THE BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME PMC 1202 MONO VINYL FIRST PRESS - 1/1 mothers

	£		337
	$		447

THE BEATLES PLEASE PLEASE ME PMC 1202 MONO VINYL FIRST PRESS - 1/1 mothersK

1. First pressing. March 22, 1963. The first pressing has black label with gold print and “Parlophone Co. Ltd” printed at the start perimeter print. “Dick James Mus. Co” uncorrect publishing credit for “I Saw Her Standing There”, “Misery”, “Do You Want To Know A Secret” & “There’s A Place”. With or without tax code and with 33 1/3 on the label. Tax code variations: ZT, MT, ZMT. Polythene-lined “Use Emitex” die-cut inner sleeve.
Matrix numbers: Side 1: XEX 421-1N; Side 2: XEX 422-1N.
ref - thebeatles-collection.com/wordpress/?s=please+please+me
Short-lived first press with black/gold labels, the main pressing with classic Parlophone black & yellow labels was released a couple of months later.
On the first sleeves, the "Photo: Angus McBean" credit was printed at the extreme right corner (front bottom right), starting where the "s" of songs end (see pictures). On the second issue sleeves, the credit was moved a bit to the left.
Issues with the Below Stampers Signify Very First Release of 1500 copies Side A - 1 (9 o'clock) 0 (3 o'clock) Side B - 1 (9 o'clock) M (3 o'clock)
ref - www.discogs.com/release/1350468-The-Beatles-Please-Please-Me
Details about this copy:
Matrix numbers: Side 1: XEX 421-1N; Side 2: XEX 422-1N
Mother/Stamper: side one 1/0; side two 1/M or H? (difficult to read exactly but close and low either way)
One of the first few thousand made and it plays really well! no skips, a few ticks and light crackle, a fabulous listening experience...watch the video montage This copy is a rare ; "Second label variation of the first pressing which has a circular groove. This circular groove was the result of the use of the old stamp machines. This groove may appear on side 1 or side 2" The groove, as pictured, is on side 2
Graded as Outer Sleeve = G+ I believe this is quite conservative, close to VG as it is intact, no major rips or tears, flaps are in place. There is , however, a fair bit of staining, rubbing wear on edges and signs of some tape reinforcement on opening - it has had a life :)
Inner Sleeve = VG Fully useable 'use emitex' original. Has creases and small partial splits on all edges. Very clean for its age though... see photos
The labels = VG+, black and gold originals as per the Discogs and BC version referenced above, with deeper groove on side 2 and erroneous miscredit to Dicks James etc (not a crossover, as this would have Northern Songs. So a genuine 1st press). MT tax code, side one The labels are surprisingly clean and unmarked, close to EX. No scratches, no writing, no tape residue...just normal wear and tear from usage. Very Nice.
The vinyl = overall , visually, VG, side one poss VG+. Playback is definitely strong VG+ There are plenty of skate marks, light scratches and scuffs. Very light on side one. Side two has a bolder mark which does cause a few clicks on tracks 5 and 6. Not very prominent though so little impact on the overall experience
The listening experience: WOW! For an LP of this age and the life it has had it sounds brilliant. A few light crackles between tracks, the odd tick, no jumps, no sticks and a perfectly enjoyable listen...watch the montage for an idea!
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Decoding the UK EMI matrix:
At 6 o clock is the matrix number with a dash number. In this case it is Side 1: XEX 421-1N; Side 2: XEX 422-1N Dash 1 indicates the 1st lacquer made. -2 would be the second, etc.
At 9 o clock is the mother number. In this case it is Mother #1
At 3 o clock is the stamper code. The code works like this:
GRAMPHONELTD
123456789,10,11,12
The letter above is code for the corresponding number below.  Example: the stamper code on side one of this record is "O". This corresponds to the numbers O = 7. Stamper is #7 the stamper code on side TWO of this record is either "H" or "M" (hard to see exactly). This corresponds to the numbers H = 6, or M = 4. Stamper is either #6 or #4 - either way this copy is a very early press, in the first few thousand made...
 = 1/7 and 1/4 or 6
I have tried to photograph these as best I can...
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Please view all photos and watch/listen to the montage video:  The last photo is a screenshot showing the discogs recent sales (VG/G+) and the prices they fetched. Bearing in mind those may not have been with the rarer early machine groove on side two that this has. My expectation is for a higher price perhaps but there is no reserve and I start the bidding at just below the lowest price on the sales graph - £99, NO RESERVE, but a minimum offer of 600 ...
Postage - I have specified Royal Mail Special Delivery for UK; however , if a high offer or bid exceeds the minimum offer amount I will post for free to UK addresses. Internationally I will only use the eBay global shipping service. This will mean their shipping costs will apply and they will take relevant taxes etc. So, please be aware, whilst I can forgo the UK royal mail cost, I cannot impact the GSP charges... Will pack securely for protection... ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ 
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