PINK FLOYD, THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, 1973 UK HARVEST 1st PRESS

	£		450
	$		596

betsy50 Store

It is my pleasure to offer for auction a magnificent example of the iconic studio album by PINK FLOYD titled “THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON”, Catalogue Number SHVL 804. This is an ORIGINAL 1973 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the HARVEST RECORD LABEL, with a GARROD & LOFTHOUSE LTD. GATEFOLD SLEEVE. Complete with the original 1st issue posters and stickers, plus the correct black poly-lined inner sleeve. [The sleeve is midnight blue in colour and factory sealed on the left side. The 2 fold-out posters are made out of thick paper. The 2 stickers are the earliest design with “PERMANENT” printed on the back – not the later “CRACKBACK” text. The vinyl matrix numbers and stampers are SHVL 804 A-2  2  AG and SHVL 804 B-2  1?  RP].

SLEEVE

The sleeve is in EX condition with only very light wear and minor creasing. It really is a very well preserved example indeed. Hopefully the photos below do it justice.   

VINYL

The vinyl is in EX+/MINT- condition. It’s a top quality mid-weight HARVEST pressing which retains a deep mirror-like shine and rotates evenly on the turntable. The HARVEST solid light blue triangle labels are unmarked with only a few short spindle traces each side. There are 3 fine lines radiating from the Side 2 spindle hole which were present when the record was bought new. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top end hifi.

PLAYGRADE ASSESSMENT

Both sides play MINT- throughout. There are no loud pops, repeat clicks, hiss, distortion or anything else. There is also virtually no residual surface sound. Even the heartbeat intro and fade-out play with near silence. It really is a beautifully clean-playing pressing. The sound quality is sensational – very powerful, dynamic and compelling. You simply will not find a significantly better-playing 1st press copy of this essential album – I guarantee it! 

The 2 fold-out posters are both in unmarked EX condition.

The 2 stickers are both in unmarked EX condition, each just having a single light crease near the top edge (where they were folded over inside the sleeve).

The black poly-lined inner sleeve has the grey “PATENT Nos…” and “MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN” text at the bottom. It is also in unmarked EX condition with no splits or tears – just a few light creases.

This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a complete 1st press copy of Pink Floyd’s iconic masterpiece in truly exceptional condition. 

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat. Vinyl is not a perfect medium for sound reproduction, and all vinyl records from the 1960s/70s period were pressed with some degree of residual surface sound, albeit minimal in most cases. Please bear this in mind when bidding.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.95

Worldwide - £14.80