Smetana Ma Vlast Decca SXL 2064/65 WB Groove NM-

$

475

Bedrich Smetana - Ma Vlast - Rafael Kubelik conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Decca SXL 2064/65 - STEREO  Wide Band Grooved Edition

Records: NM- condition on both records.  The discs both maintain a full, beautiful, glossy sheen(see photos).  There are a couple of light spindle marks on both records(see photos).
  Side one: ZAL-4077-3G
  Side two: ZAL-4078-3G
  Side three: ZAL-4079-6D
  Side four: ZAL-4080-3G

The "G" on three of the four sides indicates mastering by engineer Ted Burkett, arguably Decca's finest mastering engineer.

I have play graded the entire album at NM-.  I would never say mint since it has been played and will not say Near Mint. 
  The only surface noise present is the kind that is found on any 50 year old Decca album in exquisite condition.  Slightly more during lead-in and trail-off.
  There are NO pops anywhere on the four sides. 
  The intro to the first movement during the harp solo is very quiet and there is nothing to distract from the beautiful music. 
  At about 6:24 in the first movement there are two VERY light clicks.
  During the second movement at about 6:10, there are 8 or so repeating VERY light clicks.  There is no scratch or dirt on the disc so I must conclude this is due to the pressing.
  The rest of the album is virtually free of noise aside from the odd click here and there. 
  At no point does surface noise become annoying or burdensome.  Sudden decrescendos do not reveal a noisy surface. 
  Inner groove distortion is almost non-existent.  There is of course some, but very little.
This is one of the nicest records I have ever heard.  Again, I say NM- because of the extremely minor flaws I have mentioned, but a nicer copy would be difficult to find.

I understand that everyone has their own idea of acceptable and unacceptable amounts of surface noise.  I, myself, will not listen to the duration of a record if the noise is unacceptable, regardless of performance.  There is a lot of music on these four sides and it is a pleasure for me to listen to all of it. 

Covers:  NM- condition.  The covers have brilliant color.  All of the laminate is intact.  On the left front side of both of them there is some air beneath the laminate making the
  covers look slightly dirty.  However, close examination reveals nothing more than what I have stated: air beneath the laminate.  The lower left corners of both covers have slight
  bends in them, however they are not hard creases.  There is only the slightest hint of ringwear.  No laminate is compromised as a result of the extremely light ringwear.  The back
  covers reveal, again, next to no wear.  Very faint ringwear at the bottoms where the records were undoubtedly sitting for many years making this basically inevitable.  The surface
  is not compromised, only VERY slightly dirty.  There are a few VERY small, insignificant spots of dirt and foxing.  Naturally, there is no writing of any kind anywhere on the covers.
  There are no splits.

The original inner sleeves are in fine shape with no splits.  There is no separation of the plastic from the paper sleeve.  I will ship the records in separate Mobile Fidelity Original Master Sleeves to protect the original inner sleeves from any damage.

Given the rare and highly collectible nature of these records extreme care will be used in packaging them.  Oversized packaging will be used to protect all of the pieces.

Albums will be packed with disc outside cover to avoid seam splits during shipping. 

Domestic shipping:
   Media mail is $4.00 in the U.S.
   Priority mail is $7.00 for the first record in the U.S.

International Shipping:  Do not pay until I send an invoice.  I will send an invoice with multiple shipping options from which to choose.
 

Additional winnings:  If you win multiple items, I will charge an additional dollar in shipping per record in the U.S.  International packages will be charged an additional $2 for each record won.

If you have any questions about this item please do not hesitate to ask.  I will generally reply within a few hours, though sometimes it may take longer.

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