Album value
The Beatles — Introducing... The Beatles.
First-press value.
Vee-Jay's LP reached shops on January 10, 1964, ten days before Capitol's first Beatles album, and the label could sell it only until its license ran out that October. It has been counterfeited for decades, and most copies that turn up today are fakes. Check the label, cover and dead wax before you price one.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1964. The US first-press shipped on the Vee-Jay black with rainbow colorband, oval logo label.
- US stereo catalog: VJLPS 1062
- US mono catalog: VJLP 1062
- RIAA certification: Platinum (US)
The center label is only the first clue. See the full Vee-Jay Introducing... The Beatles identification guide.
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the The Beatles vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- Version 1 includes 'Love Me Do' and 'P.S. I Love You'; Version 2, in stores from about February 10, 1964, replaces them with 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why'. Stereo copies listing 'Love Me Do' on a two-column back are almost always fakes
- On genuine labels 'THE BEATLES' and 'INTRODUCING THE BEATLES' both sit above the center hole; a label that splits them across the spindle hole is counterfeit
- Genuine covers are glossy front and back with sharp printing and George Harrison's shadow visible at the right edge; a flat back slick, a brown border around the photo, or red, blue and yellow printer's dots along the top of the back cover mean a fake
- Almost all genuine copies carry 'AudioMatrix', 'MR' in a circle or 'ARP' in italics in the dead wax alongside 63-3402 / 63-3403; a trail-off gap wider than one inch between the last track and the label means a fake
- Only about 41,000 of roughly 1.3 million copies sold were stereo, yet nearly all fakes say stereo; a genuine stereo disc has 'Stereo' on the label and an 'S' with the master number in the dead wax
The matrix runout etched in the dead wax is the definitive identifier when label and catalog number both look era-correct.
03
What it's worth
Recent sold-listing ranges. Pressing, condition, and current market all move the number.
| Pressing & condition | Recent sold |
|---|---|
| 1964 first-press (NM) | $100–$300 |
| 1964 first-press (VG+) | $40–$120 |
What pushes to the top: Genuine Version 1 stereo in the 'Ad Back' cover; one sold for $14,700 in November 2025.
Sources: Discogs sold listings (90-day window), Popsike.com auction archive, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide.
04
If you have one
Pull the record. Check the label first against the Vee-Jay black with rainbow colorband, oval logo design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches VJLPS 1062 (or VJLP 1062 for mono). Then check the matrix runout in the dead wax. All three lining up is the first-press confirmation.
Or scan with Crown Vinyl. The app reads the label, catalog number, and matrix runout from a single photograph, returns the exact pressing, and pulls a current value from recent real sales. Free on the App Store.
Keep checking the shelf
More first pressings worth knowing.
Nearby years, matching labels, and more records by the same artist.
1964 · Capitol black rainbow-rim
The Beatles — Meet the Beatles!
1964 first press: $15–$50 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1965 · Capitol black rainbow-rim
The Beatles — Rubber Soul
1965 first press: $15–$45 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1968 · Apple, manufactured by Capitol
The Beatles — The Beatles (White Album)
1968 first press: $25–$60 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Vee-Jay black with rainbow colorband, oval logo), the catalog number (VJLPS 1062 for stereo, VJLP 1062 for mono), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. Version 1 includes 'Love Me Do' and 'P.S. I Love You'; Version 2, in stores from about February 10, 1964, replaces them with 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why'. Stereo copies listing 'Love Me Do' on a two-column back are almost always fakes.
Genuine Version 1 stereo in the 'Ad Back' cover; one sold for $14,700 in November 2025 brings the top of the NM range, typically $100–$300.
Not officially. Vee-Jay's rights to the recordings ran out in 1964 and Capitol never reissued the album. What turns up instead are counterfeits, which collectors treat as worth little. Check the label, jacket and runouts against the tells above before paying original-copy prices.
It depends on the album. For Introducing... The Beatles, Version 1 includes 'Love Me Do' and 'P.S. I Love You'; Version 2, in stores from about February 10, 1964, replaces them with 'Please Please Me' and 'Ask Me Why'. Stereo copies listing 'Love Me Do' on a two-column back are almost always fakes.
Free to startNo adsPrivate by defaultCloud syncBuilt for iOS