PINK FLOYD PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN 1st UK PRESS 2nd/3rd STAMPER, EX+/NM AUDIO

	£		599
	$		794

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This is a very early 1st stereo pressing (rarer than the mono copies - see below for evidence) bought in the UK at the time of first release. It is not a reissue. 

It has the first press label design (with small 'STEREO' and sans serif font, NOT Times New Roman font with large 'STEREO'), but is also one of the very first off the presses with the second and third stampers, putting this among the first few hundred copies ever pressed!

This has the following 1st press matrix numbers, 1st mothers and 2nd and 3rd stampers:

Side one: YAX 3419-1                           1                          R

Side two: YAX 3420-1                           1                          A

Even though this is one of the earliest stereo copies, it has the 'File Under Popular' text on the flipback, which is the correct combination according to 'The Pink Floyd Archive': 

"4) YAX 3419-1 R 1 / YAX 3420-1 A 1 (both stamped) [BC2, L1]".

(BC2 = 2nd Back Cover, L1 = 1st labels)

Description
Disc: The vinyl has retained its original sheen with some small or light marks visible in normal light and some additional fine hairlines and sleeve-removal lines when viewed under bright, direct light, but there is nothing significant anywhere. I've played the whole record in full from start to finish and it sounds superb with nothing to report. For the sake of completeness I would mention some minor background noise in some of the fades, silent grooves and intros and the occasional solitary, random click. There is nothing else to mention! This is a superb audio performance that I think would be hard to improve on, but for a really early copy like this, I think it unlikely that you could find a better one. I would play-grade the whole album as Excellent Plus (Ex+) to Near Mint (NM).

Labels: No tears, stickers, writing etc, just some light spindle marks.

Sleeve: The sleeve is a nice example with no major issues - please see photos. It has no seam splits, tears, writing, stickers etc, just some light signs of age or use, including laminate creases near the opening, some marks on the unlaminated rear (which you can see in the photos), some discolouration to the flipbacks and spine, some corner-wear, minor delamination at the top left corner of the front cover near the EMI logo, and maybe one or two other small issues, but there is nothing significant.

Inner sleeve: Original inner sleeve has a 5cm split to one side-seam, and some slight ring-marking, but no other issues.

Detracting features not covered above:  None.

All photographs are of the actual item for sale. Please ask any questions before you bid or buy.

Where gradings are given these are based on the UK Record Collector grading system (see below, near the end of the listing).

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FACT: 1st press STEREO copies are rarer than MONO copies.

A widely propagated myth about ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ is that the blue/black mono version is far rarer than the blue/black stereo version. Needless to say, the people spreading this story are people with mono copies to sell!

In fact there are about twice as many blue/black label MONO copies as there are STEREO copies. And this can be proven beyond any doubt, simply by looking at the stampers for the respective versions.

In Spring 1969 Columbia changed its label design to the black/silver/white ‘one EMI box’ design. Copies of ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ can be found with this new label design in both mono and stereo. By looking at the stampers that were in use at the time of the label change we can get a fairly accurate figure for the total number of copies that had already been pressed with blue/black labels.

The highest combination of mother and stampers for a blue/black MONO copy are 1 GO and 1 GG and these are also the only known mother and stampers for the black/silver/white MONO version.

Similarly, the highest mother and stampers for a blue/black STEREO copy are 1 T and 1 T and these are also the lowest mother and stampers known for copies with the black/silver/white labels.

If we take the lower of the two stampers for the MONO copy (GG) we can see that the 11th stamper was in use at the time of the label change. For the STEREO copy it was the 9th stamper.

However, mono stampers were generally used to press about 500 discs each, whereas a stereo stamper would only be used to press about 300 copies. So, when the new labels were introduced about 5,500 MONO copies had already been pressed with the blue/black labels compared to around 2,700 STEREO copies.

So, there it is. Proof that in 1967 and 1968 stereo copies were rarer than mono copies, with mono copies outnumbering stereo copies by about 2 to 1.

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I use the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.

Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

Fair: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.

Plus (+) or Minus (-) are added where items fall between gradings. I only ever use one plus or minus.

P&P costs as follows:

UK:

First LP or 12" record = £4.95, each additional item no extra P&P charge.

First 7" record = £3.95, each additional item no extra P&P charge.

Europe:

First LP or 12" record = £14.95, each additional item = an extra £2.20 P&P charge.

First 7" record = £11.95, each additional item = an extra £1.00 P&P charge.

Rest of the world:

First LP or 12" record = £24.95, each additional item = an extra £2.20 P&P charge.

First 7" record = £14.95, each additional item = an extra £1.00 P&P charge.