Gene Howard Promo 45 World-Pacific 399 Crusade For Love/Tragedy V+ Condition

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53

Greetings everyone! Thank you very much for stopping by another of my ebay record auctions. I appreciate that you took the time out of your busy schedule to click on my listing and have a look at what I have to offer!  Normally, all records that I list on ebay are my own property.  However, the record business that I work for, and have for the past 19+ years, has requested me to take some of the recent stock that has come through and list it here on ebay.  Please don't worry, everything is on the up and up, the business knows, and I have the approval to do so.  Mainly because the part of the business I work in is online only, not their walk-in retail store.  Problem is, my part of the business recently moved, and is still without internet access. So, to generate some income, I have been going through some stock that has not been added to the store's inventory-I will NOT "cross sell" between Ebay and other sites, you have my promise! But to (hopefully) garner some revenue, I get to go through it first, and give you folks first "dibs".  The first time I tried auctioning for the business, it was 10 day listings, but I have been requested to make these listings the standard 7 day.  The items I am listing are ones that I believe are scarce and/or would be excellent additions to any serious collector's selection. The opening bid prices are higher than ones I use for my own auction listings, but they are for the most part more valuable and scarce than some of the records I list for myself (Though if you'd like to have a look at my own records I have listed, I wouldn't mind!).  All proceeds of listings I do for the business will go to the business, minus the selling fees that Ebay takes. I hope that I/the store will have something you would like for your very own.  Let's see what's available this time!  

Folks, I know that I am breaking my normal order of doing things tonight, as Wednesdays are usually my LP listing nights. But I had so many orders I had to handle at work (pulling, packing, and mailing) that trying to get any LPs prepared just wasn’t an option. But I didn’t want to leave you without new records to peruse, so this evening, I’m doing more 7” records instead. Sorry to have confused anyone. I’ll get back to usual soon!

This time up, We have a Promotional 7” 45rpm release on the World-Pacific Records label, label # 399 by Gene Howard. This is the single of “Crusade For Love” b/w “Tragedy”. When I spot records that I have no idea about what’s on them as I don’t recall coming across them before, I will put those aside, and try to do some research before getting them listed. This includes checking ebay for other listings, current and completed. Well, I noticed that this got a few “tags” added to it, along the lines of “soul” and the ever-nebulous “Popcorn”. Folks, about the only “tag” that’s more vague than “popcorn” is “Psych”, and I know there are tons of sellers who apply these kinds of tags (i.e. “northern soul”) to records that may or may not deserve them, but only do so to snag the attention of collectors who have these tags on their “saved searches”. Well, when I saw the label this 45 was on, I thought this might have been some groovy jazz. Well, not hardly. What this sounds like is some folk/easy listening if you asked me. Gene Howard’s voice is right nice and pretty, but he doesn’t sound like he has much range, but maybe that’s the appeal. The music is nice-“Crusade For Love” does have some Spanish guitar playing that is quite pleasant, while “Tragedy” is a string-laden tune that if it got any more mellow, would be more comfortable than a down-filled bed cushion. So if this is what “popcorn” is, I guess it sounds better than calling it “airy” – though that’s what it sounded like to yours truly. But that’s just my opinion, and my tastes are rather suspect at best anyway. The playing surface does have wear though, a few scuffs, some light scratches, but a slew of needle marks that cover both sides. Don’t get me wrong, as this did play through on both sides for me, without the needle ever getting stuck or skipping around. There was crackling while playing, but nowhere near as much as I’d expected. If I went by visual grading alone, I probably would not have even listed this, but it played good enough to get my less than average V+, so I’ll go with that. My grading is considered non-standard, so if you are considering placing a bid, please read the paragraph below, as it contains my gradings and their respective descriptions. The labels have storage wear, staining/discoloration, and there is writing both in black marker and what I think is fountain pen on the “Tragedy” side, fortunately this writing does not come close to the text, as all the text is still clear and very easy to read. If you have any questions or comments, please send them along to me, and you will receive a response. If you need more pictures or description, I can and will be happy to provide.

My Grading is as follows: M (Mint)-ONLY for Still Factory Sealed Records ONLY! No 45 nor 78 will ever get this grading. E+, minimal wear, perhaps only needs cleaning. E, a few light marks, maybe some minor background crackle and/or hiss. E-, light marks, crackling (nothing major), scuffs, etc.. Not great, but still quite playable. V+, More marks, scuffs, needle marks, scratches-but nothing that would make the needle skip. Will have background noise that even with a cleaning will still be around. V. Worn. Scuffs, scratches, can be noisy, but still (probably) won’t cause the needle to skip nor get stuck. V-, Noisy? You bet! Worn? Oh yeah. Playable? Sure, but don’t expect it to sound all peachy keen. P. Bleah! Playable perhaps, but do so at your own risk. Don’t trash a new needle on it. Only used on records considered rare enough for “fill in” purposes to a collector-or to those who do digital restoration.  

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IMPORTANT NOTE FOR NON-U.S. BIDDERS!!!!
All items I sell will be sent with postage printed up from eBay. This way, the prices are automatically listed for customs purposes and cannot be altered. Yes, this does mean that the customs people will know the value, but since I get a bit of a price break on postage, I can keep the prices low for you-the buyer.  I will not "mark item as a gift", just so you can evade import rules.  The people at my post office know me, and they will check overseas packages for inspection.  I hope you will understand my position about this, my apologies if you are not able to comply.
Also, international bidders, the price listed for postage on my listings are for domestic mailing.  I wish I could send overseas for that price, but reality speaks different.  I place a fair price on all international postage.  Watch for the invoice if you win.

ALSO-I need to let international bidders know of a certain problem that doesn't always happen, but will arise from time to time.  All International mail sent from this region has to go through the U.S. Postal Service sorting center in Sandston Virginia, by our local airport.  This sorting center has been named the least efficient sorting center in the entire U.S. Postal Service.  They prove this from time to time by mis-routing packages.  If this happens-and I will monitor the delivery-usually it will add at least an extra week for it to arrive.  If there are any problems, please contact me first, and I will do what I must to make sure you are satisfied with the order.
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All items that are sent to a U.S. address will have delivery confirmation (at my cost) attached, as I have found that it helps...a lot!....to ensure that packages are truly en route to the customer.  This is for both of our sakes.  I will be using USPS "Media Mail" as my primary shipping method, however, if needed, and for an extra charge, I can ship with "Priority Mail", and if i can get away with it for the price, I really like 1st Class, but that's weight-dependent.

Oh yes, if you are the winning bidder, and you are in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I'm afraid you are going to have to include the 5.3% Virginia State Sales Tax.

Paypal is my preferred method of payment, if you need another way, please contact me before bidding.  Or, if you have any other questions about this listing, or any of my listings, please feel free to contact me.  I will answer any & all questions as quickly and concisely as possible.

Also, I do have other listings available as well, and if you would be interested in more than one item, I have no problem with holding onto wins in case you would like to combine wins to save some money instead of multiple p&h costs.