LED ZEPPELIN - HOUSES OF THE HOLY - UK 1st PRESS - OBI STRIP - NEAR MINT AUDIO

	£		277
	$		367

Please read the Terms and Conditions lower in the listing about payment, postage costs and insurance BEFORE placing a bid. Thank you.

I am happy to answer any questions, but please read the listing carefully before sending a question or placing a bid. I try to provide comprehensive details and information in every listing so the answers to most questions should be found below.

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During more than seven years of trading on ebay, I have received nearly 2,300 positive feedbacks from over 1,800 individual customers, almost all from the sale of vinyl records.

I take great pride in ensuring that my records are always described accurately and fairly. All my items come with a money-back guarantee - if it's not as described, you can return it for a full refund.

Bidders outside the UK please note: I send all items tracked and insured. Depending on the value of your order, the cost is an extra £5.15 or £7.75 on top of the standard airmail rate. I do not make a profit on this service - I only charge what Royal Mail charges me. For further information please click on the icon and see below for full P&P and insurance details.

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Anyone who has been collecting Led Zeppelin records for any length of time will have come to realise that one of the hardest LPs to find is a really clean-playing 1st pressing of Houses of the Holy. But to find one which also has an intact, original UK 'Obi' strip is something that is very scarce.

This is an outstanding example which is complete with the original UK 'Obi' strip and probably the BEST audio I have heard from a genuine 1st pressing.

This has the following 1st press matrix numbers:

Side 1: K50014 A2

Side 2: K50014 B2

Both run-out grooves also say STERLING  RL

Detailed description
Vinyl: The vinyl has retained its original high sheen and, although it has been played a reasonable number of times, it has obviously been well looked-after. Under a bright light, sleeve-removal lines and fine marks were visible as well as a handful of slightly more-prominent hairlines. But don't let these fool you - there is nothing significant anywhere - I have played the entire record and it sounds fantastic. It is almost impossibe to find original first pressing copies of 'Houses of the Holy' which play cleanly the whole way through. This is partly to do with the actual pressing but mainly because of the two 'difficult' tracks ('The Rain Song' and 'No Quarter') whose quiet arrangements are so easily ruined by even the slightest extraneous noise. This is the best copy I have ever heard. There is some soft background noise and crackle which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and the occasional random click. The two 'difficult' tracks each had some background noise, a few tiny crackles or a handful of barely audible clicks, but there is absolutely nothing loud or intrusive anywhere. There was slightly more in 'No Quarter' than 'The Rain Song' but individually I would play-grade both of these tracks around Excellent (Ex). However, the rest of this album sounds Near Mint (NM) which leads me to an overall play-grading of Excellent plus (Ex+) for the album as a whole.  It is very hard to find copies which sound this good and this was a real pleasure to listen to.
Labels: The labels have no damage, writing, stickers etc, but there are spindle trails and some minor marking consistent with age and use and some foxing spots.
Sleeve: The sleeve is really nice and clean with no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and just light signs of use. This has a wider spine than later covers (approx 6mm compared with a typical 4mm for later covers). There are just some light creases around the edges and corners and a few minor marks.
Edge wear: top/spine/bottom/opening/opposite edge: minimal/minimal/minimal/minimal/minimal. There is virtually no wear to the edges apart from at the tips of the corners. The 6mm spine is solid and firm.
Corner wear: There is just some very light wear to the corners.
Inner sleeve: No splits, tears or writing etc. This is the original MacNeil Press inner sleeve with no thumb tab (later copies have a thumb tab). These are really hard to find in decent condition as they were very prone to foxing. This one has discoloured with age and has some general signs of use with very minor creasing towards the opening and shaping around the disk. It also has some feint marks near the edges (mainly the right hand side of the rear) where the adhesive has discoloured with age, but there are no significant issues.
Obi strip: This is the original 1973 UK Obi strip. It is NOT a re-issue or from another country - please see the close-up photo of the rear of the sash. This exact text ONLY appears on the original UK sash. The very small number of these which have survived are generally torn or creased. This one is complete and intact with no creases, tears or damage. There are a couple of small marks on the rear and the right-hand fold is slightly feathered, but the left hand fold is still neat and firm.  This is a very presentable, undamaged example of a rare and fragile item.

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is very hard to find.

Please check out my other items and take advantage of reduced postage costs for multiple buys.

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Information about descriptions.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get.

Play-graded vinyl: I play grade records where possible but I don't have time to play them all. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to describing it.

Visually-graded vinyl: Unless specifically stated in the listing, vinyl is visually graded.  A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly. I always do my best to give a fair assessment of any visible marks on the playing surface, but a visual grading will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most of the records I sell are between thirty and fifty years old and so it is likely that there may be some background noise even if they look perfect. Please see Terms and Conditions below for my refunds policy for visually graded records.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. All packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may send some items in packaging which has been previously used or which has been made from other cardboard packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

I need to cover the cost of postage and packing materials, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

However, to quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 500-550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Occasionally, you may end up paying a few pence more than it actually costs me and occasionally you may end up paying a few pence less than it actually costs me. If there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items are sent quickly and securely using first class recorded post, which includes insurance up to £46. The cost for this is as follows:

First LP or 12" = £3.80, each additional LP or 12" add £0.80

First 7" or CD = £1.90, each additional 7" or CD add £0.50


UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £46 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery and the total cost of this will be £7.55.  Multiple-item orders weighing more than 1kg or items valued over £500 will cost slightly more to insure, so please wait for my invoice before paying.

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Airmail (with tracking and insurance) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £10.95, each additional LP or 12" add £2.00.

First 7" or CD = £6.85, each additional 7" or CD add £0.60.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £14.45, each additional LP or 12" add £3.50.

First 7" or CD = £8.15, each additional 7" or CD add £0.90.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg or valued over £500 may be split into two or more packages as appropriate so they can be sent using Royal Mail's Small Packet Rate, so please wait for my invoice on larger multiple purchases.

Customs declaration for overseas orders: Please note that for overseas orders outside the EU I need to complete a customs declaration and must enter the value of the package on the declaration.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.