CATHEDRAL Stained Glass Stories SEALED '78 PROG ROCK LP

$

600

PLEASE READ THIS!!  THIS IS THE SAME IDENTICAL COPY OF THE CATHEDRAL 'STAINED GLASS STORIES' LP WHICH I OFFERED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO IN COMPLETED EBAY AUCTION NUMBER 380199021795, ENDING DATE 1/26, WINNING BID PRICE 823.01, 27 BIDS. THE LP IS STILL IN THE SAME IDENTICAL SEALED CONDITION AS SHOWN AND DESCRIBED IN THAT PREVIOUS EBAY LISTING AND BELOW IN THIS LISTING.  THE WINNING BIDDER IN THE PREVIOUS AUCTION RECEIVED THIS LP AND RETURNED IT TO ME UPON INSPECTION DUE TO EXTERNAL MILDEW DISCOLORATION ON THE BACK COVER AS SHOWN IN THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGE, AND HIS CONCERN OVER THE UNLIKELY POSSIBILITY THAT THE MILDEW COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE RECORD INSIDE THE COVER.  WHEN I FIRST LISTED THIS LP AT AN OPENING BID PRICE OF $19.99 I HAD NO IDEA OF ITS EXTREME RARITY AND COLLECTABILITY THAT WOULD RESULT IN A HIGH END WINNING BID PRICE, NOR DID I REALIZE AT THAT TIME THAT EXTERNAL MILDEW ON THE BACK COVER OF THIS ITEM WOULD BECOME A DEAL BREAKING ISSUE TO SOME COLLECTORS. APPARENTLY IT IS, SO APPARENTLY A DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THIS ISSUE IS NECESSARY --
I HAVE COLLECTED RECORDS MYSELF FOR 40 YEARS, AND HAVE LIVED HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS.  DURING THAT TIME I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF LPs WHICH HAVE PICKED UP EXTERNAL MILDEW DISCOLORATION ON THEIR COVERS DUE TO THE HIGH HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURES THAT LPS MAY ENCOUNTER HERE IF STORED IN A GARAGE OR A NON-AIRCONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME.  IN 99% OF THE INSTANCES I HAVE SEEN THE EXTERNAL MILDEW DISCOLORATION IS CONFINED TO THE OUTER LAYER OF PAPER ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE ALBUM COVER WHEN THE RECORD IS PACKAGED PROPERLY, AND THE ONLY TIMES THAT MILDEW IS SEEN ON THE RECORD ITSELF ARE IN INSTANCES WHERE THE LP IS NOT SEALED AND HAS NO INNER SLEEVE, WHERE THE RECORD AND THE LABELS ARE DIRECTLY EXPOSED TO THE HUMID WARM AIR.  WHEN AN LP IS STILL SEALED AND IS FURTHER PROTECTED BY AN INNER SLEEVE THERE IS NO WAY THE RECORD INSIDE CAN BE EXPOSED TO THE HUMID AIR, AND NO WAY THE RECORD CAN IN ANY WAY BE DAMAGED BY MILDEW.  IN THIS SITUATION THE MILDEW DISCOLORATION IS PURELY EXTERNAL AND CONFINED TO THE TOP LAYER OF PAPER ON THE ALBUM COVER - THIS IS THE SITUATION WITH THE CATHEDRAL LP ON OFFER HERE, WHICH HAS MILDEW DISCOLORATION ON ITS EXTERNAL COVER SURFACE DUE TO A FEW SMALL TEARS IN THE SHRINKWRAP WHICH ALLOWED HUMID AIR TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE TOP LAYER OF PAPER ON THE COVER.
THE ABOVE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE DIFFERENT FROM A SITUATION WHERE AN ALBUM HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO LIQUID MOISTURE IN THE FORM OF CONDENSATION OR ACTUAL WETNESS FROM FLOODING OR RAINFALL.  IN THAT SITUATION THE ENTIRE CARDBOARD COVER CAN BECOME SATURATED AND COMPROMISED, AND THE LIQUID MOISTURE CAN PENETRATE TO THE RECORD AND CAUSE DAMAGE FROM MILDEW AND FROM THE COVER OR INNER SLEEVE STICKING TO THE RECORD AND LABEL, AND THEN YOU WOULD UNQUESTIONABLY HAVE A DAMAGED RECORD.  THE CATHEDRAL LP ON OFFER HERE HAS DEFINITELY NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO LIQUID MOISTURE - THE COVER HAS NEVER BEEN SATURATED OR PENETRATED BY MOISTURE, AND IT RETAINS ITS FULL ORIGINAL STRUCTURAL STIFFNESS, STRENGTH, AND INTEGRITY.  THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT THIS LP HAS EVER BEEN EXPOSED TO ANY LIQUID OR CONDENSED MOISTURE - THERE ARE NO WATER STAINS AND NO WEAK SPOTS ANYPLACE ON THE CARDBOARD COVER.  MY ASSESSMENT IS THAT IT IS 99% PROBABLE THAT THE MILDEW DISCOLORATION PRESENT ON THIS LP IS CONFINED TO THE TOP LAYER OF PAPER ON THE COVER AND DOES NOT INDICATE ANY INTERNAL PROBLEMS WITH THE RECORD.  AS THE FIRST BUYER KNOWS, THIS LP DOES CARRY A MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE IN THE UNLIKELY EVENT I AM MISTAKEN ABOUT THIS.
ALL THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, HERE IS MY PERSONAL FEELING ON THIS SITUATION - AS I MENTIONED ABOVE, I HAVE BEEN A COLLECTOR MYSELF FOR 40 YEARS.  WHEN I LOOK AT A HIGH END LP THAT WOULD BE A 'HOLY GRAIL' TYPE OF PIECE IN THE AREAS THAT I COLLECT - ROCKABILLY, 50S R&B AND ROCK-N-ROLL, AND BRITISH INVASION - MY MAIN CRITERIA IN DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT THE ITEM IS INDEED WORTH THE PRICE IS THE RARITY AND COLLECTABILITY OF THE PIECE AND THE DIFFICULTY OF FINDING IT.  IF I WERE LOOKING AT A HIGH END 'HOLY GRAIL' ITEM LIKE A SEALED JOHNNY BURNETTE TRIO LP EXTERNAL MILDEW WOULD BE WAY DOWN ON MY LIST OF FACTORS WHICH WOULD MAKE ME DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT THE PIECE IS WORTH THE PRICE AND WORTH PUTTING INTO MY COLLECTION - THE MAIN FACTORS TO ME WOULD BE THE RARITY, THE RELATIVE COLLECTABILITY OF THE PIECE IN THE AREA OF MUSIC INTO WHICH THE PIECE FALLS, AND THE PROBABILITY OF EVER SEEING THAT PIECE AGAIN, PARTICULARLY IN SEALED CONDITION AS IS THIS CATHEDRAL LP.  IF I WERE BIDDING ON SOMETHING LIKE A SEALED BURNETTE TRIO LP EXTERNAL MILDEW WOULD NOT BE A FACTOR IN MY MIND, AND SIMILARLY I FEEL THAT BY RIGHTS THE RARITY AND COLLECTABILITY OF A SEALED CATHEDRAL LP THAT HAS OBVIOUSLY ORIGINATED WITH THE BAND ITSELF SHOULD BE THE MAIN DETERMINING FACTORS IN THE MINDS OF THE BIDDERS HERE.  
I RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE COLLECTORS OUT THERE TO WHOM THE PRESENCE OF EXTERNAL MILDEW STAINING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE RARITY AND COLLECTABILITY ASPECTS OF A HIGH END STILL SEALED 'HOLY GRAIL' CLASS LP.  IF YOU ARE ONE OF THESE COLLECTORS AND YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH MY PHILOSOPHY, THEN PLEASE DO NOT WASTE BOTH OF OUR TIME AND MONEY AND UPSET BOTH OF US - DO US BOTH A BIG FAVOR AND PLEASE DO NOT BID!!!   
NOW ON TO REGULAR BUSINESS --- This is a BRAND NEW STILL SEALED 1978 Delta Records U.S. press LP titled 'Stained Glass Stories' featuring five extended tracks from the Yes-influneced U.S. prog-rock band Cathedral. It is Delta Records catalog number DRC-1002, and appears to be a RARE ITEM which has not been offered on eBay (except in my previous auction of this LP as explained above) either at auction or at fixed price sale during the past month as far as I can tell. Cathedral is: Mercury Caronia IV-drums, percussion / Fred Callan-bass, bass pedals / Paul Seal-lead vocals, percussion, bass pedals / Tom Doncourt-keyboards, percussion / Rudy Perrone-6 and 12 string guitar, vocals. Tracks: Introspect (12:35), Gong (7:00), The Crossing (5:55), Days & Changes (8:35), The Search (11:20) - Total Time: 45:25. As stated above, this LP is STILL SEALED in its original shrinkwrap - Record is in 100% pristine condition. Album lies perfectly flat on both sides with no indication of any bends or warps.  FRONT AND BACK COVERS HAVE  EXTERNAL BROWN MILDEW DISCOLORATION AS DISCUSSED ABOVE, AND AS CAN BE SEEN IN THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES, and a couple of small wrinkles. Shrinkwrap has a 2" x 3" tear at the upper right corner of the back cover, where the name and phone number of Mercury Caronia, who apparently also acted as the band's manager, is written in blue ballpoint, and a couple of other small splits IN THE SHRINKWRAP ONLY, NOT THE COVER. This rare NEW SEALED LP would make a great addition to any 1970s prog-rock record collection! Winning bidder pays $3.00 media mail postage or actual priority mail postage within the U.S. I WILL SHIP WORLDWIDE - Uninsured first class international airmail postage to the UK or anyplace in Europe is $13.50 - Please e-mail me for postage rates to other areas outside the U.S. WINNING BIDDER PLEASE DO NOT SEND CASH - IT PROBABLY WILL NOT GET HERE! I will give an immediate refund (less shipping) upon return of the LP if winning bidder is dissatisfied for any reason. Good luck!