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. 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. This company printed up the first 6000 front slicks and back liner notes. 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.
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. This check can only be made by viewing the inside of the cover at the top and at the bottom. 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.