Rolling Stones STICKY FINGERS UK LP 1ST COC A3/B4 UNPLAYED & GATEFOLD SLEEVE

	£		311
	$		412

ROLLING STONES - STICKY FINGERS

IN MAGNIFICENT UNPLAYED CONDITION

FIRST PRESS WITH THE MOST INCREDIBLE SLEEVE

THE VERY VERY RARE MISPRESSED GATEFOLD SLEEVE!!!!

• CATALOGUE:ROLLING STONES COC 59100
• MATRIX:COC59100 A4 / B4
• 1ST PRESS NUMBERS
• ROLLING STONES RECORDS ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX BOTH SIDES
• TML ETCHED INTO DEAD WAX  BOTH SIDES

THIS IS THE SLEEVE THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN. A PRESSING ERROR ALLOWED A FEW COPIES OF THE ICONIC STICKY FINGERS TO LEAVE THE FACTORY WITH A GATEFOLD SLEEVE INSTEAD OF THE TOP OPENING SLEEVE.

IT IS CLEAR AS SOON AS YOU EXAMINE THE SLEEVE THAT IT ISN'T ONE THAT HAS HAD THE RIGHT SIDE SLIT TO LOOK LIKE A GATEFOLD, AS THERE IS NO RESIDUAL GLUE IR CARD ON THE FLIMSY TOP SURFACE. IT IS JUST A FACTORY ERROR AND ONE OF THE HARDEST STONES ALBUM TO COLLECT.

AS SOON AS YOU SEE THE BACK OF THE ZIP YOU REALISE THAT THIS WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE AGATEFOLD SLEEVE, ALTHOUGH ON THIS  YOU CAN SEE ALL OF THE ANDY WARHOL INSERT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE ON THE STANDARD ISSUE

THE OTHER INCREDULOUS FACT IS THAT THIS ALBUM HAS ACTUALLY NEVER BEEN ON A TURNTABLE UNTIL TODAY. TO FIND THE RARE SLEEVE IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE, BUT TO FIND ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC ALBUMS OF ALL TIMES THAT HAS ACTUALLY NEVER BEEN PLAYED IS QUITE IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

JUST A WORD ON THE DISC ITSELF. UNPLAYED DOESN'T MEAN MINT OF COURSE AND THIS PARTICULAR ALBUM IS WELL KNOWN FOR HAVING NOISE AND CRACKLE EMBEDDED INTO IT DUE WHOLLY TO THE CHEAP VINYL OR VINYL SUBSTITUTES THAT WERE USED IN MAKING IT. THIS ONE DOES HAVE A LITTLE BACKGROUND IN PARTS WHICH I WILL IDENTIFY IN THE DESCRIPTION BELOW, BUT OVERALL IT IS IN SUPERB NEAR MINT / NEAR MINT MINUS CONDITION. THERE IS NOT ONE MARK ON IT!!!

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE YELLOW STONES LABELS ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THE BASE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLES. THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS ALL CLEAR AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THERE ARE NO  SPIDER LINES AROUND EITHER SIDE OF THE HOLE, AND THAT'S EVEN USING A MAGNIFYING GLASS, AND AS I PLACED THE VINYL OVER MY SPINDLE I COULD FEEL HOW TIGHT THE HOLE WAS AND IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS THE FIRST PLAY THE DISC HAS EVER HAD IN 42 YEARS. QUITE AMAZING

THE VINYL

THE VINYL HAS RETAINED ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL LUSTRE AND SHEEN AND LOOKS TOTALLY FLAWLESS IN DAY LIGHT AND EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SEE. A TOTALLY PRISTINE VINYL. THERE ARE WHAT LOOKS LIKE TWO FINGERMARKS ON SIDE ONE, BUT THEY ARE JUST TWO DULL SPOTS ON THE DISC.

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE LP FROM START TO FINISH AS I DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS AS I JUST KNOW THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING  ABID.

THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THE FIRST THING TO SAY ABOUT THIS VINYL IS THAT THE CLARITY OF THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS PURE FIRST PRESS. EACH NOTE IS HEARD VERY CLEARLY AND THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION AT ALL THROUGHOUT ANY PART OF THE PLAY , BUT WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM AN UNPLAYED VINYL.

AS I MENTIONED AT THE TOP OF THE LISTING, THE VINYL HAS NEVER BEEN PLAYED AND MY ONE CAREFUL TEST PLAY WILL LEAVE NO TRACES WHATSOEVER.

SO THERE IS NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE BECAUSE THE DISC IS MINT, AND NO VINYL NOISE EITHER. WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IS SOME STATIC LIKE STUFF AND A FEW LITTLE TIC LIKE IRRITANTS, MAINLY DURING WILD HORSES WHICH IS ALWAYS THE TRACK THAT HAS THE VINYL DEFECTS. HAVING SAID THAT, IT IS VERY VERY MINOR INDEED. THERE IS A TINIER SPECK IN THE TRACK PRECEDING IT, AND THE VERY ODD BIT INSIDE A COUPLE THE LINKING GROOVES.

THERE IS A FRACTION MORE IN TRACK 2 SIDE 2, AND A COUPLE OF RANDOM LITTLE TICS

SO AN UNPLAYED VINYL THAT I WOULD GRADE AS NEAR MINT MINUS FOR THE PLAYTHROUGH

TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST SLEEVES TO COLLECT EVER!!

FOR ALL THE REASONS I LISTED AT THE VERY TOP OF THE AUCTION

THE FRONT SURFACE IS JUST AMAZING. FIRSTLY LETS START BY SAYING THE THE ZIPPER WORKS PERFECTLY. GOES ALL OF THE WAY UP AND ALL OF THE WAY DOWN

THE BELT BUCKLE IS TOTALLY CREASE FREE!! CANNOT BELIEVE IT MYSELF BUT THERE IT IS. ABSOLUTELY MINT!!!!!

THE WHITE AREA OF THE SLEEVE IS STILL VERY VERY WHITE AND IT'S CLEAR THAT THE SLEEVE HAS JUST NOT BEEN OUT OF THE OUTER PLASTIC MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES.

THERE IS NO LOSS OF COLOUR TO THE BLACK AREAS EITHER.

THE FRONT SURFACE HAS NO CREASES BENDS OR ANY OTHER ANOMALY. NOT EVEN THE SMALL LINES THAT FORM NEAR THE SPINE

THE BOTTOM EDGE IS 100% FREE FROM ANY SHELF WEAR. THE SPINES ARE ALSO PRISTINE WITH EVER LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE PERFECTLY LEGIBLE AND NO RUBBING OR WEAR TO EITHER OF THEM

THE TOP OPENING EDGE IS AGAIN JUST PRISTINE. IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT THE LP HAS HARDLY BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE

ITS ALSO WORTH POINTING OUT THAT THE SLEEVE HAS NO RING WEAR OR EVER RECORD SHAPE

OPENING THE GATEFOLD (FEELS WEIRD TYPING THAT!!) REVEALS THE COMPLETE ANDY WARHOL IMAGE, WHICH IS IN ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE CONDITION, AS IS THE REAR OF THE ZIPPER

THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS CLEAN AND SPECIAL AS THE FRONT . USUALLY THIS HAS MANY DENTS IN IT CAUSED BY THE ZIP WHICH WHEN THE LP'S WERE STACKED IN BOXES FROM THE FACTORY, PRESSED INTO EACH OTHER CAUSING THE DENTS AND SCRATCHES ON THE REAR SURFACE. THIS ONE IS BETTER THAN ANY OTHER ONE I HAVE SEEN, WITH JUST TWO PIN PRICKS, WHERE THERE ARE USUALLY MULTIPLE DENTS AND  ONE LIGHT SCRATCH TO THE SURFACE ON THE RIGHT BUTTOCK

 THE INSERT WITH THE PICTURE OF THE BAND ON ONE SIDE AND THE RED TONGUE ON THE OTHER. THIS IS ALSO IN PRISTINE CONDITION, AS IS THE ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THE SLEEVE MINT MINUS

A REAL VAULT COPY OF THIS LP SET

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY