Sold Date: December 17, 2023
Start Date: December 10, 2023
Final Price: $363.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 36
Seller Feedback: 236
Buyer Feedback: 0

MERRY

CHRISTMAS

INCREDIBLY RARE ORIGINAL 1st US MERCURY RECORDS PRESSING 

DAVID BOWIE ~ MAN OF WORDS / MAN OF MUSIC (1969)

1st PRINT LABELS WITHOUT THE CIRCLED DOT ⊙ SYMBOL WITHIN THE MERCURY LOGOS

1st MATRIX NUMBERS WITH THE “1 – 1 1” MOTHER STAMPERS

MERCURY RECORDS, RICHMOND, IN PRESSING PLANT WITH THE “MR” IDENTIFIER

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

~ Before placing a bid, please make sure to attentively read our updated international shipping policy ~

Incredibly rare original 1st US pressing of David Bowie’s 2nd studio album released in November, 1969. In the UK, this album was called just “David Bowie” and was released on Philips Records while in the US it was released on Mercury Records and acquired the title “Man of Words / Man of Music”. Nevertheless, in spite of these titles, for the most part we use the name of the album’s 1st track as its title which became the official album’s title that was used for the subsequent issues starting in 1972. It just turns out that the fate of Major Tom who got lost in outer space isn’t indifferent to us. The copy listed for an auction is indeed an incredibly rare example, especially in a such condition. If you’re lucky and come across this copy, please pay attention at its Mercury Records labels. It’s most likely, after each Mercury logo in the label’s rim you’ll see the circled dot ⊙ symbol, which is perhaps the small ® logo. However, this copy contains the 1st run labels that don’t have the symbol, which allows to state confidently that this copy is the very early 1st US pressing. Original 2.75” pressing ring Mercury Records red “12 logos” design labels contain the SR-61246 catalog number that could also be found on the front cover and spine. The 1st pressing vinyl pressed at the Mercury Records plant in Richmond, IN contains the “1-11” stamper and “MR” etching in the runout groove on both sides with the 1st matrix numbers being as follows: Side 1 – SR 61246-A-M1 I -I I MR / Side 2 – SR 61246-B-M1 I -I I MR. The album comes with an original plain white die-cut Mercury Records inner sleeve with a plastic lining.

★

I grade the cover as Excellent. The cover is very clean and doesn't have any splits, writing or residue of any sort. It practically has no ring wear, perhaps only a light hint of it at the top on the back. The gatefold interior is in Near Mint Minus condition. The sturdy spine contains a fully readable text, which is quite rare because the covers of this issue very often contain a significant wear on the spine. The cover has a punch hole in the lower right-hand corner. The glossy vinyl is in beautiful Near Mint Minus condition and practically has no surface marks, hairlines or scuffs from the inner sleeve. The stunning red labels are in Near Mint condition and don't have any scuffs, wear or spindle marks. The original inner sleeve is in Near Mint Minus condition and doesn't have any splits or missing pieces. The vinyl sounds amazing, perhaps only having some very light occasional static which will most likely go away if the record is professionally cleaned using a VPI machine. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

We don't accept bids from the accounts created during the auction or the ones created by the blocked bidders. The buyers with a low rating, please contact us prior to placing a bid. In order to assure a safe transit and prompt delivery we prefer shipping our items with Priority Mail, it concerns the domestic shipping as well as the international. You can be sure that your purchased item(s) will be professionally packed as we don't save on the packing materials. 100% of our buyers are satisfied with our packaging. We guarantee an exact and professional description of each item. If for some reasons something escapes our attention, please let us know. Please do it before you make the decision to open a return request. We'll put our best effort into providing the best customer service. We 100% guarantee a full refund and issue a partial refund only in certain rare cases. We're a Top Rated Plus seller and an opened return request would negatively affect our seller performance. Who would like that? Opening a return request is your right, however, we're sorry but we'll have to block you and it's our right. We're not going to hide the fact that we prefer to see among our customers the intelligent, decent and kind people. If you don't possess these qualities, you won't like dealing with us. We don't list items for an auction often and when we do it's a small quantity as these items are highly collectible and very rare.

FOR INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS' CONSIDERATION

Due to the high risks involved when it comes international shipping, we’ve recently stopped sending our items with USPS First-Class Mail International and now use only USPS Priority Mail International Express. However, if your order exceeds the amount of $5000, we’ll have to ship the package with FedEx as oppose to USPS.

I don't have the information concerning the existing customs regulations and policies in your country. Before placing a bid please find out more details about it yourself. I don't take any responsibility for the length of customs clearance. I also don't have any opportunity to influence the work of postal carriers in any way. For this particular reason, I ship internationally only with expedite shipping service that includes signature confirmation. My capabilities are limited to the professional packing that assures a safe transit throughout the way and fastest shipping dates. After shipping the package I don't accept any claims related to the work of postal service or problems related to the absence of knowledge related to the customs clearance in your country. If you have any negative experience related to the postal service and you'd like to insure the purchased item please contact me about it beforehand. Keep in mind that just like you, I'm interested in our transaction being concluded successfully but my abilities are limited to the service I describe above.