Description The BEATLES - THE WHITE ALBUMAn overall very nice condition, highly presentable, complete and extremely low numbered copy of this increasingly hard to find and sought after 1968 original UK very 1st press Beatles masterpiece, on the APPLE record label, MONO, PMC 7067/8The dead wax matrix numbers are :Side 1 XEX 709 - 1 with stampers "4" and "GH" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively Side 2 XEX 710 - 1 with stampers "26" and "RG" at 3 o'clock and 10 o'clock respectivelySide 3 XEX 711 - 1 with stampers "1" and "RM" at 7 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively Side 4 XEX 712 - 1 with stampers "4" and "PP" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectivelySuch a rare and hard to come by (especially in condition as impressive as this) very, very early UK 1st pressing as identified by :1. The earliest 1/1/1/1 matrix numbers AND the low mother stampers;2. The exceedingly low number on the front side of the gatefold : 0008241;3. The lack of the usual "An E.M.I. Recording" text on ANY of the four labelsIn normal daylight the appearance of each of the vinyls is excellent (EX). Each vinyl is nice and weighty and completely flat, and each side of each vinyl has retained a nice jet black sheen and they really do gleam. Under a brighter light some surface only scuff marks and wispy hairlines do come into view on each side of each vinyl, but none are "feelable" or appear to be below the surface with all appearing to be superficial only (and the excellent MONO audio quality testifies to), apart from a light 3cm concentric scratch on "Birthday" on side 3 which does result in x5 separate single groove skips. There is also a single groove skip on "Savoy Truffle" on side 4 though close inspection reveals no obvious cause - perhaps due to a speck of dust in the groove through decades of storage for which a clean professional clean may cure. None of the wispy hairlines are more that 3cm though some are more noticeable than others but none are obvious in normal daylight. The same goes for the scuff marks - not many, small, very light and definitely surface only and resulting in absolutely minimal background crackle (just audible at the beginning and end of sides 2 and 3 and during a couple of the interludes/quieter moments) - nothing intrusive and certainly nothing to diminish the overall impressive audio quality. Clearly each vinyl has had a reasonable number of plays but it's fair to say that they have been underplayed rather than overplayed. Taking all of this into consideration I would grade the overall appearance and condition of the vinyls as very good plus (VG+) for disk 1 (sides 1 and 3) and very good (VG) for disk 2 (sides 3 and 4).The labels are excellent (EX). Wonderfully impressive labels with all text, all colouring, and the iconic dark green (not lighter green as on subsequent non-first press releases) APPLE logo with black writing upon the smooth white background all remaining in great condition with some faint spindle trails on each label. Again, note the absence of any reference to "EMI" on any of the labels - an indicator of a very early UK 1st pressing.The condition of the laminated outer gatefold sleeve is very good plus (VG+), bordering on excellent. All edges remain firm with no scuffing at all (amazing!), each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with minmimal rubbing though there is a little more obvious compression/crinkling on the reverse side bottom left corner, and the spine also remains firm with all text beautifully intact as is all of the spine laminate - no lifting, splitting or breaking of the spine laminate at all which is exceptional, just a couple of very small age discolouration marks. All colouring, art work, and photos remain in great shape - vibrant and clear definition, there is no unwanted writing or doodles anywhere, and no cardboard creasing either. The top opening edges are firm with no fraying at all, "The BEATLES" remains beautifully embossed upon the front cover, and the interior flip-backs remain in great shape. The only blemishes, which are each very minor, are a small area (about the size of my thumb nail) of very, very light laminate stain on the inside of the gatefold at the bottom of the spine, and the aforementioned very slightly "scrunched" reverse side bottom left corner. The whole gatefold has a lovely glossy feel and sheen about it and remains highly impressive and eminently presentable - not quite perfect, but lovely condition overall. Note the extremely low number of 0011334 on the front side, making this a real rarity.Finally, the quality of the audio is very good plus (VG+). There is great tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and frequencies. There are no jumps, repeats or obvious clicking (I noticed x6 very light background clicks on "Good Night"), background crackle is at an absolute minimum (just noticeable at the beginning and end of side 2), and every track makes for a great listen. As already mentioned, due to a light concentric scratch on track 1 side 3 there are x5 single groove skips on "Birthday"; and there is a further single groove skip on "Savoy Truffle" (no obvious reason for this). I stress though, that despite these relatively minor glitches, the sound quality and listening experience is overall excellent. What a true masterpiece this album was, and still is!The tracks are :Side 1 :1. BACK IN THE U.S.S.R.2. DEAR PRUDENCE3. GLASS ONION4. OB-LA-DI, OB-LA-DA5. WILD HONEY PIE6. THE CONTINUING STORY OF BUNGALOW BILL7. WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS8. HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUNSide 2 :1. MARTHA MY DEAR2. I'M SO TIRED3. BLACKBIRD4. PIGGIES5. ROCKY RACCOON6. DON'T PASS ME BY7. WHY DON'T WE DO IT IN THE ROAD8. I WILL9. JULIASide 3 :1. BIRTHDAY2. YER BLUES3. MOTHER NATURE'S SON4. EVERYBODY'S GOT SOMETHING TO HIDE EXCEPT ME AND MY MONKEY5. SEXY SADIE6. HELTER SKELTER7. LONG LONG LONGSide 2 :1. REVOLUTION 12. HONEY PIE3. SAVOY TRUFFLE4. CRY BABY CRY5. REVOLUTION 96. GOOD NIGHTComes with original lyric poster and x4 Beatle photos, the photos are in truly excellent plus condition and have clearly been little used...note that the coveted original spacer is also included (with minor creasing in one corner)!The lyric poster is excellent with just some very minor wear : no seam splits, no unwanted writing or doodles, no blue tack or drawing pin holes in either the photos or the lyric poster, and no obvious creasing, which all adds to the value and rarity of this highly desirable 1st pressing. Comes with original die-cut black inner sleeves with no seam splits, no tears, barely any fraying on the top edges, and just some minor creasing towards the corners - a solid excellent overall with each sleeve remaining fully functional. Note that I will post the vinyls each in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the originals during shipping.In summary a nicely impressive condition and highly presentable copy of this fiercely sought after 1968 very first UK press Beatles classic, made all the more rare and desirable by it's extremely low number - a "must" for any serious Beatles vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 49 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! RichardMy ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. For this item postage & packaging will be UK £7.00, Royal Mail special delivery; continental Europe £13 and Rest of the World £17, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail, tracked and signed for. I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.Good luck with your bidding! NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines : Mint The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint. Excellent The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing. Very Good The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable. Good The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc. Fair The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced Poor The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing. Bad The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler On 14-Jun-20 at 18:42:06 BST, seller added the following information: Actually, having re-cleaned each vinyl and played both vinyls completely again, I feel that I may have been a little too conservative in my grading of the quality of the audio : sides 1, 2, and 4 are truly excellent with negligible background crackle; side 3 is a solid very good plus with just the hint of some very minor background crackle during a couple of the quieter moments/interludes. No repeats, sticks jumps or clicks...just really impressive MONO audio reproduction with every track a great listen. A brilliant copy of this UK 1st press low numbered rarity.On 31-Aug-20 at 12:01:58 BST, seller added the following information: There is a mistake in my advert...in the main text of my advert I mistakenly state that the number on the front side of the outer sleeve is 0008241. It should read as 0011334, as in the accompanying photos and as stated elsewhere in the advert. Richard