VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO orig. 1967 Verve label

$

164

My Philosophy

Record grading is a subjective endeavor!  Sellers tend to over-grade, buyers tend to under-grade.   Honesty, attention to detail and complete accuracy is the only way to counteract this problem.

Visual grading under a bright light is absolutely necessary!  Any record looks near mint in the dark.

Play grading is everything.  I have had pristine looking records play crackly, and have had scratchy looking records play surprisingly cleanly.

Label descriptions are a must.  It can be very frustrating to see a listing of a copy of (for example) Iron Butterfly’s In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, that tells you nothing of the label.  Is it an original purple and brown label, a 2nd issue yellow 1841 Broadway address label, a 3rd issue yellow Rockefeller Plaza address label, or an even later gray label?#!??

Purchasing a record sight-unseen can be very rewarding, or can be very disappointing.  My goal is very simple.  To have every buyer finish the deal happy.

Negative feedback can be avoided in most cases.  If you truly believe that my descriptions have been misleading, I will gladly refund your purchase price upon return of the album.  Please allow me to try and address your concerns before leaving negative feedback. 

I use the following grading system:

                                                                                    For those who prefer a #’d system

Mint*                                       (M)                                          9.5 – 10.0

Near Mint                                (NM)                                       8.5 – 9.0

Very Good Plus Plus                (VG++)                                    7.0 – 8.0

Very Good Plus                        (VG+)                                      5.0 – 6.5

Very Good                               (VG)                                        3.5 – 4.5

Good                                       (G)                                           2.0 – 3.0

Poor                                         (P)                                           1.0 – 1.5

Frisbee                                     (F)                                           0.0 – 0.5

* - Due to the nature of the beast, genuine Mint vinyl records are an extreme rarity!!     

With that said, up for auction:

Item:                             The Velvet Underground

Title:                             The Velvet Underground & Nico

Label:                           Verve

Label Number:             V6-5008

Label Description:      dark blue label; silver print

Year of Release:          1967

Country:                        USA

Cover Grade:                NM    The gatefold cover has the peel-able banana still attached.  As with many of these covers, someone at one time had tried to peel it off, and then gave up.  The stem of the banana has a tear in it as a result of this.  There are also a couple of air bubbles beneath the banana (hopefully seen in the photographs).  The back of the gatefold has no large sticker covering anything.  The male torso above the band does not appear to be airbrushed out.  I will not pretend to know all of the variations of this album, so I have included several photos to inform you of exactly what version this is.  The predominantly white cover is still very clean, with no ring wear at all.  There are no split seams or spine, no cutouts (although it does have the remnants of what appear to be staple holes in the top left corner– another form of cutout?)  The very bottom of the spine has a very minor flaw.  The inside of the gatefold is still very beautiful.  I suppose to be perfectly accurate, the cover grades at that junction between near mint and vg++.

Vinyl - Visual Grade:   NM    Under a bright light, the vinyl is simply glossy and gorgeous!  Hardly any flaws to mention.

Vinyl - Play Grade:       NM    My play grade notes state that there is just the slightest between-song fuzz only.  The music itself is comes through cleanly and enjoyably!

Label(s) Grade:            NM    Both labels are incredibly clean.

Comments:                   I think even the most serious collector would be happy with this copy.  Although not perfect, this 39-year old highly collectable record has survived extremely well.  The original Verve inner sleeve is still here and except for some minor age discoloration, is in near mint condition.

Payment:       I accept:

Ø      Paypal (just use the eBay checkout after the auction)

Ø      Bid pay

Ø      Money order

Ø      Cashier’s check

Ø      Personal check (up to 10-day hold at my discretion)

Ø      Cash (in a registered letter)

International buyers must use paypal, bid pay, or cash (U.S. $) in a registered letter.

Shipping Costs:  (Everything you need should be found below)

USA (please note that the USPS has increased their rates)

If your zip code starts with:

Your shipping costs are:

Media Mail

4-7 days (depends on how far)

Priority Mail

(2 days)

2 or 3

$3.75

$6.00

0 or 1 or 4 or 6 or 7

$3.75

$6.50

5 or 8

$3.75

$7.00

9

$3.75

$7.25

I welcome international buyers, but I can no longer ship economy mail (it takes a few weeks, and the chances of getting lost or damaged are very high).  I will only ship airmail overseas.

EUROPE

Shipping to Europe is $14.80 for airmail (should take 4 to 7 days).

ASIA OR AUSTRALIA

Shipping to Asia or Australia is $16.35 for airmail (should take 4 to 7 days).  Shipping may not be available to all countries, so please email before bidding.

CANADA

Shipping to Canada is $8.00 airmail letter post (4 to 7 days).

OTHER

Please email me with an exact shipping address before bidding for availability of shipping, and an exact shipping quote.

I WILL COMBINE SHIPPING FOR MULTIPLE WINNERS

Insurance is optional.  If you desire insurance, please add $1.30.

I will always ship in LP mailer boxes!!

Thank you, and happy bidding!!!  Please email with any questions.  If it is a question that might be important to all potential bidders, I may show it at the bottom of the auction.