Beatles LP "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" VJ SR-1062 Ver. 2 STEREO Brackets - RARE

$

950

ATTENTION!!!  With all of the many "BOOTLEGS" on ebay, it's important  to note that this is an AUTHENTIC  & RARE "Version 2" recorded in STEREO and NOT A BOOTLEG of the Beatles album entitled ....  "INTRODUCING ... THE BEATLES"  issued in  early 1964 by Vee Jay Records. 
Beatles LP "INTRODUCING THE BEATLES" - Vee Jay  Records (Version 2) - SR-1062. Brackets Label!  Very Nice!  STEREO! 
This was the STEREO Pressing which was very often Bootlegged*.  This Version 2 featured "PLEASE, PLEASE ME" and "ASK ME WHY"  instead of the Version 1 variation which originally listed "LOVE ME  DO" and "P.S. I LOVE YOU".  It has the Vee Jay BRACKETS Label  with RAINBOW color ring and is quite RARE in STEREO.
*Actually it was predominantly the VERSION 1 marked "STEREOPHONIC" in Gray on a White    background across the top of the jacket that was the primary target of bootleggers although some     "MONO" LPs also were victims as well. 
The Vinyl has some typical surface issues but no serious scratches.  (Hard to find in absolutely MINT condition).  The outer jacket is quite nice  with no splitting and surprisingly little ring wear for this jacket - VERY  NICE CONDITION!  It does have some writing on the front of the outer  jacket.  Also, it passes the all important and conclusive "HONEY" test  which refers to the song title on the back of the jacket entitled "A  TASTE OF HONEY" whereby the letters "H" and "E" in the word  "HONEY" have no ink missing in the top left corner of each letter.   All fakes always have ink missing there.  For a record issued in early  1964, in much lesser quantities than the MONO, this one is quite a  RARE find.  (Also comes with ORIGINAL inner sleeve).
Overall this STEREO version is RARE in today's market since most  of the Version 2 records available are in MONO. Finding one of these  in STEREO is therefore quite a find!  Quite collectible and valuable to  any BEATLES collector! Not bad for something now 50 years old.
Our Catalog # ITB-V2-ST-052414. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ SOME INTERESTING FACTS about ... "INTRODUCING ... THE BEATLES" - FAKE OR REAL?
1.)  First and foremost, genuine copies of any version of this album must have  "INTRODUCING ... THE BEATLES"  & "THE BEATLES", ABOVE THE  SPINDLE HOLE.  If either phrase is below the spindle hole, it is FAKE! No exceptions.
2.)  Keep in mind; there were only Two (2) official versions of this LP – the  VERSION 1 and the VERSION 2. There were NO re-issues ever manufactured  by Vee Jay.
3.)  VERSION 1 – This version included: "AD BACK", "BLANK BACK" and  the "COLUMN or TITLES ON BACK" variations.  All confirmed "AD BACK"  covers have "PRINTED IN USA" on the front cover printed vertically in the  lower left corner.  If this is missing, the "AD BACK" slick was undoubtedly  removed from another Vee Jay LP and pasted to the back of a less valuable  later version.  This process often leaves tell-tale wrinkles on the border of the  slick. Also, contrary to popular belief, no copies of this LP were ever  released in 1963. It is a known fact that the first release of any copies of  "INTRODUCING  … THE BEATLES" officially rolled out of Vee Jay Records  not before January 10, 1964. 
4.)  The  FIRST VERSION 1 COVER or outer jacket prepared was called the  "AD BACK" cover, VJ 1062 (1) MCI.  The back of the jacket featured color  images of 25 Vee Jay albums. The Front has "PRINTED IN USA" in the lower  left side printed vertically.  The VERSION 1 record itself has significant value,  however the outer jacket is really what makes this quite a significant find. 
5.)  The SECOND VERSION 1 COVER for this LP was known as the "BLANK  BACK" featuring a completely blank back of the outer jacket with a semi-glossy  all white paper slick pasted there.  Some covers (MC2A) do have "PRINTED IN  USA" on the front like the "AD BACK" while others (MC2B) do not.  Once again  it is the cover that makes the overall piece quite valuable. 
6.)  The THIRD VERSION 1 COVER issued was commonly known as the  "COLUMN BACK" or "TITLES ON BACK" cover.  It listed song titles on the  back in Two (2) columns. This variation (MONO) came with either the "Oval"  logo label or the Black Rainbow with Vee Jay in "Brackets".  An authentic  STEREO of this variation is extremely rare since there have been millions of  counterfeits that tried to mimic this cover. The FAKE covers are found with  records that are clearly counterfeit, and in all cases "THE BEATLES" always  appears below the spindle hole.  And if the record is FAKE, the cover can’t  be far behind.  LABELS  – The initial label for the first VERSION 1 run was the  Black Rainbow label with the "Oval" logo.  The records included song  titles "P.S. I LOVE YOU"  and "LOVE ME DO"  replaced on later VERSION 2 pressings with "PLEASE, PLEASE ME" and "ASK ME WHY".  VERSION  2 was not released until the beginning of February 1964.  There are Three  (3) font variations with the "Oval" label for this version. The MR1A states  "LONG PLAYING" and "MICROGROOVE" in upper and lower case letters.  MR1B does not mention the words "LONG PLAYING" or "MICROGROOVE",  and the MR1C has these words but only in upper case letters. 
7.)  VERSION 2 – Here again, all real versions must have "INTRODUCING  …  THE BEATLES" and "THE BEATLES" above the spindle hole.  If either  phrase is below the spindle hole, it is no doubt a FAKE. The VERSION 2  variation featured song titles "PLEASE, PLEASE ME" and "ASK ME WHY"  which had replaced "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and "LOVE ME DO"  found only on  VERSION 1 copies and was released in the beginning of February 1964.   The labels varied with either the Black Rainbow "Oval" logo, Black Rainbow  "BRACKETS" logo, Black Background with Silver "VJ" logo, the Black Background with Silver "Oval" logo, the Black Background with Silver "VJ"  in Block Style print, and the Black Background with Silver "Oval" logo (very  rare). In rare cases, some VERSION 2 records can be found with a 45 rpm  label on them as well (Black Rainbow with "Oval" logo). There are also some  FAKES featuring a Medium Sized SILVER BRACKETS LOGO printed on an  all black label (Real ones have a much smaller logo).  All of the VERSION  2 covers are "Column Back / Titles on Back". There are no copies of a STEREO “VERSION 2” disc with a regular sized Rainbow label with  the "Oval" logo known to exist. 
8.)  SOME IMPORTANT TESTS FOR AUTHENTICITY:  TEST #1 – The  most obvious visual test is the "Shadow"  test.  It was originally thought that if George Harrison's "Shadow" appeared on the right side of the front of  the album cover, this was the definitive sign of authenticity.  It was discovered  later that some elaborate FAKES also had this feature, therefore, although the  shadow must be there, its appearance alone does not define the LP as being  authentic.  TEST #2 – A more conclusive test is the "HONEY" test.  This test  refers to the back of the outer jacket and the song title "A TASTE OF HONEY".   On ALL FAKES, in the letters "H" and "E", the top left corners of each letter is  not solidly printed in black with ink missing there. This is probably THE  most  definitive test for authenticity. NO FAKE HAS EVER PASSED THIS TEST.    TEST #3 – The "Flap Test", a test that requires the inspection of the inside  of the cardboard jacket opening. Original VERSION 1 covers were assembled  in late December of 1963 or early January of 1964.  All covers assembled  then have 1/4” flaps at the top and bottom of inner portion of the cardboard  jacket.  FAKES have either no flaps, 1/2” flaps or a 1/4” flap only at the bottom.   It should be noted that there are exceptions to this rule which makes this test  not 100% effective since it has been discovered that some VERSION 2 covers  also do not have any flaps. Here again, there was a serious lack of consistency  in their quality control. TEST #4 – Read the "Trail Off Area". This area of the  record on most if not all FAKES is generally wider than legitimate copies.  On  GENUINE copies, this area varies between 3/4” and 7/8” whereas on FAKES it  is often anywhere from 1” to 1 1/4”.  Most (but not all) legit albums have raised  relief machine stamped logos in the "Trail Off" areas.  Because these machine  stampings are very difficult to duplicate, FAKES very often have no markings  or only hand scratched markings.  The most common machine stampings are  those from Audio Matrix (AR) or the ARP logo.  TEST #5 – Another trait of  a FAKE is that they are normally made with a much thinner vinyl.  Check for  thickness by comparing an LP that is in doubt to a known legitimate copy and  you will see the difference. 
9.)  It is important to note, THE most counterfeited LP was the STEREO of the  VERSION 1 "Column Back" album. All of the FAKES feature song titles on  the outer jacket and record label: "P.S. I LOVE YOU" and "LOVE ME DO".   However when you play a FAKE, these songs are NOT on the disc. Instead  you will hear only "PLEASE, PLEASE ME" and "ASK ME WHY".  Also you  will note that although the outer jacket states the word "STEREOPHONIC"  spelled out across the top of the Front cover in Gray on a White background,  you do NOT find the word "STEREO" anywhere on the record label and the  recording is in MONO as well. 
10.)  Contrary to popular belief there were NEVER any "REISSUES" of either VERSION 1 or VERSION 2 LPs. Also if you ever see the version of this LP  that has the stock photo on the front with a DARK BROWN border, it is a  FAKE!  Also keep in mind that Vee Jay NEVER sealed these albums so if you have one that is sealed, there is good chance that it is a FAKE!          We hope that these facts are helpful to anyone who questions what they  may, or may not have in their possession. There have been many additional  theories over the years with respect to authenticity. In recent years, some  of those theories have unfortunately been found to be somewhat inaccurate.   Therefore, we will not debate nor discuss them since they are no longer  relevant. If you would like information on whether or not you have a FAKE  in your possession, we would be happy to view any photos of your record. 
Pricing BEATLES recordings is not like pricing any other artists. They are unique due to  who they were and the tremendous impact they had on the history of recorded music.   Although millions of the group's records were produced on several labels, many were  actually released in limited quantities, such as certain variations on the Vee Jay label and other smaller labels.  In addition, an important factor to consider was "BEATLEMANIA"  back in the 1960s when their records were purchased by the teenagers of the time and  were either overplayed, scratched and trashed which had ultimately contributed to the  overall increased value of those that survived in a condition worthy of being called a  "collectible".  Because of their frenzy, consider how many records were ruined, directly  affecting the collector's market of today.  So, what's still out there worth collecting?  Do  we really know?  All things considered, values need to be assessed ONLY by experts and  always based upon CONDITION, however because most of these records are now over 50  years old, RARITY and SCARCITY become equally if not more important factors.  As time  passes, values continue to rise.  Remember that general price guides such as GOLDMINE,  these are fine for assessing the value of the average artists recordings.  However when one  considers the value of groups such as THE BEATLES and other Super Groups, one needs to  seek the advice of experts.  GOLDMINE in particular continually undervalues most BEATLE  records simply because they do not possess the knowledge, expertise and precise history  necessary in order to accurately reflect today's market values. 
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INSURANCE:  We do not typically provide insurance to any item due to the fact that this can amount to significant added cost.   However, this added service is available to any buyer requesting it prior to invoicing.  If items are not insured and are received  damaged, immediately make the shipper aware of the damage. Once the item is packaged, inspected by, and leaves the seller,  one can only hope that it is handled with care which is why insurance is always a good idea (if affordable and available in your  country).