THE BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME VINYL LP UK 1st PARLOPHONE BLACK/ GOLD LABEL RARE

	£		338
	$		447

THE BEATLES

PLEASE PLEASE ME

with Love Me Do and 12 other songs

 Original 1st Pressing Vinyl LP

Year of Release - 1963

Parlophone Records PMC 1202 Mono

(Black/Gold Labels)

Made in Great Britain

Matrix codes ending in:

Side 1 - XEX 421-1N

Side 2 - XEX 422-1N

Stampers in run out grooves:

 Side 1 - H (at 3 o'clock) and 1 (at 9 o'clock)

Side 2 - GP (at 3 o'clock) and 1 above 2 (at 9 o'clock)

This is the extremely rare 1963 first pressing on the Parlophone black and gold label.  Research estimates that there were only about 25,000 copies pressed.

The cover photo is credited to Angus McBean and his name is very close to the bottom right corner, less than 5mm from the edge. "mono" is printed large in the top right hand corner. On the rear sleeve, "Printed and Made by Ernest J Day & Co Ltd. London" is in the bottom right corner, on the flipback seam (flipback partially missing).

Condition:

Vinyl/Labels - VG+/Ex

The vinyl has a faint, non feelable/non sounding hairline across side 2 and some other smaller light hairlines but, I stress these are totally non feelable and non sounding.  The vinyl has a lovely sheen to it; it has obviously been looked after by the previous owner and has not been played excessively. Visually, the record is in VG condition, but I have upgraded it to VG+ as it plays to an Excellent standard. There are no serious playing faults to hinder listening pleasure; the audio is wonderfully sharp and clear. Overall, a fine example of this rare first issue of The Beatles' debut LP.

The black/gold Parlophone labels are in excellent condition. There is virtually no scuffing and only minimal whiteness around the spindle centre hole, which is often a problem in records with predominantly black labels. All gold text is perfectly clear and legible, there is still a lovely sheen to the gold - it hasn't faded at all.

 Flipback Laminated Sleeve - Good

Colours are bright and vibrant, with all text clear and legible (apart from some areas of the flipback, detailed below). The predominantly white rear cover is still pretty clean and is more than respectable for being over 50 years old. The sleeve could be graded VG but for a few issues with the rear: a previous owner has written her name in small letters on the top right corner of the rear sleeve; the flipback seams have small pieces missing - see photos; there is residue from cellotape down opening edge; and the text on the spine is partially obscured due to spine wear. Overall, a respectable cover of this iconic LP.

Emitex Die-Cut Poly-lined Inner Sleeve - Ex

The original inner sleeve is in impressive condition, with only a couple of light creases.

Important Information :

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Postage & Packaging

Postage prices only insure the record up to £20.00; so the postal charge will vary depending on the final price. Records are packaged safely using strong stiff cardboard and extra bubble wrap to ensure they arrive in the same condition as in my description. I also remove record from outer sleeve and original inner sleeves, placing them inside polythene protective cover to prevent seam splits.

 I am a record collector myself and understand the importance of safe packaging to ensure safe delivery.

Good luck and happy bidding!