Yes Close to the Edge; White Label Promo (WLP) in MONO;

$

575

Hello, I am a long-time eBay seller - since October, 1999.  I have a 100% feedback record, so bid and buy with confidence.  I have collected records for many years and every record I offer comes from my personal collection.  The grade I specify for the vinyl is based upon a playback as well as a visual inspection.  The grade I assign for the cover and inserts (if any) is based upon a close visual inspection.  
For sale today is a fantastic copy of Close to the Edge by the band Yes issued in 1972 in the extremely rare white label promo mono format.  Mono records were essentially extinct by 1968, although Atlantic was still mastering them in minuscule quantities for play on AM radio stations until about 1973 or 1974.  I note that in checking a prominent on-line record guide that shows historic sales and pricing, a copy of this album last came up for sale in December 2015, attesting to its extreme rarity indeed.   
Before I provide my grade for the vinyl, I must note that the buyer should understand that white label promos in the Mono format were sent to AM radio stations for play at their stations.  The disc jockeys back then were not overly concerned about preserving the albums for posterity - they simply played the selected tracks and stored the records without special care or handling.  As such, in my 20+ experience buying and selling white label promo albums in Mono, visually pristine, unmarked or un-scuffed records simply do not exist.  From a visual aspect, these albums almost always fall in the VG to VG+ category, with perhaps an extremely rare survivor that may visually grade Excellent or Near Mint Minus.  I have never seen a white label promo album in Mono on the Atlantic label that I would visually grade as NM.  As to sound quality, again in my 20+ years of experience, the Atlantic white label promos often sound much better than they look, likely because they were pressed on high-grade, heavy vinyl.  With this in mind, I grade this album as follows.   The vinyl conservatively looks Excellent to Near Mint Minus.  It lies flat, and retains much of its original sheen and shine. However, visually, it does have a very few scuffs and marks, likely caused by removing and re-inserting the record into its inner sleeve, thus its grade. The promo white labels are in NM condition - clean, white, no writing.
As to sound quality, the vinyl plays a stone cold Mint!  No sticks or skips, of course, AND no pops, ticks or crackle.  It simply sounds fantastic, particularly the bass and drums!  A rare survivor to still exist with this kind of awesome audio sound quality!  
The outer cover is in a conservative Excellent condition.  Colors are full and vibrant, front and back.  All corners are sharp and square, although a bit of wear to each after 48 years.  Spine is full and complete, no splits or tears.  No ring wear.  Only minor issue to note is a bit of wear about 1/4 to1/2 inch long on the top seam. Finally, the cover has the DJ Copy Monaural sticker firmly attached, with no tears and is in great shape.     
The original inner sleeve is in NM Minus condition, just a slight bit of wrinkle as shown in the photos.     
Since I purchased this album, I have stored the vinyl in an archival inner sleeve, which I then placed in a separate generic white cardboard cover to best protect both the vinyl as well as the original outer sleeve (see photo).  Both the archival inner sleeve and the generic white outer cover will be included with the purchase and the record will be shipped in them to best protect the original outer cover as well as the vinyl.  I have also stored the outer cover in a separate plastic sleeve to protect it and this too will be included with the purchase.     
All in all, a wonderful example of this great album by Yes, in the extremely rare mono promo format!  Thanks for looking.  
I will send the album via US first class mail.