Very 1st issue 1964 UK HMV stereo SDAN 143/144/145 The Callas Carmen (with Pretre, in Paris, alongside Gedda). Luxury Padded Box Issue on 3 lp’s, produced in a limited edition, a standard 1st year SAN also exists, the D in SDAN stands for Deluxe). The rarest of all the issues of this, the label version is still gold labels and a white tong, but the angel is in red to match the padded red vinyl box, which also has gilt lettering. There are three booklets to go with it, one about the opera, one about the original novel, and one about the interpretive quality of this recording and its history. They sit in their folder on the cover, so it looks good open or closed. Even the inner covers are a unique design with gold stars and grey lining. – Saulo Zucchello
