Sold Date: May 17, 2020
Start Date: May 10, 2020
Final Price: $16.75 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 128
Buyer Feedback: 244

Blind Faith (Artist)
Blind Faith (Title)
Atco SD 33-304
Original 1969 Presswell Pressing ("P" in Matrix code see below)

Item Details
Manufactured in: USA
Recorded: 2/20 - 6/28 1969 at Olympic and Morgan Studios, London
Pressing: By Presswell Records Manufacturing Co. Ancora NJ
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) ST-C-691661 - B P AT RG (stamp:) ☆ (etch:) W
Side 2: (etch:) ST-C-691662 - B P AT RG 9 (stamp:) ☆ (etch:) W
Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Has had limited plays only on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse (50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.
Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).
Track list
1: Had To Cry Today, Can't Find My Way Home, Well All Right.

2: Presence Of The Lord, Sea Of Joy, Do What You Like.

I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.

Outer Jacket Inspection:
VG++(front)/VG+(rear)
You can see the three corner bumps on the lower right, lower left, upper left, and a mild one on the lower spine. There's a little bit of discoloration in the lower right. The front cover is otherwise smooth and has retained its gloss. The back cover has some discolorations down at the bottom. All edges have no rubbing wear and no corner rubbing wear. No split seams! Really decent for a 51 year old LP.

Vinyl visual inspection:
After cleaning, surface visuals were inspected under high intensity halogen light. I rotated and tilted the record in multiple angles with my eyes a few inches away from the vinyl. Side 1 showed only a few "ghostly" traces and polishing halos from the paper inner sleeve. Very close to NM. Side 2 was similar, but I picked up "scuffy looking" traces thru the track 1 area. These would need to be checked during play test to see if they caused any repeating ticks per revolution. See the results below.

Play Testing:
NM(S1)/NM-(S2)
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection. I listened to the beginning, middle, and end of each track for a few minutes on each needle drop. Some tracks were played all the way thru when digitizing my favorites to 192k/24-bit WAV files. My first impression of S1:T1 was that it "sounds like new, quiet and clear." I was surprised by the absence of crackle or ticks, even in the transition grooves. While listening all the way thru T2 I felt that track showed just how well the vinyl was preserved, and again on T3 which my notes say: "clear and fresh sounding." T4 is a moving hymn that near the end breaks out into an incendiary Clapton solo that is almost iconic. Loved it. I'd rate side 1 NM. The start of side 2 is where I saw those traces on visual inspection so I listened to the whole track and into the next with my headphone volume up. There were just three light high frequency ticks in a row within 4 seconds 1st to 3rd, and no more . So the scuff marks must have been above the grooves except for 3 revolutions. The rest of side 2 was as good as side 1. Track 2 is a  long one so I did needle drops about every 1/4" but found myself staying down thru Rick Grech's bass solo and then going into a powerfully mixed drum solo by Ginger Baker. I'd rate that psych-rock track to be the best recorded and mixed of the whole album. It faded away VERY slowly near the end even extending a bit into the leadout grooves. At the lowest fadeout levels I did hear a bit of crackle but only near the very end. Based on that and the small ticks at the start of T1 I'm derating to NM minus.. My summary is that the vinyl is remarkably well preserved and I would expect it to be fully enjoyed by a future buyer.

Packaging Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting. Original inner sleeve is included separately. Record has been placed into a new "rice paper" sleeve as the original is made of paper and could be abrasive and holding dust. This will keep vinyl surfaces clean during shipping and ultimate buyer usage. Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve. Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.
Shipping Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale. A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP). If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.