THE BEATLES - HEY JUDE 7" - RARE PHILIPS CONTRACT PRESS

£ 28

$ 37

£ 28 Sold For

Aug 22, 2009 Sold Date

Aug 15, 2009 Start Date

9 Number Of Bids

Great Britain Country Of Seller

eBay Auctioned at

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Description

You are bidding on a very rare version of The Beatles' record 'Hey Jude' b/w 'Revolution'.

Released in 1968 on Apple Records, this record was a massive seller. EMI, foreseeing this, contracted rival companies to help press the record. This particular record was pressed by Philips, distinguished by their three-pronged push-out centre. This contract press is a rare find. It is in the correct, glossy Apple sleeve.

However, this is a rare variant of the Philips contract press. By 1968 Philips labels were smooth, having earlier had a rough, matte finish, and their contract pressing of Hey Jude had a smooth finish. It appears that a very small number of the Hey Jude singles pressed by Philips had the earlier rough finish. This is one of those records. More about the Philips contract pressings can be read here: http://www.beatlescollecting.co.uk/contract1.html#Philips

Side A has a mother plate number 1, side B I believe is a 3, though it isn't very clearly stamped. There are no stamper code letters, which is correct for a Philips contract press. It has the correct KT tax codes stamped on both sides in the dead wax area as well.

The record visually is Excellent Plus with a very high gloss shine and virtually no marks. There are no scratches. The labels are Excellent Plus with a couple of spindle spider marks on each side. The sleeve is Very Good with some creases, two 1 millimetre tears at the top and no splits.

The record plays Mint Minus. Both sides play with no surface noise at all and with a crisp and clear sound. This is a truly stunning record which sounds as fresh as when it was released over 40 years ago.

I have graded this record very strictly. No used record can be graded as Mint, but this plays as close to Mint as any I have heard. Add to this that it is an extremely rare variant of a rare contract pressing and I have to say that this is a very special record. It is highly unlikely that you will find a better example of this record.

If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask.

The record will be posted in a high quality mailer with two card stiffeners.

Please check out my other items as I am listing many other Beatles records over the next week.

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