I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

Black Sabbath : Headless Cross A1 / B1 1st press 1989 I.R.S. Records

This first pressing plays to a very high standard with no clicks or pops.  There is a little static but as you can see from my grading below it is only very minimal and overall the clarity is very impressive.  The power and depth of the audio is superb!  The album was praised by many critics at the time as their best since the Ozzy days and having played it in full (as always) you can see why it is so collectable.  There are a number of hairlines but they have very little affect on the audio.

The cover is in excellent order with only light wear on the edges and the lyric inner just has one small side split.

EIRSA 1002 // A-1U-1-1 / B-1U-1-1 // AUDIO - ONE etched on S1 only

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 VG+ / T2 Near Mint- / T4 opening section Ex+)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (T1 Near Mint- / T2 Mint-)

The cover is Ex-

The lyric inner is Ex-

The labels are Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in very good condition but has no actual scratches.  It does have a number of hairlines, a couple of very faint blemishes and just a little mottling but this is superficial really as it has hardly any affect on the audio.  The IRS labels are unmarked with only a little spindle wear.

Play grading

The instrumental 'The Gates Of Hell' has no clicks or clicks but does play with some background static which does decrease as it progresses.  It so often plays with some interference on the original first pressings and VG+ is a fair assessment of the audio.

The percussive intro on 'Headless Cross' is close to perfect with barely any static Iommi's section then plays perfectly.  Martin's opening vocal plays so clearly with great power and definition and first 'chorus' is just as impressive.  The next verse has just one minor tick and from then on it plays so clearly with only 3/4 light ticks, nothing intrusive, and a little static right at the end of the fade out.  Near Mint- is about right.

The intro on 'Devil & Daughter' has no background and the opening vocal is on the same level.  The mid instrumental is STUNNING and Martin's vocal throughout is so 'clean' and powerful.  What a singer!  From start to finish there is nothing to detract from the audio and it grades as Mint

The quiet intro on 'When Death Calls' plays very clearly with only minimal light static and the first verse is very similar - no ticks, clicks or pops.  The first powerful section is flawless and the next quieter verse has barely any static.  It continues to play with genuine quality and Brian May's solo could not play with any greater precision.  I will grade the opening section as Ex+ and Mint- for the remainder.  Again what a vocal!

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The run in on S1 does have some static but the intro on 'Kill In The Spirit World' then plays perfectly.  It proceeds to play with great power and depth and the quieter mid section has very little static.  A superb Near Mint- version with just a little static at the end of the fade out.

'Call Of The Wild' is 'as new' with no sign of any interference.  No need to elaborate it is Mint all the way.

The intro on 'Black Moon' has barely any static and the opening vocal section is perfect as is the first chorus.  Martin is really testing his vocal range here and wow does it sound good!  It continues in much the same way and there is only minimal static at the end of the fade out.  Near Mint

The acoustic intro on 'Nightwing' plays with exceptional clarity and the first vocal has no intrusion either.  The chorus keeps up the standard and it continues to play with superb audio.... and no intrusion.  Is there perhaps just a hint of inner groove distiortion?  If there is it is so minimal and it still plays incredibly well and the fade out has no background at all.  I will say Near Mint and it provides a very strong finish to the album.

The Cover & Lyric Inner

The cover is in excellent condition with only light wear.  The edges have only minimal rubbing and the spine has just a little more mainly at the top, nothing excessive though.  The other corners have only minimal wear and the opening edge is in great shape with hardly any handling wear.  The glossy front cover is very clean with only a handful of small edge creases mainly next to the spine and the back cover is in superb condition with no issues.  A strong example overall.

The lyric inner just has one small edge split on the right side but is otherwise in excellent condition with no marking or creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

EIRSA 1002 // A-1U-1-1 / B-1U-1-1 // AUDIO - ONE etched on S1 only

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!