Der Rosenkavalier EMI / SAX 2269/72 Columbia Karajan

$

363

Hi everyone,   We'll be posting a few interesting records everyday for the next few days.  So, please check out our other auctions.  Please note - We cannot accept any returns on these LP's, as we are moving overseas on July 1st, and will not have time to deal with any problems.  

ALSO - If you live in Mainland China or Hong Kong, please read at the bottom for a much cheaper shipping option.

This is the famous 4 LP set of Herbert Von Karajan conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf in Der Rosenkavalier. This is a Stereo pressing on the original Blue and Silver Columbia/EMI label.  A joy just to look at it!

Visually the records are VG++ mostly because they do not have 100% of the original full black gloss. They have slightly dulled just from age - not from being played.  I do not see any scratches at all. There are a couple of extremely light sleeve rubs - barely visible. You can see in the photos they are still in very excellent condition, but since we cannot take returns, I'm being conservative in describing them.  They have certainly not been played much and there are no spindle marks.  I did some play-grading and the random sections which I chose played beautifully with no noise.  I found 3 flaws only:

1. The one noteworthy flaw in the set - Side 1, and ONLY Side 1, was apparently played once with a mono cartridge. The effect is to cause some high frequency hiss in the loudest, Crescendo type of full orchestral sections. It probaly affects less than 20% of Side 1 to a greater or lesser degree. Even at it's peak it does not ruin the music, but it is definitely audible. The other 7 sides are fine.

2. An extremely light and small scuff on Side 3, that caused one click - but just to be safe, assume that there may 3 or 4 very light ones - becuase everyone's cartridge is different.

3. The disc with Sides 3/4 has a very small amount of edge warp at the outside - Very Small - It will not affect playing or tracking at all.

That's all - It is a very clean set overall and based upon my spot checking, I would conservatively guess that the entire rest of the 8 sides will play at a VG++ level of quality after a good wet cleaning.

The box cover, as you can see in the photos, is excellent.  The inside of the box has some light "foxing", as does one of the inner sleeves and the booklet. There is NO odor, but nonetheless, "foxing" is usually a harmless type of mildew - so I cleaned  and treated the inside of the box to make sure it will not be a problem in the future.  And as a caution, the original sleeves and booklet are in a resealable plastic envelope.  The lp's themselves are now in brand new Nagaoka No. 102 sleeves.

Here is my Grading Key - Grading is by visual inspection only, but being a long-time record collector, I've gotten pretty good at it.  I will mention if I play graded, which I do if it seems necessary.

NM   Near Mint - no marks of any sort. The highest grade for an open LP, such as one that was played only once to tape it.
NM-  Beautiful vinyl but may show multiple spindle marks on the label or very light sleeve rubs.  A "rub" appears as a slight surface discoloration - it is not an abrasion, like a "scuff" that occurs when dirt is present.
VG++  Visual evidence of use but near zero chance of noise once cleaned properly.
VG+  Only light surface marks (such as sleeve scuffing). One or two small needle marks is allowable if they are not the type that normally sound. Overall: minor noise unlikely but not impossible.
VG   Means "Very Good", not "thrashed" like it often does on Ebay. Heavier scuffing or multiple light needle scratches.  Should play fine with normal, non-annoying, occasional clicks or ticks - no loud Pops. 
VG-  Definitely more noise than we would like. I won't usually offer these unless I believe they are really rare, worthwhile listening, or go along with a group.
SEALED  Means just that.  Almost always what's inside is VG+ or better, but you can't assume they are MINT or NM.  For various obvious reasons (including potential fraud on the part of Buyers) we cannot offer returns on sealed lp's.
One caveat about play graded lp's - everyone's cartridge has different attributes. It's possible that mine (Shure V15V-mr) plays a particular lp quietly that yours does not, or vice versa.

Good luck, enjoy!

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INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS - Important -

1.   International Bidders - Because insurance is REQUIRED for this item, we can only ship Priority Mail International. If you cannot agree to pay the Priority Mail International rate then do not bid.

2.   No Bidders from Italy - We sorry, but we do not accept bids from Italy. Period.  If you bid, it will be canceled.  Italy has been nothing but headaches, with many non-paying bidders and lp's supposedly "lost" in the mail.

3. Shipping to Mainland China or Hong Kong.  We will be in China on July 4, and can mail this to you from there at a MUCH lower cost, as long as you are willing to wait until then. You may also send payment in Yuan to our China address, if that is easier for you.

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