3x 1932 33⅓rpm GILBERT & SULLIVAN LP PROG TRANSCRIPTION DISCS - MIKADO / PIRATES

	£		40
	$		53

From the first, brief dawn of the 33⅓rpm LP record, this lovely set of three 10" Gilbert and Sullivan records dates back to 1932, when RCA Victor briefly produced the first publicly-available records played at the same speed as the albums which became the main currency of the music industry from the late 1940s.

Before reading on, please do check out among the photos a February 1932 United States newspaper advertisement for the "Mikado" discs.  This ad is NOT included in the lot, and is added to this listing only for background information and interest.
Unusually, this lot offers a chance to acquire examples of both US and Canadian pressings with their very distinctively different labels.
The first of the "Mikado" discs (L24005) is on the Canadian silver His Master's Voice label; the second (L24006) on the more commonly-seen gold USA RCA label.  The "Pirates of Penzance" disc (L24009) is a gold-label USA RCA pressing.  
Note for G & S completists:  The lot does NOT include L24008 which also featured "Pirates" gems.  L24007 was NOT G & S related, so you're getting three out of four G & S discs in the L24--- series.

The performances are from the Civic Light Opera Company, directed by Louis Kroll.  The records are all stamped "VE" in the run-out dead wax to signify electrical recordings.

The RCA Victor 33⅓ rpm "Program Transcriptions" format briefly introduced in the USA and Canada allowed around 15 minutes of music across two sides of a 10" disc - a significant increase on what was possible with 78rpm records.

These "Program Transcriptions" were not intended - as the name might suggest - for radio play but were sold to consumers who owned one of the new (and very expensive) twin-speed gramophones from Victor.  The cost of the equipment, and the Great Depression, halted the progress of these revolutionary new records. (When the standard 33⅓rpm LP was introduced in 1948, the grooves - microgrooves - were much narrower).

However, the records in this lot stand among the world's first commercial 33rpm long-play releases.  In truth, the sound quality wasn't generally much better than a well-pressed 78 but the extended play-time gave them a major advantage for those who could afford the new technology.  Handing these records, it's hard to believe they date back 93 years!

Important note for casual browsers:  please don't expect this record to play at its best on a standard modern hi-fi set-up.  Although the record plays at 33⅓rpm, and a standard modern stylus will reproduce the sound without causing any damage to either the record or the stylus,  the best reproduction will be achieved with a suitably-sized 78 stylus and a suitably-adjusted tracking weight to get the most from the grooves.  Please do expect a fair amount of surface noise even when the record has very limited marks.  So unless your interest in this lot is simply as an historic artefact, to avoid disappointment, please bid only if you're confident you have access to suitable equipment and that you recognise the sonic limitations of the format.

The Condition Description and pictures aim to give an accurate portrayal of the disc's condition, so please do check those out.
Disc One of "The Mikado" comes in a sleeve from the Northern England retailer Gough & Davy (although this record would never have been available in the UK).  Disc Two is in an archival jacket from the famous Nauck's Vintage Records store in Spring, Texas.  The "Pirates" disc is in a modern plain archival jacket

For transit, they will be separated by cardboard dividers within a sturdy mailing box with padding between the records and the outer surfaces. 

Postage is free of charge to the winning bidder within the UK but bids are also welcome under the eBay Global Shipping Programme (for overseas sales, eBay will add the cost of onward shipping from UK to international destinations).

Thanks for looking.