The Early Beatles, Capitol, 1st, shrink, ULTRA-RARE COVER VARIATION
$
125
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Description
Beatles, The Early Beatles, on Capitol 2309. Original issue, with the black label and color band. Disk looks strong VG+, superb, but plays with a bed of surface noise throughout (though it's only audible during the quiet parts). That said, the story of this record is its cover, not the vinyl. Still in it's original shrink wrap, the front cover slick has a distinctive tan cast, which is not the norm for this record. The previous owner wrote a letter to Jim Hansen of Blue Jay Way Galleries in Texas, asking about the cover, and Mr. Hansen's response is shown above (and is included in this auction). As he says, the most likely explanation is that the color run for one batch of slicks was wrong, and somehow this one--and maybe others, though I haven't seen or heard of any--was used, perhaps inadvertently. Mr. Hansen suggest an alternative theory, that exposure to the sun is responsible, though that seems very unlikely given how completely unaffected the white rim is. The cover is in superb shape, with tight seams and corners, no notable flaws, and shrink wrap that is fully intact There is a price sticker ($1.99) on the back. The number in the lower-right of the rear cover, next to the RIAA symbol, is a 3. Possibly the only one of its kind, this is at minimum a very unusual and rare variation of an essential LP.
Grading
MINT- Perfect or virtually perfect.
VG+ Light marks, full shine, great looking record
VG Still fairly shiny but clearly a used record, light scratches, will play well but with some surface noise
VG- Played or used more heavily, lots of scratches, more pronounced surface noise, but still plays through okay
G Rough record
price rating
