THE ROLLING STONES, STICKY FINGERS, MINT- 1971 RSR UK COC 1st PRESS, C/W INSERT

	£		160
	$		212

betsy50 Store

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice items in either Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer an exceptional MINT- example of the iconic studio album by THE ROLLING STONES titled “STICKY FINGERS”, Catalogue Number COC 59100. This is an ORIGINAL 1971 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the ROLLING STONES RECORDS LABEL, with a 1st ISSUE ANDY WARHOL DESIGNED MATT-FINISH “ZIP” SLEEVE. Complete with the 1st ISSUE PICTURE/CREDITS INSERT and the original plain white inner sleeve. [The sleeve is the earliest possible UK design with the standard size zip pull. There is a common misconception that the large “PAN” zip sleeves were the first UK issues - but these were all made in Germany and carry a very small “Printed in Germany” text near the pinch at the bottom of the spine. This text can very easily be rubbed-off without trace to conceal the German origin. I am absolutely certain of this and base this view on the fact that I have seen at least a dozen “PAN” zip pull sleeves in the flesh over the years, and all have either had the “Printed in Germany” text or a tiny area of colour loss where the text originally was. The picture/lyric insert is the 1st UK issue printed in England by Richard Davis Ltd. The vinyl matrix numbers are COC-59100-A4 and COC-59100-B3. “T.M.L ROLLING STONES RECORDS” is etched in the run-outs of both sides].

The sleeve is in EX condition with only very light wear and a few minor creases. There are the usual little impression marks caused by pressure from the zip pulls on the neighbouring LPs during the initial packaging and distribution, and a minor surface scuff near the top right corner of the front cover. It is otherwise a superb example of this iconic sleeve!     

The vinyl is in MINT- condition. The yellow Rolling Stones Records labels are like new with only a few faint spindle traces each side. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top quality hifi. Both sides play excellently throughout with no deterioration in sound quality and minimal unwanted noise. The audio is dynamic and vibrant with very impressive bass. It provides a truly compelling listening experience. The small amount of surface sound present is both random and transient, and is not intrusive in any way. In my opinion it was inherent in the pressing when new. I have never found an original COC pressing of this album that plays totally silently, and I doubt very much that any exist. This copy is one of the cleanest-playing copies that I have listened to in years.

The picture/credits insert is in MINT- condition.

The original plain white inner sleeve is also in unmarked EX+ condition.

Overall this is an exceptional and complete 1st press copy of Sticky Fingers which will grace any record collection. 

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is 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 but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.95

Worldwide - £14.80