THE BEATLES White Album 1968 UK MONO No. 0118502 TOP OPENING complete VG+

	£		92
	$		122

THE BEATLES - DOUBLE WHITE ALBUM

A sought after copy of this increasingly rare 1968 UK MONO top loading, 1st pressing on the UK APPLE label, MONO, PMC 7067/8 in overall very good+ condition with nice glossy vinyls and impressive audio quality

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  XEX 709 - 1 with stampers "6" and "AM" at 10 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

Side 2  XEX 710 - 1 with stampers "4" and "AA" at 9.30 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

Side 3  XEX 711 - 1 with stampers "2" and "GD 11" at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock respectively

Side 4  XEX 712 - 2 with stampers "2" and "GRM" at 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

The appearance of each of the heavy duty vinyls is VG+. Each vinyl is flat and each side of each vinyl has retained much of it's original beautiful glossy sheen and nice luster. In normal daylight it is possible to detect just a few light scuffs and wispy hairlines. Under a bright light, and when tilted at the right angle, a few more hairlines and small light scuffs come into view but the only hairline which is "feelable" is a 5mm light scratch right at the beginning of side 1, resulting in x6 mild clicks during the intro of "Back in The USSR".  Overall I would grade the condition of both vinyls as a solid VG - still highly presentable and impressive considering this record's 50 year antiquity.

The labels are excellent+. In normal daylight each label comes across as near perfect. It's only under a bright light and with close inspection that a few very light spindle trails can be identified adjacent to the centre hole on each label. The side 3 label contains the "K" and "T" tax codes. Note that these are the dark green Apple label variants, indicative of very early UK pressings.

The top loading and low numbered (0118502) laminated Garrod & Lofthouse laminated outer sleeve is in very good condition. All edges remain firm with barely any scuffing on the bottom edges and just a little mild fraying on the top edges towards the top of the spine and a tiny "nick" on the top opening edge of the reverse side. Each corner remains a nicely defined right angle but there is some mild scuffing on each corner. The spine remains firm but there is an obvious 1cm scuff and some laminate fraying on the top half of the spine and a small light stain (not obvious at all) at the bottom of the spine. There is just the merest hint of some very mild age discolouration towards the edges but this really is very minor, and a small (the size of the nail on my index finger) light stain on the reverse side at the bottom left corner. The inside of the gatefold is excellent, where each side flipback is in near perfect condition and the photos and track listing text all remain excellent. Indeed there is little to fault with the inside of the gate fold where the overall condition is excellent. Overall I would say that the appearance and condition of this still beautifully glossy gatefold, with the low number of "0118502" clear to see on the front side along with the perfectly embossed "THE BEATLES" text, is a solid very good.

The four photos are in excellent (at least) condition - no blue tac or glue residue and no pin prick holes with the rich vibrancy of the original colouring and photo clarity still perfectly intact.

The folded and obviously well looked after lyric/photo poster is in excellent minus condition with no unwanted writing, no fraying, no blue tac residue or pin holes - just a 3cm split at the left side of the top fold, a 5cm split in the middle of the bottom fold, and some sporadic and very, very light age discolouration - all very minor blemishes.

Finally, the quality of the audio is overall very good+. In fact much of the audio quality is excellent and there is no doubting that each and every track still makes for a great listen. However, there are some minor blemishes : the aforementioned x6 clicks at the very beginning of "Back In The USSR", some low level and very mild clicking at the beginning of "Dear Prudence", a little mild, intermittent crackle at the beginning of "Revolution" and x5 very mild clicks about half way through the same song. There is some occasional but, again, very low level and mild, background crackle which occurs in a random fashion along with the odd random light click - none of this is particularly intrusive and none of these minor blemishes diminish the enjoyment of listening to each of these tracks in original mono format...most of the tracks are excellent and never does the sound quality fall below very good. Impressive still, even after all of these years.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.

2. DEAR PRUDENCE

3. OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA

4. WILD HONEY PIE

5. THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL

6. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS

7. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN

Side 2 :

1. MARTHA MY DEAR

2. I'M SO TIRED

3. BLACKBIRD

4. PIGGIES

5. ROCKY RACCOON

6. DON'T PASS ME BY

7. WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD

8. I WILL

9. JULIA

Side 3 :

1. BIRTHDAY

2. YER BLUES

3. MOTHER NATURE'S SON

4. EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY

5. SEXY SADIE

6. HELTER SKELTER

7. LONG LONG LONG

Side 4 :

1. REVOLUTION 1

2. HONEY PIE

3. SAVOY TRUFFLE

4. CRY BABY CRY

5. REVOLUTION 9

6. GOOD NIGHT

Comes complete with original VG+ one-sided die-cut black inners each of which suffer from a 7cm split in the middle of the bottom edge and a little light fraying on the top edges. Still fully functional, however.  Note that I always post the record(s) in a new plain white inner sleeve(s) in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a highly collectable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1968 UK 1st MONO pressing Beatles classic, worthy of gracing any serious Beatles vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 49 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard crucifix style mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class signed for  : UK £5.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler