BEATLES - Sgt PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS - 1st Y&B PARLOPHONE, PLAY-GRADED EXCELLENT

	£		36
	$		48

Please read the Terms and Conditions lower in the listing about payment, postage costs and insurance BEFORE placing a bid. Thank you.

I am happy to answer any questions, but please read the listing carefully before sending a question or placing a bid. I try to provide comprehensive details and information in every listing so the answers to most questions should be found below.

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During almost nine years of trading on ebay, I have received around 2,800 positive feedbacks from nearly 2,300 individual customers, almost all from the sale of vinyl records.

I take great pride in ensuring that my items are always described accurately and fairly. All my items come with a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described, you can return it for a full refund. 

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PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE 12 PHOTOS IN THIS LISTING. USE THE SCROLL BAR BESIDE THE THUMBNAILS TO SEE THEM ALL.

I am currently selling a collection of original Beatles LPs.

This auction is for an original MONO 1967 1st pressing of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on the yellow and black Parlophone label, with the 'Sold in the UK . . .' text. The sleeve is the original inner-flipback gatefold sleeve printed by Garrod and Lofthouse and the record is complete with its original red and white inner sleeve and Sgt Pepper cutouts.

Sleeve: Very Good (VG). The sleeve is nice and clean with no writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and just normal signs of use. There are creases around the openings, edges and spine and a few minor marks and scuffs. The laminated top and bottom edges have virtually no wear apart from at the corners, which have prominent wear (especially at the bottom) and the bottom opening front corner is just beginning to wear through to a corner split (just a few milimetres). The spine is solid and the text is still readable, although some of the lamination has flaked off and it is a bit grubby (see final photo). There are normal signs of use, with some slight feathering at the openings. All of the issues mentioned above are minor and the cover would have graded higher than VG except for the fact that it also has a prominent vertical crease in the front part of the sleeve. The cover is still flat and the crease has no impact on its rigidity etc, but it shows up if you angle the sleeve in the light. Other than this crease, I would say that this is an above-average example.

Labels: Very Good (VG). No damage, writing, stickers etc, just spindle marking and signs of use around the centre hole.

Vinyl - visual grading: Side one Good (G) / side two Good plus (G+). The vinyl has numerous very fine lines on the surface, mainly all in the same direction (suggesting that the disk may have been slid across a flat surface when not in its sleeve) and a number of more-prominent looking lines. However, despite its appearance, the numerous fine lines are superficial and the record plays to a much higher standard than you would expect from looking at it (see play-grading below).

The run out grooves have the following matrix numbers:

Side 1: XEX 637-1

Vinyl - play grading: Side one Very Good plus (VG+) / side two EASY Excellent (Ex). I play-grade all mono records via a pre-amp with a mono switch. If you do not have a mono switch the record will not sound as good (please see below under 'Play-grading MONO records'). I have played the entire record and, despite its appearance, it sounds great. There is some background noise and crackle which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and a few places where you get a handful of soft clicks but apart from two instances on side one there are no persistent clicks (the first one is near the start of 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' and the second is in 'Fixing a Hole', but they don't last and neither of them is overpowering). There was also some fuzziness in places, mainly on the vocal peaks of tracks near the end of each side, but there is nothing loud or intrusive anywhere. If you want a copy that LOOKS great then this is definitely NOT for you, but if you want to listen to the original mono pressing then this is an extremely enjoyable example. Much of side one play-grades around Excellent but because it has some clicks I would play-grade side one as Very good plus (VG+). Side two has very little to report and grades as an EASY Excellent (Ex).

Inner sleeve: Good (G). Original red and white inner sleeve. Has splits to two seams and a two-inch tear on one side of the opening which has been neatly repaired from the inside so that it is not too obvious (see photo). Other than this, the inner sleeve has some creases and normal signs of age and use.

Cutouts: Very Good (VG). Original dark green cutouts. No tears or damage, although the front looks a bit worn.

Please check out my other items and take advantage of reduced postage costs for multiple buys.

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Information about descriptions and gradings.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get. I am aware that different grading systems have different definitions and so I try as much as possible to describe items in plain English, rather than simply using gradings. Where gradings are given these are based on the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.

Play-graded vinyl: Although I don't have time to play them all, I believe that records are for playing and so I try to play-grade records whenever possible. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to listing it. If I have play-graded the record I will usually only give a description of how the record looks (i.e. not a visual grading). The grading in the listing will be a play-grading and may be slightly different from the grading that the record would receive from a purely visual inspection. If I haven't play-graded the record, it will be given a visual grading.

Play-grading MONO records: Mono records and stereo records have different grooves. A stereo record produces a stereo sound via both lateral and vertical groove modulation whereas a mono record is not intended to produce any sound from vertical modulation. Playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge will create distortion because it is trying to pick-up the vertical (stereo) part of the signal, whereas this is not intended to be heard on a mono record and so is just noise.  Using a pre-amp with a mono switch will eliminate the noise caused by vertical modulation leaving just the lateral groove signal which is how the record was intended to be heard. Based on the assumption that most people choosing to buy a mono record will have the right equipment to listen to it, I play all mono records via a pre-amp with a mono switch.  My play-grading is based on how the record sounds when played through a mono switch. If you do not have a mono switch on your amp or pre-amp you will be reproducing the noise from the vertical part of the signal and so the record will not sound as good. This is not any fault of the record, it is inherent to playing a mono record through a system that it was not designed for.

Visually-graded vinyl: A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly. I always do my best to give a fair assessment of any visible marks on the playing surface, but a visual grading will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most of the records I sell are between thirty and fifty years old and so it is likely that there may be some background noise even if they look perfect. Please see Terms and Conditions below for my refunds policy for visually graded records.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. All packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may sometimes use recycled packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

My P&P charges are 'totally transparent'. Please read below and if you have any questions about P&P costs please contact me BEFORE you bid. Thank you.

Sending items costs more than just the stamps on the package, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me to do so. I need to cover the cost of packing materials, plastic sleeves, new inner sleeves (where applicable), transportation, fees and charges associated with sending the item (including fees incurred to receive the cost of postage and, where applicable, currency exchange) etc. To cover these expenses I add a nominal figure to the basic cost charged at the post office. For UK sales I add £1.10, for European sales I add £1.90 and for transactions outside Europe I add £2.30. These are nominal amounts and the actual cost to me is always higher than this. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

To quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

Depending on the precise weight of your parcel, you may occasionally end up paying a few pence more or a few pence less than it actually costs me, but if there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items valued below £50 are sent using first class recorded post. The cost for this is as follows:

One to four LPs (with a combined total value below £50) = £5.20.

UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £50 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery and the total cost of this will be £9.35 for one to four LPs and £12.00 for five or more LPs . Please wait for my invoice before paying.

Any order valued below £10 can be sent using second class standard mail, free of charge.

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Airmail (with tracking and insurance) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £13.60, each additional LP or 12" add £2.20.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £17.50, each additional LP or 12" add £3.80.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg or valued over £500 may be split into two or more packages as appropriate so they can be sent using Royal Mail's Small Packet Rate, so please wait for my invoice on larger multiple purchases.

Customs declaration for overseas orders: Please note that for overseas orders outside the EU I need to complete a customs declaration and must enter the value of the package on the declaration.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.