BEATLES WHITE ALBUM 1st UK PRESS MONO, PLAY-GRADED, LOW NUMBER, ORIGINAL INSERTS

	£		110
	$		146

All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.

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P&P charges for bidders outside the UK: Please note that I send ALL international items tracked and insured, which costs more than the standard airmail rate.

For further information please see below for full P&P and insurance details.

 
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THERE ARE 12 PHOTOS IN THIS LISTING. USE THE SCROLL BAR BESIDE THE THUMBNAILS TO SEE THEM ALL.

This is a MONO 1st UK press. The original top-opening cover has the low number 0037363 and the inserts (black inners, photos and poster) are genuine, original, first press inserts - with no substitutions, reproductions or replacements, GUARANTEED.

This has the following 1st press matrix numbers:

Side 1: XEX 709-1

Side 2: XEX 710-1

Side 3: XEX 711-1

Side 4: XEX 712-1

Detailed description
Vinyl: Play-graded: all four sides around VG+ or better.  The vinyl has clearly been well-played and has marks visible on the playing surfaces in normal light (including some prominent marks, most on side one, least on side four) and numerous very fine hairlines which are visible under bright, direct light. However, all four sides play far better than you might think just from looking at them. I have played the entire record (all four sides, all the way through, via a pre-amp with a mono-switch and listening intently through high-quality headphones) and it generally sounds great. There is some background noise, some fuzziness and a handful of clicks in a few places, but despite the appearance of the vinyl there was nothing loud or persistent and no jumps, skips or sticking anywhere. The most noticeable clicks are heard briefly near the start of the sides, or near the end of tracks and there is some general background soft clickiness in some of the fades, silent grooves and intros, but there are very few clicks heard during the body of any tracks and nothing on the entire album that lasted longer than about ten revolutions. The main clicks noticed were as follows: about four in the intro to 'Back in the USSR' about eight at the end of 'Martha My Dear', a few in the fade to 'Don't pass me By', five in the run-out to side two, about ten in 'Mother Nature's Son', about eight near the start of 'Revolution 1' and about six near the start of 'Revolution 9'. Listing them all out like this makes it seem like there are a lot, but bearing in mind the album has thirty tracks and is over one-and-half hours long, there really aren't that many! Much of the album sounds superb and there are some tracks, such as 'Savoy Truffle' that I would play-grade as Near Mint (NM) but taking everything into account I would play-grade the album as follows: side one - a SAFE Very Good (VG), maybe VG+; sides two and three - a SAFE Very Good plus (VG+); side four - a VERY SAFE Very Good plus (VG+), maybe Excellent minus (Ex-). The visual gradings for the records would be lower, but despite appearances the album sounds great and the whole thing was a pleasure to listen to. I play-grade all mono records via a pre-amp with a mono switch (please see below under 'Play-grading MONO records').
Labels: The labels have no writing or major issues, but there are lots of spindle markings around the centre-holes and various minor signs of use, small marks, age-spots etc, as would be expected from a well-played album that is nearly fifty years old. Side three has a KT tax code.
Inner sleeves: Original black inner sleeves. They both have one small seam split. One has two tears around the centre-hole and the other has one tear around the centre hole and a slightly scruffy opening edge and tears at the opening corners, but as you can see from the photos these are presentable, useable and totally original.
Poster/lyrics: The original double sided poster has never been on a wall, so no pin-holes, sellotape etc. However, it does have some foxing and signs of age and splits on the folds. The bottom fold is the worst: less of it connected than unconnected, but the poster is complete and still (just) in one-piece.
Photos: Four original photos. Some mild discolouration on the rears and small marks etc, but the pictures look fine. George's photo has a more-noticeable mark on the rear and John's has a small edge-tear in the border, but the photos have never been on a wall so no pin-holes, sellotape etc.
Cover: This is the original mono top-opening gatefold sleeve with the very low number 0037363. It is complete and intact and is still very solid and firm and the lamination is shiny. There are some minor creases, marks, scuffs, corner wear etc and there is some minor splitting to the lamination on the spine (although not the card itself) but I would say that the spine is probably better than most (see photos). This would be a very presentable example except for the fact that it is very yellow (age-related discolouration). These covers are prone to yellowing (it's actually the lamination that yellows more than the card itself), but this one is definitely very discoloured. It looks better in the photos than it does in real life, and is certainly no longer a 'White' album, but it is very rigid and firm and it does have a very low number!!!

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is an original mono example with original inserts, a low number on the cover and decent audio, but it shows various signs of age and use. It will be ideal for someone who just wants a GUARANTEED authentic, original 1968 first pressing which they can listen to, but is unlikely to suit someone looking for a mint, aesthetically perfect copy for their Beatles museum.

Please check out my other items and take advantage of reduced postage costs for multiple buys.

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Information about descriptions and gradings.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get. I am aware that different grading systems have different definitions and so I try as much as possible to describe items in plain English, rather than simply using gradings. Where gradings are given these are based on the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.

Visually-graded vinyl vs play-graded vinyl: Many people collect vinyl and never play it, whereas other people collect records because they want to play them. A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly, but it will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most vintage records are likely to have some background noise even if they look perfect. I believe that records are for playing and so I try to play-grade records whenever possible. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to listing it. If I have play-graded the record I will usually only give a brief description of how the record looks (i.e. not a visual grading). The grading in the listing will be a play-grading and may be slightly different from the grading that the record would receive from a purely visual inspection. Most vintage records are not 100% perfectly flat and so I will only mention this aspect if it is very significant or has an impact on the way the record sounds. If I haven't play-graded the record, it will be given a visual grading.

Play-grading MONO records: Mono records and stereo records have different grooves. A stereo record produces a stereo sound via both lateral and vertical groove modulation whereas a mono record is not intended to produce any sound from vertical modulation. Playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge will create distortion because it is trying to pick-up the vertical (stereo) part of the signal, whereas this is not intended to be heard on a mono record and so is just noise.  Using a pre-amp with a mono switch will eliminate the noise caused by vertical modulation leaving just the lateral groove signal which is how the record was intended to be heard. Based on the assumption that most people choosing to listen to a mono record will have the right equipment to listen to it, I play all mono records via a pre-amp with a mono switch.  My play-grading is based on how the record sounds when played through a mono switch. If you do not have a mono switch on your amp or pre-amp you will be reproducing the noise from the vertical part of the signal and so the record may not sound as good. This is not any fault of the record, it is inherent to playing any mono record through a system that it was not designed for.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. Packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may sometimes use recycled packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

My P&P charges are 'totally transparent'. Please read below and if you have any questions about P&P costs please contact me BEFORE you bid. Thank you.

Sending items costs more than just the stamps on the package, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me to do so. I need to cover the cost of packing materials, plastic sleeves, new inner sleeves (where applicable), transportation, fees and charges associated with sending the item (including fees incurred to receive the cost of postage and, where applicable, currency exchange) etc. To cover some of these expenses I add a nominal figure to the basic cost charged at the post office athough the actual cost to me is always higher than this. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

To quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

If, when you receive your item, there is a significant discrepancy in your favour, please contact me and I will refund the difference.

UK P&P costs

I offer three UK services. I DO NOT offer 'click and collect', 'collection in person' or FREE postage, so please do not select these options if they appear in the invoice.

UK Standard service - Items valued up to £20 are sent using either Hermes courier or Royal Mail Second class. Usually delivered within 3-5 days of despatch.

For items or combined purchases valued above £20 I use the following service, so please wait for my invoice:

UK First class recorded post. The cost for one to three LPs is £5.20. Usually delivered within one day of despatch.

For more than three LPs please enquire before bidding.

UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £80 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery (next day delivery guarantee) and the total cost of this will be £9.35 for one to four LPs and £12.00 for five or more LPs . Please wait for my invoice before paying.

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Airmail (tracked and/or signed) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £13.60, each additional LP or 12" add £2.20.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £17.50, each additional LP or 12" add £3.80.

Please note that overseas orders outside the EU need a customs declaration with the value of the package.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.