1ST STATE UNPEELED BEATLES ORIGINAL RARE BUTCHER COVER

$

456

EXTREMELY RARE COLLECTIBLE "FIRST STATE BUTCHER COVER"

Offered is the legendary Beatles "BUTCHER COVER" album from my personal collection.

This is the "New Improved Full Dimensional Stereo" edition, pressed in Los Angeles, as indicated by number "5" on the back of the cover.  (See explanation below.)

This is one of the rarest, most collectible albums in existence!

In 1966, people were not so desensitized to violence as we are today and Capitol Records realized they had made a disastrous mistake after releasing the album.  They quickly pulled all distributed copies from stores, filled a giant landfill with them, and ran a bulldozer over the thousands of copies they were able to retrieve.  The albums that survived the recall and the bulldozer are referred to as "First State."

Until Capitol Records was able to issue and distribute a new, less grizzly and offensive, album cover, they altered the remaining small group of covers by pasting a new photo over the Butcher Cover.  Known as "Second State" or "Pasteover" covers, these are also highly collectible.....

BUT NOT NEARLY AS COLLECTIBLE AS THE ORIGINAL FIRST STATE ISSUES.

In the sea of official “regular” (Trunk) covers that flooded the market, (with Paul sitting inside a trunk surrounded by John, George & Ringo), it is virtually impossible to find surviving copies of the original “butcher” covers and if you do get lucky, they are cost prohibitive for most people, with sealed First State covers commanding many, many thousands of dollars, especially for the rare stereo recordings.

Capitol Records pressed/assembled the "Yesterday...and Today" albums in 4 U.S. cities and used numbers to designate where the covers were printed.  The numbers were printed near the RIAA symbol on the back of the cover.  Stereo copies from the Los Angeles, CA, plant are designated with the number "5" and mono copies from the L.A. plant are marked with a "6."  Evidently, mono copies outnumbered the stereo copies by about 10 to 1, which makes the stereo copies far more rare and valuable to collectors.

It will be very evident even to the untrained eye that the Butcher Cover and record I am offering are 100% authentic.  As a teenager growing up in the '60's, I was frequently asked to bring my records to parties since I had such a great collection.  Not wanting my precious record collection to mysteriously end up in someone else's bedroom, I put my name on both the records and covers.  So, what you are bidding on is an "autographed copy" of an original, First State Butcher Cover from 1966.  I lovingly cared for the hundreds of great albums collected in the '60's and then disaster struck in the '80's........a pipe in a wall sprang a slow leak that went undetected for days (?) because covering that wall were my stereo cabinet and hundreds of LP's!!  It wasn't until it was too late that I discovered my album covers had gotten wet, as obviously seen in the pictures.

I think most collectors frame these album covers so some of the damage and my "autographs" at the top left and on the back could be hidden by framing.  You could always wait for years for someone to pass on and leave a mint First State to a family member who would be willing to sell it to you for thirty or forty thousand dollars or you can "settle" for a flawed but still very valuable one NOW...the choice is yours, or course!

On the bright side, I played the album start to finish yesterday and it plays beautifully with no skips at all and very minimal "scratchy noise." For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable, without any major flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.  There are some tiny white specks on one side.  Don't know what they are but they don't affect playback.  I tried to wash them off but was afraid I'd do more damage than good so didn't keep at it when they didn't come right off.  You can see them in the photo of the record.  Note that you can see the reflection of my hand and camera on the record because the record is so shiny.

There are some surface scratches on the record which would be expected for a used record that is almost 45 years old but it plays great and sounds great.  Most collectors are after the cover anyway, not the record, but the record is pretty awesome in and of itself....great songs!

Normally, I only ship within the continental U.S.  However, because I realize this offering is highly sought after worldwide, I will CONSIDER shipping internationally on this item. 

IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE CONTINENTAL U.S., PLEASE CONTACT ME THROUGH THE EBAY MESSAGING SYSTEM

PRIOR TO BIDDING SO WE CAN WORK OUT THE DETAILS. 

I accept Pay Pal, which you can use to remit payment with a credit card, debit card or directly from your bank account.  

Payment expected within 2 days of close of the auction.

If you feel the item is significantly not as described, please notify me within 2 days of receipt of the item to start the return process.  Your refund will be processed after receiving the item(s) in the same condition as when shipped.  Once I receive the item back, I will refund the purchase price less a 20% restocking fee.  Please note that shipping charges are not refundable and there are no returns after 7 days.

If you have ANY questions, please ask before bidding so you can bid with confidence.  I do my best to describe items accurately and appreciate your good feedback.

HAPPY BIDDING AND THANKS FOR LOOKING!