Cat Stevens TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN - MFSL UHQR 200gm LP #0005 OVERALL NEAR MINT

$

261

Cat Stevens TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN - MFSL 1LP 200gm UHQR limited edition, LONG out of print! I purchased this copy (sealed and new at the time) sometime in the late 1990s (at which time it was already out of print and very expensive). There was no way for me to know at the time of purchase, but when I opened it I discovered that this is copy #5! That's right...A limited edition of 5,000 copies and in addition to the thrill of obtaining this audiophile classic, I found out I had the lowest of any numbered edition I've ever owned! 
One of THE most in demand "vintage" MFSL titles (I believe the short-list would include the UHQR edition of Dark Side Of The Moon, and the UHQR Sgt Pepper's. I recently sold the former here on eBay, and I MIGHT be selling the latter soon...please stay tuned!), one of the all-time GREAT rock albums, and a TAS (The Absolute Sound) Superdisc record with legendary sonics and great great songs (although I have to say it, I love Teaser even more!). The box contents and vinyl are all in near mint condition (please see my Play-Grade notes below). Now's your chance to get this LONG out of print collectible at a fair market price!
IMPORTANT:  The cover is NM. There is a small scuff/abrasion on the rear right side, approximately 5" from the bottom (please see Pictures 2 and 10). There is also a bit of wear along the bottom left side of the box (Picture 11). Pictures 12 through 19 show closeups of each corner of the LP from: Front Top Left to Top Right to Bottom Left to Bottom Right, and then in the same order for the rear. Pictures 20 through 23 show the top of the box, the right hand side, the bottom, and the left hand side. 
All of the box contents (certificate of authenticity, technical specs, inner album cover, original rice paper sleeve, foam spacers) are in NM condition (Pictures 3 through 7). Having cleaned the LP both before AND after my play-grading, the newly cleaned record has been placed in a new Mofi rice paper sleeve, and stored in a generic white LP cover.  
PLAY GRADING: I play-graded this record (listened to the entire album) and the LP grades a solid Near Mint. Please see below for my detailed listening notes. 

isn = incidental surface noise nm = dead quiet ANYTHING IN ALL CAPS = A noise event significant enough to merit comment

PLAY-GRADED LISTENING NOTES: SIDE 1 Track 1 - nm: isn at very beginning, isn 0:54, isn at very end Track 2 - nm: isn at very end Track 3 - nm: isn between tracks 3 and 4 Track 4 - nm: soft tick around 2:35,  Track 5 - nm: isn at very beginning
SIDE 2 Track 1 - nm: tiny tick just as the track starts, a couple of instances of isn from 0:18 to 0:35, but not continuously Track 2 - nm: tiny tick at 2:30, some isn in the dead space between Track 2 and Track 3 Track 3 - nm minus: small tick around 1:46 and a smaller tick around 1:52, small tick at 2:07, tick at 2:35 Track 4 - nm: tiny tick around 0:58, isn at very end
Track 5 - nm: isn around 0:48, tick at 1:27 Track 6 - nm: tiny tick right at the beginning of the track, tick around 0:18
SUMMARY: Overall Near Mint. Any incidental surface noise relates to the pressing itself, and this LP is magnificently pressed. Play the first minute of "Sad Lisa," the beginning of which leaves no place for surface noise to hide, and you will hear what near mint vinyl sounds like. 

ABOUT USED RECORDS I SELL ON EBAY: I will be selling many high value used records over the coming months (or years!). I've been lucky enough to be able to use very high-end cartridges on both my mono and stereo turntables. The cartridges are cleaned before each side is played, and I'm currently using the DS-Audio ST-50 cartridge cleaner. 
I clean ALL records, every time, before the platter hits the turntable. I've been doing so for the past 20 years or more, and I am currently fortunate enough to own THE best record cleaning machine in the world: KLAudio's KD-CLN LP200T (Acoustic Sounds uses these machines to clean THEIR used records). Every used record I sell on Ebay is cleaned before I grade the album, and then cleaned AFTER grading so that the buyer receives the LP in the best possible condition. Picture 23 shows the LP ready to be cleaned on the CLN LP200T. 
In order to sell used records efficiently, I have two methods of grading used LPs:
Play-Graded - For my rarest records, I will listen to the entire LP and make track by track notes of any possible issues.
Sample-Graded - Other used records will be sampled at the beginning and end of each track, but I cannot guarantee the LP won't exhibit some random noise or pressing flaw that goes undetected. However, I find this approach is reasonably accurate, and considerably more so than visual grading, which I find can be quite deceptive (at least, I've never had any luck at it when buying used LPs). 

ABOUT SHIPPING AND HANDLING: Please note there is a $3 fee included in Ebay's estimate of Media Mail shipping costs. I believe the best way to way to ship an LP includes a 13"x14"x3" "pizza" style box, 12"x12" cardboard flats, outer shopping bag, and bubble wrap. The shipping boxes alone cost me over $3 each, and the average total cost of shipping materials is around $4.72, so this is NOT a money-maker for me. However, it does ensure, consistently, that these high value LPs arrive safely. Please check my feedback and I think you'll see that buyers appreciate the care with which these precious artifacts are handled. 

COMBINED SHIPPING: I am more than happy to combine shipping. Ebay buyers pay the actual postage costs. If a single LP is purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $3 for shipping materials. If two LPs are purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $3 for shipping materials. If three or more LPs are purchased, the buyer pays actual postage and $0 for shipping materials (I will absorb the cost of materials). As the final amount can only be calculated after auctions have ended, I will issue the appropriate refund on the day the LPs are shipped. 

About Me: I'm a long time Ebay buyer intent on selling a significant portion of my LP collection over the next year or two (or three!). I believe in the auction process, so I'm NOT going to list records at absurdly high prices, and I look forward to getting rare, out of print records into the hands of music lovers, record collectors and audiophiles (I consider myself all of the above). All LPS stored in a smoke-free, climate controlled environment. 

As for the USED LPs that I will begin selling soon (highly collectible albums from The Beatles, Pink Floyd, new/old stock LPs, a wide variety of out of print titles from the best audiophile labels, etc etc,..please stay tuned. I hope you'll look at my feedback and conclude that everything I sell is exactly as advertised and conservatively graded. Thanks! Good Luck!

PayPal Payments Only. Payment required within 3 days after the end of auction. All records will ship USPS Media Mail.