THE BEATLES - FOR SALE

An increasingly rare and sought after copy of this 1964 UK MONO 1st pressing on the yellow & black UK PARLOPHONE label, MONO PMC 1240

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  XEX 503 - 4N  with stampers "2" and "R L D" at 8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

Side 2  XEX 504 - 3N  with stampers "4" and "G T H" at 9.30 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

Note the "-4N/-3N" matrix endings, each indicative of a first UK pressing (there were no matrix numbers ending in either "-1N" or "-2N").

The appearance of the vinyl is EXCELLENT. The vinyl is heavy, flat and each side has retained much of it's original beautiful glossy sheen. In normal daylight each side of the vinyl comes across as near perfect and it's only under a bright light that some superficial wispy hairlines and very faint scuff marks come into evidence but none of these are "feelable", intrusive or below the surface.  Overall excellent condition with jet black lacquer still fully intact - remarkable, and rare, for a 54 year old classic such as this.

The labels are excellent. There are a number of faint spindle trail traces on each side adjacent to the centre hole, however, indicating that this record has had a reasonable number of plays but apart from that no other blemishes whatsoever, with all silver text upon the black matt background still beautifully defined and the yellow "PARLOPHONE" text and logo each retaining their rich colour vibrancy. Note the presence of "THE PARLOPHONE CO. LTD...." text on the perimeter of the label, the "SOLD IN THE U.K. SUBJECT TO..." text across each label, and the "RECORDING FIRST PUBLISHED..." text which, along with the "4N/3N" matrix numbers, confirm the authenticity of this being a very first pressing. 

The front and back-laminated outer gate fold sleeve is in VG condition.  All edges remain firm with barely any scuffing apart from 1cm of noticeable scuffing/rubbing at either end of the spine. Apart from that the spine iteself is firm with all text perfectly legible.There are some sporadic light and small surface/laminate creases on the front and reverse sides adjacent and perpendicular to the spine but these really are very minor, and a furthehr minor laminate crease on the front side just to the right of Ringo's cheek.  The matt textured inside of the gate fold is in very good plus condition with no unwanted writing or doodles and all original text and photos are totally intact - still very impressive even after all these years! There is no fraying on the inside "Unipack" style opening edge and the flipbacks are excellent and remain fully functional. There are no nasty marks, no age discolouration, no writing or doodles. All the colouring remains rich and vibrant and the photos remain crystal clear. Because of it's unique design and relative flimsiness, copies of this gate fold, especially accompanying first pressings, which are in excellent or better condition are extremely hard to come by. I have tried to be very precise in my appraisal of the condition of this gate fold - it does have it's blemishes so not perfect by any means but still in impressive, overall very good (at least) condition. 

Finally, the quality of the audio is VG+. In fact when I first play tested the vinyl there was significant crackle on each side which seemed totally at odds with the apparent excellent condition of the vinyl, so I carefully cleaned each side of the vinyl with warm soapy water and the audio quality suddenly became much, much improved!  There are no clicks or skips and although there is still some occasional, mild background static/crackle (only really noticeable at the beginning and end of each side and during just a few of the quieter moments) there is very good MONO tone and clarity, even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume, and each track makes for an excellent listen. I can only put the mild background interference down to dust in the grooves through decades of storage and would wager that a professional clean would likely improve the audio quality even further, but I stress that even without a professional clean the audio quality of each track right now is at least very good+ and impressive!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. NO REPLY

2. I'M A LOSER

3. BABY'S IN BLACK

4. ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC

5. I'LL FOLLOW THE SUN

6. MR. MOONLIGHT

7. KANSAS CITY

Side 2 :

1. EIGHT DAYS A WEEK

2. WORDS OF LOVE

3. HONEY DON'T

4. EVERY LITTLE THING

5. I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY

6. WHAT YOU'RE DOING

7. EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO BE MY BABY

Comes complete with original die-cut "USE EMITEX" poly lined inner with some creasing towards the corners but no tears or splits, and remains fully functional and in overall excellent condition.  Note that I always post the record(s) in a new plain white inner sleeve(s) in order to protect the original(s).

In summary a solid VERY GOOD copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1964 UK 1st MONO pressing Beatles classic - a worthy addition to any serious Beatles vinyl collection which will only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class for UK £4.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class/Airmail for continental Europe £7, and Rest of the World £10. 

PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE PAYING!!

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler