Ortofon Xpression MC SPU cartridge

This is a superb example of the famous Ortofon Xpression moving coil cartridge. One of the best cartridges ever made, bar none. Ortofon truly went all out to produce a cartridge that faithfully represents everything encoded on LPs in a truly musical, dynamic and nuanced way. 
This cartridge combines three unique technologies from Ortofon towards musical excellence:

• Selective Laser Melting technology (SLM) that was pioneered by the famous MC A90 and SPU 90th Anniversary cartridges
• Modification of the generator system introduced with the MC A90 and the MC Windfeld
• Ortofon design tradition

This particular cartridge is serial number 040, and was selectively used as a back-up cartridge (to my Koetsu) for not more than 50 hours. This is in excellent condition - diamond shows no wear, cantilever is straight (as seen in the pics). 
For more information, the original Ortofon product listing can be found on the Ortofon site (or searching for xpression-p-487). Also note that Stereophile had two reviews of this, one done by Art Dudley in 2012 and then another just in the last couple of weeks by Jim Austin.
This was originally purchased directly from an Ortofon dealer in April 2015. These almost never come up for sale, so take advantage now. Retails for $5,669. For buyers in New England, I'd be glad to demo this cartridge in my system.