ALP 1286/7 Beethoven:'Choral Symphony'/Furtwangler/Near mint records and sleeves

	£		600
	$		795

ALP1286/87 Red and gold label pressings. Beethoven: Symphony 9 'Choral' with Elizabeth Schwarzkopf, Elisabeth Hongen, Hans Hopf, Otto Edelmann and the Orchestra & Chorus of the 1951 Bayreuth Festival conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler.

HMV ALP 1286, 1287 (2 XRA 16-2N/17-2N, 18-2N/19-3N)

Record 1

Record is in near mint condition with no visible marks, clean labels with no spindle marks and a lovely shine on the vinyl. The fully laminated sleeve is in wonderful condition. Lovely straight spine with clear printing and sharp 'pinches' at the top and bottom. There is no writing on labels and the flip overs are in excellent condition although the top right flip over has a small peice of laminate lift. There is a slight dent and little wear to the top corners. The other corners and all edges are in wonderful condition. The original inner sleeve is in excellent condition. Please check the photographs carefully.

Record 2

Record is in excellent to near mint condition with just one light suface mark on side 1(side three of the set). The labels are both clean with no spindle marks and there is a lovely shine on the vinyl. The fully laminated sleeve is in wonderful condition with a lovely straight spine with clear printing and sharp 'pinches' at the top and bottom. There is no writing or labels and the flip overs are in excellent condition. Edges and corners are almost perfect. The original inner sleeve is in excellent condition. There are two seperate sheets of paper which include the libretto and notes regarding members of the orchestra etc. Both are in near mint condition. Please check the photographs carefully.

Playing

Both records have been fully play tested and sound wonderful. The light mark on the second record does not sound at all. There are no other clicks, ticks or anything that should not be on the record although you can hear someone cough on the opening section!

Overall these records are the best condition pair of this famous recording I have ever seen in many years of selling classical records. The condition is incredible when you think about the age and the equipment that was in use during their early life. I doubt I will ever see a better pair.

I fully play all the records listed as I do not understand how anyone can accurately describe a record without doing so. Many mint looking records do in fact have problems and can sound awful. Conversely some early records with marks can play superb because of the deeper grooves.

Postage in the UK will be by Royal Mail Special Delivery by 1pm the next day.

Overseas shipping charges are for Parcel Force Global with full insurance cover but without tracking. If you wish I can give you a quote for a courier service with tracking which will probably be cheaper.

Grading:
Mint means factory sealed and therefore unplayed.

Near mint record means there are no visible signs that the record(s) have been played and no visible marks at all on the record. The record will have been fully play checked and there will be no audible faults.

Excellent means there are one or more light marks that do not affect the sound quality. The record will be fully play checked and the marks will be described.

Sleeves are carefully described and photographed.

We can all make mistakes so if you are unhappy about something contact me rather than leave bad feedback.  All records are guaranteed and a full no quibble refund will be made if necessary.

Postage

I will combine postage to save you money.

UK:
1 LP = £3.60,  2 LP's = £3.60  3 LP's = £3.60
4 LP's =  £6.60,  5 LP's =£6.60,  6 LP's = £6.60,  7 LP's = £6.60

Europe Air Mail:
1 LP = £6.00,   2LP's = £7.40,  3LP's = £8.90,  4LP's =  £11.80,  5LP's = £13.20,  6LP's = £14.70,  7LP's = £14.70

World Zone 1
USA/Canada/Far East/Middle East/South East Asia/All South America: 1 LP =£8.20,  2LP's = £10.90,  3LP's = £13.60,  4LP's = £19.00,  5LP's = £21.70,  6LP's = £24.40,  7LP's = £24.40

World Zone 2
(Australia/New Zealand/Singapore etc): 1 LP = £8.60,  2LP's = £11.40,  3LP's = £14.30,  4LP's = £20.00,  5LP's = £22.80,  6LP's = 25.70,  7LP's = £25.70

Box sets and large numbers of records:
For box sets count the number of records in the box and add another LP for the extra weight of the box.  Some box sets have a heavy libretto or booklet so may weigh more.
I will use couriers for heavy box sets and larger numbers of records where that will save you money