BEATLES - PLEASE PLEASE ME - 1st UK PRESS BLACK & GOLD - ALL COMPLETE & ORIGINAL

	£		366
	$		485

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

But . . . (I know that this should be common sense) . . .

. . . please ensure that you have read and understood the description before placing a bid.

Thank you.

Unbelievably, there are people who bid on listings (sometimes hundreds of pounds) without even reading the description !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.


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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 click on the icon or 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 complete, original example of this famous 1st pressing. It has the following features:

• 1st press black and gold labels with Dick James credits and ZT tax code on side two
  
• 1st press matrix numbers, 1st mothers and 4th and 5th stampers
• 1st press E.J. Day cover with the Angus McBean credit in line with the end of the word 'songs' (on later copies it lines up with the 'g')
• 1st press poly-lined Emitex inner sleeve with 'Patents applied for' and 'Made in Great Britain' (later ones say 'Made in England').
  

The 1st press matrix numbers, mothers and stampers are as follows:

Side 1:    XEX 421-1N                   1                  O

Side 2:    XEX 422-1N                   1                  M

Detailed description
Vinyl: The vinyl sits flat on the turntable and has retained its original high sheen. Under bright light, various whispy sleeve-removal marks and ultra-fine hairlines were visible and in normal light there are some more-prominent looking surface marks visible to the naked eye, but there is nothing with any significant audible impact anywhere and this copy does not have the typical 'birds-nest' of lines often found on copies of this record. I have played the entire record (twice) and it sounds great with no jumps, skips or sticks and no repetitive clicks anywhere. There is some background noise which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and a handful of places where you get a couple of random clicks and a bit of crackle in a few of the fades and silent grooves, but there is absolutely nothing loud or intrusive anywhere. This is a great example and was a real pleasure to listen to. In common with most copies of this record there is some peak distortion in places, but even in 'Twist and Shout' (normally the most-affected track) it was not unpleasant or overpowering.  I have played this record twice: once with the mono switch on and once using a normal stereo set-up (Please see below under 'Play-grading MONO records' for clarification). Based on the mono play-grade I would grade side one as Excellent (Ex) and side two as Excellent minus (Ex-). The play-grade without the mono switch would be slightly lower, but still a very enjoyable listen with no major issues.
Labels: The 1st press black and gold labels with Dick James credits and ZT tax code on side two have no graffiti, stickers, handwriting etc but have wear, marks and signs of use around the centre holes (including some touching-in which shows up if you tilt them in the light).
Cover: The 1st press E.J. Day cover has typical signs of age and use, but it is intact and presentable (and better than about 95% of the copies I have seen!). There are some small creases around the edges, corners and flipbacks and a few minor marks on the unlaminated rear, but apart from some wear and signs of use around the edges and corners (as described below) there is nothing else to report.
Edge wear: There is typical wear to the edges, most-prominent at the corners (for more info see below). The top edge has several small laminate creases/cracks along its length and wear at both corners. The spine has wear at both corners (especially the top one) and a scuff in the centre which obscures most of the word 'Me' in the title, but the rest of the text is all readable (see photo 8 which shows the whole spine). There are normal signs of use at the opening with one small nick (about 3mm) at the rear opening. The bottom edge has wear at the corners and a neat repair to a 5cm split at the centre, but as can be seen in the final photo, this has been done carefully so that the repair itself is invisible and the result is not prominent or unsightly. There are no other seam or spine splits.
Corner wear: There is noticeable wear to all the corners with corners splits at the opening - less than 1cm at the top and about 3cm at the bottom, although only about 1cm of this has worn through to the card (see close-up of Angus McBean credit). The bottom corner split has been repaired from the inside so that it is not that noticeable.
Inner sleeve: Original 1st press poly-lined Emitex inner sleeve with 'Patents applied for' and 'Made in Great Britain' has no seam splits but has some tears around the label-view hole on one side, but it is intact and presentable.

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is a complete, original example which sounds great.

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.

Play-graded vinyl: Although I don't have time to play them all, 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 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. 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 mono equipment or a mono switch you will be reproducing the noise from the vertical part of the signal and so the record will 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.

Visually-graded vinyl: A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly. I always do my best to give a fair assessment of any visible marks on the playing surface, but a visual grading will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most of the records I sell are between thirty and fifty years old and so it is likely that there may be some background noise even if they look perfect. Please see Terms and Conditions below for my refunds policy for visually graded records.

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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. All 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 these expenses I add a nominal figure to the basic cost charged at the post office. For UK sales I add £1.10, for European sales I add £1.90 and for transactions outside Europe I add £2.30. These are nominal amounts and 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.

Depending on the precise weight of your parcel, you may occasionally end up paying a few pence more or a few pence less than it actually costs me, but if there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items valued below £50 are sent using first class recorded post. The cost for this is as follows:

One to four LPs (with a combined total value below £50) = £5.20.

UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £50 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery 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.

Any order valued below £10 can be sent using second class standard mail, free of charge.

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Airmail (with tracking and insurance) 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.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg or valued over £500 may be split into two or more packages as appropriate so they can be sent using Royal Mail's Small Packet Rate, so please wait for my invoice on larger multiple purchases.

Customs declaration for overseas orders: Please note that for overseas orders outside the EU I need to complete a customs declaration and must enter the value of the package on the declaration.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.