Beatles White album highest ORIGINAL UK number

Since you are talking about numbers, I've been wondering for a long time: Is there any correlation between the numbers printed on the UK covers versus other countries or were they done completely independently and there would be repeated numbers lets say of Japanese and a UK cover with exactly the same #? Also Stereo vs mono?

 

as far as i know each country had their own numbers so there must be many duplication of numbers, further more the UK duplicated numbers in 1970 and duplicated more in 1971 ( when some were even duplicated from 1970 as well as 68 ), there is evidence of duplicated numbers from 1968 too, several 5's have been reported and my own 92 seems to have a doppelganger ...

 

Much of this assumes the insertion of LPs into the numbered sleeves was linear and orderly. I think the evidence indicates is it was a combination of orderly and random with batches of these randomly matched with batches of those.

I suspect the no EMI labels were just a random batch(s) of labels with a typeset goof (maybe first, maybe last, but probably concurrent) and they just happened to be pressed predominantly (but not exclusively) onto batches of mono records that just happened to be stuffed predominently (but not exclusively) into batches of earlier numbered outer sleeves.

I understand your point about “labels” vs “presses” but that standard (for example) would leave the XEX606-1 of Revolver with the incorrect mix if Tomorrow Never Knows undifferentiated, no?

 

When did the 6 digit numbers come into play in the UK (vs the 7 digit numbers on the original release)? I thought that was around ‘71-ish or maybe even earlier and obviously there would be duplicates of earlier numbers (minus the initial zero, of course) with those outer jackets.

 

yes bang on, early 71 ish, the 7 dig side openers were 70/1 numbered 100-150k and 6 dig sideys were 100-300+k 1971-early mid 73