ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING THE FIVE KEYS 1957

$

27

PLEASE TAKE TIME TO CAREFULLY READ THE DESCRIPTIONS BEFORE BIDDING, THANK YOU!

All listings will have the following information whenever possible: Name of Artist or Group; Date of  Pressing; Detailed description of album cover and record; Grading of Album Cover; Quality of the listening experience; Quality of the record; Please read all information carefully before bidding.

Thank you for viewing my auctions. I sincerely appreciate the interest and kind comments made about me and my collection in the feedback section. It's nice to know that many of you share my passion regarding the 50's and 60's and the music that changed the world, forever. It was a blessing being a teenager during the early 50's, listening, dancing and Bopping to the the best of the best.

40% of my rare albums have been shipped to the following countries: AUSTRALIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, CANADA, CROATIA, DENMARK, ENGLAND, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, ISRAEL, ITALY, JAPAN, MALAYSIA, NORWAY, RUSSIA, SOUTH KOREA, SPAIN, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND AND THAILAND, with the remaining 60% in the UNITED STATES.

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 conservative.

******U.S.Bidders, Insurance should be considered for valuable records. USPS rates are as follows******

(Up to $50 $1.75) ($50.01 to $100 $2.25) ($100.01 to $200 $2.75) ($200.01 to $300 $4.70)

($300.01 to $400 $5.70) $400.01 to $500 $6.70).

All records are played through prior to listing for accurate grading.

GRADING GUIDELINES!

(NM or NM-) NM records are shiny with no visible defects such as writing, stickers or spindle 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) Will 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-) Just a compounding of the VG category. Many obvious flaws but if the record is rare, may very well be worthwhile. I usually do not list records lower than 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.

FAST SHIPPING!

I ship worldwide and accept Paypal, Cashier's check, or personal check. My auctions close on Saturday or Sunday and shipped every Monday morning with a delivery confirmation or Customs Declaration. When you receive your album, PLEASE LOOK AT THE DATE ON THE DELIVERY CONFIRMATION AS IT TELLS YOU THE DATE THE ALBUM LEFT MY POST OFFICE. Thank you

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 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 CAREFULLY READ DESCRIPTIONS BEFORE BIDDING. Thank you and Good luck bidding!

FROM MY PERSONAL COLLECTION: You are bidding for a mega rare 1957 original first pressing of The Five Keys On Stage and recorded on the Capital Label T-848 in High Fidelity. This is the Green Label with Silver Print and valued for $300+ in the Goldmine Price Guide. The cover shows Rudy West's right thumb in a unique position. The cover was later replaced without the controversial thumb showing. The group was formed with the original name of Sentimental Four in Newport News, Virgina, in the late 1940s and initially consisted of two sets of brothers. Rudy West was born July 25, 1932 in Newport News, Virginia and Bernie West born February 4, 1930, Newport News Virginia. Ripley Ingram born 1930 and died March 23, 1995 at Newport News and Raphael Ingram. Ingram left in 1949.  Maryland Pierce, born 1933 and Dickie Smith became members in his place. At this juncture the name of the group was changed to The Five Keys.

The 53 year old thick album cover is in excellent condition for its age. There is no discoloration, tape, tears, writing or wrinkles. There are upper and lower seam splits, very easy to repair and a hint of ring wear. A nice display for the Music Room. The liner notes in back are nice, with just a hint of discoloration. The black shiny record has retained its glossy look and the labels are clean, showing only light spindle marks. I inspected the rare record under a 100 watt light and there were no feelable scratches or groove lines, just scuffs and light surface scratches/paper cuts that did not affect a superb listening experience. I played the record just prior to listing and there were no sticks, skips, loud pops or noisy hisses and few light pops, primarily between some of the songs. A superb listening experience. The songs include; Side 1, Just For A Thrill, Who Do You Know In Heaven, Maybe You'll Be There, Tiger Lily, C'est La Vie, Dream. Side 2, Let There Be You, All I Need Is You, The Gypsy, From The Bottom Of My Heart, To Each His Own, Boom Boom. The Five Keys had a blockbuster hit in 1954, the year I graduated from High School. The song was Ling, Ting Tong. Do you remember? This is a classic album from a Hall of Fame group and a great collectible.  Based on the Goldmine guide, the album is graded a strong VG, the quality of the listening experience VG++ and the record VG+/VG. There is no reserve.