I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

The Velvet Underground & Nico (Debut) : Original East Coast Mono Press 1967 Banana Sticker

This early mono pressing plays to a standard you rarely find today.  The clarity and power of the audio is stunning and there are only two light ticks right at the start of 'All Tomorrow's Parties' on S1, there is no other background.  I have listened to every track in full (as always) and I was just blown away by the audio quality.  It may not be a very first pressing but it is still very old and has been preserved so well, I believe it was pressed in 1968.  The vinyl is in lovely condition also with only one small obvious hairline.

The famous 'Andy Warhol' cover still has the banana sticker on the front and only the top 'piece' has been removed and then stuck back on.  I cannot confirm that 100% but there does seem to be a small tear across it and light creasing right at the top.  This is known as the 3rd state cover as the Eric Emerson image has been 'airbrushed' out on the back.  It remains in excellent condition overall and still has its original shape and structure with no bending or creasing.  The original Verve inner is in fantastic condition with only minimal creasing, never seen better!

This original early mono East Coast pressing has the blue / silver T Verve labels with Side 1 and Side 2 instead of A and B.  'European Son...' is credited to Reed - Cale - Morrison - Tucker without their initials and 'Three Prong Music - All Selections BMI' can be seen on both labels.  The 'East Coast' pressing is identified by the 1.25cm inner ring, the label fonts and the block shaped 'S' on the runs outs.

V 5008 Side 1 MG 558 Rev block shaped 'S'  // V 5008 SIDE 2 MG 559 12 block shaped 'S'

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T6 Near Mint-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-)

The gatefold is a very strong Ex

The labels are Near Mint

The original Verve inner sleeve is Ex++

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a lovely glossy sheen with no obvious marks or scratches.  There are only a small number of faint hairlines with just one slightly more obvious one across 'Heroin' on S2 that has absolutely no impact on the audio.  The blue / silver T Verve labels have no marking and hardly any spindle wear.

Play grading

The run in on S1 is so clean with no obvious background and then the unmistakeable intro on the classic 'Sunday Morning' plays beautifully with no intrusion.  Reed's opening vocal is just as impressive and it continues to play with exceptional clarity and warmth.  There is just one light static tick in the middle section and that is the only background across the entire track!  There is no underlying static and there are obviously no clicks or pops.  The fade out also plays perfectly - a stunning Mint- version.

The intro on 'I'm Waiting For The Man' has no intrusion and the first vocal is equal to that.  From then on it plays with incredible precision - no interference and with audio that is so strong and deep.  The vocal is flawless and the instrumental sections just could not play any better either.  The sonic quality is sometimes questioned on these original mono pressings but there is no denying the quality here.  Great depth and power and there is no distortion on the top end, it has to be played loud!  Again the end fade out has no background and this deserves to be graded as Mint in my opinion.

Another classic in 'Femme Fatale' and it plays with STUNNING quality throughout.  The acoustic intro is 100% perfect and Nico's opening vocal has only a couple of barely audible dust ticks.  The first chorus has no background and the remainder is of the same high end standard.  I only 'noticed' one other dust tick and a couple of minor statics at the end of the fade out so I will grade as Mint- accordingly.  You could say dust ticks and mega light statics do not qualify as interference, this is vinyl after all, but I mention them just to be 'complete' with my grading.

'Venus In Furs' again shows how well this vinyl has been looked after and plays with genuine quality through every vocal and instrumental section.  In essence it plays 'as new' as there is no interference of any kind and it has unquestionably retained all of its original sonic quality.  An immaculate Mint version in every way. 

'Run Run Run' has no interference but as is often documented it isn't sonically as good as the other tracks.  It has a 'muddy' type sound quality but you can improve it by altering the levels of course.  The volume does seem to change here and there also but like I say there is no actual intrusion on the audio so should not be downgraded, it's just the way it was recorded / produced.  There is certainly a lot more bass on this mono version compared to the stereo one.  Mint-

The intro on 'All Tomorrow's Parties' has a couple of ticks but from then on plays with great quality and no interference.  It is again perhaps not as strong sonically as the stereo version but the clarity of sound is still very impressive and overall it deserves a Near Mint- grade.  

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The quiet intro on 'Heroin' plays with wonderful clarity - I can't put into words just how clean and 'fresh' the audio is.  There is basically no interference at all and the first two verses are equal to that.  It continues in the same precise way and the feedback section plays loud and true and with no obvious distortion on the top end which is quite impressive!  Mint-

'There She Goes Again' plays with impeccable quality from the percussive intro through every section.  Once again there are no ticks, clicks, pops or static and the clarity and power of the audio cannot be faulted.  I'm playing this through my stereo set up but it still sounds so good!  Another Mint- track.

The delicate intro on 'I'll Be Your Mirror' is so clean, 'as new' is fair, and the opening two verses from Nico play beautifully without any background.  The brief mid instrumental is perfect and the rest of this classic plays as it would've sounded when first pressed, I cannot praise it highly enough.  The clarity of sound from this quiet track is stunning, so impressive when you consider the age of this recording.  Nico's voice lends itself perfectly to this track and Mint is well deserved.

'The Black Angel's Death Song' plays with outstanding clarity once more and I cannot really the fault the sonic quality here.  A touch of vocal distortion here and there?  I'm not sure and if there is it is so minimal and totally non-intrusive, probably more due to a mono record being played through a stereo set up.  Not sure why I am mentioning it really!  Mint-

The intro on 'European Son...' is flawless and the two verses have no background either.  The 'chair / breaking plates' section could not play better, the sound is so clear and reverberates so much!  The long instrumental improv then plays so well with no interference and no distortion other than what you are meant to hear!  I will say Mint- but I'm sure anyone would agree this track is a difficult one to grade!

In summary this very collectable early mono pressing plays to an incredible standard with only two light ticks on S1 and aside from that the clarity of sound is absolutely stunning.  The mono pressing is not known for its sonic quality but it's only 'Run Run Run' that doesn't play as well in my opinion.  In conjunction with a very impressive 3rd state cover this will add to any high end collection.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The 'Andy Warhol' cover is in excellent condition with only light wear.  The top edges are super clean without any rubbing and the bottom edges have only very minimal rubbing.  The wide spine is close to perfect with just one minor 'rub' and very light wear on the corners.  The right hand corners have only minimal wear and the opening edge is in superb shape with no wear.  The front cover is very clean and as stated the banana sticker remains firmly in place with just that small tear / repair near the top.  It has no obvious marking apart from a little fading / spotting around the edges and the back cover is similar with only light spotting around the white edges and one small crease on the concert photo.  The inside of the gatefold just has a small number of faint spots but is otherwise in lovely condition.  A fine example overall.

The original Verve inner is in superb condition with no side splits or tears, no marking and only minimal creasing.  There cannot be many around today as good as this one!

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

V 5008 Side 1 MG 558 Rev block shaped 'S'  // V 5008 SIDE 2 MG 559 12 block shaped 'S'

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!