1957 ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING of the DEL VIKINGS VG++

$

120

Thank you for viewing my auctions. Most of the albums you will be viewing are from my 50+ year old collection and are original issues. Sometimes I include albums given to me or purchased from friends or relatives. I do not go to swap meets, garage sales, or thrift stores. I do go to record conventions as time permits. You will be bidding for very rare, original issue and quality albums. Sometime I will list rare re-issues or later pressings. They will be stated as (re) in the listing. I use Goldmine Standard Catalog as a grading guideline and tend to get somewhat conservative in my approach.  All records are played through prior to listing for accurate grading.

(NM or NM-) NM records are shiny with no visible defects such as writing, stickers or needle marks on the labels. The album cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any signs of human handling. It also will have no ring wear.

(VG+) or (Excellent) May show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Minor signs of handling are OK. The cover might be marred by a cutout marking, small hole punch, a cut in the spine or a promotional stamp and even a tiny bit of ring wear.

(VG) Have more obvious flaws such as lack of gloss, groove wear, light scratches and needle marks. When played there will be surface noise that will not overpower the music overall. Noise in the passages, between songs is common. The cover may have minor seam splits, writing, tape, stickers, ring wear and scuffs.

(VG-) Is just a compounding of the VG category. Many obvious flaws but if the record is rare, may very well be worthwhile. I do not list record lower the above grades.

Remember, when you are bidding, most of these records are usually 50+ years old and have been out of print for a very long time. When you consider that, damage, loss, and normal use or wear has reduced the market to the point that few of these wonderful treasures are even available today.

I will ship worldwide and accept Paypal, Cashier's check, or personal check and will ship on the day of settlement. Due to the value of my collection, I will help save you shipping fees. I have ordered special album boxes for shipping. All boxes will have four FRAGILE, Phonograph Record stickers. This is an attempt to let the postal people know they are handling sensitive boxes. There will also be a mailing conformation. Albums will have clear covers with new inserts. Thank you for your interest. I hope the information is of value to you. Be sure to review my feedback and please, take time to read the listings you are bidding, carefully. Thank you and Good luck bidding!

From my personal collection: You are bidding for an original 1957 first pressing by the Del Viikings on the Mercury Label MG-20134 in High Fidelity and valued at $300+ NM in the Goldmine book. This is the black label with silver print. The original group consisted of Norm Wright, Kripp Johnson, Gus Bakus, Dave Lerchey and Clarence Quick. The very thick and colorful album cover has been well protected over these many years. There is no ring wear, scuffs, writing, discoloration or tears. There is a 3/8" seam split in the upper right corner. There are some minor creases in the corners from storage. The liner notes in back are most informative with minor discoloration evident. The thick shiny record has maintained its rich glossy look and the labels are nice, showing only some light needle marks from minimal use. I inspected the record under 100 watt lighting and did not see or feel any scratches. There are no scuffs or grooves. There are some very light paper and surface marks only. When played, it was a wonderful listening experience. No sticks, loud pops or noisy hisses. I thought I heard one fast skip in the the song, I'm sittin' On Top Of The World but I wasn't sure. I asked my wife to listen and she didn't hear it. In any event, there are only a few very light pops. The songs include: Side 1, Come Go With Me, Summertime, Yours, Heart And Soul, A Sunday Kind Of Love, Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Side 2, Is It Any Wonder, My Foolish Heart, The White Cliffs Of Dover, Down In Bermuda, I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World, Now Is The Hour. The Del Vikings were legends during the Rhythm & Blues days of the 50's and are inducted inthe Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Based on the Goldmine guide, the album is graded VG+ the listening experience VG+++ and the record VG++. There is no reserve.