BLACK SABBATH MASTER OF REALITY, VERTIGO - NEAR MINT AUDIO - SWEET LIFE MISPRINT

	£		113
	$		150

All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.

But . . . (I know that this should be common sense) . . .

. . . please ensure that you have read and understood the description before placing a bid.

Thank you.

Unbelievably, there are people who bid on listings (sometimes hundreds of pounds) without even reading the description !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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P&P charges for bidders outside the UK: Please note that I send ALL international items tracked and insured, which costs more than the standard airmail rate.
For further information please click on the icon or see below for full P&P and insurance details.

I NO LONGER POST TO MEXICO.


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This is Black Sabbath's classic third album Master of Reality on the UK Vertigo label and it sounds fantastic! It is complete with the embossed box cover and Vertigo swirl inner sleeve. On the rear of the cover the first track is wrongly entitled 'Sweet Life'.

The embossed box cover, the disk and the inner sleeve are all the original UK Vertigo issues from the 1970s. I have added the poster which is a modern reproduction of the original first press poster. It has six panels and measures approximately 18" by 27" (inches) and is printed on fairly heavy matt paper.

The vinyl has the following matrix numbers:

Side 1: 6360050 1Y//2

Side 2: 6360050 2Y//1

Detailed description

Vinyl: The heavy (140 gram) vinyl has been well cared-for and has retained its original high sheen. There are some hairlines and fine marks, including a few concentric surface-marks, but these are entirely superficial and have no audible impact.  I have played the entire record and it sounds fantastic. There is some background noise which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs fades, silent grooves and intros, and the occasional random click, but there is nothing significant anywhere. I did not hear any repetitive clicks on this album. There are several quiet parts on Master of Reality that are almost impossible to find with perfect audio (the two quiet instrumentals, the soft 'spooky' end-section of 'Children of the Grave' and 'Solitude'). On this record the two instrumentals sounded superb and there was just a little bit of background noise in the the soft 'spooky' end-section of 'Children of the Grave' and 'Solitude', but not really anything worthy of mention (it is only mentioned for the sake of completeness and was only audible because the tracks are so quiet). Almost everything on both sides play-grades Near Mint, with just the 'difficult' quiet passages ('Solitude' and the end-section of 'Children of the Grave'), grading very slightly lower, so my strict play-grade would be an EASY Excellent plus (Ex+), although I expect that most people would simply play-grade it as Near Mint. This is a superb example and I think it would be very hard to find one which sounds much better.

Box cover: The embossed box cover (with 'Sweet Life' misprint) is nice and clean and the lamination has retained its original sheen. There is laminate flaking along the left spine and inking in along this spine and some of the corners. There are small creases around the edges, a handful of small oxbow laminate creases to the rear and and a couple of scuffs and minor marks, but there is nothing prominent anywhere.

Inner sleeve: Original Vertigo swirl inner sleeve, has a small (half-inch) split in one side-seam, but no other issues, just normal creases at the edges and corners and slight discolouration where the adhesive has aged. Overall, a very presentable original swirl inner sleeve.

Poster: The poster has six panels and measures 18" by 27" (inches) and is printed on fairly heavy matt paper. It has never been displayed (so no pin-holes, sellotape, blu-tac etc) and no tears, splits or damage.

Detracting features not covered above:  None.

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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 any 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.