Maria Callas: Ponchielli - La Gioconda (B/S Columbia SAX 2359-61 UK 3 LP Box Set

	£		182
	$		241

Antonino Votto/ Chorus & Orchestra of La Scala Opera House, Milan
Maria Callas; Cossotto; Vinco; Companeez etc...

Amilcare Ponchielli - La Gioconda  

(Columbia SAX 2359-2361 UK 3 LP Box Set 1960)

This is an original UK Stereo 3 LP Box Set pressing in very nice overall condition! It has a hard card green "leatherette" style outer box which has a laminated front panel. This has a gold circular "Stereophonic"  "Stereophonic" sticker on the front. The box is hinged at the spine & has embossed gold lettering on the spine also. All three records come with their original polythene-lined "Emitex" company inner sleeve.

It comes with its original "information" insert & also comes complete with its original libretto. These were not included in the original release but were sold separately via classical record dealers, or by sending away to EMI. It was priced 6s 6d.

The records are pressed on thick vinyl & have turquoise blue & silver "Columbia" labels. The labels are grooved also. The records have 1st press YBX 17-1, YBX 18-3, YBX 19-6, YBX 20-3, YBX 21-4 and  YBX 22-7 matrix numbers. 

This is a very rare UK Stereo Classical/ Opera 3 LP Box Set in very nice overall condition. I have some other rare UK Classical/ Opera LP's for sale too. So please see my other listings. Don't miss out!

Box: There is a 2 cm tear across the top edge fairly near the spine. Only the text "Ponchielli" is visible on the spine . The rest of the text has faded away. There is some light to mild rubbing wear to the bottom edge. There is some light or mild rubbing wear to the corners. VG+ condition.

The Libretto/ Booklet is in Near EX condition. It is totally complete with no loose pages. There is some light to very mild handling creases in a few places. The information insert is in VG+ condition. There is some light or mild foxing in some areas. 

Vinyl 1: Very nice! Just some light to very mild sleeve rubs can be seen under a strong light. There is one very light 1 cm hairline mark. This hardly notices. The polythene inner has left some light or minor marks on the vinyl in a few areas. This is most notable on the dead wax. Very NEAR EX condition. I have play tested this LP in its entirety & it plays VG+ to Near Excellent overall, & Excellent in some places. There is some light, very light or very mild crackle in some of the quieter places. The labels are in near perfect condition and show next to no spindle wear.

The company inner sleeve is in Near Excellent condition. There is some light to very mild ringwear, fading & creasing. There are no seam splits.

Vinyl 2: Very nice! Just some light to very mild sleeve rubs can be seen under a strong light. The polythene inner has left some light or mild marks on the vinyl in a few areas. Very NEAR EX condition. I have play tested this LP in its entirety & it plays VG+ to Near Excellent overall, & Excellent in some places. There is some light, very light or very mild crackle in some of the quieter places. The labels are in very near perfect condition and show next to no spindle wear.

The company inner sleeve is in VG+ condition. There is some light to mild ringwear, fading & creasing. There are no seam splits. 

Vinyl 3: Very nice! Just some light to very mild sleeve rubs can be seen under a strong light. There is one very light 2 cm hairline mark. The polythene inner has left some light or minor marks on the vinyl in a few areas. This is most notable on the dead wax. NEAR EX condition. I have play tested this LP in its entirety & it plays VG+ to Near Excellent overall, & Excellent in some places. There is some light, very light or very mild crackle in some of the quieter places. The labels are in very near perfect condition and show next to no spindle wear.

The company inner sleeve is in Near Excellent condition. There is some light to very mild ringwear, fading & creasing. There are no seam splits. 


All three records would certainly benefit from a deep down professional clean. I believe that they would play EX to EX+ afterwards. Any crackle is almost certainly just down to deep down dirt in the grooves.
  

Traceable insurance is already included in the stated P&P price for this item.

AN INVOICE WILL BE SENT TO YOU VERY SOON AFTER THE AUCTION ENDS. PLEASE WAIT FOR THIS BEFORE PAYING.

Royal Mail have very recently increased their postage rates. So I have revised my postage costs to reflect their increases. (Please note that these prices include packaging costs too)

United Kingdom

7" single = £2.25 add another £1.00 (optional up to £20) for insurance. This is for standard registered items. All insurance must cover the value of the item. Therefore, for expensive items (£70+), Royal Mail "Special Delivery" will be used. This will be an extra £5.00.

(You can add up to three 50g 7" singles at no extra postage cost. Insurance needs to be paid only once up to a value of £500)

LP album = £4.50 add another £1.00 (optional up to £20) for insurance. This is for standard registered items. All insurance must cover the value of the item. Therefore, for expensive items (£70+), Royal Mail "Special Delivery" will be used. This will be an extra £6.00.

(You can add an extra single LP for free. Add £1.00 extra per additional LP. Insurance needs to be paid only once up to a value of £500)


Europe

7" single = £4.70 add another £5.50 (optional up to £20) for insurance. All insurance must cover the value of the item(s). Royal Mail 'Airsure' will be used where applicable; this is an extra £5.50 (this is what Royal Mail charges!) Please note that an additional £2.70 may also be charged on high value items (£70+)

(You can add up to two 50g 7" single at no extra postage cost. Add 0.50p for each additional 7" thereafter. Insurance needs to be paid only once up to a value of £500.)

LP album = Between £6.65 to £7.85 (Depending on weight) add another £5.50 (optional up to £20) for insurance. All insurance must cover the value of the item(s). Royal Mail 'Airsure' will be used where applicable; this is an extra £5.50 (this is what Royal Mail charges!) Please note that an additional £2.70 may also be charged on high value items (£70+)

(Add £1.50 extra per additional LP. Insurance needs to be paid only once up to a value of £500. If several items are purchased I generally weigh the package & will charge accurate posting costs.)


USA, Japan & rest of world

7" single = £6.00 add another £5.50 (optional up to £20) for insurance. All insurance must cover the value of the item(s). Royal Mail 'Airsure' will be used where applicable; this is an extra £5.50 (this is what Royal Mail charges!) Please note that an additional £2.70 may also be charged on high value items (£70+)

(You can add up to two 50g 7" single at no extra postage cost. Add 0.75p for each additional 7" thereafter. Insurance needs to be paid only once up to a value of £500.)

LP album = Between £8.75 to £11.50 (Depending on weight) add another £5.50 (optional up to £20) for insurance. All insurance must cover the value of the item(s). Royal Mail 'Airsure' will be used where applicable; this is an extra £5.50 (this is what Royal Mail charges!) Please note that an additional £2.70 may also be charged on high value items (£70+)

(Add £2.00 extra per additional LP. If several items are purchased I generally weigh the package & will charge accurate posting costs.)


IF THE FINAL PRICE OF AN ITEM(S) EXCEEDS £20.00 GBP THEN INSURANCE WILL BECOME MANDATORY. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ONLY PAY FOR INSURANCE ONCE. IT IS THE SAME COST REGARDLESS OF PACKAGE WEIGHT. SO YOU CAN ORDER MORE ITEMS & PAY NO MORE FOR INSURANCE!

DISCOUNT WILL BE GIVEN ON POSTAGE FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS. SEE PRICES ABOVE.

Please note that these prices are as a general guideline only. For example: Double LPs are classed as two LPs. Also posters, inserts, etc.. can increase postage costs. One parcel must not exceed 2kg (approximately 4-6 LPS).

All records will be sent in high quality vinyl mailers with at least two card stiffeners either side of the LP or 7". I use a cruciform box for larger orders (4-6 LPs). All parcels will be marked "Fragile" and dispatch time will generally be between 1-3 days after payment.

I will also remove the vinyl from the sleeve & place them in a re-sealable polythene sleeve. In order to prevent seam splits. Depending on the inner sleeve; I often remove the vinyl from the inner sleeve & place it in a separate plain paper, or polythene-lined, plain inner sleeve. I am very conscientious and careful when packaging your LP(s).

I consider my postage & packaging costs to be very transparent & very fair. Packaging costs will generally be between £0.80 to £1.50. I am not adding any further costs for handling, etc...

Sorry, I only accept Paypal, or money sent in a registered letter from overseas buyers.

Please note that I cannot reimburse payments for any uninsured items lost in the post. Sorry!

If you are uncertain about any of the above, or just simply want some information regarding any item, please do not hesitate to contact me. I welcome any questions.

Remember to check out My Other Items Lots of rare & quality vinyl! Most are UK 1st Pressings. It is quite likely that there will be more records by this artist, or records in a similar vein.