SMALL FACES, FROM THE BEGINNING, 1967 UK UNBOXED DECCA

	£		102
	$		135

betsy50 Store

Important Information

All UK bidders please read the domestic postage information in red at the bottom of the LP description.

Hello and welcome to my auction. My name is Nick - aka “playgraderecords”. I have been an avid record collector for many years. Although I like lots of modern music, my passion is for classic blues, psych and progressive albums from the mid 60s to the early 70s. I don’t sell many records – the ones that I do sell are either duplicates from my collection or top quality examples sourced from record fairs or my local record shops.

I take pride in the care and attention that I give to every record that I list for auction. The records from my own collection have always been stored upright in polythene sleeves away from dust and light. These seldom require any cleaning other than just a quick dust using a sticky rubber Nagaoka Rolling 152 and a carbon fibre anti-static brush before play.

Each new find is sympathetically cleaned to remove visible dust, debris and fingerprints, before being critically assessed for the quality of play. If I think that the audio can be improved by a deep clean to remove a build-up of debris embedded in the grooves, I will clean it using a tried and tested isopropyl alcohol based record cleaning solution. I have refined my cleaning method over the years to a fine art, and am confident that the results are far superior to those achieved by the popular vacuum cleaning machines. In reality, the playback of most 35+ years old records will be improved massively by a proper clean.

Consequently, the records that I offer for sale will be immaculately presented and will play to a very high standard with barely any unwanted surface sound or static to spoil the listening pleasure.

Each record is strictly graded, and any significant defects to either the record or the sleeve will be highlighted. I will not conveniently forget to mention faults in order to sell for higher prices. If I grade a record as being in MINT- condition, you can rest assured that it will be both visually and aurally a near perfect copy which will be impossible to significantly improve upon!

Customer satisfaction is very important to me and I aim to provide a professional 5-star service to make the Ebay experience an enjoyable one.

Okay, now that I have given you little background information about myself– its time to get on to the important bit:

Here for auction is a lovely example of the brilliant second album by SMALL FACES titled “FROM THE BEGINNING”, Catalogue Number LK 4879. This is an ORIGINAL 1967 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on the RED UNBOXED DECCA RECORD LABEL, with a superb 1st issue Clout & Baker front-laminated sleeve. 

The front-laminated single sleeve, printed in England by Clout & Baker Ltd., is in EX+ condition with only the lightest signs of wear and minor creasing. The front and back covers are unmarked. The spine is square and solid with perfect text. There is a short bruise to the middle of the top edge caused by a knock from the record inside (see photo below). You can see from the photos that this is a beautiful sleeve. I think that it will be very difficult to find a better one!

The top quality Decca record is solidly pressed and retains a deep mirror-like shine. There is a slight edge warp which means that visually the record rotates a bit unevenly on the turntable, although this is purely cosmetic and does not affect the audio in any way (even with a very light tracking weight).  

The Matrix Numbers are:

Side 1 – XARL-7881-5B

Side 2 – XARL-7882-8A

Visually I would grade the record as being in somewhere between VG and EX condition, as there are a few very light surface marks evident under bright light. These are only superficial and do not cause any audio problems whatsoever. The grooved red Decca labels are unmarked with only a few spindle traces near the centres. There is virtually no wear to the spindle hole.

PLAYGRADE ASSESSMENT:

This is a top quality Decca pressing which plays with outstanding sound quality. The mono playback is particularly loud-cut and vibrant. The record plays perfectly. There is no discernable deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. Please don’t be put off by my visual grading – the record really does play superbly. I think that it will be very difficult to find a better-playing 1st pressed mono copy of this essential album.

The correct white poly-lined Decca inner sleeve is in EX condition.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega Planar 3 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My gradings are strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects. Still a very presentable sleeve.

PACKAGING

Records are sent out in new “Wrapro” record mailers. These are rectangular and strong, providing excellent protection to the edges and corners. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

DOMESTIC POSTAGE

The free 2nd class postage option referred to above only applies to LPs paid for by UK cheque or Postal Order.

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs paid for by PayPal must be posted using a fully trackable postal service, i.e. 1st class recorded at £3.95 or Special Delivery Next Day at £7.25. These options will be specified on the invoice. If a PayPal payment is received which does not include payment for one of these trackable services, an additional payment will be requested. This is not negotiable.  If you are not happy with the domestic postage charges please do not bid.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs posted outside of the UK (paid for by PayPal) will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe up to £39 value - £8.95

Europe over £39 value - £11.15

Worldwide up to £39 value - £12.45

Worldwide over £39 value - £14.65

A postage discount will be given for multiple LPs