The BEATLES - *WHITE ALBUM* - 1968 - UK - *MONO* - 1st PRESSING - 1G STAMPER

	£		525
	$		696

THE BEATLES (WHITE ALBUM) UK - 1st PRESSING - 1968

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The ***Star*** attraction of this auction is the incredible wide-spine   first issue Mono cover, plus an earliest possible *1-G* stamper code 
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THE COVER # 0145840 (Mono issue with a blank back panel)
This incredible example is by far the best I've ever seen, when it comes to an original, numbered, top loading issue. I doubt that I will ever see another one as good as this. It could easily be considered as a final upgrade, and would be an outstanding addition to any Beatles record collection. You can see from the photos, just how impossibly good it is. The most astonishing feature here, is the unbelievable condition of the spine. It has no browning and all the text is fully legible through the perfect lamination (no flaking or missing laminate). This is all the more incredible, as it is a rarer widespine (10mm) cover, which the laminate bridges, instead of following the contours of the recessed spine. You can see this in the close-up photo showing the end of the spine, where there is a gap between the entire length and the laminate. In some of the photos where you can see the text, it looks as if there is no laminate because it is so clear but it runs, uninterrupted, along the whole length. How it hasn't split after 55 years is nothing short of miraculous.   There are no pressure dinks, scratches, thumb bends, or laminate lift; just a few very mild wrinkles and light lines, only really obvious against reflected light. The surfaces are beautifully smooth and have toned fairly evenly throughout. Interestingly, there is a tiny section along the top opening outer edges which the laminate has not quite covered, revealing the original true whiteness before lamination. Therefore it is fairly safe to assume that it is the glue in the laminate that affects the tone of all these original issues.
Please be aware that digital cameras always make these covers look snow white, which they are not. This one is no exception and is not as white as the images, so I have tried to give a more accurate impression by adding a filter to the last photo, but you can see that the toning is still as mild as you could reasonably expect.
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THE DISCS
Matrices:             1/1/3/1             Stampers:  1-G / 2/6-GRA / ?-GRD / 2-PH
As you can see, disc 1 carries a 1 matrix ending, as well as a 1G stamper code, meaning that it would have come from the very first pressing run of this iconic album. Interestingly enough, a myth exists around copies with labels which show 'An EMI Recording' as being later second pressings, compared to labels which omit this text, in error. This disc proves beyond any doubt, that both these labels were in production from day one, having been set by hand on different printing presses, with the error label subsequently dropped or corrected shortly after. There are copies out there that have mismatched labels on either side of the disc. 

AUDIO - VG
Very good sound quality throughout. The run-ins are mainly silent. There is the occasional 'pop' and a few very soft rotational 'ticks' here and there, on the more frequently played disc 1, but they are soft and very much confined to the background of the track. There are some rotational ticks at the start of Revolution 9 on disc 2 but all other tracks play without any issues. I am being very fussy here, as the majority of tracks play perfectly and deliver a great listening experience.
VISUALLY - VG-
The discs still retain a very good gloss lustre and although there are some surface lines present, they are not excessive and the majority are fairly light. Overall, the vinyl surfaces do look far better than most original mono copies. My gradings are cautious as I know people have different expectations but for 55 year old mono discs, these are still in good condition.  
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THE INNER SLEEVES
Excellent condition. All seams are perfect and there is minimal creasing. Just one small split on the die-cut hole of one, but absolutely no damage to the other. Almost impossible to find this good, for such an easily damaged, fragile item.
 THE POSTER/PHOTOS/SPACER
Excellent + condition. Nothing to fault here; they are near perfect!
Included in this set, is a rare spacer sheet. This was used to separate the sets of 4 photos, which were stacked into boxes and sent out to retailers to load into the album covers. The sheet was supposed to be discarded but some were simply included with the set.
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The photos are of the actual item. I always use professional, anti-static, cleaning fluid and listen to the whole disc. Professional mailers are always used. 

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