Iron Butterfly In a Gadda Da Vida White Label Promo Mono Plus 3 Band Autographs

$

350

Hello, I am a long-time eBay seller - since October, 1999.  I have a 100% feedback record, so bid and buy with confidence.  I have collected records for many years and every record I offer comes from my personal collection.  The grade I specify for the vinyl is based upon a playback as well as a visual inspection.  The grade I assign for the cover and inserts (if any) is based upon a close visual inspection.  
For sale today is a fine copy of Iron Butterfly's classic In a Gadda Da Vida album issued on the ATCO label in 1968 in the extremely rare white label promo MONO format.  Mono records were essentially extinct by 1968, although Atlantic, and its subsidiary ATCO, continued to master them in minuscule quantities into early 1973 for play on AM radio stations.  The album offered here was never commercially available in the mono format.   
Before I provide my grade for the vinyl, I must note that the buyer should understand that white label mono promos were sent to AM radio stations for play at their stations.  The disc jockeys back then were not overly concerned about preserving the albums for posterity - they simply played the selected tracks and stored the records without special care or handling.  As such, in my 20+ experience buying and selling white label mono promo albums, visually pristine, unmarked or un-scuffed records simply do not exist.  From a visual aspect, these albums almost always fall in the VG to VG++ category.  Indeed, I have collected white label mono promos for over 20 years and have never seen such an album from the late 1960s to early 1970s where I would visually grade the vinyl as NM or even NM minus.  However, as to sound quality, again in my 20+ years of experience, the Atlantic and its subsidiary ATCO white label mono promos often sound much better than they look, likely because they were pressed on high-grade, heavy vinyl.  With this background, I grade this rare ATCO mono promo album as follows.   The vinyl conservatively looks VG to VG+.  It lies flat, and retains much of its original sheen and shine, but there are numerous light marks and scuffs, thus its visual grade. The white labels are in NM condition - clean, white, no writing, 
As to sound quality, the vinyl plays Near Mint on Side 1 and conservatively a strong VG+ on Side 2.  There are no sticks or skips, but Side 2 does have some light crackle and a few pops/ticks which occurs mainly in the quieter parts of Ron Bushy's drum solo in In a Gadda Da Vida (but can also be heard in a couple of other parts of the song).  Nothing bad or distracting, but it is there, thus the grade.  
So, I've tried to fully describe the album, both visually and how it plays.  If it is necessary to give one combined grade, I grade it VG+ in that it looks VG but plays NM on Side 1 and strong VG+ on Side 2.  I'll end by saying it is definitely a great listen and I'm confident the buyer will be very pleased to add it to their collection!  
The outer cover is in VG++ condition.  Colors are full and vibrant, front and back.  All four four corners are sharp and square, no splits to any of the seams, no ring wear.  However, there is light wear to all four corners and as well as to the seams.  There is a very small crease near the upper left corner as you look at the front cover, hardly noticeable but I mention it for completeness.  The spine is complete and fully legible.       
The original inner sleeve is flat and crisp and fully intact, no tears or splits, grading Near Mint.   
Since I purchased this album, I have stored the vinyl in an archival inner sleeve, which I then placed in a separate cardboard cover to best protect both the vinyl as well as the original outer sleeve (see photo).  Both the archival inner sleeve and the generic white outer cover will be included with the purchase and the record will be shipped in them to best protect the original outer cover as well as the vinyl.     
NOTE: as a bonus, I am including autographs from three of the band members from their late 1960s classic line up (Ingle, Bushy, and Brann).  Each is a separate note to "Joyce" on notepad type paper (see photo).  Ink on each of them is full and sharp, no fading.  I purchased these from "Joyce" many years ago - she told me she was a local music promoter in California who obtained the signatures during a tour by the band in either 1968 or 1969.