Perhaps the most distinctive component in the history of Beatles records is the album Introducing The Beatles (Vee-Jay VJLP/SR-1062). This eccentric LP is distinctive on many fronts, not the least of which is that its dozen tracks have proliferated into over two dozen subsequent albums and singles.

This early 1964 product of Chicago's Vee-Jay label competed heartily in the marketplace, right along with the big boys over at Capitol. As a small, independent company with a big hit record on their hands, Vee-Jay and their vendors labored around the clock to meet the enormous demand for this LP. Although a huge seller, its sales life was cut short by litigation with Capitol. Unable to endure costly legal battles, Vee-Jay reached a settlement with Capitol under which its rights to all of its Beatles recordings were turned over to Capitol on October 15, 1964.

Not surprisingly, most of the world's rare and valuable records, including Introducing the Beatles, have been counterfeited -numerous times and in a myriad of variations. It is probably the most counterfeited record in history, and deserving of consideration for a gold or platinum award in the category: Rock Album Most Frequently Faked.

With so many different bogus copies floating around, perhaps we should begin by giving a precise description of the original album. Knowing how to spot an original is one of the best weapons against getting stuck with a pretender.

The first issue covers were manufactured in Chicago by the offset printing firm Coburn & Company just after July 23rd 1963. This company printed up the first 6000 front slicks and back liner notes. These 6000 are the only cover slicks that say "Printed in U.S.A" on the front cover, vertically from the bottom left corner along the spine. Later covers were printed by Ivy Hill Lithograph Co. at their New York and California locations. All original covers have a glossy coated paper stock, both front and back. If either the front or the back cover is flat (lacking gloss) it's a counterfeit.

Although color shades do vary on originals, the printing of the photo and text is always very sharp and clear. Any with poor quality printing are probably counterfeits. All legitimate covers are made using varying shades of gray or tan cardboard, with the printed front and back slicks bonded on them. All original covers we have seen have a 1/4" overlap of cardboard at the top and bottom of the inside cover. This check can only be made by viewing the inside of the cover at the top and at the bottom. On most fakes, these overlaps are either much larger than 1/4", or there is no flap at all. The California plant made a small quantity of original monaural covers that have no flap at all, but they still have the glossy back cover slick as well as high quality printing. Also, these come with an authentic disc inside, yet another way to help determine originality.

A few counterfeits do have covers with high quality printing, but their overall construction and/or disc quality are noticeably imperfect.

While it is very helpful to have a known original on hand for comparison, few folks have that luxury. When this is not possible, use the following checklist to make a determination regarding authenticity.