SPARKS (LP/Promo) Introducing Sparks. Columbia. 1977. EX

Sold Date: January 6, 2023
Start Date: January 6, 2023
Final Price: $23.00 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 431
Buyer Feedback: 0


Here is the Sparks LP called Introducing Sparks.  It's the Promo version on white Columbia label PC 34901.  1977. 

The cover is in good shape and the open seam to let the record out is on the top, not at the right side!  There is some whitish fade marks starting to show up against the blue background on both sides.  The gold For Promotion Only stamp is on the back cover upper right area.  When you open the top seam to let the record out, I see a light stain there (photo here), and I wonder if something lik a Pepsi or coffee dripped on it there.  That stain hit the inner sleeve, too.  One side of the inner sleeve shows on the left side that it has a light stain there, too, going down the left side.  It affects the flip side a little bit, too.  But nothing affected the actual record.

Side 1 just has some scuff marks on it and Side 2 does, too, but a couple of short light surface scratches.  I played it on my Technics turntable system and it sound like new almost.  Once in a while, in between the songs, you might hear a really light tic.  But not on the songs themselves.  I want to give it a Near Mint, but won't due to some light scratches and scuffs.  So it is getting an Excellent for sound quality.

I rate the sleeve as Very Good (VG) (due to some stains) to Very Good Plus (VG+) and the vinyl gets an Excellent (EX), as there are only a few surface scratches and scuffs that did not affect the sound quality.  That was great!

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Guidelines I use to rate the quality of these records (based on the Goldmine Grading Guide):

NM:Near Mint - Vinyl, still shiny, as if opened for the first time. No writing or stickers on the vinyl. No obvious scratches. Label: No writing or stickers and no fading of the label.

NM-: Near Mint Minus - Similar to NM but will have some very light scratches on the vinyl not affecting the sound quality. No writing or stickers on label and no fading (or ringwear) on cover or label.

EX: Excellent - Not quite a Goldmine Standard Listing, but being used by many now. Cover: No ink wear, minor creases to corners, no seam tears. Vinyl can have scratches, but not felt by your fingers. Sound quality must be mint. No more than 15% of the surface should have wear or scuffs on it. To me, EX is like a VG++.

VG+: Very Good Plus - Similar to NM- except that on the label, there may be a sticker or writing, but it shows very little wear. There may be only a couple light surface scratches on the grooves, but do not affect the playback with noise or skips. You may only see these scratches if you put them under a bright light and really look for them. The cover might have light creasing or minor seam or corner wear, but still in great condition to show off.

VG to VG-: Very Good to Very Good Minus - May not be that shiny anymore and you will see scratches without putting it under a bright light, but they still would not affect the quality of the playback. The sound quality is still pretty good, maybe a little noise, but not enough to detract from the listening experience. The label might have some fading around it, besides having stickers or writing. The cover may have obvious ringwear in the middle or around the perimeter of where the record was, maybe some side seam splits, or little tears at the top or side where the record goes back into. If less defects, then it's a VG. If it has all this just mentioned, then a VG-.

G, G+: Good or Good Plus - It doesn't mean the vinyl is trashed. It plays though without skipping, but may have heavy noise or fuzz sound because of age, quality, or worn-down grooves. Heavy writing or stickers on the label, ringwear is very obvious on label and cover probably has seam splits. But, amazingly, if you have special audio LP recording software, you could probably clean up those crackles and fuzzes, if you want to create a CD of it for yourself.

P: Poor - This is when the vinyl is warped to the point it warps the playback also. Or it's cracked, but it may or may not still play without a skip. If a picture sleeve is with it, this is torn or marked up bigtime. But someone may want to have it for nostalgia or even attempt to fix it.



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