Quote Originally Posted by Alex_UK View Post
Trust me - don't EVER open and play that one Al!
Don't sell it without opening is my advice as this pressing run was notorious for bad copies. I had 3 copies from Amazon at the same time and mixed and matched to get a good set.

Keeping OOP LPs sealed is asking for trouble. I would put my overall fault rate for vinyl at around 10% plus over the years. Chances when you open it there will be a scratch or warp. Personally I would pay more for a near mint play graded LP than a sealed NOS copy. Unfortunately there are too many 'collectors' and 'investors' out there now that are forcing prices artificially high. You may be surprised to see the amounts bid on trashed 'collectables' on ebay even when the seller is up front about the condition. Eventually the bubble will burst and people will be moving these on at lower prices.

I can't understand anybody who pays just to look at the spindle marked label on a ground up piece of old vinyl. I buy vinyl for the music. The only reason for buying expensive (mint) early pressings of any title for me is if I know that these are by far the best SQ. Also with sealed vinyl you can never be certain in most cases of the label version and pressing matrix hidden inside, so making it impossible to establish you are getting what you are paying for. Also beware of reseals. I suppose you are safe for records from the last 20 years or audiophile titles that have one limited pressing, but still run the risk of a bad copy.