PINK FLOYD PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN RAREST ONE EMI BOX SOLD IN UK SUPERB AUDIO

	£		120
	$		159

From my collection comes this beautiful copy of Pink Floyd’s legendary “Piper at the Gates of Dawn”, in terrific condition. Best of all, this is the rare first pressing of the 1969 reissue.

In fact, this is the rarest stereo version of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn: the rare 1969 one box label WITH the “Sold in the UK . . .” text (see photos). Columbia only used this label design for a couple of months in the second half of 1969 and it is believed that only a few hundred copies exist.

This is not to be confused with the much more common one box label WITHOUT the 'Sold in the UK . . .' text which was used for nearly two years between 1969 and 1971 (when the second EMI box was added).

But what makes this one even better is that the vinyl is superb, with a real lustre to the surface of the disc, and it plays beautifully: no discernable pops, crackles or scratches. This is an incredibly hard version to find in any condition, but finding one like this is very rare indeed.

This has the following matrix numbers:

Side one:  YAX 3419-1

Side two:  YAX 3420-1

Vinyl: The vinyl has retained its original sheen.  I recently re-listened to the whole album, to confirm its condition, and the audio really is outstanding with very little to report. In fact I would go as far as to say that the vinyl is Near Mint, although it might be safer to call it EX+ in case I missed something that a better audiophile then me would pick up. Whatever, it’s a total delight to play and listen to. A 50 year old record has no right being this good!

Cover: A very nice example with no significant issues. There’s some ring-wear, from the disc being housed inside the cover, and very light creasing and just some edge-wear at the open corners of the cover. Both front and back are very clean, the only slight blemish being the name “Rex” written lightly in biro towards the bottom right of the rear cover (see photo).

The inner is an after-market poly-lined inner bag, as opposed to the original, but it has looked after this superb record very well indeed.

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 for details).

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Information about descriptions and gradings.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get. I am aware that different grading systems have different definitions and so I try as much as possible to describe items in plain English, rather than simply using gradings. Where gradings are given these are based on 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.

Visually-graded vinyl vs play-graded vinyl: Many people collect vinyl and never play it, whereas other people collect records because they want to play them. A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly, but it will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most vintage records are likely to have some background noise even if they look perfect. I believe that records are for playing and so I try to play-grade records whenever possible. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to listing it. If I have play-graded the record I will usually only give a brief description of how the record looks (i.e. not a visual grading). The grading in the listing will be a play-grading and may be slightly different from the grading that the record would receive from a purely visual inspection. Most vintage records are not 100% perfectly flat and so I will only mention this aspect if it is very significant or has an impact on the way the record sounds. If I haven't play-graded the record, it will be given a visual grading.

I’ve started the bidding at a low price. Postage in the UK is free, but can be upgraded to a tracked/signed service for £8.95. The record will be sent properly packed. International buyers – please contact me for postage costs (ignore the guessimate!).