Led Zeppelin Houses of The Holy. Rare Wide Spine1st Press. A2/B2. Obi Strip. Ex+
£
240
$
318
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Description
LED ZEPPELIN HOUSES OF THE HOLY
Original First First Press One of Few Rare Wide Spine Gatefold Sleeves
K50014 A/2 B/2 Sterling
Obi Strip
This is a very rare 'Wide Spine' copy of this superb LP, bought by me in 1973, from Haydn Heard, Banbury.
I would say it is Excellent Plus condition, with totally shiny, clean vinyl, that shows very little, unless held under a harsh light, and only then it is paper rub and so little. The inner sleeve is totally intact, and textured, clean, still white, and without wear or any splits. The wonderful, rare 'Wide Spine just a trace of shelf wear and corner wear, but the spine is totally there and strong. This also has the Obi Strip, which has the correct simple black text on the rear, is glued and only just showing some signs of yellowing, but is not damaged. And, of course, no bar code, as with later reproductions.
The 'Wide Spine' is an oddity, and there really are so very few that still exist, rather like The Beatles Sgt Pepper, which also had a short-lived Wide Spine, which is equally highly collectable, too. The rumours are the same, that both groups managements chose the narrow spine, for ease of packing, transport and manufacturing cost, and little was thought about the first batch, but, of course, today they are collectable and they went out with the other First Press accoutrements.
The photos I have taken show my standard First Press example, with normal and standard spine measurements, and the 'Wide Spine' of this example, and you cans see the substantial difference in the two.
This is A2/B2 and were pressed first, and it has the First Press matrices in the run-off area of the vinyl, and they are:
Side One - K50014 A2, STERLING RL, C, D.
Side Two - K50014 B2, STERLING RL, C, 1.
STERLING, refers to the record being mastered at Sterling in New York.
RL: Robert Ludwig, mastering engineer. The 'C' would be the Mother, and D and 1 the Stampers.
What also sets this out as a genuine First Press and many also get this so wrong on Ebay, is that there are
no markings of any kind on the front, back or inner sleeve, nor the spine. Atlantic Records, much against Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's wishes, issued an ‘Obi’ style strip to identify the band and album title. In reality Page & Plant were a nightmare for the retail side, as there had to be some way of visual labelling! However, it was dropped for subsequent pressings, probably more due to cost of printing, sticking and manually having to put onto hundreds of thousands of records!
Inner sleeves are textured heavy card and carry a credit to the printer: MacNeill Press Limited. An Atlantic Records Distributed By WEA, credit, and Superhype. Along with Jimmy Page as sole Producer.
Label notes:
Copyright statement within orange segment.
No ‘WEA’ logo after copyright statement.
Made in UK on labels. Superhype Publishing, which was dropped in later presses, and Produced by Jimmy Page.
All subsequent presses had the copyright statement encroaching into the green segment, 'W' logo after statement.
The gatefold sleeve is mat, and full orange.
A nice LP and collectable, hence the price and also the price of postage, as this has to go Guaranteed First Class, fully insured, next day, signed for.
I am not listing or selling outside of the UK, so there are exclusions. If you wish to collect, you are welcome, but this is cash on collection. The record can also be listened to.
Any questions, please ask. I will try and answer them.
Goldmine Vinyl Grading System
MINT (M)These are absolutely perfect in every way. Often rumoured but rarely seen, Mint should never be used as a grade unless more than one person agrees that the record or sleeve truly is in this condition. There is no set percentage of the Near Mint value these can bring; it is best negotiated between buyer and seller.
NEAR MINT (NM OR M-)
A good description of a NM record is “it looks like it just came from a retail store and it was opened for the first time.” In other words, it’s nearly perfect. Many dealers won’t use a grade higher than this, implying (perhaps correctly) that no record or sleeve is ever truly perfect.
NM records are shiny, with no visible defects. Writing, stickers or other markings cannot appear on the label, nor can any “spindle marks” from someone trying to blindly put the record on the turntable. Major factory defects also must be absent; a record and label obviously pressed off centrr is not Near Mint. If played, it will do so with no surface noise. (NM records don’t have to be “never played”; a record used on an excellent turntable can remain NM after many plays if the disc is properly cared for.)
NM covers are free of creases, ring wear and seam splits of any kind.
NOTE: These are high standards, and they are not on a sliding scale. A record or sleeve from the 1950s must meet the same standards as one from the 1990s or 2000s to be Near Mint! It’s estimated that no more than 2 to 4 percent of all records remaining from the 1950s and 1960s are truly Near Mint. This is why they fetch such high prices, even for more common items.
Don’t assume your records are Near Mint. They must meet these standards to qualify!VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)
or EXCELLENT (E)
A good description of a VG+ record is “except for a couple minor things, this would be Near Mint.” Most collectors, especially those who want to play their records, will be happy with a VG+ record, especially if it toward the high end of the grade (sometimes called VG++ or E+).
VG+ records may show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Minor signs of handling are OK, too, such as telltale marks around the centre hole, but repeated playing has not misshapen the hole. There may be some very light ring wear or discolouration, but it should be barely noticeable.
VG+ covers should have only minor wear. A VG+ cover might have some very minor seam wear or a split (less than one inch long) at the bottom, the most vulnerable location. Also, a VG+ cover may have some defacing, such as a cut-out marking. Covers with cut-out markings can never be considered Near Mint.
Very Good (VG)
Many of the imperfections found on a VG+ record are more obvious on a VG record. That said, VG records — which usually sell for no more than 25 percent of a NM record — are among the biggest bargains in record collecting, because most of the “big money” goes for more perfect copies. For many listeners, a VG record or sleeve will be worth the money.
VG records have more obvious flaws than their counterparts in better shape. They lack most of the original gloss found on factory-fresh records. Groove wear is evident on sight, as are light scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail. When played, a VG record has surface noise, and some scratches may be audible, especially in soft passages and during a song’s intro and ending. But the noise will not overpower the music otherwise.
Minor writing, tape or a sticker can detract from the label. Many collectors who have jukeboxes will use VG records in them and not think twice. They remain a fine listening experience, just not the same as if it were in better shape.
VG covers will have many signs of human handling. Ring wear in the middle or along the edges of the cover where the edge of a record would reside, is obvious, though not overwhelming. Some more creases might be visible. Seam splitting will be more obvious; it may appear on all three sides, though it won’t be obvious upon looking. Someone might have written or it or stamped a price tag on it, too.
Good (G),
Good Plus (G+)
or Very Good Minus (VG–)
These records go for 10 to 15 percent of the Near Mint value, if you are lucky.
Good does not mean bad! The record still plays through without skipping, so it can serve as filler until something better comes along. But it has significant surface noise and groove wear, and the label is worn, with significant ring wear, heavy writing, or obvious damage caused by someone trying to remove tape or stickers and failing miserably. A Good to VG– cover has ring wear to the point of distraction, has seam splits obvious on sight and may have even heavier writing, such as, for example, huge radio station letters written across the front to deter theft.
If the item is common, it’s probably better to pass it up. But if you’ve been seeking it for a long time, get it cheap and look to upgrade.
POOR (P)
and Fair (F)
Poor (P) and Fair (F) records go for 0 to 5 percent of the Near Mint value, if they go at all. More likely, they end up going in the trash. Records are cracked, impossibly warped, or skip and/or repeat when an attempt is made to play them. Covers are so heavily damaged that you almost want to cry.
Only the most outrageously rare items ever sell for more than a few cents in this condition — again, if they sell at all.
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