THE BEATLES, RUBBER SOUL, 1965 UK PARLOPHONE 1st PRESS

	£		99
	$		131

betsy50 Store

Important Information

All UK bidders please read the domestic postage information in red at the bottom of the LP description.

Hello and welcome to my auction. My name is Nick - aka “playgraderecords”. I have been an avid record collector for many years. Although I like lots of modern music, my passion is for classic blues, psych and progressive albums from the mid 60s to the early 70s. I don’t sell many records – the ones that I do sell are either duplicates from my collection or top quality examples sourced from record fairs or my local record shops.

I take pride in the care and attention that I give to every record that I list for auction. The records from my own collection have always been stored upright in polythene sleeves away from dust and light. These seldom require any cleaning other than just a quick dust using a sticky rubber Nagaoka Rolling 152 and a carbon fibre anti-static brush before play.

Each new find is sympathetically cleaned to remove visible dust, debris and fingerprints, before being critically assessed for the quality of play. If I think that the audio can be improved by a deep clean to remove a build-up of debris embedded in the grooves, I will clean it using a tried and tested isopropyl alcohol based record cleaning solution. I have refined my cleaning method over the years to a fine art, and am confident that the results are far superior to those achieved by the popular vacuum cleaning machines. In reality, the playback of most 35+ years old records will be improved massively by a proper clean.

Consequently, the records that I offer for sale will be immaculately presented and will play to a very high standard with barely any unwanted surface sound or static to spoil the listening pleasure.

Each record is strictly graded, and any significant defects to either the record or the sleeve will be highlighted. I will not conveniently forget to mention faults in order to sell for higher prices. If I grade a record as being in MINT- condition, you can rest assured that it will be both visually and aurally a near perfect copy which will be impossible to significantly improve upon!

Customer satisfaction is very important to me and I aim to provide a professional 5-star service to make the Ebay experience an enjoyable one.

Okay, now that I have given you little background information about myself– its time to get on to the important bit:

Here for auction is a lovely example of the iconic studio album by THE BEATLES titled “RUBBER SOUL”, Catalogue Number PMC 1267. This is an ORIGINAL 1965 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on the YELLOW & BLACK PARLOPHONE RECORD LABEL with the earliest ‘loud-cut’ 1/1 Matrix Numbers. It comes with a superb 1st issue Garrod & Lofthouse front-laminated flipback sleeve and the correct “EMITEX” inner sleeve. [The record labels have “THE GRAMOPHONE CO.LTD.” and “SOLD IN U.K…” text, and the “K T” tax code is embossed either side of the Side 2 spindle hole].   

The front-laminated flipback sleeve is in EX condition with only very light wear and a few minor creases. This is the earliest possible Garrod & Lofthouse sleeve with “Patent pending” text on the back cover. The front and back covers are unmarked and the rear flipbacks are fully intact. The spine is square and solid with perfect text. There are no rips, splits, writing or anything else. You can see from the photos that this is a truly excellent sleeve which should please most collectors. 

The top quality Parlophone record is very solidly pressed and sits flat and true on the turntable. It retains a lovely deep shine and the playing surfaces are beautifully clean. 

The Matrix Numbers and stampers are:

Side 1 – XEX 579 – 1    3   GA

Side 2 – XEX 580 – 1    3   GA

Visually I would both sides as being in close to EX condition as there are a few light sleeve-removal type rub marks and hairlines evident under bright light. These are only superficial and do not case any significant audio problems at all. The yellow & black Parlophone labels are unmarked with just a few spindle traces near the centres. 

PLAYGRADE ASSESSMENT:

This is a top quality Parlophone pressing which plays with outstanding sound quality. The ‘loud-cut’ mono audio is very powerful and vibrant and playback is extremely loud. The record plays to a very high standard. All frequencies are crystal clear and there is barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality, with the exception of a bit of distortion at the start of track 1 on Side 2, but this soon clears. Overall I think it may be quite difficult to find a significantly better-playing ‘loud-cut’ pressing of this wonderful album.    

Complete with the correct “EMITEX” inner sleeve which is in EX condition.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega Planar 3 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My gradings are strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·   MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·   EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·   VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects. Still a very presentable sleeve.

PACKAGING & POSTAGE

Records are sent out in new “Wrapro” record mailers. These are rectangular and strong, providing excellent protection to the edges and corners. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

DOMESTIC POSTAGE

The free 2nd class postage option referred to above only applies to LPs paid for by UK cheque or Postal Order.

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs paid for by PayPal must be posted using a fully trackable postal service, i.e. 1st class recorded at £3.95 or Special Delivery Next Day at £7.25. These options will be specified on the invoice. If a PayPal payment is received which does not include payment for one of these trackable services, an additional payment will be requested. This is not negotiable.  If you are not happy with the domestic postage charges please do not bid.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs posted outside of the UK (paid for by PayPal) will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe up to £39 value - £8.95

Europe over £39 value - £11.15

Worldwide up to £39 value - £12.45

Worldwide over £39 value - £14.65

A postage discount will be given for multiple LPs