TOWNES VAN ZANDT - For The Sake Of The Song 1968 Poppy 1st Press MINT SEALED

$

175

Townes Van Zandt - For The Sake Of The Song

Poppy Records

PYS-40,001 STEREO

FACTORY SEALED M/M

WOW!!! For sale is an amazing item- a RARE record in any condition, this is a the debut album by Townes Van Zandt - For The Sake Of The Song on Poppy Records from 1968 guaranteed STILL FACTORY SEALED and in MINT condition!! Even more unbelievably, there are NO saw-cuts or drill holes as are so common with most of his early albums! This is a difficult one to sell for a couple of reasons. I want to stress the absolute IMMACULATE condition of this record while also highlighting the tiny flaws so that you, the buyer, know exactly what to expect. It is definitely a record that should be seen in person to fully appreciate. This would be one I'd really prefer to do "local pickup" if possible. If you're expecting a PERFECTLY sealed copy with no splits in the shrink wrap, this isn't the one for you. Also, I wish you the best of luck finding another copy that doesn't have some issues. I have researched all of these that have come up for auction and believe this one to be among the very best- maybe THE best. Almost every other sealed copy that has been auctioned has a drill hole through the sleeve in the bottom left hand corner which, to me, is far worse than a split in the shrink and inner sleeve which is also very common among sealed records of this age as the shrink wrap becomes very brittle and fragile over time.

This is an absolute beauty with almost no flaws to report. Certainly nothing major. However, especially since this is a top copy, I feel I have to describe every little flaw. The sleeve is perfectly crisp with no creases or damage of any kind...perhaps a very slight bend to one corner from having been snugly shrink wrapped for almost 50 years but very slight indeed. Sharp corners and again, very importantly, NO DRILL HOLE or saw cuts from discontinued stock that you see on nearly every other copy that comes up for sale.

The biggest flaw to report is that there is about a two inch split in the shrink wrap in the middle of the opening where the disc has barely sliced through the inner sleeve and shrink during it's previous transit. If inspected, you can see about a 1" split in the inner sleeve and about a 2" split in the shrink wrap. I've tried to include a photo of the area. This is just about the only flaw I can find on this otherwise IMMACULATE copy!!

I can only assume that the disc is in MINT condition and would say the inner sleeve is EX- because of the slight 1" split that occurred during transit.

The sleeve is also in MINT condition with perfect, unsplit, uncracked seams on all sides, only a few tiny, typical "indents" here and there and a tiny "bubble" on the front. (See photo) I'm being very nitpicky so you know exactly what you are getting but when you hold the record, I'm sure you would grade it as MINT as well. The most conservative grader on the planet might give it a MINT-

I've tried to photograph every little flaw. PLEASE STUDY THE PHOTOS CLOSELY AND READ THE DESCRIPTION- Feel free to ask me any questions you may have because for the record's sake I do not wish it to be shipped apart from hopefully this one last time due to the delicate shrink wrap.

Rare is a word that is often overused but in this case it is a truly RARE album in unbelievable TOP COPY VAULT condition. Even with the slight split in the inner, I do not believe you will ever find a nicer copy. It truly looks as though it were purchased from the record store this morning. Someone has obviously stored this one well for many, many years- never opening it and rarely handling it. 50 year old shrink wrap is quite fragile so When I ship this record I will do everything possible to prevent any further splitting of the shrink wrap by snugly wrapping it in protective foam that should keep the disc from sliding out any further.

As with any factory sealed record I sell, I cannot offer returns once it is opened. I guarantee this to be the original factory shrink wrap and when you receive it and handle it you will be able to tell also. The opening edge is razor sharp and where the shrink is still intact (which is most of the opening edge) it is perfectly flat as only an unopened copy could be.

I am in no hurry to sell this record but am open to offers. If you do plan on opening it, I have no doubt that you'll find perhaps the most perfect unplayed copy that still exists. I did not want to be the one who opens this after 50 years of perfect storage so I purchased another copy to play. As I've said, this one is for the vault IMO.

I always strive for 100% positive customer satisfaction so in the unlikely event of a problem contact me first before opening a case and I'll do it everything possible to make it right! I grade conservatively and always try to highlight (instead of hiding) ANY and ALL flaws. See photos for details as well.

I always package records very carefully with each disc in a new inner sleeve to protect the original inners from splitting. (Not an option with sealed records however I will do my best to protect the sleeve from splitting.) I use cardboard stiffeners on each side and place the discs behind the jacket in a high quality Japanese Mylar resealable outer sleeve to protect the records and inner sleeves and to prevent the jacket from splitting.

Due to the delicate nature of this record, I will only ship it Priority 2-Day Mail so it will be handled much more carefully and should arrive as it left. Shipping will most likely be $8-12 depending on where you live.

I would really prefer not to ship internationally as to the fragile condition but if you are very serious about buying this, contact me directly and we will discuss options. As for now I have selected NO international shipping. That being said...

ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: I only send records via USPS 1st Class International with Registered Tracking. This is usually about $35 total (or a little more but I'll eat the cost and only charge $35 flat rate. It's usually $22-25 for shipping plus the $15 Registered cost. I make NO money from shipping and in fact I usually over pay a little. I don't make any money with shipping as I don't think it's fair. Thanks and don't hesitate to ask questions!

Record Grading:(+ and - are used after the grade for records that fall in between these gradings)

MINT - A RARELY USED GRADE - RECORDS STATED AS UNPLAYED (SOMETIMES) OR MOST OFTEN STILL SEALED WITHOUT DAMAGE ARE THE ONLY RECORDS WHERE I USE MINT.

NEAR MINT- THE RECORD ITSELF IS IN NEARLY BRAND NEW CONDITION WITH NO VISIBLE SURFACE MARKS OR DETERIORATION IN SOUND QUALITY.

EXCELLENT - THE RECORD SHOWS SOME SIGNS OF HAVING BEEN PLAYED, BUT THERE IS VERY LITTLE LESSENING IN SOUND QUALITY.

VERY GOOD : THE RECORD HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN PLAYED MANY TIMES, BUT DISPLAYS NO MAJOR DETORIORATION IN SOUND QUALITY, DESPITE NOTICEABLE SURFACE MARKS AND THE OCCASIONAL LIGHT SCRATCH.

GOOD : THE RECORD HAS BEEN PLAYED SO MUCH THAT THE SOUND QUALITY HAS NOTICEABLY DETERIORATED, PERHAPS WITH SOME DISTORTION AND MILD SCRATCHES.

FAIR : THE RECORD IS STILL JUST PLAYABLE BUT HAS NOT BEEN CARED FOR PROPERLY AND DISPLAYS CONSIDERABLE SURFACE NOICE; IT MAY EVEN JUMP.

POOR : THE RECORD WILL NOT PLAY PROPERLY DUE TO SCRATCHES,BAD SURFACE NOISE, ETC.

BAD : THE RECORD IS UNPLAYABLE OR MIGHT EVEN BE BROKEN. IS ONLY OF USE AS A COLLECTION FILLER.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sleeve/Inserts Grading

MINT : A RARELY USED GRADE- I ONLY USE ON SEALED RECORDS WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE SLEEVE

NEAR MINT : THE COVER AND ANY EXTRA ITEMS SUCH AS THE LYRIC SHEET, BOOKLET OR POSTER ARE IN PERFECT CONDITION.

EXCELLENT : THE COVER AND PACKAGING MIGHT HAVE SLIGHT WEAR AND / OR CREASING

VERY GOOD : NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ON THE COVER OR EXTRA ITEMS, WITHOUT ANY MAJOR DEFECTS.

GOOD : THE COVER AND CONTENTS SUFFER FROM FOLDING, SCUFFING, SPINE SPLITS, DISCOLORATION, ETC.

FAIR : THE COVER AND CONTENTS WILL BE TORN, STAINED AND/ OR DEFACED.

POOR : THE COVER AND CONTENTS WILL BE BADLY DAMAGED OR PARTLY MISSIN