ROLLING STONES Through the past darkly(vol 2) .SKL 5019 1969 Superb EX+/EX+ rare

	£		34
	$		45

On offer here is a   rare first stereo pressing by the Rolling Stones entitled through the past darkly,vol,2 on the unboxed Decca label from 1969 .It is in superb condition.See below for full details.It was issued just after Brian Jones died so was the last record with him on it.
Labels
I would grade both labels side 1 as NM.They are brilliantly clean and bright with no writing on them,just a few faint spindle marks which you can see if you peer closely but I am being picky in mentioning this.
Vinyl
This is a very clean copy..Even under the strongest light I could not see any scuffs or scratches,even the usual wispy lines caused by taking the record from the sleeve were absent.Most  albums were played to death at parties on terrible Dansette mono players and were not looked after but this is a welcome exception. In 1969 few people had costly stereo equipment because a decent record deck then cost the equivalent of well over £1000 ..There are no repeating grooves.The record played superbly throughout .The album has been cleaned with a professional cleaning machine worth £1000s but in reality I did not need to pay the fee for this.I would grade the vinyl both sides as NM.I have played it through on a sensitive Linn Sondek player with Goldring cartridge.It is amazing for a record  46 years old.It has been really well looked after and maybe played less than half a dozen times. with no dishing or warping. The matrix numbers are XZAL9067 P/1W and XZAL9068 P/2W first pressing stampers CU and DC with the figure 1 on the other side 180 degrees with initials JT on both sides.I am not an expert on matrices but this seems to be the earliest ever or at least very early indeed.
Sleeve
This is the original front  and back laminated octagonal gatefold  sleeve similar in design to Small Faces Ogdens Nutflake.,As most people know this Stones sleeve had a very narrow spine in length so was prone to breaking in two if handled roughly.It was fragile so the spine tended to wear easily with the letters missing or totally absent.The inner blue sleeve was also octagonal so tended to tear easily when the record was placed in the narrow gap as did the outer sleeve itself when the record and inner sleeve was placed in the outer sleeve.This is a welcome exception.There are no tears on the sleeves and all the lettering is fully readable.There is just slight wear on the outer edges and a small crease near the top front but nothing to worry about.There is no writing or names on the sleeve.Just look at the photographs.It is in really nice condition..I cannot stress too strongly how rare it is to find this sleeve in this state..I would grade as EX+It would be virtually impossible to upgrade to a totally mint sleeve.




Overall ,I do not think this rare album will disappoint any winning bidder and to give everyone a chance,I have deliberately set a low start price for the auction.It goes without saying that if anyone is disappointed,I offer a compromise or a full refund..Please contact me directly if there is a problem. If you are secretly happy, please do not contact me simply to negotiate a lower price than the amount bid.This defeats the purpose of ebay.
Postage
I offer free postage to U.K.buyers and will ship world wide.£10 for Europe,£15 for rest of world.I have in the past excluded certain countries such as Russia and the Ukraine.In Russia sadly parcels are held up at customs ,go missing or the item can take 10 to 12 weeks to be delivered.Buyers would need to be patient and accept the purchase at their own risk but I will send all items tracked and can email a copy of the tracking receipt.I know some sellers have stopped sending to certain countries.
Payment
I refer PayPal in the U.K. but would accept a cheque or postal order.PayPal only for the rest of  the world.I do not have a facility to accept credit cards unless this is possible via PayPal.