Sold Date: October 8, 2023
Start Date: October 1, 2023
Final Price: £82.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 23
Seller Feedback: 747
Buyer Feedback: 0

First UK Press. K50014 With Very Rare OBI 

LABEL PRESS DETAILS: 

1st Ever UK press, with HOUSES OF THE HOLY printed exactly in the top centre of the middle label circle. With 'Made in UK' text, 'Produced by Jimmy Page,' and 'Superhype Publishing / Warner Bros. Music ( 1 - 4 )'. As a 1st press there are NO WEA logos on the labels. This rare press also has 'STERLING RL. hand etched into the run out grooves on both sides.

MATRIX NOs. ON RUN-OUT GROOVE 

A- 2 / B-2. ULTRA Rare Matrix Variant!

MOTHER STAMPERS: 

Side 1. '' B   2 2'' 

Side 2. '' B   2 ''  Very early pressing!

THE RECORD – VISUAL GRADING 

A superb piece of glossy vinyl, and a really thick pressing. Deep clear grooves that can only be found on the original early pressings, this vinyl has been  played so does show signs of use (NOT MINT/ NM) . It does have some faint marks/scuffs but these are light (but visible) no deep scratches, great condition considering it 40 years old! Labels are nice and clean, no marks etc. (I Have Tried To highlight marks on pics)

THE RECORD - PLAYBACK GRADING VG+

The Song Remains The Same - Perfect playback, no pops/ crackles or skips

The Rain Song - Background light pops/crackles throughout quieter moments but certainly nothing overpowering.

Over The Hills & Far Away - Plays with no issues, no audible pops/crackles

The Crunge - In-between Previous Track And this one there are a few light pops leading into The Crunge, all plays very well after with nothing affecting playback.

Dancing Days - Plays With No Pops/ Crackles

D;'Yer Mak'er - Again Plays Perfectly

No Quarter - Light Crackles/ Pops at start and leading into vocals, again noticeable during first 2 verses but does not over power the music.

The Ocean - All Plays Very well throughout

OVERALL PLAYBACK GRADE AS VG+

THE OBI VG+

Original 1st UK pressings of Houses of the Holy came with the unusual OBI strip, usually confined to Japanese record production. They were made of thin white paper with Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy, on the front, and the Atlantic logo with the catalogue number and the "this stereo Record can be played..." text on the rear. Some French and American pressings also came with the Obi strip, but they had alternative text and are clearly different to the UK pressings. 

These OBI strips are extremely rare. They were made in very small numbers, and were deleted almost immediately on production of the album. Made of thin white paper, they normally got destroyed, lost or torn almost immediately, and it is genuinely near impossible to find examples that are not heavily stained ripped or repaired, if you can find one at all. I know, as I have been in the process of collecting these for years. I cannot stress how rare they are.

This is an original 1st UK press OBI strip, in very good condition. Unusually, it has been kept inside the gatefold of its album cover, largely protecting it from the usual wear and tear. Amazingly it comes with with no tears, some minor staining, just some yellowing with age. Superb, this ultra rare example I would Grade The OBI AS VG+

THE COVER EX

This is an outstanding  original 1st press unlaminated  Gatefold cover, ONLY found on original UK first pressings! Gatefold format, unlaminated, flat matt finish.  Printed in Great Britain. The Matt finish covers of Houses of the Holy are very prone to wear. They do not fare quite as badly as the original Zep 2 covers, but none the less, they usually come pretty knackered.

Its so hard to find copies of Houses of the Holy that are not blighted by even light ring wear and marking. The pale colouration makes it ultra prone to damage and discolouration. This is a great example in EXCELLENT condition. NO creases, NO writing, NO edge wear and no rips, tears, splits or any other damages. A lovely square spine and a great all round example. (See Pictures)

The inside Gatefold has no obvious marks marks, with just some very light rubbing in places. A SUPERB Excellent all round example.

INNER VG+

In Great Condition, No Splits/rips just some yellowing/ spots on inner which I have tried to highlight in photos. 

TO SUMMARISE: Very rare UK First press WITH OBI!! All in VG+ Condition. This has been played and shows some signs of use (PLEASE DO NOT BID IF YOU ARE EXPECTING A NM MINT RECORD) But overall in great condition throughout. Plays and sounds fantastic with just a few pops/crackles. 

WILL BE PACKED VERY WELL AND SENT TRACKED