10 Box Set of Beethoven - DG/Poyldor - 1972


Someone just gave me a 10 box set (10 boxes, not 1 box with 10 records) of Beethoven that was produced by Deutsche Grammophon in 1972 for the 200th anniversary of Beethoven's birth. It was produced by Polydor in the US. Each box has 5 or 6 albums in it, along with a large format booklet on works in that box. It also came with a large format book of his life and works. It is in English, but it seems to have been translated from German.

I have not found out much about this set. I can look for information on each individual performance but that is a lot of work. This looks like a majority (if not all) of the DG recordings of Beethoven, re-pressed and re-packaged for the set.

Anyone familiar with this set? Are the pressing really good or just average? Were they done from original masters? Were they re-edited for this edition. etc.

Most of the records have hardly ever been played and some may be unplayed.

Any information would be appreciated, especially if they happen to be rare and valuable. Should I buy my dream home in Maui? Probably not, but any info would be appreciated.

Three of the boxes say Part 1, but I do not have a part 2 to go with them.

The 10 boxes are

I Symphonies and Overture - Part 1
II Symphonies and Overture - Part 2
III The Concertos
IV Piano Sonatas
V Music for the Stage
VI Choral Music
VII String Quartets - Part 1
VIII Music for Piano - Part 1
IX Chamber Music
X Music for Violin and Cello - Part 1
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Box sets going for the cheap at Goodwill is one of the things I look most forward to shopping for these days.
Turns out their are actually 17 boxes in the set. I have seen them going for $50+ per box new or near mint. I cannot, however, find out much about the pressings.
I get to see them quite often in unattended attics of friends and their neighbors that give away unwanted items for free. Otherwise at goodwill or salvation army stores they could be purchased for $3 per box. If I happen to desire to purchase similar item I would usually negotiate to knock-off another buck off box or claim to have only 'few bux left in my pocket' to pick up the whole thing for buck-per-box.
I came accross Tchaikovsky 3 box sets for $2 and it was $4 short:-)
I wonder what it cost when new....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vntg-1972-Complete-Set-8-Boxes-40-LPs-Deutsche-Grammophon-Beethoven-Bicentennia-/400300361875?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d33c2c893
This was a set produced for the Beethoven Bicentennial. At the time, you signed up via mail and they would send 1 volume per month. The pressings are comparable to DG individual LPs of that era. The initial offer was only for 10 volumes, then there was an option for an additional 7. On eBay, most sales are for items from the 1st ten volumes. There is also a large format book index of all the pieces, though this is quite rare and I've only seen available occasionally. The initial 10 volumes were popular at the time (kind of the classic bound books in homes of people that never read them). My parents got the 1st 10 volumes, and I rounded out the collection a while back via eBay, $100 for all 17 volumes.