BLACK SABBATH MASTER OF REALITY 1st UK PRESS VERTIGO SWIRL EMBOSSED EX/EX+ AUDIO

	£		213
	$		282

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 placing a bid.

Thank you.

Unbelievably, there are people who bid on listings (sometimes hundreds of pounds) without even reading the description !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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P&P charges for bidders 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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This is Black Sabbath's classic third album Master of Reality on the original UK 1st press Vertigo swirl label, complete with the 1st press embossed box cover and 1st press Vertigo swirl inner sleeve. This is strictly play-graded as Excellent plus (Ex+) for side one and Excellent (Ex) for side two, although much of it play-grades Near Mint (NM).

Please note that the embossed box cover, the disk and the inner sleeve are all the original Vertigo UK 1st press. The poster is a modern copy but, like the original 1st press poster, it has six panels and measures approximately 18" by 27" (inches).

The vinyl 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 just light signs of use. This is one of the best I've seen.  The lamination has retained its original sheen with just some very minor flaking along some of the folds and slight laminate lift along the left edge. There are small creases near the edges and slight wear at the corners but there is nothing prominent anywhere. Please look at the photos to get a good idea of the superb condition of this item. (Note that this is the original 1st press box with the band name in dark purple writing - it looks paler in some of the photos, but that's just my camera!).

Edge/corner wear: The edges and spines have some minor creases and some wear to the corners, but there is nothing major anywhere. Please see the photos. It is hard to find original examples as good as this.

Poster: The poster has six panels, it weighs about 40 grams and measures 18" by 27" (inches). It has never been displayed (so no pin-holes, sellotape, blu-tac etc) and is in superb condition with no tears, splits or damage.

Inner sleeve: Original poly-lined Vertigo inner sleeve, date coded 0671 (June 1971) - has no splits or tears, just slight creases at the edges and corners.

Vinyl: Strictly play-graded overall as Excellent plus (Ex+) / Excellent (Ex) but much of it play-grades Near Mint (NM). The vinyl has clearly been well cared-for and has retained its original high sheen. Under bright light, I could see whispy hairlines, sleeve-removal lines and fine marks, but there is nothing significant anywhere. I have played the entire record and it sounds excellent with almost nothing to report. This is a forty-four year old album and so, inevitably, there is the occasional random click and some background noise which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs fades, silent grooves and intros, but there is nothing significant anywhere. I did not hear any repetitive clicks anywhere on this album. There are several quiet parts on Master of Reality that are almost impossible to find with perfect audio (the two quiet instrumentals, the soft 'spooky' end-section of 'Children of the Grave' and 'Solitude') and like most copies, there was some background noise and crackle in these, but only 'Solitude' had anything worthy of mention (and this was only audible because the track is so quiet). The loud parts on both sides sound superb and play-grade Near Mint, but taking everything account, including the background noise in the fades, silent grooves and intros and the quiet passages, my strict play-grade would be Excellent plus (Ex+) for side one and Excellent (Ex) for side two, although I expect that many people would probably grade it higher. The loud parts sound Near Mint and it is only the 'difficult' quiet passages (mainly 'Solitude' and the end-section of 'Children of the Grave') which reduce the overall grading. This is a superb example and it was a pleasure to listen to.

Labels: The labels have spindle marking and normal signs of use, but no tears, stickers etc. There was some small neat writing which has been very carefully and neatly concealed so that it is not easy to see unless you tilt the labels in the light. [On the side one label this is in the white strip directly below the words 'SIDE A' and on the side two label it is in the Vertigo swirl logo, but you would probably only notice them if you were told they were there].

Detracting features not covered above:  None.

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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.

Following my worst ever experience as an ebay seller, please note that:

I NO LONGER POST TO MEXICO.

Recently a buyer in Mexico managed to get Paypal to take the money out of my account and give it back to him despite that fact that I had sent written confirmation to the buyer and uploaded the TRACKING INFORMATION on the SAME DAY that he had paid for it.

The buyer never made any attempt to contact me and simply opened an ‘item not received’ claim, despite the fact that only half the time it usually takes for items to reach destinations in Mexico had elapsed. The Royal Mail website clearly showed that the item was IN MEXICO and ON ITS WAY but Paypal simply took the money from my account and refunded him.

To add insult to injury, after ripping me off, the buyer also left me negative feedback!

Ebay and Paypal claim to have ‘seller protection schemes’ but I followed all their rules and was still left with no item, no money and negative feedback, so (sorry to all the honest Mexicans) no more sales to Mexico.