Woodbridge: Rare copy of The Beatles’ album Please, Please Me donated to British Red Cross charity shop

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Woodbridge: Rare copy of The Beatles’ album Please, Please Me donated to British Red Cross charity shop
Craig Robinson
Friday, September 13, 2013

When charity shop worker Merriam Keeble took delivery of a donation of 200 LPs she was in for a pleasant surprise.


The Red Cross charity shop in Woodbridge has had some rare Beatlkes albums handed in as well as some other old vinyl. Merriam Keeble with 'Please Please Me'.

For, hidden away among the records featuring the likes of The Rolling Stones, Manfred Mann and Diana Ross, was a rare pressing of The Beatles’ album, Please, Please Me.
Ms Keeble, who works at the British Red Cross shop in Thoroughfare, Woodbridge, is hoping the LP could fetch in the region of £250.
Also included in the collection is a rare The Five Faces of Manfred Mann album, while others by The Rolling Stones could be sold for between £60-80.
Ms Keeble said she was hoping the whole collection could raise at least £1,000.
“A gentleman turned up and asked if we would be interested in his records,” she said. “We said ‘yes, we would’ and he brought in four boxes of mixed LPs. They included everything from sets of operas and single releases through to some Beatles, Rolling Stones, Neil Young and The Who.”
“The Please, Please Me album is particularly exciting. We have the third edition of this pressing - there were only four originally.
“I’ve done quite a bit of research. It’s DMC1202. You can tell that it’s the third pressing because on the front cover an ‘a’ of ‘Angus McBean’ is under the ‘s’ of ‘songs’. In later pressings its under the ‘g’. There is also the right crediting to Northern Songs on the actual LP. That was different to early pressings. There’s very subtle differences.”
Ms Keeble, who has been working at the Woodbridge shop for 13 years, said they were incredibly grateful for the latest donation.
“It really is brilliant,” she said. “We can’t thank the gentleman enough. You don’t get that sort of gift very often. LPs such as this usually end up with collectors but now they can go to someone who wants to start their own collection.”
Ms Keeble was also happy to give out some unusual advice to help people in their search for a pristine LP.
“Sniff the records,” she said. “I was told once by an expert that people put boot polish on their LPs to get rid of the wear and tear. However it makes the recording unplayable. Part of the enjoyment of having them is to listen to them, so you must always give them a sniff.”


The Red Cross charity shop in Woodbridge has had some rare Beatlkes albums handed in as well as some other old vinyl. Merriam Keeble with 'Please Please Me'.