TOLKIEN, The Hobbit, Rare Transcription Services 4 LPs

	£		36
	$		48

I have been an obsessive collector of vinyl LP's and singles for many years, and from the very first I have always been very careful about the condition of the records I have bought. Once in my posession the records have been well stored and always very carefully handled. If the records have been played at all, it has always been on a good quality hi - fi system, the deck being a Linn LP12 with a top of the range arm and cartridge.

As a result, most of the many thousands of items in my collection are in very good plus, excellent or better condition.

Now, in order to create more space at home, I have decided to cut the collection back to a core of my personal favourite artistes, and to dispose of the remainder, and my many duplicates. These I intend to list for auction over the coming months.

Many years ago I bought a medium sized collection of LPs from a former employee of a UK vinyl pressing plant - I can't quite remember which one, but it was located in Ross-on-Wye in the Forest of Dean, maybe it was Orbis? I bought the collection because, amongst other things, it consisted of a goodly number of original BBC Transcription Services vinyl LPs which were apparently pressed up at this factory. The collection consisted of 'Top of the Pops', 'In Concert' and other rock radio series such as 'The Motown Story' as well as some spoken word, comedy and sporting recordings. Such an eclectic mix merely underlined these had indeed originated from the original pressing plant. I have always assumed these were either test pressings, backup copies, or possibly simply employee knock-offs, so most come without the original cue sheets or their outer sleeves, and come mainly with 'scratched' matrix numbers. However, most were in a near impossible to find mint or apparently unplayed condition.

Original transcription records are extremely rare, just a limted number being pressed up and sent to BBC local radio stations for broadcasting. Once they were out of copyright they could not be used again so many never survived. Some have been bootlegged, especially the rock recordings, which generally some with plain white labels and sometimes with reproduction die-cut cleeves and even photocopied cue-sheets. To find them like this, mint from the original pressing plant is practically unheard of.

For auction here is a completely original, and extremely rare, 4 LP set of all 15 parts of a BBC radio series of 'The Hobbit' by JRR Tolkien. These mono, spoken word, recordings date from 1982 and all 4 LP's carry the number 'CN 4077' on the label.

I have been unable to find any references on the web to this set, which I believe to be extremely rare. I do not know who speaks the narrative. The set is housed in original lined, white inner sleeves, which are in excellent condition, being very clean, crisp, with some light creasing, but no tears or other major faults. The LPs look mint or unplayed, with not a single mark I can see on either the vinyl, or around the spindle-hole. Just in case it is not clear from my photos, which have lightened the labels under the camera flash, the colour of the labels is actually a deep powder blue on white, with black titling and numbering.

Each side of each LP has two episodes except for the second side of the 4th LP which has just the single final 15th episode. Each side carries a number between 151291 and 151298 which appears both on the label, and on the vinyl where it appears  'scratched' in the runoff area. For the sake of clarification what I mean is this number has obviously been scratched into the acatate master and then the impression of this is pressed into the vinyl. There are no other numbers or letters visible in the run-off. 

I believe in absolute honesty, and try very hard to describe my items with complete clarity and endeavour, within the limits of my ability as a photographer, to get clear photos so that potential bidders can see exactly what they will be getting. Check this feedback out and bid with confidence.

This LP set is offered at no reserve and a keen opening bid price. Happy bidding and best of luck!!!

In accordance with eBay rules for foreign currency transactions incurring an exchange charge to covert to UK pounds I will add 4.9% to cover these costs, if you have a problem with this please don't embarrass me by bidding.

 Note I only ever charge postage and packing at cost.