LED ZEPPELIN HOUSES OF THE HOLY 1st PRESS NEAR MINT OBI

	£		335
	$		444

eachtohisown Store

Please read the Terms and Conditions lower in the listing about payment, postage costs and insurance BEFORE placing a bid. Thank you.

I am happy to answer any questions, but please read the listing carefully before sending a question or placing a bid. I try to provide comprehensive details and information in every listing so the answers to most questions should be found below.

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During nearly six years of trading on ebay, I have received over 1,500 positive feedbacks from around 1,200 individual customers, almost all from the sale of vinyl records.

I take great pride in ensuring that my records are always described accurately and fairly. All my items come with a money-back guarantee - if it's not as described, you can return it for a full refund.

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The records I'm currently selling have all come from the same owner. Generally, they are in immaculate condition and each one would be a worthy addition to any collection. More LPs will be added over the next couple of weeks. Please have a look at the rest of my listings to see other superb records from this collection.

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This is an outstanding example of the rarest of all Led Zeppelin LPs.

Most collectors believe that Led Zep I with the turquoise lettering is the rarest. But the rarest Led Zep LP is this one - a 1st UK pressing complete with the genuine, original UK Obi strip. This is the first time I have ever had one and they are extremely rare. So rare in fact, that I think only a very small number of these UK obi strips can have been produced in the first place and that the vast majority of these were simply torn off and thrown away when the record was bought.

I have seen French and German copies with obi strips, but this is the first time I have come across a genuine 1st UK press with its obi strip intact. These only turn up for sale very infrequently and this one is in superb condition.

The cover and inner sleeve are immaculate and the heavy weight (140 gm) vinyl sounds superb.

This has the following 1st press matrix numbers:

Side 1: K50014 A2

Side 2: K50014 B2

Detailed description

Sleeve: The matt sleeve is near perfect and looks pretty much like new. It has no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and virtually no signs of use.

Edge wear: top/spine/bottom/opening/opposite edge: none/none/none/none/none. There is no wear apart from at the tips of the corners.

Corner wear: minimal

Obi strip: This is a genuine first pressing UK obi strip, as can be identified by the style and content of the text on the rear of the obi strip, which I have shown in the photo. It is complete and intact with no tears or damage other than a couple of very small worn areas (just a few milimetres) at the bottom of each of the folded edges. There are no tears or splits to the body of the obi strip and the join on the rear is still joined together with the original adhesive. There have been no repairs or any 'interference' at all to this rare item. Obi strips were never intended to last, but this one has only the smallest signs of age and wear. I doubt there can be any genuine UK obi strips that are better than this one.

Inner sleeve: This is the original textured inner sleeve with no thumb tabs. It is near perfect and looks pretty much like new with no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and minimal signs of use.

Labels: Both labels look superb with absolutely no signs of damage, writing, stickers etc and just light spindle marking.

Vinyl: The vinyl looks great and has retained its original high sheen. It has clearly been well cared for. Under bright light, just fine hairlines and marks were visible. I have played the entire record and it sounds fantastic. There is some soft background noise which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and I noticed some soft swishy clicks in the very quiet sections of 'No Quarter' and about six quiet clicks in the fade and run-out groove at the end of 'The Ocean'.  Other than this there are just a few places where you get some background crackle or a bit of random clicking but there is nothing loud or intrusive anywhere. All of these points are mentioned purely for the sake of accuracy and completeness. This is a superb example and was a real pleasure to listen to.

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is a superb example of the rarest Led Zep LP.

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

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Play-graded vinyl: I play grade records where possible but I don't have time to play them all. I will not usually play records which appear to be in excellent or NM condition. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to describing it. When I play a record I listen to it carefully through headphones, taking notes of any noise, clicks, distortion etc and play it all the way through, unless stated otherwise.

Visually-graded vinyl: Unless specifically stated in the listing, vinyl is visually graded. A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly, but it will not detect 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.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them before bidding. If you do not agree with them, please don't bid. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns of items where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated in the listing.
• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund. However, I do not operate an 'approval' service - your bid is binding unless I have made an error or omission 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 send some items in packaging which has been previously used or which has been made from other cardboard 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

I need to cover the cost of postage, packing materials, time and fees but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

However, 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 500-550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Occasionally, you may end up paying a few pence more than it actually costs me and occasionally you may end up paying a few pence less than it actually costs me. If there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

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.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items are sent quickly and securely using first class recorded post, which includes insurance up to £41. The cost for this is as follows:

First LP or 12" = £3.80, each additional LP or 12" add £0.80

First 7" or CD = £1.90, each additional 7" or CD add £0.50


UK Fully insured service - Any order valued over £41 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery and the total cost of this will be £7.50.  Multiple-item orders weighing more than 1kg or items valued over £500 will cost slightly more to insure, so please wait for my invoice before paying.


UK Economy service - If the value of your order is below £10 you can request a new invoice to have your item sent by standard second class post (unrecorded). However, please be aware that this service can take up to a week to reach you and in the event of a claim for loss or damage, Royal Mail will not reimburse the full value of your order. The cost for this is as follows:

First LP or 12" = £3.00, each additional LP or 12" add £0.70

First 7" or CD = £1.10, each additional 7" or CD add £0.45

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Airmail (uninsured) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £5.00, each additional LP or 12" add £2.00.

First 7" or CD = £1.90, each additional 7" or CD add £0.60.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £8.50, each additional LP or 12" add £3.50.

First 7" or CD = £3.20, each additional 7" or CD add £0.90.

Insurance

For overseas orders, I include insurance on all invoices. This is additional to the costs above. If your order is valued under £10 you can request a new invoice without insurance (but in the event of a claim for loss or damage, Royal Mail will not reimburse the full value). Overseas orders valued over £10 will ONLY be sent fully insured.

Insurance is charged at cost as follows:

• Overseas orders valued up to £41 will be insured for an additional £4.95
• Overseas orders valued between £41 and £500 will be insured for an additional £7.45
• Overseas orders valued over £500, please contact me.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg will 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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Please do not bid if you don't agree to these terms. If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.

Thanks for your interest in this listing and for taking the time to read these details.