Identifying New Zealand Beatles LP's

Black and Silver Parlophone Label

NOTE: New Zealand Parlophone did not issue Beatles LP's in stereo until early 1964. The existence of the first two LP's in stereo on this label is disputed.

Light Blue Parlophone Label

NOTE: Blue label reissues of earlier albums are generally valued at about $50 each in NM condition.

NOTE 2: The label on Beatles VI reads IV instead of VI.

NOTE 3: Some blue label issues can be found with "STEREO" above the word "Parlophone," while Sgt. Pepper has it below. Reportedly, some later copies of other LP's may be found with "STEREO" below the word "Parlophone."

Yellow and Black Parlophone Label

NOTE: The earlier LP's were reissued onto the new label style, each having considerably lesser value.

Apple Label

When the catalog switched to Apple in 1969, New Zealand Parlophone also began pressing Apple label albums, although the earlier albums remained on Parlophone. These issues featured rim print mentioning their manufacture in New Zealand. The LP's originally issued on this label style were:

NOTE: Some copies of Essential Beatles (originally pressed in late 1971) have the unsliced label slick on side 2.

NOTE 2: All of the LP's except for TVSS 8 were later reissued onto a black and silver Parlophone label and then onto an Apple label.

NOTE 3: The Beatles was issued with a top-loading, numbered cover, as it was in England. Most covers were printed in Australia, but some are New Zealand originals. True first pressings of this LP have the "N" of "No." to the left of the number leaning to the left. (Later copies have the "N" slanted right.) Early copies (before about 20,000) are also missing the George Martin credit on the label.

Other LP's

World Record Club Issues

In 1966, Please Please Me was issued on the Young World Label through the World Record Club. In about 1972, the World Record Club also issued Magical Mystery Tour with a cover shared only by Australia.

NOTE: Although the cover to the stereo PPM album shows the PMCM prefix, the album is in stereo.

Thanks to Ross Penman for his help with this page.

A Word About Condition

The condition of a record is all-important as to determining its value. The values shown are drastically reduced for lesser condition copies, as shown below:

Near Mint, or NM, condition records are unscratched. If the label has stickers or tape, this must be noted. Essentially, they look like they just came from the store.

Very Good Plus, or VG+, condition records will have very few scratches. Without close inspection, they might pass for Near Mint copies. A VG+ record normally sells for half what a NM copy goes for. In Europe, this condition is called Excellent, EX.

Very Good, or VG, condition records have a fair amount of scratches, but they by no means appear "beat up". A VG condition record normally sells for one fourth of the NM price. In Europe, this condition is called VG+.

Very Good Minus, or VG-, condition records are starting to appear quite scratched. Still, when played, they play through, although the surface noise is becoming distracting. Many singles are commonly found in this condition. A VG- condition record normally sells for one sixth of the NM price. In Europe, this condition is called VG.

Good, or G, condition records look scratched--basically all over, but they'll play through well enough to enjoy the song. A G condition record sells for one tenth of the NM price. [Some dealers also use a grade of G+, which sells for one eighth of the NM price.]

Fair, or fr, condition records are generally worthless unless the record is rare. They're scratched up and have distracting surface noise, but they're not completely ruined. No chips missing, and not cracked. They sell for one twentieth of the NM price or less.

Poor, or pr, condition records are basically ruined. They may be warped, cracked, chipped, or otherwise unsuitable for collecting. Most collectors only accept poor condition copies of something really rare until a better one comes along. They're virtually worthless.

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All material on this page is © 2002, 2009 Frank Daniels.