THE BEATLES - PLEASE PLEASE ME 1ST MONO GOLD PMC 1202 1H/ 1H 1ST EVER FAIR LP
£
700
$
928
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
THE BEATLES
PLEASE PLEASE ME
PMC 1202
1963 1st PRESSING DICK JAMES CREDITS GOLD TYPEFACE LABEL
A particularly rare 1st issue here having being pressed on an old EMI pressing machine from the late-1950's. We can tell this from the unusual full circle indented outer ring on both labels. The mother/ stamper combinations are 1H and 1H and this particular text layout and design is only ever found with those combinations. The general consensus of collector’s is that only around a hundred or so ever existed, as they are believed to have involved more manual operation than subsequent pressings, and having being manufactured before or alongside the 1G/ 1G’s makes these amongst the very first iterations of Please Please Me long player’s!
The sleeve is actually the standard version manufactured by E. J. Day, I would’ve expected it to be in a Gold sleeve but things were not always done in a linear fashion at E. M. I. or it could’ve been swapped by owner’s down the years. The edges, corners and fold-over seams have some storage wear and the top and bottom rear fold-overs have a fraction of cello-tape residue, but are in fact still well adhered to the card underneath, only splitting away near the opening edges. The lamination has a few minor creases. I would grade it as Fair as it retains its structural integrity, is fairly clean, retains its contrast, and there is no writing or major marks.
The inner sleeve is a correct one - a thick heavy type outer paper with a poly-inner and 'Made In England' text with Emitex advertising info. It is in Very Good condition with minor ageing.
The vinyl itself is in Fair condition. There are lots of hairlines and a few scratches that can be felt but do not run deep. No needle drops, warping or groove wear, and nothing particularly worrisome. It retains a mirror-like jet black glossy pressing sheen and lies perfectly flat on the turntable. It has obviously received many plays but is not by any means ‘trashed’.
The labels I grade as Very Good as the gold leaf has been well retained and the black paper is still quite glossy with minor sleeve removal evident around the outer perimeter . There are no marks or writing. There is a minor amount of spindle point wear and only a couple of line traces around it. Has the earliest ZT tax code which adds further credence to it being one of the very first pressed.
It plays fairly decently given its condition, but you would not be purchasing for the audio, it’s more about its historical significance as potentially the first ever Please Please Mono LP ever made. There is background noise throughout, a few jumps and two sticks. Despite this, as always with these heavy-set pressing, the music shines through and is still great to listen to. The instrumentals and vocal are clear and lucid, and the mono bass is fantastic.
I have never seen one of these come up for sale before since I’ve been on eBay, and hence the price reflects its rarity but I’m open to offers.
***************************************
I use the record collector grading guide and have very rarely ever had any disagreement over my grading from buyers.
The record will be extremely well protected using a professional LP mailer with a stiffener, and I add extra outer padding for overseas orders.
The vinyl will be removed from the original inner sleeve, placed in a new generic one and placed next to the main sleeve and will all be housed in a best on the market thumb-weld glass sleeve.
price rating
