BLACK SABBATH MASTER OF REALITY 1st PRESS VERTIGO SWIRL & POSTER, SUPERB UPGRADE

	£		333
	$		441

All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.

But . . . (I know that this should be common sense) . . .

. . . please ensure that you have read and understood the description before buying.

Thank you.


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P&P charges for buyers outside the UK: Please note that I send ALL international items tracked and insured, which costs more than the standard airmail rate.
For further information please click on the icon or see below for full P&P and insurance details.


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100% genuine, original and complete UK 1st press.

Complete copies in this condition rarely turn up for sale and I have never seen a better example of the box cover.

This is an outstanding example which looks and sounds superb and it is complete with the rare 1st press poster. Please note that this is a true, original genuine 1st press UK Vertigo poster. It is NOT from a re-issue or a non-UK copy, neither is it a reproduction. It is the genuine article from 1971 - it has six panels and is made from a fairly heavy, matt paper which measures 18" by 27" (inches) and weighs 38 grams.

This has the following 1st press matrix numbers:

Side 1: 6360050 1Y//1

Side 2: 6360050 2Y//1

Detailed description

Box cover: The original embossed box-cover is really nice and clean with no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and minimal signs of use. I have never seen another one as good as this. The lamination has retained its original high sheen and looks almost like new. For the sake of completeness I would mention some minor creases near the top flap, some slight flaking along the bottom edge and a small area of laminate lift/bubbling at the bottom right corner of the rear, but overall this is an outstanding example and I think it would be very unlikely that you could find a better one.

Edge/corner wear: Other than the minor issues mentioned above, the edges and spines are near perfect. There is just very light wear to the corners. Please see the photos which show close-ups of the edges. This is the best I've seen.

Poster: Original 1st press UK Vertigo poster has six panels and is made from fairly heavy, matt paper. It measures 18" by 27" (inches) and weighs 38 grams. It has never been displayed and has no tears, splits or damage - just normal signs of storage and minor signs of handling etc. Please note that this is folded with the picture on the inside so there is no storage wear along the folds on the picture side. There are a handful of small age-spots on the white rear but the printed side is immaculate.

Inner sleeve: Original poly-lined Vertigo inner sleeve, date coded 0671 (June 1971) - has no splits or tears, just some corner creases and normal signs of age and use.

Labels: Both labels look superb with absolutely no signs of damage, writing, stickers etc and just light spindle marking, suggesting that the record wasn't played much.

Vinyl: Play-grading for both sides: an EASY Excellent (Ex), approaching Excellent plus (Ex+). The vinyl is flat and has retained its original high sheen. In normal light it looks fantastic with very few marks. Under very bright light, quite a lot of ultra-fine, whispy lines were visible, mainly on side two, but these are entirely superficial (either from sleeve removal or possibly cleaning) and have absolutely no audible impact. I have played the entire record and it sounds fantastic with almost nothing to report. For the sake of completeness I will state that there is some soft background noise which can be heard in some of the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and the occasional place where you might get a couple of random clicks, but there is absolutely nothing loud or intrusive anywhere.  Even the two quiet instrumentals sounded superb with hardly any noise. Like most copies, the soft 'spooky' end-section of 'Children of the Grave' and the very quiet 'Solitude' on side two had a bit of background noise, but these points are mentioned purely for completeness as there is nothing loud or distracting anywhere. This is a superb example and was a real pleasure to listen to. Much of it grades Near Mint and overall, side one would have been an EASY Excellent plus (Ex+) right up until the soft 'spooky' end-section of 'Children of the Grave' and so I would play-grade side one overall as an EASY Excellent (Ex), approaching Excellent plus (Ex+). Similarly, much of side two sounds Near Mint, but 'Solitude' and a few other minor points mean that it is also play-graded an EASY Excellent (Ex), approaching Excellent plus (Ex+).

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is a complete, genuine example in outstanding condition.

Please check out my other items and take advantage of reduced postage costs for multiple buys.

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Information about descriptions and gradings.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get. I am aware that different grading systems have different definitions and so I try as much as possible to describe items in plain English, rather than simply using gradings. Where gradings are given these are based on the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.

Play-graded vinyl: Although I don't have time to play them all, I believe that records are for playing and so I try to play-grade records whenever possible. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to listing it. If I have play-graded the record I will usually only give a description of how the record looks (i.e. not a visual grading). The grading in the listing will be a play-grading and may be slightly different from the grading that the record would receive from a purely visual inspection. If I haven't play-graded the record, it will be given a visual grading.

Play-grading MONO records: Mono records and stereo records have different grooves. A stereo record produces a stereo sound via both lateral and vertical groove modulation whereas a mono record is not intended to produce any sound from vertical modulation. Playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge will create distortion because it is trying to pick-up the vertical (stereo) part of the signal, whereas this is not intended to be heard on a mono record and so is just noise.  Using a pre-amp with a mono switch will eliminate the noise caused by vertical modulation leaving just the lateral groove signal which is how the record was intended to be heard. Based on the assumption that most people choosing to buy a mono record will have the right equipment to listen to it, I play all mono records via a pre-amp with a mono switch.  My play-grading is based on how the record sounds when played through a mono switch. If you do not have a mono switch on your amp or pre-amp you will be reproducing the noise from the vertical part of the signal and so the record will not sound as good. This is not any fault of the record, it is inherent to playing any mono record through a system that it was not designed for.

Visually-graded vinyl: A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly. I always do my best to give a fair assessment of any visible marks on the playing surface, but a visual grading will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most of the records I sell are between thirty and fifty years old and so it is likely that there may be some background noise even if they look perfect. Please see Terms and Conditions below for my refunds policy for visually graded records.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. All packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may sometimes use recycled packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

My P&P charges are 'totally transparent'. Please read below and if you have any questions about P&P costs please contact me BEFORE you bid. Thank you.

Sending items costs more than just the stamps on the package, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me to do so. I need to cover the cost of packing materials, plastic sleeves, new inner sleeves (where applicable), transportation, fees and charges associated with sending the item (including fees incurred to receive the cost of postage and, where applicable, currency exchange) etc. To cover these expenses I add a nominal figure to the basic cost charged at the post office. For UK sales I add £1.10, for European sales I add £1.90 and for transactions outside Europe I add £2.30. These are nominal amounts and the actual cost to me is always higher than this. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

To quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

Depending on the precise weight of your parcel, you may occasionally end up paying a few pence more or a few pence less than it actually costs me, but if there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items valued below £50 are sent using first class recorded post. The cost for this is as follows:

One to four LPs (with a combined total value below £50) = £5.20.

UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £50 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery and the total cost of this will be £9.35 for one to four LPs and £12.00 for five or more LPs . Please wait for my invoice before paying.

Any order valued below £10 can be sent using second class standard mail, free of charge.

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Airmail (with tracking and insurance) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £13.60, each additional LP or 12" add £2.20.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £17.50, each additional LP or 12" add £3.80.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg or valued over £500 may be split into two or more packages as appropriate so they can be sent using Royal Mail's Small Packet Rate, so please wait for my invoice on larger multiple purchases.

Customs declaration for overseas orders: Please note that for overseas orders outside the EU I need to complete a customs declaration and must enter the value of the package on the declaration.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.