AND LABEL 

MENDELSSOHN "A Midsummers Night Dream

ARTISTE, RECORD TITLE  AND LABEL 

ESPANA !

Ataulfo Argenta, London Symphony Orchestra

Decca SXL 2020 (pressed in England)

MATRIX NUMBERS:

ZAL 3521-9G/ZAL 3522-7Gk

A ED2 pressing on the wide band grooved English Decca with the "Made In England’ text. It does not have its original inner sleeve and is housed in a custom made paper sleeve.

 

UK buyers please also note that  I am based in Singapore but the system assumes that as a seller on Ebay,UK should indicate a UK postage cost of 9.5 GBP which may not cover postage let alone registration (ie tracking). Please read my shipping section below.e

r M Symphony Orchestra

I have play graded the items to determine whether there are any flaws.

I have not been active on Bay over the last couple of years as I opened a shop here in Singapore which has kept me rather busy and only now could find some time to list some items. One could check my feedback reports to get a feeling of how I put service first 

 

GRADING RESULTS:

I would rate the cover as between VG++ to Excellent .There are no tears or writings but there are signs of discolouration due to aging at the reverse. 

 

There was only one ‘Decca mount’ on side 1 but this was in the dead wax area at the label area. The playing surface looked clean with no visible lines or scuffs under normal household lighting. Tracking at 1.7g on my Linn Ekos/Linn Arkiv cartridge, there was some very very light and very occasional extraneous surface noise  but it did not detract too much from the listening pleasure and there was no distortion. I would rate the playing as Near Mint. However I understand that it can be system dependent.

 How I Clean and  Grade my Records 

Cleaning: Cleaning is usually done on a Loricraft PRC 4 cleaning machine and/or Clearaudio Double Matrix using the US made 3 stage Walker cleaning solution.
Playback Equipment: Playback is through a Linn LP12 turntable/Keel/Radikal and Urika with a Linn Arkiv cartridge and through a active Linn Majik Kontrol, 2 x 140s . For mono vinyl, I use a second Linn/Lingo/Aro/Miyajima Mono .

I use both Goldmine and Rare Record Price Guide grading system as a guide and came up with the following:

·       Mint  I only use this for sealed items. The record is virtually unplayed and is in a brand new condition. Cover is pristine. Up till now, I have never used this grading and, chances are, never will, due to my conservative nature in matters of record grading.

·       Near Mint  Very little or negligible flaws. Faint lines or very faint creasing  on laminated covers visible under a strong light is acceptable but nothing serious. Records which show some signs of having been played such as very faint spindle marks are allowed but there should be no lessening in sound quality. 

·       Excellent   Item obviously played, though not often,and enjoyed with some slight noise. The record should be nice and shiny but may have a few light marks which should not intrude on play. Slight wear on cover is acceptable.

 

·         Very Good Many more imperfections which are noticeable but not obtrusive. The record has been played several times but there should be no major deterioration in sound quality despite some noticeable surface marks and light scratches. Normal wear and tear or writings on the cover  is acceptable but there should not be any major tears.

I do not offer any records below Very Good  unless its extremely rare. 

Shipping costs 

I use brand new custom made  plastic sleeves  for both the vinyl and for the sleeve. Shipping is always by Airmail and by registered post as it allows one to track items in case of delays. One buyer has even likened my packing as "FortKnox”! Shipping costs in Pounds are: 

 14.9 GBP for the first one and 6 GBP each for the  subsequent ones for up to 5 LPs. Anything more than 5 LPs has to be sent by parcel post which is relatively more expensive and the additional cost after the first LP shall be 7.5 GBP.

 I will  inform buyers of the registration details through Email on posting.

Forms of payment that I accept include:

·       PAYPAL (preferred choice)