LED ZEPPELIN II - 1970 RED & PLUM UK PRESS - FINAL UPGRADE COVER - SUPERB AUDIO

	£		150
	$		199

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As always, I will do my best to ensure that the item is described/graded accurately and fairly, and all photographs are of the actual item on offer.


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. . . All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.

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This is an outstanding example of this classic album.

It is almost impossible to find original red/plum copies of Led Zep II that look like this and I'm sure that this cover would represent a 'final upgrade' for most collectors.

I acquired this copy from the original owner. He bought it new in 1970 and it has been kept in a thick PVC sleeve ever since. Consequently, it shows minimal signs of wear and virtually no signs of handling. The white areas are still as clean and bright as they were when they were new and the spine has no signs of wear. There are just very light signs of storage-wear to the corners and the top and bottom edges. I have never seen another copy as good as this.

This has the following matrix numbers stamped in the run-out grooves:

Side 1: 588198 A//6

Side 2: 588198 B//4

Detailed description
Sleeve: The sleeve is beautifully clean with no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and minimal signs of use. There is some slight shaping around the disk on the rear, some very feint oxbow creases near the opening and some very minor corner and edge wear (see below) but this really is as near to perfect as I have ever seen.

Edge wear: There is very minor storage wear to the top and bottom edges, mainly at the corners, but I have never seen a better example (see photos 9 and 10 of the top and bottom edges). The spine is pretty much like new and the text is all 100% readable.

Corner wear: There is some minor storage wear to the corners, but nothing prominent or unsightly.

Labels: Both labels look superb with absolutely no signs of damage, writing, stickers etc, just some spindle marking.

Vinyl: The vinyl has retained its original high sheen, although under bright light, various hairlines, sleeve-removal lines and fine marks were visible. There are also a small number of more-prominent LOOKING marks but there is nothing with any significant audible impact anywhere. I have played the entire record and it sounds excellent. There is some background noise in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and a handful of soft clicks here and there, but there is absolutely nothing loud or intrusive anywhere. Despite what many people think, there are actually a LOT of very quiet and sparsely arranged passages on Led Zep II and for that reason I doubt that it is possible to find an original copy which genuinely plays Near Mint all the way through. But this is among the best I've heard and should satisfy all but the most fanatical 'mint-only' collectors. Every original copy of Led Zep II will have some crackle in the same places (e.g the 'breakdown' section on 'Killing floor/The Lemon Song', the false-fade ending to 'Thank You', the solo guitar in 'Heartbreaker', the drum solo in 'Moby Dick' and the 'faux blues' start and end to 'Bring it on home') but while these sections on side one exhibited the usual background noise, those on side two were much better than most copies I've heard. Side two would probably have graded as Excellent plus (Ex+) except for eight soft clicks (only in the left channel) in the fade and silent run-out groove at the very end of the side and so I would play-grade side two as a SAFE Excellent (Ex). Side one grades slightly lower than side two. This is a superb example, which was a real pleasure to listen to. Overall, I would say the record play-grades above its visual grading, with the loud parts on both sides (particularly side two) sounding Near Mint. But because of the points mentioned above I would play-grade both sides around Excellent, with side one maybe a strict Excellent minus (Ex-), and side two worthy of an Excellent plus (Ex+) except for the clicks at the very end of the side.

Inner sleeve: Original plain poly-lined inner sleeve with 'Plastic bags can be dangerous' message. Date-coded 1070 (October 1970). No splits tears or damage and looks almost like new.

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is an outstanding example and I think it would be very hard to find a better cover. The vinyl isn't for someone who wants a copy which LOOKS perfect, but if you want a copy to play that SOUNDS Excellent, then this is for you.

Please check out my other items.

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Information about descriptions.
My items are described/graded accurately and fairly using the UK Record Collector Grading System. All photographs are of the actual item for sale - please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.

Play-graded vinyl: I play-grade records where possible but I don't have time to play them all. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to describing it.

Visually-graded vinyl: Unless specifically stated in the listing, vinyl is visually graded.  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. 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.

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For this item P&P in the UK is FREE.

Overseas P&P charges - totally transparent pricing

I need to cover the cost of postage and packing materials, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

From September 2013 sellers get charged final value fees on the entire value of a transaction including P&P. This means that I get charged a 10% ebay fee and a 3% Paypal fee on the postage element (as well as on the value of the item). To reflect this I have had to adjust my P&P charges accordingly.

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.

The basic postage cost (i.e. what the post office charges me) to send a 550 gram item using the services I offer, is as follows:

Europe, International signed for (insured up to £50) - £11.70

Europe, International signed for (insured over £50) - £14.30

Rest of the World (anywhere outside Europe), International signed for (insured up to £50) - £15.20

Rest of the World (anywhere outside Europe), International signed for (insured up to £50) - £17.80

I add a nominal £0.50 to cover the cost of packaging materials etc (it is often much more than this) and add 13% to cover the final value fees charged by ebay and Paypal. This is how I have arrived at the prices shown below.

Airmail (with tracking and insurance) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £13.80, each additional LP or 12" add £2.20.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £17.80, each additional LP or 12" add £3.80.

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