The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967 US Mono First Pressing)
Rare Hollywood Pressing • Side 1 Misprint • 100% Complete Regional Package
Up for sale is a 100% authentic, historically complete, and regionally cohesive 1967 US First State Monaural (Mono) pressing of The Beatles' masterpiece, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Capitol Records, MAS-2653).
This particular copy is a highly sought-after West Coast variant pressed at Capitol’s Hollywood, California plant. Every single component—from the vinyl stampers to the jacket variation and localized inner sleeve printer marks—perfectly aligns to confirm this package was assembled during the initial weeks of the album's release in June 1967.
Archival Pressing Details & Matrix Codes
- Mono Authenticity: True monaural mix featuring the distinct speeds, effects, and punchy audio balancing intended by the band.
- Side 1 Label Error: Features the famous uncorrected misprint omitting the word "With" from Track 2, listed cleanly as "A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS".
- Side 2 Typography: Features the early revised two-line layout for Track 5 (Reprise), common to the secondary West Coast label flight.
- Jacket State: Genuine "First State" mono gatefold cover. Completely lacks the later NEMS and Maclen Music legal copyright credits on the lower right back cover.
- Side 1 Matrix/Runout:
MAS-1-2653-H-10 (Features the stamped Hollywood plant six-pointed star/asterisk ✲) - Side 2 Matrix/Runout:
MAS-2-2653-F31 (Hand-etched cross-plant Scranton stamper used at Hollywood)
Detailed Condition Report
1. The Vinyl Disc: Very Good (VG)
- Visual Gloss: Retains a beautiful, deep, mirror-like factory gloss across both sides.
- Surface: Displays a light cluster of superficial hairline paper scuffs (primarily visible on the bottom-right quadrant of Side 1). These are cosmetic surface marks from decades of sleeve removal and are not deep, feelable scratches.
- Labels: Excellent condition. Clean black-and-rainbow colorbands with zero bubbling or ring wear.
2. The Outer Gatefold Jacket: Good (G) / Fair (F)
- Structure: Displays heavy vintage wear. There is a prominent structural seam split along the interior gatefold pocket page where the cardboard layers have separated.
- Cosmetics: Period-correct vintage scotch tape is present along the spine and edges. The adhesive has aged naturally, leaving permanent yellow-brown tanning stains on the paper. The title text on the spine remains entirely legible.
3. The Original Psychedelic Inner Sleeve: Good (G)
- Authenticity: Genuine 1967 West Coast regional printing component featuring the rare "BPE 12-1" stamp in the bottom corner, proving it was printed by Bert-Co Press in Los Angeles to accompany Hollywood vinyl discs.
- Flaws: Displays standard circular ring aging/browning and a clean seam split along the bottom edge where the heavy vinyl rested over the decades.
4. The Cut-Out Insert: Good (G)