Sold Date: March 13, 2021
Start Date: March 7, 2021
Final Price: £749.99 (GBP)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 820
Buyer Feedback: 27

This item is not for sale. Gripsweat is an archive of past sales and auctions, none of the items are available for purchase.

Hello there,and welcome to my auctions! For information about this specific record please scroll down to the blue text below! Thanks!
During this national lockdown, I started to sort through some of my mountains of rare records, at first pulling out ones I didn't play as much as I should, or else ones that I've since upgraded from. However as time has gone on I have done some soul searching, and have actually pulled out some of the biggest titles I have in my collection.
Anyway, if you don't already follow me, please consider it, as ebay will keep you updated whenever I list new items. PLEASE READ...
A word about postage, I have lost out on postage quite signifficantly on some international sales, so if the item goes over £100 please wait for me to get an accurate postage quote, apologies in advance if this adds alittle time to the turnaround speed, but it's necessary to avoid huge fees! If it goes significantly over the postage stated, I ask that the buyer pay the excess. All items must be fully insured for their value.  Most countries I haven't had problems with the excess postage costs, but have found that sending expensive items to Korea and a few other countries very expensive,so if the buyer is not willing to pay the excess,I reserve the right to cancel the sale.
I am willing to combine postage as best I can, but as I mentioned before, if postage goes over the stated price, I ask that the buyer cover the excess, and as such be aware that often if the weight goes over 1kg (about 3 LPs) it's often cheaper to send in two seperate parcels,please bear this in mind when combined purchases!

My background: I have collected records since the 80s, and although I have had a few cut-downs, I still seem to have mountains of records in my collection! I have sold records both online an in person for about 20 years,and have many repeat customers from all over the world. I pride myself on being fair both in gradings and communications,adn I please ask that buyers do the same. I will not be held feedback hostage, though should,heaven forbid anyone be unhappy with their purchase, I will work with the buyer as best I can to find a solution. I have written detailed descriptions of each of these records,and so please don't bid purely off the photos.

Grading: I grade using the Record Collector Rare Record Grading system with the addition of NM, by which I mean a non-sealed but to my eyes perfect, possibly unplayed, or played incredibly carefully once or twice! I will not use the term M (Mint) unless the record is sealed, or there is some other demonstrable way of proving it is unplayed. Please bear in mind that in my gradings EX+ for example are incredibly good records, that you almost never see! I feel that I grade down if anything, please check my feedback for proof of this! I have sold many records (some incredibly rare ones in the 4 figures) over the years, so please rest assured that my gradings have been satisfactory so far! Though, if you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me before leaving negative feedback. I haven't had negative feedback so far, and don't intend to start now if I can at all help it!

ULTRARARE THE BEATLES Paperback Writer SOLID CENTRE!!! EX+ Practically Untouched!

Here we have one of the very rarest UK Beatles 7"s around, so rare, that a lot of collectors are unaware of it's existence!  Here is the late 1968/ early 1969 solid centre copy The Beatles' Paperback Writer/ Rain On Parlophone R5452, in almost unplayed condition! Top end collectors... you want this!
Originally released in 1966, Paperback Writer signified a few significant changes for the Beatles, firstly the subject matter,this was a conscious effort to move away from a "Love Song" and instead tells the plight of an aspiring writer trying to get published, the B-side also isn't overtly a love song, and instead is more about mental attitudes towards adversity. Secondly the sound, the B-side is obviously a severe swing towards what would become "psychedelic" with the swampy, thick, heavy ryhthm that would be opitomised in Tomorrow Never Knows that same year, closing their Revolver album. But the production also, The Beatles were regularly annoyed at how punchy someof the American soul tracks could be,and why they couldn't emulate it. They were told that to boost the bass and punchiness would risk making their records skip, but they pushed EMI to let them go for it on this single, and the rest is history! No skipping due to the consumate production of George Martin, and a fantastic fresh sound!
I date this particular incredibly rare Solid Centre copy at late 1968 or early 1969 as is contains no centrally  embossed KT tax code, as it would have done before this time, but still contains the "Sold In U.K..." text,which was phased out at this time. Later copies still would have a ring around the central hole.
Solid Centre Beatles record have been the centre of my Beatles Collection over the years,and I have devoted a lot of time and expense to amassing someof the very rarest ones. It is therefore,easy for me to forget that some people reading through this listing may not know the signifficance of the "Solid Centre", whilst I appreciate that those reader may not be the ones who are likely to invest thiskind of money into this record, allow me to explain their signifficance!
In the early 1960s EMI soully pressed records with removable centres for use on jukeboxes, or certain large centre record players. These were all they produced until the mid 60s when a minority of records started being produced with "solid centres", that is centres that could not be removed, by 1967 they started producing these in signifficantly larger numbers. As such, certain titles are rather more common in solid centre such as Eleanor Rigby,Strawberry Fields Forever, and many of their later titles. Some however are so very rare, that even if you spend years looking for one to turn up (as I and a select few others have!) there is no guarantee you'll ever see one! This is one such title! And this is in incredible condition!

Record Condition: EX+/NM This is so perfect that I want to give it my highest grade of NM (I don't use M except for sealed items), but for the two faintest hairlines on the B-side which isn't visible in normal light, but under the scrutiny of a strong, direct light in an otherwise darkened room, is visible, this and a handful of featherlight paper withdrawal-style hairlines unavoidable for any record that has been withdrawn from a paper sleeve in it's life (it is now stored in a poly-lined anti-static sleeve,and will be sent to you thusly). Perfect crystal clear audio from start to finish! Perfect! So The A-side is NM, the B-side is a spectacularly strong EX+!

Label Conditions: EX+ Beautiful, and the A side is pretty much perfect NM, and the B side label is also sumptuous, with just a few light spindle marks/trails when you carefully angle it under strong direct light correctly (I've caught themat different angled in the photos for your inspection).
DEADWAX INFO:

SIDE 1:

               KT

9                             GPM

      7XCE 18380-2

SIDE 2:

               KT

3                             GMM

      7XCE 18380-2


PLEASE NOTE THAT AS THE CURRENT PANDEMIC SITUATION EVOLVES, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PREDICT EXACTLY WHAT RESTRICTIONS MAY BE ENFORCED FROM ONE WEEK TO THE NEXT, THEREFORE I CAN'T RULE OUT UNPREDICTED DELAYS ETC, BUT AS THE WINNING BIDDER, I WILL WORK TO MAKE ANY UNFORSEEN OBSTICLES AS NON-DISRUPTIVE AS POSSIBLE! THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING!
Please check out my other items and if you like what you see, please consider adding me to your watched sellers, as I have many more records to list over the next months ranging from standard to extremely rare! Many thanks!

Any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask, I will answer as fully as I can! Thanks for looking, happy bidding, and the very best of luck!