UK 7" [Rough Trade RT136]
Rigid sleeve. Beige label with brown text. As the Smiths grew in popularity and the single sold out, more copies had to be pressed. Six versions have been reported, all differences mentioned for this format are found on the label:

• version 1
  Capitol-style logo, publishers are Glad Hips, solid centre.
  RT-136 A-3U-1- / RT-136 B-1U-1-

• version 2a
  Capitol-style logo, publishers are Glad Hips, push-out centre. This is the only version with anti-slip serrations.
  RT-136 A-3U-1- / RT-136 B-1U-1-
  RT 136 A-3U-1-1-12 / RT 136 B-1U-1-1-2

• version 2b
  Same as version 2a above, without the anti-slip serrations.

• version 2.5
  Same as previous, but has rubber-stamp logo sticker over the Capitol-style logo.
  RT 136 A-3U-1-1 7 / RT 136 B-1U-1-1 6

• version 3
  Logo changed to rubber-stamp one, publishers are still Glad Hips, centre is still push-out.
  RT 136 A-3U-1-1-21 / RT 136 B-1U-1-2-7

• version 4
  Rubber-stamp logo, publishers are still Glad Hips, but centre is now solid as Morrissey was probably not supervising anymore.
  RT 136 A-3U-1-2-? / RT 136 1U-1-1-22

• version 5
  Rubber-stamp logo, publishers are now Warner Bros, still solid centre. The line 'Made in the UK' was added under the title on the label and a LC number (label code) under the logo.
  RT 136 A-3U-1-1-5 / RT 136 B-1U-1-1-7

UK 12" [Rough Trade RTT136]
Beige label with brown text. White 'Made in Great Britain' paper inner sleeve with glossy interior surface. As the Smiths grew in popularity and the single sold out, more copies had to be pressed. Five versions have been reported:

• version 1
  Capitol-style logo on label, with Glad Hips credited as publishers. Sleeve without band name on the front. Rough Trade logo on the back has a dome. Has the music grooves pressed tightly, leaving more space for the run-out grooves, between which the "timtom" signature can be found.
  RTT 136 A1 / RTT 136 B1

• version 2
  Same as above, but logo on the back replaced with variation without dome, as Capitol Records probably didn't appreciate the imitation. The logo on the record remained the same. There are two different b-side configurations for this version. One has the music grooves pressed tighter, leaving more space for the run-out grooves, between which the "timtom" signature can be found. The other has the music grooves taking most of the space, leaving just a thin area for the run-out signature "A Porky Prime Cut".
  RTT 136 A2 / RTT 136 B2 (both variations)

• version 1.5 or 2.5
  Logos on label and back of the sleeve covered with a sticker showing a Rough Trade rubber-stamp logo. It is unclear which out of versions 1 or 2 was covered with these stickers.

• version 3
  1984 or later re-pressing. Label has 'block' logo and Warner Bros as publishers. Band name now appears on the front of the sleeve. Logo on the back of the sleeve shows dome again. One interesting change is found in the correction of a lyric (printed on the back), from "Why pander life's complexities" on earlier versions to the correct "Why pamper life's complexities" on this one and the next. Tracks on side B printed tightly, leaving more space for the run-out grooves, between which the "timtom" signature can be found.

• version 4
  Idem to version 3, but on side B the music grooves use most of the space, leaving just a thin area for the run-out signature "A Porky Prime Cut".
  RTT 136 A1 / RTT 136 B2

UK 12" - New-York mix [Rough Trade RTT136NY]
Beige-grey label with almost-black text. Sleeve paler than that of the regular 12" mentioned above. Four versions have been reported:

• version 1
  Capitol-style logo with dome found on label and on the back of the sleeve. The front of the sleeve doesn't mention the band's name. Many copies have a silver 'U.S. MIX £1.49 RRP' sticker on the front.
  RTT136 NY A1 / RTT136 NY B1

• version 2
  Logo on the back of the sleeve changed to variation without the dome. Logo on label unchanged. Still no band name on the front of the sleeve.

• version 2.5
  A few leftover copies were sold with a sticker applied over the logo on the label. Unlike the 7" and regular 12" for which those stickers featured the rubber-stamp logo, in this case the new logo had 'Rough Trade' inside a circle. Still no band name on the front of the sleeve.

• version 3
  Rubber-stamp logo on label. Band name on front of the light-coloured sleeve is near-black. Logo on the back of the sleeve has a dome.
  RTT-136-NY-A / RTT-136-NY-B

It should be noted that an unofficial "This Charming Man" New York mix 12" can be found with a Pet Shop Boys megamix on the flipside. This is not an official Rough Trade release, but a bootleg DJ 12" probably put out in the latter half of the 1980s when the New York mix 12" was deleted and very difficult to find.

UK postcard
Some buyers of the UK 7" found inside its sleeve this postcard of Morrissey re-enacting the movie scene at the source of the single's artwork.

UK 7" - jukebox issue [Rough Trade RT136]
Two different jukebox versions have been reported. One has the same text layout on the label as versions 1 and 2 above, the other is like version 5. However, both have a large centre hole and no anti-slip serrations. Neither comes with a picture sleeve unless someone found an orphan one to slip their copy in.

UK 7" green label promo - 1-sided [Rough Trade RT136]
This is a one-sided yellow-green label test pressing with test tone b-side, just like the one described below. However it was made into a promo by having a Scott Piering contact info sticker affixed to the side B label. Another Scott Piering sticker is found on back of the record's picture sleeve. A black and white photocopy/print of the stock label (with Capitol-style logo and Glad Hips as publishers) is sometimes glued to the a-side or found loose inside the sleeve.
RT 136 A-3U-1-1-X1 / FB7 X1 LPFB

UK 7" promo [Rough Trade RT136]
Stock copies of the 7" single version 1 mentioned above were distributed to certain media with a Scott Piering sticker on the back of the sleeve (sticker may sometimes be found on the front of the sleeve). This usually came with a press release in A4 format, with release information and upcoming live dates on one side, and a black and white reproduction of the single's artwork on the other. Other copies of the 7" have been seen with a different press release, this one from Scott Piering's Appearing Media Services and dated '19.10.83'. It is unknown whether or not these 7"s had a Scott Piering contact info sticker on them.

UK 12" New York mix promo [Rough Trade RTT136NY]
New York mix record slipped in a white sleeve. In some cases labels have 'vocal' and 'instrumental' stickers on respective sides, in other cases they are stamped 'A' and 'B' in circles. In all reported cases the white die-cut sleeve is stamped with Scott Piering's Appearing Promotions stamp. Some copies come with loose round photocopies of the labels.
RTT 136 NY A1 / RTT 136 NY B1

UK 30cm x 60cm promo poster (12" x 24")
View here. Some copies, possibly meant for non-UK territories, lack the line "Distributed By The Cartel" at the bottom.

UK ad
Originally published in Smash Hits; features tour dates. View here.

UK 7" 1-sided test pressing London version [Rough Trade RT136]
One-sided test pressing of the London version of "This Charming Man". The band was not happy with this version and re-recorded the song in Manchester; the London version appeared later on the 12" single. Label is white, stamped '26 SEP 1983' and has 'RT 136 A-2U' handwritten on it. One copy also has the band name, both titles and 'NOT FINISHED' in handwriting on it. The record has anti-slip serrations. Estimated 2 in existence, but there could be more.
RT 136 A-2U-1-1-1 / FB 7 X 1 LPFB

UK 7" 1-sided test pressing Manchester version [Rough Trade RT136]
One-sided yellow-green label test pressing of the re-recorded version of the title track, later to be named the 'Manchester' version to differentiate it from the 'London' one. B-side has test tone.
RT 136 A-3U-1-1-X1 / FB7 X1 LPFB

UK 7" alternate sleeve [Rough Trade RT136]
This alternate sleeve is identical to the regular 7" one, but it has a Portland Street, Manchester address for Glad Hips music on the back, under the usual credits. A certain number of these sleeves were produced, but none was ever used commercially. Had they been, they would have surely been paired with version 1 of the record (see description above). They seem to have been kept in storage by Rough Trade or salvaged by some employee and resurfaced at some point during the 1990s. They are often traded between collectors without a record in them. Copies found with a record inside seem to have been put together a posteriori.

UK 12" test pressing [Rough Trade RTT136]
This is found in black and white sleeve with title in big letters and Rough Trade logo on the back.

UK 12" New York mix test pressing [Rough Trade RTT136NY]
This usually comes in a generic sleeve with big ROUGH TRADE logo on back. Black and white photocopy of artwork on front. Copies may exist without the latter sleeve.

UK 12" New York mix acetate
With Master Room labels, dated '03/21/83' (?). Additional information needed.

UK 12" New York mix master pressing plate aka stamper
A metal master plate for side B of the 12" format has made it into the collecting world. The stamper comes with a loose copy of the label.
UK 7" - 2008 reissue 7" test pressing [Rhino UK RHN136]
The white label test pressing of this item has so far only been sold as a set with the test pressings of the other 7"s included in the "Singles Box". It is therefore described in the latter item's collectors appendix.

UK 7" - 2008 reissue 10" acetate [Rhino UK RHN136]
The 10" metal-based lacquer reference acetate for the 2008 7" reissue listed above comes housed in a 12" grey Heathmans Mastering sleeve with printed custom studio labels on the front (white with Heathmans Mastering logo on top, band name, title, catalogue numbers and '21/9/2008'). The matrix number is handwritten in the centre of the disc.

UK in-house cassette
A Copymasters cassette of "This Charming Man" has made it into the hands of at least one collector. The tape features the London version of the song.

UK printers proof for early sleeve
Printers proof for the alternate sleeve mentioned above.

Australia 7" [CBS RTANZ001]
The sleeve is very similar to its UK counterpart, but it is made of thin glossy paper instead of rigid card. The minor differences are found on its back in the catalogue number, the credits, and the addition of the 'shattered' Rough Trade logo. The label is golden beige with brown text, and its layout is also similar to the UK one.

Australia 12" [CBS RTANZ12001]
The sleeve of the Australian 12" single doesn't feature the band's name on the front. The back artwork is based on the UK New York mix 12", with minor differences in the catalogue number, the credits, and the 'shattered' Rough Trade logo. The label is golden beige with brown text. The inner sleeve is a plastic film one with round bottom, typical of Australian 12"s.

Collectors should note that the sleeve of this format is identical to the one used in New Zealand. Record browsers need to pull the record out to know what country it is from.

Australia 7" promo [CBS RTANZ001]
The label of the promo 7" is a black and white version of that of the stock 7", with promo warning added under the band's name. The sleeve is identical to the stock version one, nothing marks it as a promo.

Australia 12" promo [CBS RTANZ12001]
The Australian promo 12" has a black and white label, but unlike the 7", it is not a black and white version of the stock 12", but a black and white version of the 'bowler hat man silhouette' labels used in New Zealand (and also in Australia a few years later). The sleeve is identical to the stock version one, nothing marks it as a promo.

Australia promo poster
View here.

Belgium 7" [Megadisc RT136]
The Belgium 7" for this title is very similar to versions 1 and 2 of the UK 7", in sleeve and layout+colour of the record's label. The most obvious differences are the large opening centre (instead of the UK solid or push-out centres) and the 'Made in Belgium' credit at the bottom of the label. The back of the sleeve has a big Megadisc logo in the top left corner and states "Marketed by Megadisc / Distributed by Ariola". Interestingly, the back also gives the Portland Street address in Manchester found on the alternate early UK sleeve mentioned above.

Belgium 12" [Ariola/Megadisc 12RT.136/RTT136]
The regular Belgian "This Charming Man" 12" is numbered RTT136 on the label and 12RT.136 on the sleeve. The record is very similar to the regular UK pressing. The major differences are the tint of the label and the presence of the Megadisc logo.

Belgium 12" [Megadisc RTTNY136]
The Belgian New York mix 12" sleeve doesn't feature the band's name on the front. Its tint is almost white, so even paler than it's British counterpart. The back of it shows the Megadisc logo and states "Distributed by Ariola/Marketed by Megadisc", with catalogue number RTTNY136. The record's label is pinkish beige and features a Capitol-style logo and the line "Made In Belgium".

Brazil EP various artists promo [21.092, #74]
A 5-track various artists promo EP (21.092, #74; basic grey sleeve with green text) featuring the Manchester and London versions of "This Charming Man" was distributed to media in Brazil in 1985. Because this single was never released in Brazil, and the song is not even featured on the debut album there, and because this promo is from 1985, it is unclear what release was being promoted. It has been speculated that this may have served to promote "Hatful of Hollow", but the version of "This Charming Man" on the latter album is neither one featured on the promo. The promo mentions the source album for other artists featured on it, but not for the Smiths.

France 7" [Virgin 105.736]
This French 7" is very similar to its UK counterpart. The label is in the same colours and layout, with minor credit differences and the addition of a Virgin logo on the right. The centre hole is a large one. The front of the sleeve is identical. The back is similar: the catalogue number was changed and a Virgin logo was added at the bottom. Later copies have a golden 'PM102' (price guide) sticker applied over the original 'AE140' printed under the catalogue number. The sleeve isn't as thick as the UK 7"s card sleeve, but it is still of better quality than the paper sleeves from most other countries.

France 12" [Virgin 601110; first pressing]
Collectors of alternate artwork love French 12"s because they often differ slightly to their counterparts from other countries. In the case of the "This Charming Man" 12", the front of the sleeve has an added 'MAXI 45t' logo to the right of the band's name (MAXI 45t means maxi-single playable at 45rpm). The back of the sleeve is based on the back of the regular UK 12", with slight modifications to account for the different track listing and label. The record label is beige with brown text, showing both the Rough Trade and Virgin logos, as well as the mandatory SACEM stamp. The New York mix is labelled 'US remixed'. Some copies have been seen with a gold 'PM132' sticker over the usual price code number in the top right corner on the back.

France 12" [Virgin 80.074]
This 12" reprint dates from some time after 1984 as the original 6-digit catalogue number was replaced with a 5-digit one . The only difference with the previous edition is the correction of the catalogue number on the label and on the back of the sleeve.

France 7" promo [Virgin 105.736]
Stock copies of the 7" format were made into promos by being stamped in ink on the back with the words 'Echantillon Gratuit' (free sample).

Germany 7" [Intercord INT110.149]
The first of two German "This Charming Man" 7"s was released by Intercord. Its label is the usual blue Intercord one. The front of the sleeve has a small brown and beige British flag in a circle on the top right corner, with the words "Aus der englischen Hitparade" inside it. This 7" apparently pre-dates the 12" format by some time because the press release accompanying its promo counterpart (mentioned below) only mentions the 7".

Germany 7" [RT Deutschland RTD010/RT136]
This second 7" appears to have been released later than the one described above, perhaps at the same time as the 12" format. It is much rarer that the Intercord 7". It looks much more like its British counterpart than the latter edition does, which is no surprise as it was manufactured in England. The labels are just like version 2 of the UK labels described above, but the RTD number was added in the blank space beneath the RT number, and the labels also feature an additional label code (LC). The sleeve is a UK one. A white sticker with the number 197262 was added over the catalogue number on the back of the sleeve of some copies. Official imports of other Smiths titles from the UK to Germany have similar stickers with similar numbers (see "What Difference Does It Make?" single for an example).

Germany 12" [RT Deutschland RTD010T]
The German "This Charming Man" 12" may be the most beautiful for this title. The label typeset is almost identical to that of the regular UK 12", but its colour is a very rich-looking golden brown. The inner sleeve is a white paper one with glossy interior surface. The main sleeve shows the band's name on the front in bigger letters than anywhere else. The back of it is more or less the same as the regular UK 12" (including a Capitol-style Rough Trade logo), with minor differences in catalogue number and label credits.

Germany 12" alternate version [Rough Trade RTT136/RTD010T]
A less common variation on the German 12" is also found out there. The record has grey/beige labels on which both the British and German catalogue numbers are found (RTT136/RTD010T). It is slipped inside a regular RTT136 UK sleeve. It can be speculated that this may have been an early version of the 12" before the proper ones were produced.

Germany 12" other alternate version [Rough Trade RTT136/RTD010T]
A variation on the above item has been reported. It is actually identical to the previous version, but the b-side only has the RTT136 catalogue number.

Germany 12" New York mix [RTT136NY]
Completist collectors may be interested in the fact that copies of the UK NY mix 12" were distributed in Germany as 'official imports' with a purple Rough Trade Deutschland sticker on the back of the sleeve.

Germany 7" promo [Intercord INT110.149]
The "This Charming Man" single was promoted in Germany with stock copies of the Intercord 7" mailed out with an Intercord press release. The latter item is A4 format, it has a rainbow across it, is dated '1/84' in the bottom right corner, and there is no mention of a 12" format. Some copies of this promo 7" have been seen with a white circular 'Promotional Copy Not For Sale' sticker on the front of the sleeve.

Germany press release [Rough Trade Deutschland]
A Rough Trade Deutschland press sheet with release information about both "This Charming Man" and "Hand In Glove" singles was slipped inside either a RTD 7" or 12" single (but is now also found by itself, without the original record). The sheet has a personnel list at the top of the page and a mini-discography at the bottom. Some copies have been seen with a Rough Trade Deutschland sticker on it. This has been found stapled to a second page showing an image of Morrissey recreating the cover artwork and giving the single's catalogue number and British chart position.

Germany 12" test pressing [RT Deutschland RTD010T]
White label test pressing of the RTD010T edition, slipped inside the stock RTD010T sleeve.

Greece 7" [Virgin VG8005]
"This Charming Man" was released in Greece on 7" format only. The record bears the classic Virgin labels, green on one side and red on the other. The sleeve is the expected variation on its British counterpart, with Greek catalogue number, Virgin logo and Greek label credits. It is quite thin and tends to crease and get ringwear. It is rumoured that only 500 copies of this record have been pressed.

Holland 7" [Rough Trade RTOS136]
This is a bonus 7" single found inside Dutch copies of the band's debut album. Details are found in the collectors appendix of the latter release.

Collectors may also want to check the Belgium 7" and 12"s listed above because, having been released by Megadisc, they are sometimes incorrectly listed as Dutch editions in record collecting magazines and in internet auctions.

Japan 12" [Tokuma Japan 15RTL-3]
The Japanese "This Charming Man" 12" single is also a very beautiful item. Its sleeve doesn't give the band's name on the front. It has the catalogue number printed in small characters in the top right corner. The back is very similar to that of the regular UK 12". The purple obi also mentions the "What Difference Does It Make?" 12" and the debut album, which isn't surprising as "This Charming Man" wasn't released until June 1984 in Japan. The record's label is also very similar in colour and typeset to the regular UK 12", more precisely to its later pressing with rubber-stamp logo. The record is slipped inside a thick film inner sleeve. A paper insert is also found inside. It has the lyrics to the title track, a short biography and a very early photo of the band by Eric Watson (this photo would reappear later in other countries cd reissues of the debut album).

Japan 12" promo [Tokuma Japan 15RTL-3]
The promotional version of the previous item is identical to the stock one, but with two exceptions: it has the usual 3-character promo mark above 'A SIDE' on the label, and a white 'SAMPLE NOT FOR SALE' sticker in the top right corner of the sleeve.

New Zealand 7" [CBS RTANZ001]
The New Zealand "This Charming Man" 7" bears the same catalogue number as its Australian counterpart, which misleads many collectors in thinking that what they have is an Australian pressing. However the New Zealand 7" is different to the Australian one in its labels and sleeve. The labels are green with a red silhouette of a man in bowler hat on the left and a red 'shatterered' Rough Trade logo at the top. Even though New Zealand 7" labels never state the country of origin, they are still recognizable by the ridge in the vinyl around the label. This particular New Zealand 7" comes in a generic black or orange/peach CBS Records New Zealand die-cut sleeve with an address in Auckland.

New Zealand 12" [CBS RTANZ12001]
The Australian and New Zealand 12"s are even more often confused for one another than their 7" equivalents are, mainly because their sleeves are identical: without a band name on the front and with an Australia CBS production credit on the back. However, one only needs to pull the records out of their sleeves to find to that the labels differ in a similar way to how the 7" labels do. The Australian 12" record has a beige label with brown text while the New Zealand record has the usual green label with red man silhouette on the left, without a 'Made in Australia' credit. As in Australia, the New Zealand 12" is slipped inside a thin anti-static inner sleeve with a round bottom like most Australia/New Zealand vinyl releases. These inner sleeves are easier to slip inside the outer sleeve and are less likely to bunch up and crease.

New Zealand 7" promo [CBS RTANZ001]
New Zealand promo 7"s are stock copies with a white rectangular promo sticker on the label. In some cases the sticker states "For promotional use only not for resale" and is affixed to the b-side label. In other cases the sticker states "Demonstration Record not available for sale, broadcasting or public performance property of the record copyright owner" and is found glued to the a-side label. The latter variation is circulated inside a black paper die-cut record bag with a CBS logo at the top and a different CBS logo at the bottom above an address in Auckland, NZ.

New Zealand 12" promo [CBS RTANZ12001]
The New Zealand promo 12" is a stock copy with a promo sticker on its label.

Spain 12" [Nuevos Medios 41-061M]
The Spanish 12" sleeve doesn't have the band's name on the front. The back layout is based on that of the regular UK 12", with modifications made to account for the different track listing and label (althouth the New York mix isn't mentioned there despite being featured on the record). Both the 'shattered' Rough Trade and the Nuevos Medios logos appear at the bottom. The label is very similar in colour and typeset to the UK 12" label. It has the 'shattered' Rough Trade and the Nuevos Medios logos on its left. The first track is mislabelled as the Manchester version although it is the London one.