I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.

The Beatles : Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1/1 1st Mono Press (Complete) 1967

This first mono pressing plays to a very high standard with no clicks or pops and barely any static.  S1 plays very clearly indeed and even the two tracks I have graded as Ex+ still play with great quality, there is only minimal background.  The three opening classics are stunning and all of S2 is incredible!   The clarity, depth and resonance of the audio is remarkable and that full deep rich mono sound is still very much in evidence.  The vinyl is in excellent condition also with only very minimal marking.

The famous G & L cover is in excellent condition with minimal wear and the original red 'fool' inner has to be the finest example I have ever seen, it is stunning!  The cut out insert is practically 'as new' also.

This first pressing is a relatively early one with only two stampers on each side.

PMC 7027 // XEX 637 - 1  OP 1   ---   XEX 638 - 1  HD 35

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T4 Near Mint / T5 & T7 Ex+ / T6 intro Ex- then Near Mint)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-)

The gatefold is a very strong Ex

The cut out insert is Mint-

The red 'fool' inner sleeve is Near Mint-

The labels are Near Mint / Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in great condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no obvious marks or scratches.  When I hold the record at a certain angle under a bright light I can see one small mark and a couple of longer but still very faint hairlines on S1 that have no affect on the audio.  Otherwise S1 is very clean with only a few other very faint hairlines.  Under 'normal' lighting it is pristine and S2 is in lovely condition with only a few faint hairlines and one minor blemish.  There is no groove or surface wear and no dulling of the surface either.  The yellow / black Parlophone labels are unmarked - S1 has only a little spindle wear and S2 has none!  The KT tax code can clearly be seen on the S1 label.

Play grading  

The run in on S1 is so clean and then the 'audience' intro on 'Sgt. Pepper's...' plays with perfect clarity and as the music 'kicks in' the audio still has no intrusion.  McCartney's opening vocal section is just as strong and clear and the orchestral bridge again has no background.  The first chorus is 'as new' and it continues with a sonic quality that is second to none.  It's a powerful vocal of course and yet there is no distortion on the top end.  It plays with that full, deep, rich mono sound and there is nothing to detract from the audio.  It has to grade as Mint

The segue into 'With A Little Help From My Friends' is faultless and Starr's first verse and chorus are equally as good.  From then on it plays with exceptional clarity and warmth and I cannot overstate just how pristine the audio is!  Every vocal and instrumental section play with impeccable quality and Mint is deserved.

The iconic intro on 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' has no intrusion and Lennon's opening vocal section is just as clean.  The chorus is perfect and the next verse again has no background - not even a minor static or dust tick.  This truly is audio of the highest calibre and it continues in much the same way.  You know when the clarity is impressive when you can clearly hear every note, every subtle nuance in the music and that is very much the case here.  Harrison's Indian inspired tambura sound is superb and from start to finish including the fade out the clarity and definition of the audio is stunning.  Another Mint track - and this is exactly why clean mono pressings are so collectable because the depth and warmth of the audio kind of takes the sound to another level.

The staccato intro from Harrison on 'Getting Better' for once has no static distortion (a rarity!) and the opening vocal section then plays with crystal clear audio.  This standard is kept up throughout and there are no ticks, clicks or pops and no underlying static.  In saying that there are a couple of staticy sound on the fade out so I'll say Near Mint

'Fixing A Hole' has one barely audible static on the intro and then plays so clearly for the vast majority.  On the final vocal there are 3/4 very quiet ticks and on the fade out some more obvious ones so overall I will grade this track as Ex+

As any Beatles collector will know 'She's Leaving Home' so often plays with static distortion on the vocal but for once that is not the case here.  The intro has a little static and then the opening vocal is close to perfect with barely any background.  From then on it plays with exceptional clarity and is easily one of the cleanest versions I have heard in a long time.  There is no other intrusion aside from a couple of minor statics so I will grade the intro as Ex- and the remainder as Near Mint

'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite' ends the side with very strong audio.  Lennon's vocal often plays with some inner groove distortion but there is barely any here.  I heard a couple of light ticks on the second vocal and a couple towards the end but that is the only 'obvious' intrusion.  The instrumental sections and especially the wurlitzer 'sound' play with great clarity and depth.  Overall Ex+ is fair but with many sections better than that.

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The intro on 'Within You Without You' plays with stunning clarity and Harrison's opening vocal is fantastic!  The clarity and warmth of the audio is first class and it progresses in exactly the same way.  The depth is on another scale - the heavy bass sound is stunning and the various Indian instruments all play with sublime quality.  The long mid instrumental is a prime example of that and there is literally no intrusion.  The final verse is equally as strong and you could not find a more 'complete' version.  Even the laughter at the end 'plays' perfectly!  Mint

'When I'm Sixty-Four' then impresses with genuine quality once more.  There is no interference and I only noticed a small number of very quiet background statics which are non-intrusive.  A Mint- version.

The intro on 'Lovely Rita' is 'as new' as is the first vocal.  It continues to play with phenomenal audio - it's a bit of an underrated track in my opinion.  There's actually so much going on musically and sonically could not be any stronger.  Martin's piano contribution a fine example of that.  Mint

The farmyard intro on 'Good Morning, Good Morning' plays with a rare quality i.e. there is no static distortion and the first vocal is also perfect.  The audio has that strong, deep, rich mono sound and McCartney's brief solos are faultless.  The rest of the track plays with real precision and the farmyard outro has no interference either.  Another Mint track.

The 'Sgt. Pepper's reprise...' is where the mono sound really comes into it's own and the classic heavy intro is close to perfect with only one light tick that you could easily miss.  The vocal section is superb and the depth on the audio from start to finish is so impressive.  A Mint- version.

The segue into 'A Day In The Life' is perfect and the acoustic / piano intro is just as strong.  Lennon's opening vocal section has no background and the first crescendo piece builds in spectacular fashion with no distortion.  The next vocal from McCartney is so clean and the orchestra section plays with sublime clarity and depth.  So often this section has a 'muddied' sound quality but not here.  Lennon's final vocal is faultless and the end crescendo completes this classic with incredible power and definition and no distortion.  The brief pause is totally silent and the extended piano note has only a couple of statics at the start and then plays with exceptional clarity for the remainder, another rarity you could say.  The 'nonsense' gibberish in the locked groove at the end of the run off has no interference!  This all time classic is again worthy of a Mint- grade - sonically it is so strong and wow what a side!

The Gatefold, 'Fool' Inner Sleeve & Cut Out Insert

The laminated G & L cover is in lovely condition with very minimal wear.  The top edges are perfect and it's only the bottom edges of the back cover that has a little rubbing mainly by the right corner.  The spine is better than many I have seen but does have a slightly rough feel centrally although most of the lettering is still in place.  A little compression / indentation also.  The corners are in excellent shape overall and the opening edges are stunning with only a minor amount of feathering near the top.  The front cover is in superb condition with no laminate wear and only a couple of tiny edge creases next to the spine.  One small rub by the lower right corner also.  The back cover is just as good with minimal rubbing in the bottom two corners and some faint ringwear as is customary.  The inside of the gatefold is immaculate and for once the inner spine has no laminate damage.  The flipbacks remain fully attached to the cover and the radiant colours are still strong and vibrant.  This is a fine example of this iconic cover.

The original red psychedelic flame / fool inner has to be the best I have ever seen!  It has no side splits or tears, no real marking and very little creasing.  It is stunning!  The cut out insert is near perfect with only a couple of tiny edge rubs, hardly worth a mention really.

PMC 7027 // XEX 637 - 1  OP 1   ---   XEX 638 - 1  HD 35

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £19.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!

 

 

 

 

 

On 20-Nov-22 at 22:22:37 GMT, seller added the following information:

A minor error in the listing - the matrix info above the gradings should of course read as - 2/1 and not 1/2 as this is the withdrawn mix.