Vinyl: Beatles LP "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" Stereo VERSION 1 COLUMN Back RAREST (COA)

All BEATLES pricing is reflective of the latest BEATLES PRICE GUIDES in particular the most recent guides.

In addition, our pricing is based on condition, rarity, and scarcity. There are other existing BEATLES PRICE

GUIDESavailable, however you must keep in mind that most guides are now several years old and don't

reflect accurate or current market values, regardless of who the authors are or whatever their so-called

"expertise" may be. Please feel free to ask any questions or request additional photos!

Very RARE, quite collectible and valuable to any BEATLES collector!

SOME INTERESTING & IMPORTANT FACTS about ...

"INTRODUCING ... THE BEATLES" (Compiled by our expert staff).

What is a FAKE & what is a REAL copy?

1.) First & foremost, real copies of any version of this LP must have "INTRODUCING ... THE BEATLES" & "THE

BEATLES", ABOVE THE SPINDLE HOLE on the record label. If either phrase is below the hole, it's FAKE !

E xceptions have been found rarely, however if you do see one, you need to look at other characteristics such as a

2.) Keep in mind; there were only (2) OFFICIAL VERSIONS of this LP ; VERSION 1 & VERSION 2 ; and never any

3.) VERSION 1; Includes: "AD BACKS", "BLANK BACKS" & "COLUMN BACKS / TITLES ON BACK" versions.

UK in 1963 for the original LP entitled "PLEASE, PLEASE ME" on PARLOPHONE, NO COPY OF THIS LP WAS

EVER RELEASED IN 1963. It's a known fact that "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" was officially released by Vee

Jay Records on 1-10-64. and not before.

4.) The 1st VERSION 1 COVER (outer jacket) prepared was called the "AD BACK" , VJ 1062 (1) MCI. The back of this

this quite a significant find.

5.) The 2nd VERSION 1 COVER for this LP was known as the "BLANK BACK" featuring a 100% BLANK BACK of the

outer jacket with a semi-gloss all white paper slick pasted there. Some covers (MC2A) do have"PRINTED IN USA"on the

front like the"AD BACK"while others (MC2B) do not. Once again it is the cover that makes the overall piece much more

valuable .

6.) The 3rd VERSION 1 COVER was known as the "COLUMN BACK" or "TITLES ON BACK" cover. It listed song titles

on the back in (2) columns. This variation (MONO or STEREO) came with either the "Oval" logo label or Black Rainbow with

Vee Jay in typical "Brackets" [VJ]. Any authentic STEREO of this variation is very rare as there have been millions

of FAKES that have tried to mimic this cover. FAKE covers are found with records that are clearly counterfeit, and on

all labels, "THE BEATLES" always appears below the spindle hole . And if the VINYL is FAKE, so is the cover.

LABELS – The 1ST label for VERSION 1 run was the Black Rainbow label with the "Oval" logo. T he records included

the songs "P.S. I LOVE YOU" & "LOVE ME DO" replaced later on VERSION 2 pressings with "PLEASE, PLEASE ME"

and "ASK ME WHY". The VERSION 2 was not released until early February 1964. There are (3) font variations with

"Oval" labels for this version. The MR1A states words "LONG PLAYING" and "MICROGROOVE" in upper & lower

case font. MR1B doesn't mention words"LONG PLAYING" or "MICROGROOVE", and the MR1C has these words but

only in upper case font. (A few of VERSION 1s have been found with the "BRACKETS" [VJ] logo on the label).

7.) VERSION 2 – Official versions must have all words "INTRODUCING … THE BEATLES" & "THE BEATLES" above

the spindle hole. If either is below, it is always be a FAKE. The VERSION 2 featured song titles "PLEASE, PLEASE ME"

and "ASK ME WHY" replacing "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and "LOVE ME DO" found only on VERSION 1 copies. VERSION

2 was released in early FEBRUARY 1964. The labels varied with either the Black Rainbow "Oval" logo or Black Rainbow

"BRACKETS" [VJ] logo, or the Black Background with SILVER "VJ" logo, or a Black Backgroundwith SILVER "Oval" logo,

or the Black Background or SILVER "VJ" in Block Style print, or Black Background with SILVER "BRACKETS" logo [VJ] (very

rare). In rare cases, some VERSION 2 records can also be found with a 45 rpm label on them as well (Black Rainbow with

"Oval" logo). There are also some FAKES that feature Medium Sized SILVER BRACKETS [VJ] LOGO printed on an all

Black label (Real ones have the much smaller logo). All VERSION 2 covers are "Column Back / Titles on Back".

No copies of any STEREO VERSION 2 disc with a regular sized Rainbow label and the "Oval" logo are known to exist.

Although back in 1964 at Vee Jay, anything would have been possible.

8.) SOME IMPORTANT TESTS FOR AUTHENTICITY: TEST #1 – The most obvious visual authenticity test is the

"Shadow" test. It had been thought originally that if George's "Shadow" appeared on the right side of the front of

and the song title "A TASTE OF HONEY". On ALL FAKES, in the letters "H" and "E", the top left corners of these

letters are not solidly printed with ink missing there. This is THE most definitive test recognizing authenticity. FAKED

covers (especially the back panel) were poor photo copies of original VERSION 1 COLUMN BACKS, but because of

their poor quality, they were subject to many subtle inconsistencies which can be spotted by the trained eye, and of

course the "HONEY" test illustrates one of these errors. Also, with reference to the back of the outer jacket, there are

other "ink" tests however most have never been confirmed to be 100% CONCLUSIVE and NO FAKE HAS EVER

PASSED THIS TEST.

TEST #3 – A "FLAP TEST" requires the inspection of the inside of a jacket's opening. In publications dedicated to

pointing out differences between authentic & fake records and covers, for years it has always been assumed that any

cover found with NO FLAPS, had to be FAKE. But in the 1990s some authentic covers on WEST COAST releases

were discovered to have NO FLAPS at all. Collectors had always assumed that all legitimate covers had to have 1/4"

flaps at the inner top & bottom. But that thinking has obviously now gone out the window. This changes conventional

thinking specifically on any VERSION 1 cover. But it's important to point out that if and when a cover is found with

NO FLAPS, it must still pass all other tests, most importantly the 100% CONCLUSIVE "HONEY" TEST. Why did

these FLAP discrepancies exist? Remember that Vee Jay had hired more than one firm with respect to the make-up

and printing of these jackets (i.e. Coburn & Ivy Hill). So naturally there would have to have been subtle differences

in how both of these vendors independently produced a finished product. What we've stated here is what was always

suspected. Realists have always surmised that there could never have been only 1 or 2 legitimate covers produced

as a sample of any production run with NO FLAPS. But without supporting documentation from Vee Jay, no one

really has any idea how many of either were actually manufactured. What we know is thataround 79,000 MONOS

and ONLY 2,202 STEREO VERSION 1 LPs were ever produced, which included all of the AD BACKS, BLANK

BACKS & COLUMN BACKS (or "Titles On Back"). When you consider the way that Vee Jay was being run in

1964 nothing would be surprising. With legal issues hanging over their heads in 1964 confirmed by eye witnesses

who had worked at Vee Jay, there had always been a sense of urgency to move any and all products out the door

as fast as possible regardless of appearances and characteristics. VERSION 1 covers were assembled some time

in late December 1963 and also early January 1964. But like everything else that went on, just imagine what

the quality control must have been like in those chaotic days. Actually there were times when people wondered if

any authentic COLUMN BACK jackets existed at all, but obviously they do. Remember, the "HONEY" test tells all

and NO FAKE has ever passed this test. In 1964 there were no rules at all at Vee Jay.

TEST #4 – Read the "Trail Off Area". This area of the discon most if not all FAKES is always wider than any of the

legitimate copies. On all GENUINE copies, this area varies between 3/4” & 7/8” but on FAKES it is often anywhere

from 1” to 1 1/4”. Most (but not all) legitimate albums normally had raised relief machine stamped logos in the "Trail

Off" areas. Since machine stamps are very hard to copy or duplicate, FAKES often have no markings or only hand

scratched ones. The most common machine stamps are from AUDIO MATRIX(AR) or the ARP logo.

TEST #5 -Another trait of all FAKES is that they're pressed on much thinner vinyl. Always check for thickness by

comparing an LP that in doubt to a known legitimate copy and you'llsee the difference.

TEST #6 -On the back of the jacket, the "B" in "BEATLES" at top right in FAKES has a noticeable ink irregularity

in the lower left inner section of the letter. In the REAL covers, the "B" is printed clearly with no flaws. Check this

feature against known legitimate covers.

TEST #7 - On the back of the jacket, to the left of "MISERY" all the FAKES have a very noticeable ink irregularity

in the north/south post line. Some refer to this as an INK BUMP. It is very easily spotted.

TEST #8 - If the label's color band has NO color GREEN in its lower to middle left side, the record is FAKE.

TEST #9 - Matrix Numbers are 63-3402 & 63-3403 and job numbers are 5702 and 5689 preceded by a small

triangle. Pressing IDs / Stampings are either AUDIO MATRIX, ARP, MR. Hand etchings are 6-29-63, RA or A. All

others or lack there of are FAKES.

TEST #10 - O

(SEE SECTION 14 BELOW FOR FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF "FLAP" TEST EXCEPTIONS).

9.) It is important to note, THE most "FAKED" LP was the STEREO VERSION 1 "Column Back" album. All FAKES

feature song titles on the outer jacket and record label: "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and "LOVE ME DO". However when you

play a FAKE, these songs are normally NOT on the disc. Instead you will probably hear "PLEASE, PLEASE ME" and

"ASK ME WHY". (There are exceptions that have turned up playing "P.S. I LOVE YOU" & "LOVE ME DO", but in

at the top of the Front cover in GRAY on a WHITE background, you won't EVER find the word "STEREO" anywhere

on the record label and the recording is in MONO as well.

10.) Contrary to popular belief there were NEVER any "REISSUES" of VERSION 1 or VERSION 2 LPs. And if you've

seen any version of this LP with a stock photo on the front with DARK BROWN border, or the cover has a YELLOW

haze to it, it is a FAKE!Keep in mind that Vee Jay NEVER sealed these albums so if you have one that is sealed, there

is good chance that it is a FAKE!

11.) Recently it has come to our attention that some sellers feel they know all there is to know about this LP by posting

bogus info. For example, some state that unless the word "MICROGROOVE" appears on the label, the discis a FAKE.

NOT TRUE! There are certain variations that do NOT have either words "LONG PLAYING" or "MICROGROOVE" on

the label, and yet they are all legit pressings. Also there are some who have stated that if you see the word "STEREO",

it is not a legit pressing. NOT TRUE! We have NEVER seen the word "STEREO" on any fake label - ever; but if it

DOES appear on the label, it' is to be considered authentic.And also there are some who have actually stated that any

STEREO OUTER JACKET that offers the song titles "LOVE ME DO" and "P.S. LOVE YOU" is a FAKE! WHERE

ARE THESE PEOPLE GETTING ALL OF THEIR INFORMATION? Although rarely seen, all of the VERSION 1

STEREO COLUMN BACKS feature the songs "LOVE ME DO" and "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and since there were ONLY

2,202 COPIES EVER PRESSED, when found it would be worth a small fortune in any acceptable condition.

12.) Jackets with RED, WHITE & BLUE DOTS located under the top back paper overlap are normally FAKES. These

dots were normally used during t he printing process and they are CLEARLY VISIBLE WITHOUT THE NEED TO

SEPARATE THE PAPER FROM THE JACKET. Disturbing the paper is NEVER recommended, since it does seriously

AUTHENTIC, AS LONG AS ALL OTHER TESTS ARE PASSED. And usually a FAKE cover will be accompanied by

13.) If the record has a label with a RAINBOW color band without high resolution or gradual color change, it's FAKE.

Some labels are plain BLACK with SILVER lettering with either a small [VJ] Brackets label or SILVER OVAL label.

These have NO Color Bandand are the exceptions. Color Bands MUST INCLUDE the color "GREEN" or the

14.) (RE: OUTER JACKET "FLAPS") It's been disclosed by even the most knowledgeable experts that some WEST

COAST COVERS have been found to have NO FLAPS, yet they pass ALL THE OTHER LEGITIMACY TESTS which

include the all important 100% CONCLUSIVE "HONEY" TEST (listed above). Therefore where there are NO FLAPS

present at all, the jacket MUST STILL PASS ALL OTHER TESTS for legitimacy in order to be considered AUTHENTIC.

Vee Jay

in 1964 was known to have thrown caution to the wind when it came to any resemblance of quality control. One reason

was the fact that they had many legal battles to overcome. Based upon that fact alone, the company decided to rush the

construction of all jackets using any available materials in order to save money and beat their legal deadlines. In doing

so, any STEREO disc might have been paired with any VERSION 1 cover. Knowing how Vee Jay as a company generally operated, anything would have been possible in 1964. However, passing the "HONEY" test is still THE MOST

IMPORTANT validation test. NO FAKE HAS PASSED THIS TEST - EVER! Always keep that in mind when examining

the results of any other tests. Nothing else matters. And one final word about "FLAPS". It is a known fact that covers with

"NO FLAPS" were discovered as originating on the WEST COAST. In fact a well know collector, presently has in his

possession a "MONO" cover, and another has "2 STEREO COVERS". Obviously these are small numbers, but we point

out that if "ONE" or "TWO" exist, using common sense there would only have been more, especially since these

pass all the known authenticity tests including the 100% CONCLUSIVE "HONEY" TEST. As screwed up as Vee Jay

was at that time, they would never have had any kind of production runs in the single digit numbers. Even for them it

15.) We have had people write in and ask "WHY DO PAUL'S HANDS NOT APPEAR ON THE FRONT COVER?" on

certain versions of INTRODUCING ... THE BEATLES. This comment mainly applies to the STEREO covers where his

hands NEVER appear on any version of this LP. His hands only appear on MONOS and on STEREOS that DON'T have

"STEREOPHONIC" printed across the top of the front cover in GRAY on a WHITE BACKGROUND. Some STEREOS

were also housed in MONO covers with applied "STEREO" or "STEREOPHONIC" stickers. Only in these cases would

you ever see "PAUL'S HANDS". These stickers were WHITE with BLACK ink.

We only hope that this sets the record straight on these very important but often misunderstood points. If anyone has any comments or feels that our information is lacking in any way, please come forward. Please take a moment and look over all of our listings. All BEATLES pricing is reflective of the latest BEATLES PRICE GUIDES in particular the most recent guides. I n addition, our pricing is based on condition, rarity, and scarcity. There are other existing BEATLES PRICE G UIDES available, however you must keep in mind that most guides are now several years old and don't reflect accurate or current market values, regardless of who the authors are or what ever their so- called "expertise" may be. Please feel free to ask any questions or request additional photos! Very RARE , quite collectible a nd valuable to any BEATLES collector! ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ It's important to note that the majority of Hi-End collectibles like this are always usually quite expensive primarily in most cases due to the fact that here in 2019, they are RARE and at this stage QUITE SCARCE. In order to even locate some of these items, you would have to be at the right place at the right time since they are undoubtedly a part of someone's collection at this point. Some of the BEATLES items that are most likely the hardest to locate presently would be: 1.) "HEAR THE BEATLES Tell ALL" PROMO LP (Vee Jay) 2.) "ANNA / AS ME WHY" Spec DJ #8 PROMO EP (Vee Jay) 3.) "ASK ME WHY" PROMO Black & White Sleeve (Vee Jay) 4.) "PLEASE PLEASE ME / ASK ME WHY" Stock or Promo 45 VJ-498 (Vee Jay) 5.) "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" Stereo AD BACK LP (Vee Jay) 6.) "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" Stereo BLANK BACK LP (Vee Jay) 7.) "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" Stereo VERSION 1 COLUMN BACK (Vee Jay) 8.) "THE BEATLES & FRANK IFIELD" Stereo or Mono Portrait Cover (Vee Jay) 9.) "MY BONNIE / THE SAINTS" 45 Black Label w/ Color Bars (MGM) 10.) "MY BONNIE / THE SAINTS" 45 Pink Label Promo (Decca) 11.) "YESTERDAY & TODAY" Stereo or Mono 1st State BUTCHER COVER LP (Capitol) 12.) "HEY JUDE / BEATLES AGAIN" (3) Prototype Cover Designs (Apple) 13.) "THE BEATLES vs. THE 4 SEASONS" Stereo 2LP (Vee Jay) 14.) "FROM ME TO YOU / THANK YOU GIRL" Stock or Promo 45 VJ-522 (Vee Jay) 15.) "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT" Promo LP (United Artists) 16.) "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT" Stereo PINK Vinyl LP (United Artists) 17.) "WHITE ALBUM" Stereo / # Less than 34 (Apple) 18.) "I'LL GET YOU" One-Sided Promo 45 (Swan) 19.) "WMCA GOOD GUYS" Promo Picture Sleeve (Capitol) 20.) "PLEASE PLEASE ME / FROM ME TO YOU" Promo BEATLEMANIA Sleeve VJ-581 (Vee Jay) 21.) "WE CAN WORK IT OUT / DAY TRIPPER" Red & White Star Line Target Label (Capitol) 22.) "WQAM-560-MIAMI" Radio Exclusive (WQAM Radio) 23.) "BEATLES INTRODUCE NEW SONGS" Promo 45 (Capitol) 24.) "BEATLES SECOND ALBUM" Compact 33 (Capitol) 25.) "BEATLES SECOND ALBUM" Open-End Interview Compact 33 (Capitol) 26.) "MEET THE BEATLES" Compact 33 (Capitol) 27.) "MEET THE BEATLES" Open-End Interview Compact 33 (Capitol) 28.) "SOMETHING NEW" Compact 33 (Capitol) 29.) "MEET THE BEATLES" Promo Mono LP (Capitol) 30.) "SAVAGE YOUNG BEATLES" Yellow Label (Savage) 31.) "SONGS, PICTURES & STORIES" Stereo LP w/City (Vee Jay) 32.) "YESTERDAY & TODAY" Several Prototype Covers (Capitol) 33.) "BEATLES RADIO SPOTS" Several (Capitol) , United Artists ) 34.) "A HARD DAY'S NIGHT" 45 Airport Sleeve (United Artists) Why are we mentioning these? As is the case with every one of the afore mentioned items each time we have offered any of them (when available), people have made offers, but in many cases they were never serious or offers weren't close to being reasonable or reflective of real market value. It is also important to note that our owner is retiring and intends to sell off his entire collection. With that said, although sometimes not stated in many of our listings he's willing to to offering DISCOUNTS to those who appear to be serious. When making any offer always feel free to ask as many questions as you can. Thank you for watching! Please take a moment and look over all of our listings. If you're interested in any VINYL, CD, CASSETTE, VHS TAPE, DVD, POSTER or any other item that you don't see listed, it doesn't mean that we don't have it or can't obtain it for you. So please let us know. We have thousands of items too numerous to list, therefore .. . WE WELCOME ALL INQUIRIES! It's important to point out, when sellers on e b a y set a price for an item, many factors are in play. One of which is the fact that SELLER FEES can be up to 10% of the Sell Price . So when you think that the price listed might be higher than you think it should be, please keep all these added costs in mind. Thank you for watching! Where does our knowledge about "Vee Jay" RECORDS originate? Although there have been several very well done and well researched publications about the history of the "BEATLES" , t heir recordings, and the companies who had the unique opportunity to have had an association with them, most if not all based their research solely upon THIRD P ARTY INFORMATION and whatever existing info/ documents remained available. Regarding our specific expertise with respect to "Vee Jay" , our owner was fortunate enough to have had a relative who was personal friends of both Vivian Carter and her husband Jimmy Bracken (original "Vee Jay" owners) . Their friendship goes back to their days in the 1950s in Gary, Indiana. Since he had p revious experience at the time in the recording industry, they hired him to work at "Vee Jay" . With his first hand knowledge of everything that went on there through December 1964 , his insight and experiences with respect to daily company operations and internal issues which he graciously passed on to us, have been in valuable since they originated from his personal experience. Production & Vendor issues were his areas of knowledge and expertise that he was personally involved with on a daily basis during the "BEATLES" era. His first hand knowledge plus his personal possessions and documents retained from his years there, have been and always will remain priceless to us. He had always stated that 1964 was very stressful for everyone there. Although he remained friends with the Brackens , it was no longer a place he felt he could continue to work. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to pass on what we consider to be some of the greatest personal insight that one could ever have imagined obtaining from a recording company of such historical significance. ALL ITEMS ARE PROFESSIONALLY PACKAGED! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE! All vinyl records are sold on the basis of their collectibility, rarity, scarcity, with special consideration in some cases given specifically to whom the artist happens to be. Also factored in is the physical and visual examination of play surfaces, labels, outer jacket and the inner sleeve (where applicable) and in most cases when there is obvious issues to the naked eye which would most certainly affect play. This would be a part of the item's description (however unless item is of extreme rarity and does have value regardless of it's condition) , we try to avoid ever selling severely damaged records. We point out that "THE BEATLES" are in a category of their own and in cases with many of their extremely rare items, we've sold some of their records even when they did have surface issues, however their value in any condition made these specific items retain certain value and collectability and a buyer would be made aware of it before we would ever sell it. We don't play test every vinyl since we have tens of thousands of vinyl records in stock, making it impossible to play each of them. Please remember this when buying and always ask questions prior to finalizing any purchase. Tax & Fees may apply depending upon BUYER LOCATON!