Zappa.com

I came across this on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FRANK-ZAPPA-MOI-A ... 483fe0d8f7

The bit that got me rooting out my Mono copy was:-

MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1/R and 1/G (one of the first 300-600 off the press)


I looked at mine and at first I couldn't see anything other than the normal catalogue matrix. But closer inspection I could see a '1' at one side and what at first looks like a U, but actually looks more like I.I at the other. (These are at 3 O' Clock and 9 O' Clock if you have the cat matrix at 6 O' Clock). On the other side (at 9 O' Clock) there is either an A or ^ - or possibly a V if you have the label upside down.

While I was at it, I dug Ruben and the Jets out (also Mono) and on one side there is a 2 and I.I whilst on the other at 9 O' Clock there is GD

I've had these records 20+ years and I've never noticed these extra stampers. Even looking for them I had to hold the records under a light. Any idea what they mean??

Both these LP's are UK issues

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Carry Go Bring Come

I got no idea, but they must mean something just like hallmarks on any produced material. It looks like this is a good one for some of our bigger record collectors on the forum, someone has too know.

I got a bit obsessed with this over the last few days and found this on a Beatles collecters guide site

Lacquers make Masters which in turn produce Mothers which then create Stampers. So for your Parlophone records, the Master is the matrix at the 6 o’clock position, the Mother is the number etched in the deadwax at the 9 o’clock location and the Stamper is identified by the letter(s) etched at the 3 o’clock postion. For the 3 o’clock position, Parlophone use the following coding: G R A M O P H L T D (Gramophone Ltd) where G=1, R=2, A=3, M=4, O=5, P=6, H=7, L=8, T=9 and D=0. Therefore, many times you will see more then one letter etched in the dead wax in the Stamper location (3 o’clock). For example, if “MM” is etched, it means the record was pressed with the 44th stamper. The ultimate early pressing of any Beatles Parlophone LP would be denoted with the codes 1/G 1/G (side 1 and side 2), where the “1″ represents the first Mother (9 o’clock) and the “G” denotes the first Stamper (3 o’clock) or one of the first 300 off the press!

The picture below illustrates where to locate the information to date your Parlophone record:
1.Lacquer (Matrix or Master) (6 o’clock)
2.Mother produced from the Master (9 o’clock)
3.Stamper produced from the Mother (3 o’clock)


By my understanding - if Verve used the same codes - my AF is 1st Mother, 3rd Stamper; while my RATJ is 2nd Mother, 10th stamper. At a guess. Maybe. I still have no idea what the I.I means though

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Carry Go Bring Come