Black Sabbath 1970 S/T UK Vertigo Swirl LP EX 2nd Press VO6 847 903 VTY First LP

$

150

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (UK, 1970, 2nd Press, Gatefold, LP) Label: Vertigo Cat#: VO6 847-903 VTY Media Condition: Excellent (EX) Jacket Condition: Very Good (VG)
U.S. ORDERS ONLY. 
Scans of actual record for sale.
This is a carefully played, respectable example of Black Sabbath's eponymous debut LP. The early Sabbath Vertigo pressings are among the most desirable pressings of this album, legendary for their clarity and power, cut from the earliest original master tapes that have never left England, and when those tapes were new!
This is a second pressing of Black Sabbath, without the Phillips text at 6 o'clock on the Side B label, pressed sometime between early 1970 and mid 1971.
The record is a clean and very SOLID visual EX to EX+ (very close to NEAR MINT). Under unforgiving 60 watt light, just a few faint hairline marks can be seen when the record is held at an angle. No scuffs, no needlemarks, no apparent groovewear and these playing surfaces still gleam with nearly all of their original factory luster. Hard to find much fault with this vinyl!
Vertigo "swirl" labels are VG+ to EX; very clean with some faint spindle marks but absolutely NO spindle wear. 
The gatefold jacket grades VG and is structurally sound. No split seams. The top right quadrant was bent slightly forward at one point in the jacket's history; this has left a crease at the front top right that is not too offensive. Also noted are very minor edgewear in some isolated spots, and corner wear at the bottom that is considerable in aesthetics but in no way compromises structural integrity. On the back top right, there are two paper chips (measuring 5-8 mm) where a very small sticker was pulled away. (Please look at the scans and make sure you are 'OK' with all of these imperfections before purchasing.) The inside gatefold has some creasing and handling marks; the sheen to the predominately black background is somewhat hazy. It is not ugly, but it does looks used.
The original, poly-lined Vertigo "swirl" inner sleeve, in about VG condition, is included; it has some extensive foxing and handling marks, but there are no split seams. The record itself is now housed in a super clean, Diskeeper™ audiophile sleeve.
I'm letting this piece go only because I never play it! Not a big Sabbath fan, you see. You can pick up this one, fellow American, or take your chances having one sent from overseas. British vinyl culture... good luck with that.
Price includes FREE postage and a first class packing job using all new mailing materials designed for records. Album will arrive in a clean, resealable mylar outer sleeve.
Stock #11/0116-05
 
Satisfaction guaranteed.

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Interstellar Q&A
Q. Who are you, and what are you doing?
A. I am a music lover — just like you — and after 40+ years of collecting, I am simply reducing the size of my well-tended archive. This is not a “for profit” enterprise; rather, selling is merely a function of my lifelong hobby. A collector friend of mine refers to this practice as “de-hoarding.” I’ll go with that.
Besides my excellent feedback right here on ebay, you can also review my perfect seller feedback over at Discogs (same seller name), and if you are a member of Steve Hoffman Music Forums, you can check out my glowing trading profile there (user name: Louis).
Q. "Strictest grading on ebay." What's that all about?
A. As a collector, I am sick of getting ripped off 50% of the time by negligent amateurs and unscrupulous record sellers who are intentionally vague on condition reporting and don't diligently honor time-honored grading conventions. (Sound familiar?) So I am running the safest place to shop for records on ebay. This is not some wild claim. This is my credo. I believe in full and truthful disclosure in my advertising, and the visual grade I objectively assign to every record I am selling is guaranteed to surpass any published definitions of Goldmine/Record Collector standards directly under unforgiving 60 watt light. This is my promise to you. I stake my sterling reputation on it.
Q. So what's going on with the images in your listings? Why so many scans?
A. I have hundreds of items to list over the next couple of years and very little time each day to pursue this endeavor. I have found it very difficult and time consuming to take clean pictures of records with a camera. As you know, pictures seldom tell the whole story anyway. To wit: ever close a deal on a record (touted as "near mint") that looked super-clean on your computer screen... only to be disappointed when it arrived? Sometimes you wonder if it was even the same record in the photos! In short, the task of producing quality images is a little bit easier to manage with a scanner. However, scanning album covers is not a perfect science, either. It’s a Catch-22. But in any event, please know I am doing my best at creating visually accurate and attractive presentation. This will be a work-in-progress for some time.
Q. So how am I to know with reasonable certainty that what I’m buying from you is really what you say it is?
A: My dead-on balls accurate descriptions, honest grading practice and full money-back guarantee are really all you need here. If you are an experienced online record buyer, your hard-earned intuition will tell you the rest.
Q. Don’t you still accept ‘best offers’?
Unfortunately, I can no longer extend this courtesy to my deserving customers because the cost of sales is just too high. You see, ebay takes 11% of every transaction and Pay Pal fees are around 3%. That’s 14% right off the top. Then, I am footing the bill for free shipping. Further, there are the costs of mailing materials and sleeves, and I also have to factor in what I originally paid for the item being sold. All of this adds up. And that does not include time standing in line at the Post Office and gasoline to get me there. Please know I only wish to come close at breaking even doing this. It is not fun losing a lot of money in the process!
Q. What's shipping going to cost?
A. Zero. Fully insured, media mail shipping with tracking is FREE with every purchase.
Q. When and how do I pay?
A. Please proceed to the ebay checkout within 3 days of purchase and pay with Pay Pal.
Q. Have the records you sell been cared for properly?
A. My archive is a clean, climate-and-light controlled, pet-free, smoke-free environment. My stacks are all sorted vertically and every record I own is kept in a protective outer sleeve. In other words, I am a fanatic about taking care of my stuff (...soon to be your stuff).
Q. What is your record grading practice?
A: I am a perfectionist who uses a modified, highly conservative Goldmine-based 10-point record grading scale that is designed to respect your intelligence as a fellow collector, and take all the mystery out of buying a record sight unseen. 
10. MINT (PERFECTION; a grade rarely and responsibly used)
9. NM (like NEW; likely you will never find a nicer copy) 8. EX+ (aka “NM-“; highly presentable and worthy of any collection) 7. EX (aka “VG++”; respectable with negligible flaws) 
6. VG+ (nice example, very clean) 5. VG (reasonably clean “player” or acceptable “placeholder” copy) 4. VG- (budget copy)
3. GOOD (significant flaws; only sleeves or jackets sold in this condition — NOT vinyl!)
2. FAIR (falling apart and worn out; I do not sell any records in this condition) 1. POOR (trash bin)
PLEASE NOTE: the above is a visual grading scale. One should always keep in mind that a play grade can at times be a half-grade to a full grade lower than a visual grade because of pressing quality, system configuration and anomalies undetected by even the most objective and discerning eye. The inverse can also be true! Meaning visual VG+ records can produce an EX (or better) playback.

Q. How do you handle and pack my records?
A. Before grading, all vinyl is gently hand-cleaned with a soft, older felt-style Discwasher® and Last® record cleaning solution. Each record is then placed in either a clean poly-lined replacement sleeve or a new Mobile Fidelity Original Master® sleeve, outside the jacket. Any existing original custom inner sleeve or company paper sleeve is placed separately back inside the jacket. The jacket, record and any inserts are then put into either a poly bag or resealable mylar. From there, I use only professionally cut cardboard pads and 200 lb crush-tested boxes designed for shipping records. (No cheap-skate, "creative" packaging here!) In short, I treat your records as if they were my own, and I am dead serious about securing packages to withstand postal abuse — cutting no corners in the process.
Q. What is your guarantee of customer satisfaction?
A. Simply put, you must be pleased with your purchase or you get your money back. Period. No quibbles, no hassles, no B.S., no catch.
Q. What are your return and refund policies?
A. In the unlikely event you are not satisfied with your purchase, all you have to do is contact me within 3 days of receipt and then return the item (repacked same way it was received) so that it arrives back to me within 14 days of receipt. I will then initiate a Pay Pal refund in the amount of your full purchase price. Please note I do not offer partial refunds. If you are truly unhappy, you must return the item back to me in same condition sent.   Q. Do you sell outside of the United States?
A. Sorry, I do not do business outside of the U.S. Too much red tape and too expensive. No exceptions, so please don't ask.
Q. Anything else I should know?
A. There are some other common sense things and courtesies that bear mentioning:
First, please read and understand the item description and the policies herein to prevent misunderstandings!   Next, the Pay Pal account you use must be in your name, and your shipping address must be a Pay Pal-confirmed, U.S. address. 
Further, clear communication — before and after the sale — is practiced and encouraged; should you need any assistance, know that I am here to help you — and if you contact me, I promise I will respond quickly. 
Finally, a successful transaction is always based on trust. As your seller, I maintain a very high standard of ethics; I only ask the same from you as the buyer. Enough said. ;)

Thanks for visiting my listings. Please contact me through the ebay console should you need any further information. I usually answer inquiries within a few hours.
Best Regards, Louis Interstellar Vinyl