The Beatles — The Beatles (White Album): How to Identify a First Pressing

• Cover: The gatefold sleeve opens at the top, with 'The Beatles' embossed on the front and a unique serial number printed on it (in the form No. 0000000) — every physical copy carries its own individual number.
• Label: The first pressing uses the standard Apple-logo label, and the label does carry the words 'Sold in the U.K...'.
• Label: Whether the label carries the words 'An E.M.I. Recording' can help distinguish a very early first pressing from a slightly later one: the source's author notes that the stereo copy in their collection has this line on the label, while their mono copy does not.
• Inner sleeve: The inner sleeve is black, and the album originally came with a free poster and four individual portrait cards of the band members.

• The first-pressing gatefold sleeve opens at the top, while slightly later pressings switched to a gatefold that opens on the left and right sides — a direct structural difference for distinguishing the first pressing from later ones.

discogs.com returned a 403 in this research environment; jpgr.co.uk was used as the source instead. This album was released on the Apple label only in the UK, and the US Apple catalog number was not verified this time.

• Read the runout (the smooth area between the last groove and the label) with the disc tilted under a lamp: matrix numbers, stamper codes and mastering initials are the strongest evidence.
• Label details change between pressing plants and years: rim text, logo style, address, "Manufactured by" wording.
• Cover printing shows the plant and era: printer credit, catalog number position, barcode presence.
• Match all three. A first-press disc in a later cover, or the reverse, is common.

Shoot the label straight on in even light, then the runout with the disc tilted so the etched text catches the light (a phone torch from the side works). Add the front and back cover, the spine, and any inner sleeve or insert. The app reads the label and cover; the runout photo is what confirms the pressing.