Beatles White Album and serial numbers

I'm the lucky owner of a 1968 UK mono white top opening. I know its authentic I 've had it since 1970. Its a fairly low serial number 0159xxx, my query is around my Stereo version
Reading posts here and links to other sites I thought I'd check out my Stereo White album , which I bought in 1971/72 and has serial number 291384. It's a side opener, no "sold in the UK" on the label, and yet its got a serial number, which does nt begin with a zero.
Is it possible to have a serial number on a side opener ?
Should I care ?
Cheers
John

 

For more information on how the albums were numbered, check out Bruce Spizer's excellent book "The Beatles on Apple records".

 

There IS archeology on the 'net regarding Whitey numbers. It's been discussed here too. I don't have the info handy, but it's interesting to look at!

 

According to Bruce Spizer's book:

....After the Bert-Co (printing company) numbered covers pass 100, the numbers are preceded by a set of zeros. Examples include 0000340, 0008008, 0025007 and 0202735. At some point around 210,000, the Bert-Co numbered covers begin having a wide A and space preceding the numbers. Examples include A 0218307 and A 0578465. These covers are usually found with Los Angeles pressings of the album......


Sounds like you have a White Album anomaly there, John. Like Steve said, there are overlapping numbers and as Bruce writes in his book:

"The Capitol paper work regarding the allocation of number blocks is missing and presumed destroyed, thus it is impossible to give a precise accounting of how the numbers were assigned."

 

Folks,
Fellow forum member John Simpson is in the UK. His question relates to UK Stereo white albums.
Bruce Spizer's Apple book has very little about UK pressings (IOW, the information on Bruce's book applies only to US pressings).

My understanding is that the first batch of side opening UK copies were still numbered. "Sold in the UK..." on the label stopped shortly after Yellow Submarine (Jan 1969). So your copy was manufactured somewhere between mid 69 to the end of 1970, maybe even 71.


BC

 

John

In answer to your question, yes!

There were three separate pressings of the numbered UK stereo White Album:


1968: original top-loader with 7-digit serial number (same as original mono)

Late 1969: first reissue, side-opening with 7-digit serial number.

1970/71: second reissue, side-opening with 6-digit serial number.


From c. 1972 onwards, the albums were pressed without serial numbers.

The "Sold In UK..." text was withdrawn mid-1969 hence why it doesn't appear on your reissue stereo pressing.

I have an original mono (#0094332), a first reissue stereo (#0111908) and a second reissue stereo (#298615).


Hope that helps!



Cheers

 

Re: Re: Beatles White Album and serial numbers

Thanks to everybody, I now know what I have, and I do care !

 

I have a question about the numbers. Were they used concurrently on the mono and stereo LP first pressings? In other words, is there a no. 1 for both mono and stereo in the UK pressings, or did they number a set of monos 1-350 or whatever and then start at 351-to-whatever for the stereos then return to the whatever-plus-one number for the monos?

 

AFAIK for the UK original pressings they duplicated the numbering for mono and stereo so yes you would find a mono # 0000001 and a stereo # 0000001.

 

I would like to add the Beatles White Album LP to my library. Can someone educate me on the numbering on the cover of the white album?

How many numbered albums were printed? Why do some albums have an A in front of the number and others do not?

It seems like the reprint issues with no number are in consistenly better shape than the originals.

Any comments or advice on which issue to hunt for?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

 

I'm assuming you're talking about US issue White Albums. AFAIK, nobody knows how many were numbered, and the numbering scheme seems to follow no real logic. There LP's with a black dot, an A, a "No." prefix or no prefix.

Really, you're better off with a UK pressing. And UK pressings with 3 or 4 original cutting sides are common well into the late 70's.

 

If you don't have any luck here, you might want to reference Bruce Spizer's books as he goes into extensive detail on this.

 

For a quick on-line overview of the numbering schemes of US white albums (and song titling), click here and scroll down to the Beatles album.

 

I'm thinking of sticking this up on E-Bay!!

Judging by the level of atrocious 'fakes' up there I might just get away with it.....? Bidding starts at $ 1,000,000

 

Great help. Thank you.

 

Canadian numbered Beatles white album

Does anyone know if the Canadian release had its own numbers? Or were U.S. manufactured covers used for the Canadian 1st pressing?

 

So, what was the biggest (last) number printed?

 

If it were the inverse, wouldn't it then be the "Black Album"?

 

Supposedly for the US press run of the LP, 3,000,000 copies were numbered.

 

Anybody know how many numbers were released for the original U.S. CD? i have like # 002046 (or something like that.)

 

I believe on the first CD issue in the US 150,000 mine is 131,443

The 30th Anniversary all UK made 100,000 worldwide mine is 56607

 

Where did the serial numbers end at and did the monos have their own sequence or were they included in with stereos?

 

I saw an embossed White Album on eBay without a serial number. I did not know these existed. Anyone know how rare these are?