THE BEATLES, SGT PEPPERS LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND

	£		67
	$		89

Hello and welcome to my auction. My name is Nick - aka “playgraderecords”. I have been an avid record collector for many years. Although I like lots of modern music, my passion is for classic blues, psych and progressive albums from the mid 60s to the early 70s. I don’t sell many records – the ones that I do sell are either duplicates from my collection or top quality examples sourced from record fairs or my local record shops.

I take pride in the care and attention that I give to every record that I list for auction. The records from my own collection have always been stored upright in polythene sleeves away from dust and light. These seldom require any cleaning other than just a quick dust using a sticky rubber Nagaoka Rolling 152 and a carbon fibre anti-static brush before play.

Each new find is sympathetically cleaned to remove visible dust, debris and fingerprints, before being critically assessed for the quality of play. If I think that the audio can be improved by a deep clean to remove a build-up of debris embedded in the grooves, I will clean it using a tried and tested isopropyl alcohol based record cleaning solution. I have refined my cleaning method over the years to a fine art, and am confident that the results are far superior to those achieved by the popular vacuum cleaning machines. In reality, the playback of most 35+ years old records will be improved massively by a proper clean.

Consequently, the records that I offer for sale will be immaculately presented and will play to a very high standard with barely any unwanted surface sound or static to spoil the listening pleasure.

Each record is strictly graded, and any significant defects to either the record or the sleeve will be highlighted. I will not conveniently forget to mention faults in order to sell for higher prices. If I grade a record as being in MINT- condition, you can rest assured that it will be both visually and aurally a near perfect copy which will be impossible to significantly improve upon!

Customer satisfaction is very important to me and I aim to provide a professional 5-star service to make the Ebay experience an enjoyable one.

Okay, now that I have given you little background information about myself– its time to get on to the important bit:

Here for auction is a superb example of the groundbreaking psychedelic concept album by THE BEATLES titled ‘SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND’, Catalogue Number PMC 7027. This is an ORIGINAL 1967 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on the YELLOW & BLACK PARLOPHONE RECORD LABEL, with a beautiful 1st issue fully-laminated gatefold sleeve. Complete with the 1st issue Sgt. Pepper Cut-Out Insert and the correct red & white inner sleeve. [The record labels have “THE GRAMOPHONE CO LTD…” and “SOLD IN U.K…” text, and the K/T tax code is embossed either side of the Side 2 spindle hole].

The fully-laminated gatefold sleeve, printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd., is in EX condition with only very light wear and minor creasing. The front and back covers are unmarked, as is the opening gatefold spread, which has 2 flipbacks along the top edges. The spine is in excellent condition with perfect text. There are no rips, splits, writing or anything else. You can see from the photos that this is a beautiful sleeve. I think that it will be very difficult to find a better one.

The top quality Parlophone record is very solidly pressed and sits flat and true on the turntable. The playing surfaces are beautifully clean and retain a deep mirror-like shine.

The matrix numbers are:

Side 1 – XEX 637-1         

Side 2 – XEX 638-1         

Visually I would grade the record as being in somewhere between VG and EX condition, as there are a few light surface marks evident under bright light. These are only superficial and do not cause any audio problems whatsoever. The beautiful black & yellow Parlophone labels are unmarked with just a few spindle traces near the centres. There is barely any wear to the spindle hole.  

PLAYGRADE ASSESSMENT:

The George Martin mono mix is very different to the stereo. Both copies really are essential to the collector in my opinion. The playback on this mono pressing is very powerful and vibrant. The sound quality is outstanding and the bass in particular is very impressive. All frequencies are crystal clear and there is no discernable deterioration in the sound quality. Both sides play perfectly with barely any unwanted noise at all. Please don’t be put off by my visual grading – the record really does play superbly. I think that it will be very difficult to find a better-playing 1st press mono copy of this iconic album.

The Sgt. Pepper Cut-Out Insert, which is so often missing, is in unmarked EX condition.

Complete with the correct red & white psychedelic patterned inner sleeve which is also in EX condition. This has no splits or tears, just a few minor creases.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega Planar 3 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My gradings are 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. Still a very presentable sleeve.

PACKAGING

Records are sent out in new “Wrapro” record mailers. These are rectangular and strong, providing excellent protection to the edges and corners. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs posted outside of the UK (paid for by PayPal) will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe up to £39 value - £8.95

Europe over £39 value - £11.15

Worldwide up to £39 value - £12.45

Worldwide over £39 value - £14.65

A postage discount will be given for multiple LPs