampers?

to sum up: i have two NM copies of the stones "let it bleed" on the blue london label. i had the itch to listen this morning so i put it on the table. to be honest, nothing to get excited about. seems like it sounded better than that, so i found the other copy. WOW! it was like night and day. the second copy was much more dynamic, detailed, energetic--i was literally glued to the seat slack-jawed. checked the dead wax, and there were some differences in the inscriptions. both copies otherwise appear the same, same amount of wear, no groove damage.

a record dealer i no longer buy from used to tout what he called "magic stampers," which i always dismissed because he asked exorbitant prices for them, plus i was somewhat dubious of the claim.

to think through this as i type, i suppose the first inference would be that earlier pressings are more likely to have these characteristics, but i suppose you never know. just another fun aspect of being a vinyl geek.

any comments or similar experiences are welcome.

happy christmas, hanukkah, kwanzaa, festivus, etc.!