Expert: James Michael Anderson - 4/16/2008

Question
Hello James,

I am doing some research for a computer-shy friend.  Her father grew up in Detroit, Michigan and bought many albums during that time.  He passed them on to my friend, who has them not only unopened but still in shrink wrap.  One is the LP "Introducing the Beatles".  Since it's unopened, I can't verify any of the details on the vinyl itself.

My question is, how might I know from the exterior only if it is a fake or real?  I know it is widely countfeited and fear that it is a fake, but even if it is phony, is it worth something still unopened?

Details that might help you determine authenticity:
Cover has the Beatles in the typical pose but George does not have a shadow.  Stereophonic across the top, with Vee Jay in an oval on the left of the band.  Titles of songs on the back, with VJLP 1062.  Anything else I can look for?

Thanks for your help.

Mary

Answer
Introducing The Beatles is easily the most counterfeited album in all of Beatles collecting. The knowledge of how the original should look in every aspect would be the best weapon one could have in detecting counterfeits.
Here is a site that has a lot of good information to help you spot an original and/or fake  http://www.friktech.com/btls/bc4.htm



Original covers

From 1963 to late 1964 Vee Jay records manufactured this album at their Chicago, Illinois and St. Louis contract factories. The covers produced at this plant consisted of the following characteristics:

The front and back of the cover featured a glossy (not extremely high-gloss) enamel-like finish, any copies that have either side in a flat finish are fakes.

Although color shades and tint can vary even among originals, the albums are usually very sharp in print and photo clarity. Copies that are of poor quality in either department are most likely counterfeits.

As far as cover construction is concerned, all of the Chicago originated copies we have examined had a characteristic 1/4" flap of cardboard that was folded over the top and bottom of the inside cover. Many fakes used fold flaps that were either much larger than the 1/4" or not there at all. To date, we have not seen a fake that used the correct measurement on the flap.

All original copies used cardboard of either gray or tan or varied shades of both.

In early 1964 Vee Jay moved their headquarters to Santa Monica, California, however the pressing facilities remained in Chicago and St. Louis and only a few were subcontracted in California. The covers that were constructed in California were identical to the above descriptions except for the following:

Back slicks were somewhat less glossy (not flat, however), and the 1/4" fold flap discussed earlier was not present. The California albums were not nearly as widely distributed as the Chicago copies and are actually somewhat rare in comparison.

It should be noted that some counterfeit covers have been done very well with photo clarity to 95% of the original quality, however, even these copies fall short in the areas of cover construction and/or disk reproduction.


Original Disk Identification

Most, but not all, counterfeit discs use the Version I song selection (P.S. I Love You and Love Me Do) on the disk label printing. A good many of the fakes will actually play the Version II selections (Please, Please Me and Ask Me Why). Any copies that list Version I and play Version II are most likely counterfeits. (Original factory error copies have been verified with similar mislabeling, however, these are quite rare and check out well in every other area of testing.)

All original disc labels print the artist and LP title together above the play hole, any copies that seperate the two titles by the play hole are fakes.

The largest trail-off area we have ever seen on an original disc is 1" (most are 7/8"), any copies with trail-off areas larger than this are most likely fakes.

Most all of the discs that were pressed out of the Chicago plant had some sort of machine stamping in the trail-off areas. Symbols like "Audio Matrix", a circled "MR", and "ARP" or any combination of these are quite common on these pressings. Copies pressed later at the California location have very seldom been found with these trail-off stampings, however, like the Chicago discs, they have the bright, sharp print that is characteristic of original Vee Jay records. So far, we have not verified any counterfeits with trail-off stampings, and disc labels on the fakes usually lack to some degree in label color, print sharpness, brightness and clarity. (Usually more noticeable when compared to an original.)

I have found no fakes copies (Stereo or Mono) with the word "Stereo" printed on the label.


It was common practice for Vee Jay to print stereo markings on mono discs of Version II copies, check by carefully playing disc, or an "S" suffix to the master number should be found in the trail-off area of true stereo copies.  There is no value seperation