THE ROLLING STONES, BEGGARS BANQUET, 1968 UK DECCA MONO 1st PRESS

	£		68
	$		90

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection I am pleased to offer an exceptional example of the brilliant studio album by THE ROLLING STONES titled BEGGARS BANQUET, Catalogue Number LK 4955. This is a 1968 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on the UNBOXED DECCA RECORD LABEL, with a superb 1st ISSUE GARROD & LOFTHOUSE INTERNATIONAL LTD. LAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE. Complete with the original white poly-lined inner sleeve with care of record and equipment text. [The stamped matrix numbers are XARL-8476-4A and XARL-8477-2A].

The sleeve is in EX condition with only very light wear and a couple of small creases near the edges. There are a few tiny impression marks on the back cover caused by the zip on the Sticky Fingers album which was stored next to it. I have included plenty of photos, taken from all angles, which hopefully show what a beautiful example it is.  

The solidly pressed 150g record is in EX condition. The Decca labels are unmarked with only a few short spindle traces near the centres. There is virtually no wear to the spindle hole. I can confirm that it has only received a modest number of careful plays on top quality hifi. Both sides play excellently throughout with no deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. The mono audio is very powerful and vibrant and provides a truly compelling listening experience. The tiny amount of surface sound present is both random and transient, and is not intrusive in any way. In my opinion it was inherent in the pressing when new. This is without doubt the finest copy that I have listened to in years.

The inner sleeve is in unmarked EX condition.

Overall this is a magnificent mono copy of one of The Stones’ most accomplished albums from their 1968-72 golden period.  

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Sony PS-X65 turntable fitted with an AT-30E MC cartridge. 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 but is still very presentable.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £12.25

Worldwide - £16.95