Cleaning, Care and Grading

Even though most of the records I select for sale are very clean and I believe that all records need to be cleaned, especially older LP's, I am not cleaning my records as I expect the buyer will have their own machine and process and I will leave it up to the buyer to complete the curation of them. The records I have chosen to list have been sampled on my Technics SL1200 with an Ortofon Blue cartridge. 

I use a strong halogen side light sometimes looking at small marks with a strong hand-held lens inspect them before assigning a visual grade. 

Most importantly- I did play part/most of this LP set to determine the fidelity of the recording and the condition of the record in its' pre-cleaned state. 

Bernstein/Rimsky-Korsakov: "Sheherazade"

1960's Columbia 2-eye stereo label release. The jacket has shrink wrap.

Condition and Audio Quality:

Both sides look clean but I always recommend a good cleaning for older records, even in this fine condition, to remove any inner sleeve fibers that may have accumulated over the years. 

Side 1 (stamped: 1FG): VG+ play. VG+ visual. Very clean with a good gloss. Has some light hazy inner sleeve spotting. Some light sleeve lines and a few sleeve scratches mostly on the outer 2" of the side. Plays with great sonics but there is some running static and some tics and light pops- mostly early. 

Side 2 (stamped: 1HA): VG+ play. VG+ visual. Very clean with a good gloss. Has some light hazy inner sleeve spotting. Some light sleeve lines and a few sleeve scratches mostly on the outer 2" of the side. Plays with great sonics but there is some running static and some tics and light pops- mostly early. 

The jacket is in excellent NM- condition. Flat and shiny with no splits. Has its original shrink wrap. 

The inner sleeve is (fresh). The record is shipped with a fresh paper inner sleeve.

Genre/Sub Genre/Featured Instruments: Classical / symphony

Label: Columbia MS 6069 (2-eye)

Format: 1 x LP Stereo

Country: Made in the United States

Year Released: 1960's

Shipping: Album will be placed inside new 2 ml. poly outer sleeve. Record and inner sleeve are placed between the jacket and outer sleeve to prevent jacket splits during shipping. Shipped in pro-quality #200 LP mailer w/padding.

PLEASE READ THIS

For your protection as well as mine, all domestic record and audio sales over $100 will have to be sent with full auction value insurance.

All international record sales over $100 will have to be sent with insurance and shipped via registered mail.

Please ask or wait for a final invoice before paying for the auction. If you pay the stated Ebay postage (which does not include the insurance and registered mail fee) I will send an invoice for the additional cost and hold the shipment until it is paid.

~~~~~~~~~~ END OF LISTING ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Record and Jacket Grading Standards

I have been very unhappy with the variation in grading I see between record sellers. While all grading seems to reference the Goldmine grading standards, there are subtle variations in a condition that can make a big difference in the sonic enjoyment of a record, especially at the higher quality end of the grading spectrum. As such, I have created my own grading standards for records and jackets that points out these finer differences.

 

(SS) Still Sealed:  "Still Sealed" is a grade I am reserving for factory-sealed records that have never been opened. This grade assumes the disc inside is undamaged and in "Mint" condition but this cannot be verified until the disc is opened and examined. The jacket will have its original shrink wrap.

(M) Mint: "Mint " is a grade I am reserving for a perfect record. There are no scratches, scuffs, hairlines, fingerprints, spindle marks or other indications that it has been handled or played. The jacket will have its original shrink which is opened. The are no corner bumps, scratches, marks, creases or other signs of jacket wear.

(M-) Mint Minus: A "Mint Minus" record may have one very light paper scuff but no hairlines or other surface scratches. It looks clean and unplayed. I may also use a "Mint Minus" to grade a sealed record that has corner bumps or tears in the shrink wrap.

(NM) Near Mint: "Near Mint" is a record that is virtually flawless, clean and glossy. A near perfect, rarely-played record. May play with some very light and occasional dust or static related light noise that is only heard in the quietest passages. The vinyl and label surfaces show no obvious sign of wear. It looks clean with the factory shine and there may be a very light, barely visible paper scuff or two and a few light hairlines but no scratches. An LP jacket has no seam splits or any other obvious signs of wear but one or two light creases are acceptable. Ring wear should be almost invisible. No punch holes or other discount marks.  Very minimal corner bumps. Artist signatures are the only acceptable forms of handwriting for this grade. Basically, "Near Mint" looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap.

(NM-) Near Mint Minus: Same as above, yet shows a few very light hairlines which have no effect on the sonic quality. The record will have its factory gloss and ?rainbow luster? and only light spindle marks. Ring wear is minimal but starting to show lightly at the top and bottom. The jacket may have discount cuts or sales stickers, which will be noted. Artist signatures and minimal owner marks are the only acceptable forms of handwriting for this grade.

(VG++) Very Good Plus Plus: Shows some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show signs of use and may have slight paper scuffs or very light surface scratches that only reveal themselves in the quietest of passages and don't detract from the overall sonic quality. Most factory shine is still present. Slight edge warps that do not affect the tracking or sound quality are OK and will be noted. An LP jacket may have some signs of ring wear and shelf wear and a small corner bump or two these are minimal and acceptable for this grade.  A small seam split is also acceptable and will be noted. Light owner signatures, DJ marks and other forms of handwriting are acceptable for this grade. In general, if not for a couple of minor things wrong with it, this would be a showcase piece. All but the most discriminating collectors will find a ?Very Good Plus? record highly acceptable.

(VG+) Very Good Plus: Many of the defects found in a VG++ record are more pronounced in a VG+ disc but it is still a keeper. Surface noise is evident upon playing, but does not overwhelm the music. Groove wear will start to be audible and a random click, tic or soft pop may be evident but will not detract from the enjoyment of the recorded material. The jacket may have a seam split or ring wear and labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. A small light stain or some discoloring may be evident. The cover may exhibit a combination of these flaws but they will not overwhelm the piece.

(VG) Very Good: A VG disc will have more flaws but it is still a keeper. Surface noise is evident upon playing but does not overpower the music. Groove wear will be audible along with occasional pops and tics but there are no skips. The jacket may have a significant seam split and the spine may be seriously flaked. Labels and jackets may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. A small light stain or some discoloring may be evident. The cover may exhibit a combination of these flaws but they will not overwhelm the piece.

(G+) Good Plus, (G) Good: ?Good? means acceptable?not completely roached. The grade I usually reserve for listing the rarest of records. A record in ?Good? condition can be put onto a turntable and will play but it will it will have significant audible surface noise. A jacket or sleeve has larger seam splits and there may be significant water stains. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the object.

Special Note:

(+) Plus: An extra "plus? may be added occasionally to a grade to highlight the finer points of some better grades.

Domestic / USA Shipping

Media Mail

  LP Only Shipments:

$4.00 for the 1st LP 

$1.00 for each additional LP

  45 Only Shipments:

$4.00 for the 1st 45 

$1.00 for each additional 45

Priority Mail

 

  LP Only Shipments:

$9.00 for the 1st LP 

$2.00 for each additional LP

  45 Only Shipments:

$9.00 for the 1st 45 

$2.00 for each additional 45

  78 RPM Only Shipments:

Calculated

  Double LPs & Box Sets:

Additional charge per LP as indicated above

  Mixed Format Shipments:

Additional charge per LP or 45 as indicated above

International Shipping

First Class Mail
Allow 2-4 weeks delivery time depending on your country's customs.

 

Priority Mail
Allow 5-14 business days delivery time depending on your country's customs.

All international orders over $100.00 or over 4 pounds must be shipped USPS Priority Mail.

 

International Buyers - Please Note: Import duties, taxes, and charges are not included in the item price or shipping cost. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding or buying

Canada / Mexico

First Class

 

  LP Only Shipments:

$16.00 for the 1st LP 

$4.00 for each additional LP

  45 Only Shipments:

$16.00 for the 1st 45 

$4.00 for each additional 45

Priority Mail

 

  LP Only Shipments:

$35.00 for the 1st LP 

$5.00 for each additional LP

  45 Only Shipments:

$35.00 for the 1st 45 

$4.00 for each additional 45

Worldwide

First Class

 

  LP Only Shipments:

$24.00 for the 1st LP 

$5.00 for each additional LP

  45 Only Shipments:

$22.00 for the 1st 45 

$4.00 for each additional 45

 

Priority Mail

 

  LP Only Shipments:

$45.00 for the 1st LP 

$5.00 for each additional LP

  45 Only Shipments:

$40.00 for the 1st 45 

$3.00 for each additional 45

  78 RPM Only Shipments:

Calculated

  Double LPs & Box Sets:

Additional charge per LP as indicated above

  Mixed Format Shipments:

Additional charge per LP or 45 as indicated above

 

Customer Service and Return Policy

A five-star rating is important to me and I will work with a reasonable buyer who is not satisfied. You can buy with confidence because I provide a thorough assessment of a record. In a case where a buyer feels that I have provided a record below what has been described or I missed a major fault, please contact me through Ebay within 30 days of receiving your item, explain your problem and If we agree, then I will take the item back and provide a full refund. Buyer must pay return shipping. Sealed records must be returned still sealed to be eligible for a full refund.

Thank you.