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Introducing the Beatles

DougMac

DougMac

Super Member
My wife and I did the annual Georgia "Peaches to Beaches" garage sale Saturday. We drove from Colloden to Hawkinsville. Deb scored some really pretty Limoge soup cups and I picked up a handful of records in nice condition, all for $1.00, including "Meet Little Richard". Alas, it's a beat up copy with no cover that I'm thinking of framing.

It was a long day and we were only a few miles home when Deb suggested we swing by the antique stores in Bolinbroke. These are "nice" antique stores where if you find any records they are overpriced. The lady that ran one of the stores asked me if I collected anything special and I replied: "Yes, but I don't think you deal in them. I collect records." She said: "Follow me and took me to a storage room. We had to clear some odds and ends, but tucked underneath a table was a large box of records.

I pulled them out and started thumbing through them. It was full of 60's era records, including a couple of Herman's Hermits, The Who's "Tommy" and a Gerry and the Pacemakers. Then I ran into some Beatles records, including two mono copies of "Meet the Beatles", "The Beatles Second Album", "The Beatles '65" and lastly, "Introducing the Beatles".

I couldn't believe it. I whipped out my iphone and looked up the web site about counterfits. I was reading through them, peeking at the record and cover to no divulge my find. Everything pointed to authentic.

Just then, the husband who owned the store stepped in and asked me if I found anything. I asked him how much he wanted for the records and he asked me how much I'd pay for the entire box. I offered him $50, way more than I normally pay for box lots. He initially refused, but with a little more encouragement, he said: "I want to get rid of them, it's a deal."

I got them home and there were 78 records, most of which will go to GW. More research indicates the "Introducing the Beatles" is a legit mono second edition. I think it's authentic, especially since it came from a box with records all from the right time frame. Both record and cover are a conservative VG++. I washed it and it plays with no ticks or pops.

I bought "Meet the Beatles" when it was released. I was in the 7th grade. I bought every release after that (through Abbey Road), but didn't buy "Introducing the Beatles". Now I've finally got a copy!
 
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Very nice! I pulled an authentic stereo 2nd "Introducing..." out of a garage sale lot around the corner from my house last year. It's always fun to get a score like that... :thmbsp:

The sound quality should be excellent. Vee-Jay did a good job on that album.
 
Sq

Sam Cogley said:
The sound quality should be excellent. Vee-Jay did a good job on that album.
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It does sound excellent, one more reason I think it's original. I don't know how the fakes sound.

I'm curious, tell me about the count in to "I Saw Her Standing There". On the capital version, it's the entire count in. On the Vee Jay, it starts at "Four!". Is that how yours is?
 
I have two copies of which I know one is definitely authentic. Both of them start with "four' on that song.
 
DougMac said:
It does sound excellent, one more reason I think it's original. I don't know how the fakes sound.

I'm curious, tell me about the count in to "I Saw Her Standing There". On the capital version, it's the entire count in. On the Vee Jay, it starts at "Four!". Is that how yours is?
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The same. I do prefer the full count - either do the full thing or cut it all off. Leaving the "Four!" in sounds strange.

I've had a fake, it sounded weird, for lack of a better term. A real VJ in good shape will rival Parlophone's pressing quality.
 
Thanks Sam and Jim, more evidence that I have an authentic copy. It really does sound good, there's a little noise between tracks that is covered up once the music starts. The recording quality really is good. The jacket is clean with no ring wear, just a little foxing on the back. Research indicates this was the most common edition.

"Meet the Beatles" is also in good shape, there is a little more noise that knocks it down to a conservative VG+. There were some other keepers in the group, "The Best of Dave Brubeck" and a couple of other jazz records. I didn't even mention the four Elvis LP's, which are RCA Camden 80's editions still in shrink wrap.

This wasn't what I would regard as a score, but as a pretty good deal. I don't think I cheated the seller. It's more of a nostalgia thing for me. When I took dancing lessons at the tender age of 13 and 14, the teachers had a copy of this LP. We'd do the swing to "I Saw Her Standing There".
 
If you go through that detailed checklist on that website about "Introducing the Beatles," and your record clearly passes all the tests, then there is a good chance it is authentic, despite there being more counterfeits out there than real ones!

It being in with a bunch of same-era records is a good sign. Mine came in a batch like that, and was subsequently substantiated as genuine by two recognized expert collectors. However, that alone is still not proof, as counterfeiting started very early on with Beatles records, while the group was still performing and popular, and not just after their records became "collectible." Still, if it came like that and passes all the the tests on that website, it's probably genuine.

The question then is exactly which release is it, and what grade/condition is it in? Value on these varies, and can drop a LOT if it isn't one of the earliest two pressings, and/or not in very fine shape.

Anyway, it sounds like you picked up some treasure -- CONGRATULATIONS! :thmbsp:
 
Arkay said:
If you go through that detailed checklist on that website about "Introducing the Beatles," and your record clearly passes all the tests, then there is a good chance it is authentic, despite there being more counterfeits out there than real ones!

It being in with a bunch of same-era records is a good sign. Mine came in a batch like that, and was subsequently substantiated as genuine by two recognized expert collectors. However, that alone is still not proof, as counterfeiting started very early on with Beatles records, while the group was still performing and popular, and not just after their records became "collectible." Still, if it came like that and passes all the the tests on that website, it's probably genuine.
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Most counterfeits are easy to spot. Mine came out of a box with several other early-pressing Beatles discs that had been together since new. Between passing all of the checks and the history (bought it from the original owner), I'm convinced it's genuine.
 
DougMac said:
This wasn't what I would regard as a score, but as a pretty good deal. I don't think I cheated the seller. It's more of a nostalgia thing for me. When I took dancing lessons at the tender age of 13 and 14, the teachers had a copy of this LP. We'd do the swing to "I Saw Her Standing There".
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Well, I don't know about that. The second-issue ITB seems to be worth about $20-30 in nice condition, and the other four aren't far behind.

Were there any other decent records in that box?
 
It's a Crazy Market

vinyl1 said:
Well, I don't know about that. The second-issue ITB seems to be worth about $20-30 in nice condition, and the other four aren't far behind.

Were there any other decent records in that box?
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I checked completed listings at that auction site and copies like mine sold for $20-$100.
Also in the box:
Stan Getz, "Stan Getz at Large"
Blood, Sweat and Tears 3
Sinatra and Basie, "It Might as Well be Swing"
Sil Austin Plays Pretty for the People
Elvis, "I Got Lucky"
Kitty Wells Greatest Hits
Judy Garland, "A Star is Born
Polly Bergen, "Bergen Sings Morgan"
Wilson Pickett, "The Wicked Pickett"
Junior Walker and the All Stars, "Shotgun"
Elvis, "Burning Love"
Beatles, "Rubber Soul"
Gerry and the Pacemakers, "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"
Steppenwolf, "Early Steppenwolf"
"Herman's Hermits On Tour"
Herman's Hermits, "Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter"
"Meet the Beatles" x2, one copy VG-, other VG+ (as mentioned earlier)
The Who, "Tommy" EX-
Dave Brubeck's Greatest Hits (mentioned earlier)
Dracula's Greatest Hits

35-40 others not worth listing, GW material. (Christmas, high school bands, etc.)
 
If the label on the LP has both "Introducing the Beatles" and "The Beatles" above the spindle hole it is authentic. I have two copies but both mine are fake since "Introducing the Beatles" is above the spindle hole whereas "The Beatles" is below the spindle hole. :tears: :D
 
If you go through that detailed checklist on that website about "Introducing the Beatles," and your record clearly passes all the tests
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Well I just checked my two copies and it looks like both of mine are originals. The one mono copy has brackets and is well used. The other one though is the oval label with the ad-back. It completely matches the description for an original complete with the "Printed in U.S.A." on the front cover to the mechanical stampings in the lead out area of the disc. The mechanical stampings looks to be important from what I have read because no counterfeit has been found with these stampings. The cover is VG+ with the record also being VG+. Has any one else read anything different about the mechanical stamping issue? This has been in my collection for about 30 years.:D
 
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pioneervato said:
If the label on the LP has both "Introducing the Beatles" and "The Beatles" above the spindle hole it is authentic. I have two copies but both mine are fake since "Introducing the Beatles" is above the spindle hole whereas "The Beatles" is below the spindle hole. :tears: :D
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For illustration purposes, this is what an authentic rainbow/brackets stereo label looks like:
ITB_M3D.jpg


There were approximately 1.3 million mono copies sold of all varieties, but only 41,000 stereo. 2,000-ish of the stereo copies were the first version with "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You."
 
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One quick check is if The Beatles is under the spindle hole, it's a fake.

I have 1 original and 2 or 3 fakes. The covers on the fakes, well, look like crap compared to the original. They're really not hard to spot.
 
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