LED ZEPPELIN UK FIRST PRESS OF HOUSES OF THE HOLY- UK OBI-RL STERLING

$

383

Hello and Welcome!  

We have been collecting Vintage Vinyl Albums for 35 years and have amassed a large private collection.  We have bought and sold many of our top collectable albums on eBay as well as through other online and off-line venues for years.  While many record sellers are dealers and sellers, we consider ourselves collectors first and foremost.  All of the rare music we offer comes from our own collection, have been played, and, as die-hard hobbyists, always have received the utmost in professional care.  Selling ANY album which we have owned and have loved for years is never easy, yet remains a necessity as we have started to pursue additional other avenues of interests.  Nevertheless, any item which we do sell is described accurately, play-graded (unless sealed) in order to ensure that what we offer is quality, and are being sold to the Music world with a collector's mind rather than a bulk seller who doesn't care about their "product".      

Our Goldmine Grading (See Goldmine Grading at the bottom of this page) of this or any other album entails a Visual Assessment of the Vinyl, Labels, Jacket, Inner Sleeve and Inserts (If Applicable) as well as an Aural Evaluation.  All pre-owned LPs that we put up for auction are first professionally cleaned with our VPI 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine prior to being Play-Graded on a Denon DP 54-F Turntable equipped with a SHURE M97xE Cartridge/Stylus.  Our Pre-Amp is a Denon PMA 750.  Our Polk Audio Speakers allow one the opportunity to hear any sonic distortion, variation in sound quality such as drops in sound levels, detection of the slightest background noise e.g. crackle, clicking, and, of course, jumps.  All of our albums are stored upright and kept in an air conditioned, smoke free environment and are, or have been protected by polyurethane jacket protectors since our acquisition of them.  

Please Note That We Have Taken 12 Photographs of this Monumental Led Zeppelin Rock Classic Album.  All Of Our Pictures Feature eBay's Enhanced Photographic Display Which Includes The Close-up Zoom Tool Which Captures All Of The Exquisite Details Of This Offering As Well As The Recently Introduced Slide Show Presentation Of This Venerated LP.

We have now listed for auction an ULTRA-RARE LED ZEPPELIN HOUSES OF THE HOLY 1ST UK PRESSING WITH UK OBI SASH-ATLANTIC RECORDS K50014 RELEASED IN 1973.  We have decided to list this stunning NM album in the same fashion as our UK Turquoise First Pressing Led Zeppelin I (Please see our "other items") in the truest manner we believe in; this being a "No Reserve" auction.  There are approximately Three (3) days and 6 hours remaining on our Turquoise Led Zeppelin I auction.  However, we have decided to change the auction duration for this monstrously scarce variant of "Houses Of The Holy" aka "HOTH" to 10 days.  

Conversely, we are going to "level" the playing field for ALL eBayers, meaning our International friends for whom we feel deserve something unique.   

**If any eBayer (International) wins BOTH the UK Turquoise Led Zeppelin I LP and this UK "A/2-B/2" Pre-Pressed UK Led Zeppelin Houses Of The Holy album, We Will Provide Free Shipping via USPS EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL SERVICE!  USPS EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROVIDES A 3 TO 5 DAY GUARANTEED DELIVERY TO MOST OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, PERMITS INSURANCE COVERAGE AND DELIVER TRACKING/CONFIRMATION.**

Obviously, no one can predict the winner of two auctions of this magnitude.  Thus, our only request would be for the winner of the UK Turquoise Led Zeppelin LP to inform us via the eBay e-mail system of their intentions regarding bidding on the "HOTH" album.  If the winner expresses that they are done bidding, we will move forward and ship/post their "Holy Grail" Turquoise per the terms outlined in our Worldwide Shipping section.  However, if the winner of the first auction requests that they wish to continue on in bidding for this album, we will wait until the second auction is finished before shipping/posting.   Once again, if the winner of the Turquoise DOES WIN Houses Of The Holy, we will send a revised invoice to that eBayer which will have NO SHIPPING/POSTING COSTS!  This results in an approximate savings of $100.00 USD and probably much more!

Our Led Zeppelin UK First Pressing of Houses Of The Holy possesses the earliest possible matrices (A/2-B/2), presents with the Master Signature of Robert Ludwig (RL) STERLING on BOTH SIDES of the vinyl's Run-off wax, has both labels devoid of the later Warners Logo aka "the dreaded "W" which ends the perimeter type on the two labels of later pressings.  Both sides have the "Superhype" Credits on the Green and Orange Atlantic Records "Non-Plum" labels as well as the "Made in UK" designation right below the word, 'STEREO'--again on both sides  Moreover, the Gatefold Jacket is a "matte" finish and not laminated, the latter which typifies later releases.  Finally, our "HOTH" album is complete with its UK Obi Sash, a feature which is virtually impossible to find on this 40 year old Led Zeppelin LP.  

It is virtually impossible to locate a complete First Issue UK "Houses" with its Obi sash as well as its correct inner 'card' which denotes the manufacturer of the Soft Textured inner as MacNeill Press Ltd.  Later issues of the inner were not textured.  This is also the first Led Zeppelin album which had its song lyrics in type-face font.  The A/2-B/2 matrices are perhaps the most important confirmation of this album being a "pre-prepared" batch of "HOTH" albums.  Led Zeppelin's 5th album had generated such pre-release frenzy that German as well as French imports had to be imported into the UK to meet the excessive demand for the title.  This particular copy happened to be one of the very few UK made, mastered, and distributed, yet ran out almost immediately.

In sum, here are the differences between this album and the myriad of later issues:   

-A matte gatefold sleeve-later ones were made with a glossy finish.

-A soft textured inner lyrics sleeve-later issues were thicker with no textured finish.

-No "Warners" logo on record label-later issues have the W logo.

-The master signature-RL STERLING on BOTH sides of the vinyl-Only found on the very first UK pressings!!!

-The exquisite loud cut Bob Ludwig engineering which made the audio tones so much better as compared to the later pressings.

-Of course, there is the most elusive Obi Sash.  Most were lost or discarded as they were found to be a great nuisance.  The UK Obi is now virtually impossible to locate and is only found on the earliest, very first pressings. 

Goldmine Grades

Our copy's Gatefold Jacket has retained all of its colors without so much as a blemish.  The deep turquoise blue on the inside of the Gatefold presents as completely unfaded, so vivid and vibrant to the viewer and as one looks at the blending of colors, e.g. blues fading into a greenish yellow hue, the varying shades of oranges, yellows, blues, and greens of those seemingly endless craggy rock formations which the faceless, not-quite human blonde children are climbing, always seem to elicit a reaction from those who are familiar with what may or may not be real.  In terms of the cover's structure, there is no top rim wear, hardly any visible evidence of wear on the bottom rim, and the spine is solid and square.

This 40 year old jacket looks as if it were made last week!  There is no ring wear visible on outer faces.  When angled against a strong light, we saw no blemishes at all, no creasing on the front face and reverse side.  As stated previously, this is the first jacket variant, complete with its Matte finish and manufactured from heavy thick card.  There are no seam splits, writing, no feathering to the opening edge.  Goldmine Grade: NM   

Inner Sleeve:  This is the earliest issue, featuring soft textured paper.  No seam splits, rips, tears, or extraneous writing.  Printed by  MacNeill Press Ltd. which confirms it being an extremely early issue.  Sharp corners.  Minimal discoloration!  No creasing!  This is a coveted inner Lyric Sleeve which is in "like New" condition.  Goldmine Grade: NM- 

Labels:  No Warner logos!  Concentric relief detail is superb.  Extremely faint and wispy spindle markings which we detected under a halogen lamp.  Goldmine Grade: NM-   

Audio:   Absolutely sensational channels, conveying those delicate tones with a razor sharp edge.  In our experience, it is so difficult to find the aforementioned qualities on Led Zeppelin albums, most of which were which were played and played into submission.  Exceptional grooves with powerful clear sonic stereo.  Without a doubt, this heavyweight slab delivers better than ANY OTHER "HOTH" PRESSING we have ever heard.  This is also the Robert Ludwig "loud cut" engineered initial variant, and the aural delivery is so poignant.  Tones conveyed in sensational fashion and are beautifully mastered.  "HOTH" is an extremely diversified album, one which features many quiet pieces of music which requires exceptional channel clarity.  This specimen will not disappoint as the sound clarity is such that one can hear the squeak of the tight guitar strings as Jimmy Page's fingers brush across them.  Since our acquisition of this wonderful album, we have cleaned it with our VPI 16.5 RCM approximately 5 times, as it was rarely played and, initially, we did detect an occasional hint of static as there is still dust lifting from these exceptional grooves e.g. Side 2, Track 3, but make no mistake about it, this is the album for the serious vinyl enthusiast!  Goldmine Grade: NM

Visual Vinyl:  Ultra rare first A2/B2 matrices mark the very first pressing of this awesome release.  Full Gloss and a Distinctive Mirror-like Sheen are the prominent, striking dynamics--so remarkable for any Vintage Led Zeppelin album.  Both surface sides of the vinyl show no groove-wear, no warping or "dip",  no "lines", no pitting and if this album was played more than 6-7 times, it would shock us.  We saw a total of 4-6 odd, faint, wispy removal marks, and even these were difficult to pinpoint due to the sheer strength of its glaze.  Goldmine Grade: NM-

Obi Sash:  These "sashes" were only issued with these very first and earliest UK pressings, yet proved to be a nuisance for Atlantic Records in terms of packaging them with the Gatefold jacket.  Similarly, those lucky purchasers of this first early variant, generally discarded this wafer-thin paper item or they simply ripped the obi by accident.

Our album presentation, however, is complete with what is now an elusive part of these embryonic First Pressings of the UK "Houses Of The Holy" package.  Please note that this OBI strip IS NOT from a foreign release and is the very first UK OBI strip which is the original and was retained by the original owner.  

Our obi was acquired with a tiny, yet clean seam split which we suspect occurred when the prior owner attempted to "force" the sash around this heavy gatefold jacket.  We have kept the obi separated from the jacket and believe that it would require very little work to restore it to its original NM condition.  It is a beautiful eggshell creme color with no blemishes, writing, marks or stains.  Its print is sharp and well-defined.  With a little TLC, it will be as good as new. 

*******

Payment

...is due within 48 hours via PayPal and must be made in US $. If another Payment Method is Needed, Seller Must Be Contacted PRIOR to Making a Bid.  International eBayers MUST USE PayPal 

USA SHIPPING

FREE SHIPPING!!!!

USPS 2 Day Priority Mail With Insurance and Delivery Tracking

Worldwide Shipping/Posting/Handling

**(See Exclusions) 

**WE NO LONGER SHIP TO ITALY OR BRAZIL**

*Canada: $35.00 For USPS EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL SERVICES 

PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY PARCEL TO BE DELIVERED TO CANADA WHICH WEIGHS 4 POUNDS OR MORE AND/OR IS VALUED AT $400.00 USD OR MORE MUST BE SHIPPED VIA USPS EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL WHICH VARIES IN COST.  EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL SERVICES PROVIDE A 3-5 DAY DELIVERY TO MOST CANADIAN DESTINATIONS, PERMITS USD INSURED COVERAGE AND DELIVERY CONFIRMATION.

*Rest Of The World: $55.00 For USPS EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL SERVICES

PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY INTERNATIONAL PARCEL  (EXCLUDING CANADA) WHICH WEIGHS 4 POUNDS OR MORE AND/OR IS VALUED AT $400.00 USD OR MORE MUST BE SHIPPED VIA USPS EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL WHICH VARIES IN COST.  EXPRESS MAIL® INTERNATIONAL SERVICES PROVIDE A 3-5 DAY DELIVERY TO MOST OVERSEAS DESTINATIONS, PERMITS USD INSURED COVERAGE AND DELIVERY CONFIRMATION.

WE WILL REFUND ANY "EXCESS" POSTAGE CHARGES TO OUR BELOVED INTERNATIONAL EBAYERS WITHIN 48 HOURS OF PAYMENT.  

-Seller Reserves The Right To Cancel Any Bids From Questionable Bidders (Low Feedback Percentage, Blocked Countries, eBAY Policy Violations).

How Your Vinyl Will Be Packed

All LPs won from our eBay listings are first professionally cleaned with our VPI 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine and immediately placed in an anti-static poly-lined Inner Sleeve and/or a polyethylene 3 ml Album Protector prior to being professionally shipped/posted.  All Vinyl is separated from its Album Jacket.  We provide a second polyethylene/Mylar Album Protector for the Album's Jacket, Original Inner Sleeve, and any Inserts, if applicable.  Vinyl is placed between 2 cardboard pads or "stiffeners" and sandwiched between these 2 pads.  The pads and vinyl are appropriately secured and placed inside a NEW, TOP INDUSTRY STANDARD VINYL RECORD MAILER.  The Album's Jacket, already protected with a 3 ml polyethylene/Mylar Protector, is then placed on top of the sandwiched vinyl.  If needed, an additional cardboard insert or plastic "cushioning" is placed on top of the jacket's poly/mylar protector.  Finally, we secure the Vinyl Album Mailer and mark the parcel "Handle with Care" as well as "Fragile" in various spots on the mailer.

We've packed thousands of Vinyl Albums, EPs, Old and Fragile 78 RPM records as well as 7" Singles over the Past 15 years.  Our items have been shipped over the entire planet and we have never had a package arrive to a buyer damaged or had any parcel end up missing.  Delivery Confirmation is Applied to All Domestic Packages as well as Insurance for value.  At this point in time, we Ship/Post World-wide (Excluding Italy and Brazil Due To Their Postal System's Failure to Deliver Packages to their citizens within a reasonable period of time  which is unacceptable to eBay and to us.  We apologize in advance for these necessary exclusions.)  

Any and all questions about this item, will be answered in a timely manner.  We ask that all questions be submitted via the eBay e-mail mechanism.

Have Fun and Bid on this unique LP!

GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT (M)

These are absolutely perfect in every way. Often rumored but rarely seen, Mint should never be used as a grade unless more than one person agrees that the record or sleeve truly is in this condition. There is no set percentage of the Near Mint value these can bring; it is best negotiated between buyer and seller.

NEAR MINT (NM OR M-)

A good description of a NM record is “it looks like it just came from a retail store and it was opened for the first time.” In other words, it’s nearly perfect. Many dealers won’t use a grade higher than this, implying (perhaps correctly) that no record or sleeve is ever truly perfect.

NM records are shiny, with no visible defects. Writing, stickers or other markings cannot appear on the label, nor can any “spindle marks” from someone trying to blindly put the record on the turntable. Major factory defects also must be absent; a record and label obviously pressed off center is not Near Mint. If played, it will do so with no surface noise. (NM records don’t have to be “never played”; a record used on an excellent turntable can remain NM after many plays if the disc is properly cared for.)

NM covers are free of creases, ring wear and seam splits of any kind.

NOTE: These are high standards, and they are not on a sliding scale. A record or sleeve from the 1950s must meet the same standards as one from the 1990s or 2000s to be Near Mint! It’s estimated that no more than 2 to 4 percent of all records remaining from the 1950s and 1960s are truly Near Mint. This is why they fetch such high prices, even for more common items.

VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+)

or EXCELLENT (E)

A good description of a VG+ record is “except for a couple minor things, this would be Near Mint.” Most collectors, especially those who want to play their records, will be happy with a VG+ record, especially if it toward the high end of the grade (sometimes called VG++ or E+).

VG+ records may show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Minor signs of handling are OK, too, such as telltale marks around the center hole, but repeated playing has not misshapen the hole. There may be some very light ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable.

VG+ covers should have only minor wear. A VG+ cover might have some very minor seam wear or a split (less than one inch long) at the bottom, the most vulnerable location. Also, a VG+ cover may have some defacing, such as a cut-out marking. Covers with cut-out markings can never be considered Near Mint.

Very Good (VG)

Many of the imperfections found on a VG+ record are more obvious on a VG record. That said, VG records — which usually sell for no more than 25 percent of a NM record — are among the biggest bargains in record collecting, because most of the “big money” goes for more perfect copies. For many listeners, a VG record or sleeve will be worth the money.

VG records have more obvious flaws than their counterparts in better shape. They lack most of the original gloss found on factory-fresh records. Groove wear is evident on sight, as are light scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail. When played, a VG record has surface noise, and some scratches may be audible, especially in soft passages and during a song’s intro and ending. But the noise will not overpower the music otherwise.

Minor writing, tape or a sticker can detract from the label. Many collectors who have jukeboxes will use VG records in them and not think twice. They remain a fine listening experience, just not the same as if it were in better shape.

VG covers will have many signs of human handling. Ring wear in the middle or along the edges of the cover where the edge of a record would reside, is obvious, though not overwhelming. Some more creases might be visible. Seam splitting will be more obvious; it may appear on all three sides, though it won’t be obvious upon looking. Someone might have written or it or stamped a price tag on it, too.

Good (G),

Good Plus (G+)

or Very Good Minus (VG–)

These records go for 10 to 15 percent of the Near Mint value, if you are lucky.

Good does not mean bad! The record still plays through without skipping, so it can serve as filler until something better comes along. But it has significant surface noise and groove wear, and the label is worn, with significant ring wear, heavy writing, or obvious damage caused by someone trying to remove tape or stickers and failing miserably. A Good to VG– cover has ring wear to the point of distraction, has seam splits obvious on sight and may have even heavier writing, such as, for example, huge radio station letters written across the front to deter theft.

If the item is common, it’s probably better to pass it up. But if you’ve been seeking it for a long time, get it cheap and look to upgrade.

POOR (P)

and Fair (F)

Poor (P) and Fair (F) records go for 0 to 5 percent of the Near Mint value, if they go at all. More likely, they end up going in the trash. Records are cracked, impossibly warped, or skip and/or repeat when an attempt is made to play them. Covers are so heavily damaged that you almost want to cry.

Only the most outrageously rare items ever sell for more than a few cents in this condition — again, if they sell at all.