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.

Pink Floyd : The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn 1 / 1 4th Stereo Press 1971

This early pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal intrusion.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is very impressive and there are no clicks or pops to contend with and barely any static.  There are a small of minor ticks as detailed below and a little inner groove distortion but nothing that assaults the senses!  It is minor.  The vinyl is in great condition also and has not been overplayed.

The laminated G & L cover is in excellent condition with only a little wear and the only issue with the original inner is that the band name and title has been written on one side, it's quite obvious!

This stereo pressing has two EMI logos on the labels and Made in Gt. Britain at the foot of each label also.

SCX 6157  //  YAX 3419 - 1   RD 1  /  YAX 3420 - 1   GL 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Ex- for a few seconds / T2, T5 & T6 Near Mint)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (T2 Mint- / T3 Ex+ / T4 intro Ex- / T5 Ex+)

The cover is Ex-

The original inner sleeve is Ex-

The labels are Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a fine glossy sheen with no obvious marks or scratches.  Under a strong bright light I can only see a small number of faint hairlines and there is no groove or surface wear.  There is just one very small faint mark at the beginning of S1 which result in the light ticks as described but that is the only 'flaw'.  The Columbia labels are in superb shape with no marking and hardly any spindle wear.

Play grading

The intro on 'Astronomy Domine' has a static tick per revolution but otherwise plays very clearly and as the Barrett's guitar comes in you can barely hear it.  The opening vocal section has no intrusion and the following instrumental plays with sublime clarity and depth.  The brief quiet passage in the middle is nigh on perfect and the concluding part of the instrumental is perfect.  Superb sound and definition here and then the final vocal section again plays without fault.  I will grade the intro as Ex- but the rest is Mint- for sure.

The intro on 'Lucifer Sam' has no background and the opening vocal is just as strong and clear.  It continues in much the same way and the instrumental section in particular are stunning.  The vocals have a slight distorted sound but I am sure that is the way it was recorded, nothing sinister here!  Actually I do not think distortion is the right word for it and to my ears it actually sounds very similar to the blue Columbia first pressings.  Couple of very minor ticks on the fade out.  I will say Near Mint just to be on the safe side.  

'Matilda Mother' plays with exceptional warmth and depth with no interference at all.  Every vocal and instrumental is so clean for a 54 year old record.  It has to grade as Mint-

The 'psych' intro on 'Flaming' has only a couple of barely audible statics at the beginning and Barrett's first vocal is flawless.  It has that familiar distinct sound and it continues to play with genuine quality.  The instrumental could not play any better and that applies to the final vocal section also.  Mint-

The entire 'intro' on 'Pow R. Toc H.' has no intrusion and the piano section then plays with impeccable clarity, not even a dust tick.  The next instrumental 'psych' piece of course gets louder and louder and yet there is no distortion on the top end.  The quieter end section has only a hint of mega light static here and there, it is very minimal, and the raucous end section is very strong.  Let's say Near Mint

The percussive intro on 'Take Up Thy Stethoscope And Walk' is perfect and the opening vocal is on a par with that.  The 'busy' instrumental plays loud and clear with barely any inner groove distortion and there are no ticks, clicks or pops.  Waters' bass comes through very strongly and the closing section / end vocal plays with genuine power and depth.  I think Near Mint is more than deserved here.

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The classic 'Interstellar Overdrive' begins perfectly, Barrett's guitar plays deep and strong, and as Mason comes in the playback is still clean and precise.  The next section with Waters' featuring heavily is superb and the quieter passage that follows has no intrusion either.  As this section builds the sonic quality is phenomenal - there is no static distortion, no intrusion at all, and that is very obvious during the next quieter passage.  There is just one minor tick here but overall the clarity of sound is stunning.  The closing section cannot be faulted either, the classic 'riff' plays with real depth and power and there is no background on the percussive ending.  A Near Mint version.

'The Gnome' plays with great depth and warmth through every section.  I often find this track has a 'deeper' sonic quality and that is true here.  Without any background from start to finish Mint is a fair assessment of the audio.

'Chapter 24' impresses on so many levels.  There are no ticks, clicks etc the audio is very clean and precise.  The vocal has that different 'tone' again but I repeat that is not static distortion, it's just the effect they were after in my opinion.  In saying that the audio is not quite as clear towards the end and there is also a little static on the fade out so I think Ex+ is about right here.

The intro on 'The Scarecrow' does have some dull ticks but they are by no means loud.  As the vocal comes in the audio is very clean and it proceeds in much the same way.  The closing section where Waters' bass is very prevalent plays with tremendous depth and the fade out has no background.  The intro is Ex- and is Near Mint from then onwards.

The classic 'Bike' ends the album with very impressive audio.  There are no ticks or clicks etc and if there is any 'static' on the vocal it is kept to an absolute minimum.  The brief 'silence' has no background and then the 'percussive' section is superb.  The final 'ducks' sequence could not play any better!  Overall Ex+ is fair.

The Cover & Inner Sleeve

The G & L cover is in excellent condition with not too much shelf wear.  The top edge and thin pinched spine are in superb condition with no marking and the bottom edge has just one small surface rub in the centre.  If you look inside via the opening edge you can see a thin sliver of daylight but it hasn't quite resulted in a genuine split.  The corners are in fantastic shape also with barely any wear and the opening edge is extremely clean.  The laminated front cover is stunning and for once has no creasing and the non-laminated back cover is very clean with only minimal surface 'rub'.  The flipbacks are still perfectly in place and have only a little marking on the edges.  The bottom flipback has a little rubbing, mainly in the centre, and the text remains 100% legible.  A very strong example of this iconic cover.

The original inner sleeve has no side splits or tears and hardly any marking but as you can see the title is written in thick pen on one side but at least it's done nicely!  Minimal creasing only.

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

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

SCX 6157  //  YAX 3419 - 1   RD 1  /  YAX 3420 - 1   GL 1

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 

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

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £22.95 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!!