LED ZEPPELIN IV 4, EARLIEST POSSIBLE 1971 UK PLUM ATLANTIC 1st PRESS

	£		250
	$		331

Hi, my name is Nick (aka cornerstonevinyl). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock 1st issue albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.9/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP bought from me for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection I am pleased to offer a superb example of the iconic fourth album by LED ZEPPELIN simply titled "LED ZEPPELIN IV", Catalogue Number 2401012. This is an original 1971 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the PLUM & ORANGE ATLANTIC RECORD LABEL, with a 1st ISSUE MATT-FINISH GATEFOLD SLEEVE. Complete with the correct 1st issue LYRIC/CREDITS INNER SLEEVE. [The record labels are the earliest possible design with “LED ZEPPELIN” at the bottom and the “Executive Producer: Peter Grant” text which was soon removed due to a management disagreement. What makes this pressing so special is that the feather symbol on the Side Two label is upside-down, an error which was almost immediately corrected once it was spotted by an eagle-eyed Atlantic employee. Most of the Peter Grant credited 1st issue labels have the corrected feather symbols on both sides with the quills pointing downwards.  This is therefore one of the earliest and rarest pressings of Led Zeppelin IV available. The matrix numbers are the earliest corrected 2401012## A//3 and 2401012 B//3, and "PECKO DUCK" and "PORKY" are etched in the run-outs of Sides One and Two respectively. These are all characteristic features of a true Led Zeppelin IV 1st pressing].

The sleeve is in close to EX condition. It’s a lovely example with the only relatively minor detractions being a small sticker-removal scuff to the front top left corner and a short 1cm split (repaired) to the bottom opening corner. Hopefully the photos below do it justice.  

The top quality Atlantic record is in EX condition. The plum & orange Atlantic labels are unmarked with only a modest number of spindle traces each side. There is minimal wear to the spindle hole. The sound quality of these Atlantic 1st pressings is really something special. Playback is very dynamic and vibrant with wonderful tone and powerful full-bodied bass. Both sides play excellently throughout with no deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. It really is a top playing copy.

The grey, soft card inner sleeve is the earliest flipback design which omits the catalogue number. It is unmarked, but does have a short split to one side edge and a larger split along the bottom.

So there you have it – a highly desirable example of one of the very earliest and rarest pressings of Zeppelin's iconic fourth studio album.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £9.95

Worldwide - £13.30