Mike Oldfield Tubular Bells 1973 ORIGINAL TEST PRESSING U.S. Virgin LP amazing

$

229

 Here we offer a SIMPLY AMAZING Mike Oldfield item...an EX to near EX+ original TEST PRESSING LP of U.S. Virgin 732929, "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield, issued in 1973. And this is a beautiful copy indeed. The original plain white cover has the cover sheet cello/scotch taped to the front at top and bottom (SEE PHOTOS). The cover sheet is quite clean and sharp, with perhaps very slight bits of yellowing or browning and VERY gentle rippling at bottom...that's being very picky! The plain white cover has some bits of age spotting, and there is some damp staining at the very bottom, more so at the back, which also has 2 very small lines in red crayon. Again, we are being very fussy...after all, it is a plain white cover! The VINYL (LP) has been stored in an archival plastic sleeve, is a shiny, glossy EX to near EX+...we would be surprised if it was played more than once! By the way, we really never use mint or mint- as grades, but this Oldfield is stunning! Hand etched in the dead wax of Side 1 is: "ST-VR-732 930 - A"  and after that "A7 GP" (hard to tell...could be initials...but the GP is in cursive) 3 to 4 inches around from that are the letters "PR". Quotation marks are OURS. Please email if you would like the dead wax information for Side 2. We have NOT played this LP to check if this is the released version of the LP, but we are assuming that it IS the released version. This is a very scarce, vintage Oldfield collectable, now 39 years old, and certainly a "holy grail" item for a hard core collector. We offer it here with NO RESERVE and a reasonable start price! We'll be posting more original TEST PRESSINGS from 1973-1974 this week...please check in! INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS please read all details below!

IMPORTANT NOTE for NON-U.S. Bidders: PLEASE READ! Any LP selling for $24.99 or MORE MUST be shipped using REGISTERED FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIR (parcel is NUMBERED, MUST be signed for at delivery or pick-up, can be tracked, receives some special handling, and carries some insurance...SAFEST form of shipping) for YOUR protection AND OURS. We do NOT make ANY money from this service, which costs $23.95 U.S. (single LP) for Europe and Japan (CANADA will be a bit less, estimated at $18.50 REGISTERED). We also cannot mark "GIFT" on Custom Form, nor will we put "NO VALUE"! Please consider your bidding carefully bearing in mind shipping costs! And please, if you have ANY questions about this, please contact us through eBay before the auction closes. Kindly wait for OUR confirmation email AND invoice BEFORE paying. THANK YOU!

The Record Exchange is a long established music shop in Salem, Massachusetts. Our aim is to provide our customers, both on eBay and in our shop at 256 Washington Street,  Salem, Massachusetts, with an ever-changing variety of high-quality, unusual and eclectic reasonably-priced LPs, 45s, CDs and DVDs, through a friendly, honest and professional service! We will endeavor to keep our opening bids reasonable, with NO RESERVE unless it is a truly rare item. Please check our OVER 5795 TOTAL POSITIVE feedbacks and bid in confidence, and thanks for looking! If you like what you see on eBay, it's worth a trip to the store, as we keep our best stock for the shop! The Record Exchange...since 1974, one of the oldest original independent music shops left on the East Coast!

Shipping/Handling: Please READ before bidding!

I. DOMESTIC:

All domestic LP parcels are shipped in NEW rigid cardboard LP mailers with a proper cardboard stiffener for added protection. For 1 LP:

1. Media Mail (USPS slower service & buyer's agreed risk for loss, damage & theft...USPS 6-18 day delivery...please note) w/DELIVERY CONFIRMATION = $3.50 1st LP 

MEDIA COMBINED SHIPPING: Add .85 for each additional LP to the Media Mail base rate of $3.50!

2. PRIORITY MAIL (faster 2-4 day delivery) w/delivery confirmation $7.95 ALL ZONES (recommended highly for LPs valued over $18.00 - safer handling- or if you desire your record to be delivered quickly!)

PRIORITY COMBINED SHIPPING: Add $1.75 for each additional LP to the Priority base rate of $7.95!

II. INTERNATIONAL:

1. REGISTERED FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIR (as noted above, parcel is NUMBERED, MUST be signed for at delivery or pick-up, can be tracked, receives some special handling, and carries some insurance...SAFEST form of shipping! = $23.95  (Canada is $18.50)

**IMPORTANT NOTE for NON-U.S. BIDDERS**: Any 12" or LP selling for $24.99 or more MUST be shipped OVERSEAS with REGISTERED 1st Class International AIR (signed for & trackable) which is $23.95 U.S. Please do not bid if you cannot accept these terms!  Combine winnings & save on S/H!  

***PLEASE REMEMBER*** We do pack and ship very quickly BUT Media Mail is the USPS' slowest service for parcels in the USA, and that INTERNATIONAL parcel shipping time can vary greatly by country. If customs "holds" a parcel, delivery time is even slower, and that is NOT in our control! So please check the date of your payment & our shipping date for a more accurate account of shipping time! For EXPENSIVE LPs we recommend PRIORITY MAIL for safer handling within the USA.

III. PAYMENT: Paypal preferred domestic & international orders, and we REQUIRE that PAYMENT be made within 5 days, UNLESS a prior arrangement is made with us.  PLEASE NO CASH PAYMENTS by mail! We pledge to ship all items within 3  business days of receipt of payment, and most Paypal payment orders usually ship within 2 days! For U.S. buyers, we CAN arrange payment by merchant Credit Card since we are a shop, but we prefer Paypal...please inquire before bidding!

New photos (5th through 8th) added on December 11. We hope they are a little brighter than the original photos...all photos were taken in natural light with no added lighting. Thank you for looking!