The BEATLES - CHRISTMAS ALBUM - Fan Club LP - BELL STAMPER - SBC 100

$

39

Album Details

Artist - The Beatles

Title - The Beatles' Christmas Album

Record Label - Apple 

Cat. Number - SBC 100

Mono/Stereo - Stereo

Country - United States

Matrix / Run-out - SBC-1-100A Bell Sound sf BELL SOUND SYMBOL.  Bell Sound is stamped while SBC is written. The hand drawn Bell Sound trumpet ends the run-out.

Pressing - Unknown. Almost all of the copies of this you see on eBay are counterfeit. Right now, all but one of the copies of this far sale on eBay are definitely fake and the one that might be real doesn't have a photo of the label that would tell us if it is real or not so it probably is also a counterfeit. Even the ones that say they are the original pressing are almost always fake. I'm not saying they are knowingly misleading you...they probably believe they really do have the original pressing, but that's because they haven't done their homework like I have or they just don't care about being truthful in their listings.

Everyone that says theirs is original because it has the Bell Sound stamp in the run-off is working off of inaccurate information. That stamp was on all the early counterfeits, including the copy I am selling. The easiest way to spot a fake is to look at the ring in the label. The original had a ring 5/8ths of an inch away from the center hole. If the ring is further away, it's a fake. Original covers were cardboard with the art pasted on and a visible overlap seam on the back cover. Fakes are made of thin white posterboard. Look for wear on the corners...if its white underneath it's fake. If it's brown you might have a real one but you have to look for other indications. Any colored vinyl is not an original. The lower left group photo should have both of Ringo's eyes visible; fakes have one eye completely darkened by a shadow. The photo next to it is another indication; if you can't easily read the name of the theater it's a fake. The Apple label on fakes will often be faded of or poor quality also. 

Don't believe me?  Let's have a look at each copy currently for sale on eBay. Copy and paste the item number into the search box on eBay to pull up the item.

131829908729, 391467971212, 371634582007 - Fakes. Colored vinyl is all counterfeit.

291767603514 - Fakes. Lack the inner embossed ring at 5/8" away from the spindle hole.

172213920829 - Wants $225 and is obviously fake. Lacks the inner ring. Printed on white poster board instead of cardboard. The photo at the lower left corner has the dark shadow over Ringo's eye and the name of the theater isn't legible in the adjacent photo. Has two inner rings instead of one. The label is faded and of poor print quality.

301933515114 - Wants $350 and claims to be a guaranteed original. It might be, but without a photo of the label of the record we can't know for sure. The cover is printed on cardboard, so that much is accurate. It has the signs of a counterfeit print on the front cover, though - one of Ringo's eyes is dark in the lower left corner and the name of the theater seems to be too faint to read. It's hard to believe this person would know enough to guarantee its an original but not know that we'd need to see the label to tell for sure. 

Now, that doesn't mean these records don't have value. There aren't many of them out there so even the counterfeits are collected. People want to buy the record and with so few legitimate originals around, there's a demand for the fake pressings. 

My copy should be the least expensive on eBay. I check periodically to make sure it's the lowest. I'm not trying to convince you I have an original because I know better. Please support truthful sellers like myself instead of those who will withhold the truth from you so they can make more money.

 

VINYL GRADE: VG+

COVER GRADE: VG+

VINYL

• The vinyl appears to be almost near mint. Only a couple of very minor scuffs or tiny scratches are visible.

SOUND  

• The original recordings vary in sound quality. Some were quick jobs while others The Beatles spent some time making, especially after 1966 or so. There were some occasional background crackling that I heard on my test play but for the most part it sounded good for what it is. 

JACKET 

• Great looking album cover that has little to no wear. There is a crease in the lower right corner, however. Very minor shelf wear at the corners and the slightest hint of ring wear near the top.

INNER SLEEVE  

• Plain white inner sleeve.

 

DISC (VINYL) GRADES SS
(STILL SEALED) Sealed at factory and never opened. Disc is assumed to be undamaged and mint, but this cannot be proven until the album is actually opened and the disc examined. M
(MINT) Perfection, no flaws, defects, marks or otherwise indications of being handled or played. Any scuffs, hairline scratches or other marks disqualify discs from this category.  NM or M- 
(NEAR MINT or MINT MINUS) The vinyl is virtually flawless, bright and shiny. A very minor, barely visible scuff or two may be permitted, but no scratches. The disc should play with no audible noise. The label is bright, clean and unmarked. E or VG++
(EXCELLENT or VERY GOOD ++) Disc plays near perfectly, but may have minor paper scuffs that do not interfere with the sound quality. There can possibly be a hairline scratch or two but nothing that is obvious or affects play. Vinyl is bright and shiny; label is clean and unmarked. VG+
(VERY GOOD PLUS) Some visible surface wear, very minor scratches and scuffs, but minimal impact on the sound quality. Vinyl will still have good luster; labels may have minor imperfections (small labels or initials, etc.) but otherwise clean. VG
(VERY GOOD) Vinyl will have noticeable scratches or scuffs that cause minor surface noise, but do not overpower the music. There will be no skips. Vinyl may appear somewhat dull and grayish. Labels may have small tears, tape marks, larger writing, etc. but still easily legible. There may be wear or deformation of the spindle hole. G
(GOOD) Well-played, dull, grayish vinyl with deeper scratches and wear causing distracting surface noise (hisses, pops, cracks, etc). The record will still play through without any skips. Labels may be significantly defaced or damaged. F
(FAIR)
P
(POOR) There will be major noise, surface damage, deep scratches, and skips. Records in this condition are mostly used to fill spots in collections until a better copy comes along. They would make for difficult listening.

ALBUM COVER GRADES SS
(STILL SEALED) Album is still in the factory-applied shrink-wrapping. M
(MINT) Absolutely perfect; no corner dings, marks, tears, dents, impressions from the disc, or other flaws. Cover should appear as if a record has never been inside. NM or M-
(NEAR MINT or MINT MINUS) Very minor signs of wear or cover impressions. Artwork is as close to perfection as possible. E or VG++
(EXCELLENT or VERY GOOD ++) Minor disc impression or slight corner creases, no wrinkles, puckers, seam splits or writing on the cover. Artwork is clean and unworn and there is no ink wear. VG+
(VERY GOOD PLUS) Cover is clean but may have minor writing or marks and may show slight wear. There may be just the start of ring wear, where the disc has created a raised area on the cover that resulted in the ink wearing off the paper. There may be slight discoloration or staining, minor seam wear, but no splits or tears. Corners may have small creases or fraying. VG
(VERY GOOD) Covers are worn and used. Seams may be starting to split or may have been unobtrusively repaired with clear tape. There is moderate ring wear, but the artwork is still attractive. There may be yellowing or discoloration and there may be larger writing, labels, or marks. Corners may have damage or creases and there may be scratches or gouges that otherwise damage the artwork. G
(GOOD) Several (but not all of the following flaws will apply: Seam splits, large marker writing, major seam splits, significant ring wear, damaged corners, tears, cuts, gouges, masking or duct tape seam repairs, or other flaws and damage. Again, probably only useful to fill a collection niche until something better can be found. F
(FAIR)
P
(POOR) It's a sleeve, but it won't be pretty.