BEATLES - PLEASE PLEASE ME - 1st UK PRESS BLACK & GOLD - STUNNING NM/EX+ AUDIO

	£		646
	$		856

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 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.


 ******************************************
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.


 ******************************************

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 which looks and sounds superb.

This has the following original 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 2nd 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                  R

Detailed description
Vinyl: The vinyl looks great and has retained its original high sheen. It has clearly been well cared for. Under bright light, there are whispy sleeve-removal marks and ultra-fine hairlines, and in normal light there are a handful of slightly more-prominent looking surface marks visible to the naked eye, but there is nothing significant anywhere. I have played the entire record and it sounds superb with almost nothing to report. 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). On the mono play-through I would say that this copy is the best one I've ever heard with very quiet fades, silent grooves and intros. For the sake of completeness, I would mention that I heard four soft clicks in the fade to 'Chains' and a solitary click in the silent groove at the end of 'I Saw Her Standing There' and a solitary hiss in the silent groove at the end of 'Do You Want To Know a Secret', but I didn't hear any others. In common with almost every copy of this that I have ever listened to, there was some slight fuzziness in 'There's a Place' and 'Twist and Shout', but this is the best I've heard.  Based on this play-grade with the mono switch on I would play-grade much of both sides as Near Mint (NM), but to allow for the few minor issues mentioned above I would have no hesitation to play-grade the whole album as Excellent plus (Ex+). The stereo play-through was also of a very high standard, but as would be expected, there was a little bit more fuzziness and background noise in places. I would probably play-grade the stereo play-through around Excellent (Ex) for both sides, and side two would have been a very EASY Excellent (Ex) right up until the last two tracks, which were a bit more fuzzy than the rest. When listened to in mono, as it was intended to be played, this is easily the best copy I've heard. And even when played on modern stereo equipment this is an outstanding example and was a real pleasure to listen to. I think it would be very hard to find one which sounds better.
Labels: These are a superb pair of 1st press black and gold labels with Dick James credits and ZT tax code on side two. They have no writing, stickers, tears etc and only light signs of use around the centre holes (see photos). Unlike many copies, there is no 'inking-in' anywhere on these labels.
Cover: The 1st press E.J. Day cover looks superb with only light signs of age and use. The laminated front is really nice and shiny with just some small creases around the edges and corners and some minor scuffs. The unlaminated rear is really clean, with very few marks and all the flipbacks are complete and undamaged, although there is some discolouration along the edges of the top and bottom flipbacks. As can be seen in the photos, a piece of paper with Beatles autographs has been pasted to the rear, but even with these minor issues this is still one of the very best backs I have seen on an original first press cover. Please note that I am unable to provide any information on the signatures so please assume that they are not actually signed by the Beatles. Please also note that the flipbacks have been manufactured about 1cm out of position which has led to a small gap at the corners (but this is not any sort of damage etc - this is how the cover was made).
Edge wear: There is minimal wear to the edges, apart from at the corners. I have shown photographs of the spine and top and bottom edges so you can see this for yourself. It is very hard to find these first press covers with edges as good as this.
Corner wear: There is only light wear to the corners - probably the best I've seen on a 1st press cover of Please Please Me. There is more wear to the bottom corners than those at the top, but there is nothing prominent or unsightly anyway. The opening corners have tiny corners splits (just a few milimetres) but I think it would be hard to find a 1st press cover of Please Please Me with corners and edges that are much better than these.
Inner sleeve: Original 1st press poly-lined Emitex inner sleeve with 'Patents applied for' and 'Made in Great Britain' has no seam splits or tears, just some small creases and slight signs of use at the opening. Very nice, original inner sleeve.

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is a superb example.

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

******************************************

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.

******************************************

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.

******************************************

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.

******************************************

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.

******************************************

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.

 ******************************************

 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.

This is a genuine 1st UK press of Please Please Me by The Beatles. It is complete and original throughout.
I do not have any information that can authenticate the autographs.