THE ROLLING STONES No.2, 1964 UK DECCA MONO 1st PRESS WITH 1A/2A MATRIX

	£		51
	$		68

betsy50 Store

It's my pleasure to offer for auction a superb copy of the second studio blues/rock album by The Rolling Stones simply titled "Rolling Stones No.2", Catalogue Number LK 4661. It's a 1964 UK mono first pressing on the Unboxed Decca Record Label, with a James Upton Ltd. front-laminated flipback sleeve. It comes complete with the original white poly-lined inner sleeve. [The sleeve is the earliest possible design with the infamous "blind man" text on the back cover. It is also the rarer flipback version. The stamped matrix numbers are very early XARL-6619-1A and XARL-6620-2A].

The sleeve is in between VG and EX condition with only light wear and a few minor creases. There are some age discoloration marks to the un-laminated back panel, but it is otherwise a very well-preserved example indeed. I've taken plenty of photos from all angles which hopefully do it justice.

The solidly-pressed 148g record is in EX+ condition. The grooved unboxed Decca labels are unmarked with only a few short spindle traces each side. There is virtually no wear to the spindle hole. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on a top quality turntable. Both sides play EX+ throughout with no deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. The sound quality is very raw and vibrant as you would expect from a Decca mono first pressing. There are no loud pops, repeat ticks, distortion, hiss or anything else. It really is a top-playing copy which should please even the most discerning of collectors.

The original white poly-lined inner sleeve has some age discoloration, but no splits or tears.

Overall this is a wonderful opportunity to add a superb barely-played copy of The Stones' iconic second album to your collection. 

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Pioneer PL-L1000 linear-tracking turntable fitted with a Nagaoka MP-30 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example with just a few very light surface marks and virtually no discernible deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

    Vinyl is not a perfect medium and even the finest quality pressings will play with a degree of residual surface sound, however minimal. Where, in my opinion, unwanted noise interferes with the listening enjoyment of the record, it will be mentioned in the item description. It is unrealistic to expect a 40+ year old record to play with a background of complete silence. Please bear this in mind when bidding.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £14.60

Worldwide - £18.50