Pink Floyd Saucerful of Secrets orgnl UK MONO '68 blue/black Columbia SX 6258 EX

	£		269
	$		356

PINK FLOYD very first UK 1968 12" LP pressing A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS

UK 1968 blue/black Columbia MONO SX6258

Matrix Numbers : Side 1  XAX 3433 - 1 Stampers "1" and "G" at 9o'clock and 2.30 respectively   Side 2  XAX 3634 - 1 Stampers "1" and  "G" at 10am and 3pm respectively

This really is a hugely rare and sought after very 1st MONO pressing with "Sold in U.K." on each label and what confirms this as a very first pressing is the side 1 label typing "Let There Me More Light" (as opposed to "Let There Be More Light" - which was corrected on later pressings) and of course the tell tale "1 G" stamper numbers. Similarly the label and sleeve credit "Gilmore" as opposed to the later corrected "Gilmour" furtehr confirms a very 1st pressing.

Both sleeve and vinyl are in truly excellent condition and the quality of the audio is equally impressive. 

The Garrod & Lofthouse flipback outer sleeve is in excellent condition, with the front laminate completely intact, and no scuffing or blemish of any sort on the edges. The spine is rigid and suffers only from the merest of occasional laminate creasings (seven in total which are  strictly surface only and protrude from the spine horizontally no furtehr than 1cm each. There is some further laminate creasing, again surface only, in the middle towards the right hand side but, again, you need to look twice, and in the correct light, to notice it. There is no cardboard creasing at all. There is some very faint ringwear in evidence towards the top right hand side, and the bottom and top, but you have to look twice to notice it and there is nothing to detract from the vibrancy of the colours and overall stunning effect of the sleeve design.The reverse flipback is excellent with just one very minor brown age discolouration blemish in the top left hand quadrant (visible on the photo). Each of the flipbacks are in A1 condition with no tears, rips, or sticking blemishes. Each of the corners are pretty much perfectly intact though there is some faint scuffing, which is most noticeable at the bottom right hand corner.

Both sides of the thick, heavy vinyl have retained most of their original gloss and sheen though there are some hairlines which are clearly visible when held up to a bright light along with a couple of barely noticeable surface scuffs - again, close inspection is required. None of these minor blemishes negatively impact upon the overall  quality of the audio - excellent! By  "excellent" I mean just that - not perfect! On side 1 there are a few (and I really do mean "a few") audible clicks (not loud and some may be due to static) and during the quieter moments on both side 1 and 2 there is some very background, and only occasional, very, very light crackle (barely worth mentioining). I should also point out that there are some clicks during the introduction of "Set The Controls To The Heart Of The Sun - again, these are mild clicks, more background than foreground, and last for 16 rotations of the record (one click per rotation). Having said all that here is nothing to significantly impact upon the overall excellent, beautiful quality of the audio and I doubt that you'll find much better. Considering that this piece of rare vinyl is 44 years old it is remarkable that the quality of the audio is so good

Each label is excellent with the "L", "J" and "T" tax codes clearly in evidence on side 2. There are a number of light spindle marks around the centre holes but no unwanted writing.

The track listing is :

Side 1:

1. Let There Be More Light

2. Remember A Day

3. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun

4. Corporal Clegg

Side 2 :

1. A Saucerful Of Secrets

2. See-Saw

3. Jugband Blues

The inner sleeve is fully functional though it does suffer slightly from some very light age discolouration.

I have no hesitation whatsoever in grading the overall condition of this offereing as Excellent. It's not mint but I know that you would have to have search long and hard to find a better copy (if such a mint copy exists at all). The uniqueness of this record cannot be overstated : the earliest possible matrix and stamper numbers and the side 1 label error ensures this offering to be close to the top of the "want" list for any true Pink Floyd/progressive rock/vinyl collector. Play it loud and enjoy it or, better still, frame it and impress your friends and wait for the value of this progressive rock gem to rocket.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 40 years and have a huge collection. A combination of space requirements and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell some of my much loved gems. My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no questions asked" refund policy. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. There is NO RESERVE on this item, by the way. Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

Description: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good

Description: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

Description: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

Description: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

Description: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.