Sold Date: January 27, 2024
Start Date: January 20, 2024
Final Price: $50.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 71
Buyer Feedback: 0

This is the entire 15 record set of the 9 Mahler symphonies conducted by Bernstein. They come in four separate boxes, with each disc in an individual plastic-lined paper sleeve. Several are in MINT condition—never played, most others have been played only once, and a few were played twice. One side of one disc was played three times: see the list below.  The original recording sessions apparently took place in the early 1970’s, and the Columbia vinyl pressings were made beginning in 1972. I bought the set shortly after they came out. They have been stored indoors, under air-conditioning ever since. They have always been stored standing vertically—never lying down flat. They have never been subjected to a heat source or sunlight coming through a window.

I was a recording engineer at the time I bought these, and had a top line turntable with the top Shure V-15 cartridge. I knew that one should never play vinyl over and over again. I had access to studio quality tape decks, and immediately began recording the individual symphonies that most interested me onto tape. I kept a list of each disc and how many times each side was played. Each record sleeve of the discs that have been played has the list of playings for that disc noted on it. Below is the list of all 15 records and how many times each was played (the last playing of each was when I recorded them onto tape).

Vol. 1:  4 discs: each disc was played only once, except for side 1 of disc 4, which was played twice.
Vol. 2:  4 discs:    Disc 1: side one played once, and side two played 3 times;
                    Disc 2: both sides played once;
                    Disc 3: side 1 played one time; side 2 is MINT and has never been played;
                    Disc 4: MINT; neither side of this disc has ever been played.
Vol. 3:  3 discs: Disc 1: each side played only once.
                    Disc 2: each side played twice.
                    Disc 3: side one played twice, side 2 played once only.
Vol. 4:  4 discs: MINT—None of the four discs in this set has ever been played.
                        (I was never interested in those two symphonies.)

These have been packed with great care to avoid normal shipping hazards. I waited until winter to hopefully avoid any chance they might sit in a hot delivery truck for several hours.