Description:

Rare Beatles "Ask Me Why" Promotional Sleeve and EP, 1964
This extraordinarily rare promotional sleeve for Vee-Jay EP 1-903 is ranked at #6 on the list of most valuable Beatles records in the 2007 Perry Cox "Price Guide For The Beatles American Records." The black and white title sleeve, which opens from the bottom, was issued as part of the Vee-Jay Records marketing campaign in June 1964 which promoted "...an E.P. that is selling like a single...at single record prices." Though the EP was first issued in March 1964, according to Bruce Spizer, author of "The Beatles Records On Vee-Jay", commercial and promotional copies were re-pressed in late June 1964, this time highlighting "Ask Me Why" on the label copy in bold print. An ad for the EP in the July 4, 1964 issues of Billboard and Cashbox magazine reflects the promotion of "Ask Me Why" as "being played & promoted as a single." It also mimics the "Still Only #8 In Sales" seen on the sleeve with "No wonder they're only #8 in sales...selling an EP on the Beatles at the single record price...they must be crazy..." While Spizer's research indicates 16,500 EP's were sold commercially during the third quarter of 1964, no accounting records were found indicating how many promotional EP's or sleeves were produced for this summer promotion. Our research reveals that no more than 8 to 12 of these sleeves are known! Also included with this pair of rarities is the sheet music for "Ask Me Why." The sleeve exhibits some age toning to the borders, ring wear, scattered wrinkling, and some non-intrusive stains. The EP is VG++.

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October 21, 2009 2:00 PM EDT
Uncasville, CT, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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