Original Mono Dexter Gordon A Swingin' Affair, Blue Note 4133. Ear, Van Gelder

$

338

Original Mono Dexter Gordon A Swingin' Affair, Blue Note 4133. Ear, Van Gelder.
I'm going to preface this by saying that I am not a record dealer and that being nervous about grading a record has kept me for listing this for years. I don't know that I can reliably tell the difference between VG and VG+, and judging by records that I bought, I don't think record dealers necessarily do either. In lieu of that kind of grading, I'm going to attempt to be more descriptive. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them.
This is the original release of "A Swingin' Affair." As you likely know, it was recorded two days after "Go" and released 2 years later. I had to look that up because I was thrown by the 1939—1964 record sleeve, but yes, this was released in October 1964. 
Cover: As you can see, there is that ring that LPs produce on album covers after they've been around for awhile. I feel that the photo that you see emphasizes that ring. It's less apparent in normal light, though, obviously it's visible. I believe this is a coated album cover and I don't see any delamination. The corners have some wear. On the right side, where Dexter's shoulder intersects with the edge, there is a bit of wear. Flipping it over... it has some marking consistent with use. There's a bit of what might be a water stain on the top left corner. The second photo, I feel does a good job of showing what I'm seeing here in front of me.
Record Sleeve: The paper is somewhat yellowed, it must have higher acid content. It has some wrinkles and the record it contains has made an impression. This is the 25 Years Blue Note sleeve and wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to have all the albums listed on here? I love this music. (I am selling this because it makes me nervous to play it and what fun is that? For me this doesn't "spark joy," it sparks anxiety.)
Moving inside... In photo 5 you'll see the appropriate run out test: the Plasticite "Ear," etc. In photo 6 you'll see the Van Gelder and reflection of my iPhone. Photo 6 features some alarming looking streaks. I was a little freaked out by them, but I have just played that track at high volume and I didn't hear any kind of periodic audio defect that would be consistent with a scratch that runs across a track. There are additional streaks, including on side one. Though, generally, side one looks a tad cleaner.
Sound Quality:
(I have this playing on a ProJect Debut with an Ortofon 2M Blue and amplified by a NAD C316 through decent but not fancy speakers. I have it about as loud as I can tolerate. This is louder than I generally listen to records because my family gets annoyed. Fortunately, I'm the only person home at present. I write this is so that you understand the context for what I'm writing. Perhaps your system is more revealing than mine, etc.)
It sounds really good, I mean really good. I've seldom listened to this because it's valuable, and I have to say I'm impressed. I trying to listen deeply and I feel like I have a sense of these men in the room. Little things that Billy Higgins, the drummer, does are very apparent. There's subtlety in the mix. At times, the saxophone feels like it distorts a little—but I think that's the recording?
I should also say that I have not washed this LP. Again, I'm too nervous.
There is some low level crackle and pop on this record. A lot of that, I know, is surface dust. If you look at my photos, you can see it. Assuming you have a record cleaner, you'll be able to wipe a lot of that away. All that being said, I have bought new records that don't sound this good. There is no skipping, no scratches causing repetitive and annoying clicks, etc. A lot of this crackle and pop would be inaudible at the volume I typically listen to records. 
I hope all of the foregoing is sufficient for you to make a good judgement about this LP. 

(I can't go back and copy edit. I need a proof reader).