VAN MORRISON STUNNING 1968 MINT- UK 1ST 'ASTRAL WEEKS'
£
310
$
411
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Description
Stunning Mint- Original 1968 Heavyweight UK Warner Brothers UK 1st Pressing (A1//B1 Matrix - Orange Label!!!!) 'Astral Weeks' by Van Morrison!!!! Complete With Mega Rare 'Boxed' Warner Logo 1st Press Garrod & Lofthouse Flipback Sleeve & Original Patents Inner!!! Massively Rare!!!!
We have only ever come across 3 of orange label 1st pressings of Astral Weeks before, and this is, by a million miles, the best of the 3, I cannot begin to stress how rare this record is, especially in this condition! This album has been re-listed due to the fact the previous winner could only pay via Paypal - an option we do not accept, their loss is your gain - this time when it's gone its gone! Please check out excellent feedback and bid with confidence! See below for a detailed description. You are bidding on a STUNNING ORIGINAL1968 UK WB Orange Label 1st Pressing of this all time classic LP by Van the Man. In my humble opinion it is quite simply the best album ever made, just edging 'Pet Sounds' on its arrangements. Unbelievably, this record was a commercial flop upon release (funnily enough as was 'Pet Sounds' - hmmm, I sense a pattern emerging here - maybe my own band's 1st record will be held in the same esteem 40 years from now!) Anyway's, due to the widely perceived general crapness (!?!?!?) of this album upon release there were not many initially pressed at all. So copies of the UK 1st Press (denoted by the orange Warner label, A1/B1 matrix, Front Laminated Garrod & Lofthouse Sleeve with 'Boxed' Warner Logo [I have shown this compared to the common shield logo in the images] & Patents Inner) are very, very thin on the ground these days. In fact they are unbelievably Rare!! Do not confuse this with the later 2nd Pressing on the WB Green labels with the non-flipback sleeve and modern Warner sleeve Logo - this is the rare 1st press!!! Although the green label 2nd press is rare in its own right, it's got nothing on this baby!!!! It really is in beautiful Mint- Vinyl condition, I'm gonna describe it best I can below. Again don't miss this one because it won't be listed again...
See our other auctions for more very rare records
Cat No:
WS 1768
Matrix:
Side 1 - WS 1768 A-1
Side 2 - WS 1768 B-1
1st Press Orange Warner Labels? - Yep!
1st Press Stereo 'Boxed' Warner Logo Flipback G & L Sleeve? - Yep!
1st Press Patents Inner Sleeve? - Yep!
The cool 1960's quality pressed thick and chunky vinyl is in visually and aurally stunning condition and shines with a 'just pressed' look and feel, it really looks as if this record came off the press yesterday!!! You will not find a better vinyl 1st press copy of this mega rare LP. It has NO Scratches whatsoever, No scuffing, NO marks, NO warping or blemishes of any kind!!!! I am very pleased to state that this is a record that also PLAYS FANTASTICALLY!!! It has NO jumps, NO pops and NO hissing!!! The thick quality pressed chunky 1960's vinyl looks and feels great (it is very heavy!). We have graded this vinyl as Mint-!!! The classic orange WB centre labels are also in Mint condition!!! There are no pen marks, no rubbing, no tears and no age spots - nothing!! These labels are Mint-!!! The gramophone rims containing the all important A-1//B-1 Matrix are also mint!!!
The classic 1st Press front laminated Garrod & Lofthouse flipback sleeve is in stunning EX condition!!! I cannot begin to describe how rare this sleeve is! It shows the EARLIEST 'Boxed' Warner Logo in the top right corner, instead of the later 'shield' design. These sleeves were ONLY pressed with the Orange Warner Label 1st pressings of this album, and are as rare as the orange label disc itself!!! I have shown the logo in the attached images compared with the more common later 'shield' logo - take a look...
This sleeve has NO Tears, no splits and no nasty writing or doodles!!! It has a nice crisp opening edge with nice tight flipbacks and no seam wear, just some light corner wear in the bottom right. The laminate is in stunning condition with NO cracking, peeling or lifting!!!! Of course, it comes with it's original British Patents inner sleeve, in superb Mint- condition!!! Please check out our feedback and bid with confidence as this is a no reserve auction with a very low starting price! You will probably not see another UK 1st press copy of this seminal LP at all - let alone approaching this condition so don't miss out on this one...
Insured postage is highly recommended for this record as we will not be held responsible for loss or damage in the post.
Do not underestimate the rarity of this LP, it is the only copy we have ever seen approaching this kind of condition, and you will very likely not see another in a very long time, if at all!!! And as usual it will go to the highest bidder! Like all our auctions, it has no reserve and a very low start, so once its gone its gone. Please do not email asking for identical copies, cos there ain't any!!!
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Please check our other auctions as are we will be listing many more very rare Folk/Psych/Rock/Prog. UK 1st Pressings and rarities over the coming months!!!
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Win more than 1 auction and Save On Postage. This, like all our auctions, has No Reserve and a Very Low Starting Price so check our feedback and bid with confidence.
ABOUT REEF_77
Feedback from our many regular customers suggests that buying Rare Vinyl on eBay is becoming increasingly risky; with inaccurate grading, poor packaging & deceit becoming more & more common. Unlike some excitable eBay record sellers, we do not 'SHOUT!!!!!!!!' the description at you, telling you how "STUNNINGLY MEGA RARE!!!!!" a record is (when in fact it is usually fairly common). Nor do we try to give you our life story with each listing, taking up your whole evening reading a description - and ours writing it! Finally, we are not one of the increasing number eBay chancers, trying their hand at dealing in rare records, labelling any old junk as 'Mint Mega Rare 1st Pressings', and having no knowledge of how to grade, handle & package a record.
What you get from Reef_77 is a straight forward honest description of the record you are interested in, along with any information worth noting about the rarity etc. of the pressing. We are not bulk listers, who never have time to answer questions and offer only poor quality records. We believe in quality over quantity every time, and use our vast knowledge to select only the rarest and most pristine records to offer you each week. Each record is packed with the utmost care using the latest and strongest purpose-designed packaging available. We are not some faceless eBay business, and are always friendly and approachable should you have any specific questions or wants. We just aim to cut out all the hyperbole, deceit and plain old amateurism surrounding the buying of rare vinyl on eBay, to make your rare record hunting safe and enjoyable. Enjoy.
GRADING, PACKAGING AND IMAGE DETAILS
All our records are strictly graded under strong light using the UK Record Collector Grading System (see chart below for a full guide). The item you see in the images is actual item being sold. All records come shipped in either cruciform or regular sturdy purpose-designed record mailers, (with stiff cardboard inserts added for extra protection). All records are professionally cleaned and packaged outside the outer sleeves to prevent seam stress during transit.
PAYMENT METHODS
There are a number of ways for you to pay for our vinyl. We accept many forms of payment and are in the process of setting up credit card payment facilities, however if the method that suits you best is not listed below please email us and we'll do our best to arrange a method of payment that is most convenient to you. We DO NOT accept Paypal!
UK -
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Bank Transfer - PLEASE include Ebay ID as reference! (Account No. & Sort Code will be sent with invoice), Quicker than personal cheque
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Personal Cheque
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Visa, Switch via NOCHEX - Note - you do not have to sign up to NOCHEX to send us payment this way if under £100!
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UK Postal Order
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Cash (sent securely and preferably recorded) *Tip* - Try to disguise the parcel
EUROPE -
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Money/Postal Orders (Made GBP £ Sterling to cash in a UK Post Office (Issued in UK by Alliance & Leicester) - Common with our Italian Buyers - Our preferred method
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Bank Transfer in Euro - PLEASE include Ebay ID as reference! Buyer must accept any Bank processing charges (IBAN and BIC details will be sent with invoice), *Tip* - Do not try to convert to GBP £ Sterling using CHAPS etc. as this will result in more charges from your bank. Just transfer us the payment in Euros.
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£ GBP International Money Order/Postal Order
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$ USD International Money Order/Postal Order
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Cash Euro, GBP £ Sterling & USD (sent securely and preferably registered) *Tip* - Try to disguise the parcel
USA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, SINGAPORE & REST OF WORLD -
Please note, if you cannot pay in GBP £ Sterling, then US Dollars & Euro is the only currency we can accept. If paying via cash in USD your invoice will include an extra $15 USD to cover UK bank conversion fees. If paying via USD or Euro personal check or Money/Postal Orders the exchange rate will be in accordance that listed at www.auctionchex.com
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Money Orders (Made GBP £ Sterling to cash in a UK Post Office (Issued in UK by Alliance & Leicester) - Common with our Japanese Buyers - Our preferred method)
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US Dollar Postal/Money Orders or Personal Checks (USD or GBP) In U.S.A this can include 'regular' Inland Postal Orders or Personal Checks (USD or GBP)
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In Australia & Canada, you can pay via a Western Union International Money Orders made in $ USD or Cash (USD, GBP & EURO Only)
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In Japan you can pay via GBP/ USD Money Order or Cash (USD, GBP & EURO Only)
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Cash in GBP £ Sterling or $ USD *Tip* - Try to disguise the parcel
POSTAGE COSTS
Please note, there are no hidden surcharges in our auctions, the price you win is the price you pay, just add the relevant postage, it's as simple as that! Win more than 1 auction and save money on postage costs!
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Postage and Packing within the UK = £3.65. Insured = £5.95
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Postage and Packing to Europe via Air Mail = £4. 85. Insured = £9.95
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Postage and Packing to Rest of the World (USA, Japan etc) via Air Mail = £7.95. Insured = £16.95
OUR GUARANTEE TO YOU
If you are in anyway unsatisfied with your record we will always offer you a refund minus the postage AND our eBay costs. Should the problem/ defect be something that was already described on the description page then we will not offer a refund - the moral of this story? ...always read the description!
DUE TO AN INCREASING AMOUNT OF TIMEWASTERS WE HAVE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING TERMS - (1) WE NOW WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM ZERO FEEDBACK BIDDERS UNLESS PRIOR NOTIFICATION IS RECEIVED - ITS REAL SAD WE HAVE HAD TO DO THIS, BUT CHASING FINAL VALUE FEES ROUND EBAY'S RUSTY INNARDS AINT OUR IDEA OF A FUN NIGHT! SO ZERO FEEDBACKERS WHO DO NOT CONTACT US = YOUR BID WILL BE CANCELLED (2) IF YOU DO NOT INTEND ON PAYING THEN DO NOT BID!!!! (3) IF YOU HAVE EXCESSIVE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK PLEASE EMAIL BEFORE YOU BID! THIS AUCTION IS FOR SERIOUS BIDDERS ONLY. (4) WINNER MUST MAKE CONTACT WITHIN 3 DAYS OTHERWISE ITEM WILL BE OFFERED TO NEXT HIGHEST BIDDER AND NEGATIVE FEEDBACK WILL BE LEFT. THEMS THE TERMS.
Good Luck! The UK Record Collector Grading System NAME GRADE INFORMATION Mint M Vinyl has just left the vinyl pressing machine and does not have any manufacturing flaws. It has never been handled and never played. Unless you work at the record plant, there is no such thing as mint! Record sleeves just left the pressing machine that made the sleeve. It has never been handled and a record has not been placed inside it which would deform it. Unless you work at the record plant, there is no such thing as mint! Near Mint NM Vinyl is virtually perfect. At most, perhaps a light scuff appears on the record. It should play without any noise or skips of any kind whatsoever. Record sleeve should look close to perfect with only minor signs of wear. The artwork should have no marks of any kind and there should be no "ring wear" (that is, the outline of the record inside should not show through the sleeve). Excellent EX or VG++ Vinyl should play with no skips of any kind. It should sound better than it looks. Often "Excellent" or "VG++" is a conservative version of "Near Mint." Perhaps some very minor surface scuffs, but again no effect on sound quality. Record sleeve might have some minor "ring wear" but otherwise the artwork should be unaffected. There should be no "ink wear" to the artwork. That is areas where the ink has worn down to the paper underneath. Perhaps some minor creases in the corners but no splits in the seams. Very Good Plus VG+ Vinyl will show wear including surface scuffs and some light scratches. Often, minor scuffs will be caused by the inner sleeve rubbing against the vinyl. If held up to a bright light, you will often see many tiny lines on the vinyl. Perhaps a few minor clicks or pops can be heard, but no deep scratches. Record sleeve should be clean, but slightly more aged. Perhaps some very small writing on the sleeve. The corners may be slightly bent, but not broken. There may be wear to the seams but not tears or holes popping through. Very Good VG Vinyl doesn't necessarily look good, but still plays well. Surface noise will probably be present including pops and clicks. At good volume levels, the music should overpower any pops and clicks present. Flaws should only be heard between tracks or on low volume passages. Record sleeve will look warn and used. There may be seam splitting, but not complete separation of the sleeve panels from each other. There will be noticeable ring wear on the cover, but most of the cover should still be in good condition. Good VG-/G+/G Vinyl looks well played, dull, and possibly not well taken care of. However, the record should still play without skipping. It will have substantial surface noise, pops and clicks. Loss of various parts of the dynamic range will occur due to worn grooves. This grade depends a lot on the owner and the type of record. A rock record may still sound "good" at high volume whereas a slower styles of music will sound terrible. Record sleeve may have many problems including seam splits, writing, taped repairs. However some of the artwork will still be visible. There can't be large tears and gouges in the cover. Fair/Poor F/P Doesn't meet the lowest standards for "good". At this point, the vinyl is difficult to listen to. The only reason to keep it would be due to extreme rarity or to fill a good sleeve until a better copy of the vinyl comes along. Doesn't meet the lowest standards for "good". The sleeve is torn, bent, and shows a very high level of wear. Attempts to tape the sleeve have made it worse. The only reason to keep the sleeve would be due to extreme rarity or to protect a good copy of the vinyl until a better sleeve comes along.
