The Beatles Fake Stereo Box Set (Part 1 of 3: The Box)

How do you spot a counterfeit of The Beatles The Original Studio Recordings CD Box Set from 09.09.09? Let's find out! This Stereo Box set has been widely bootlegged, counterfeited, faked ... call it what you want, they all stink! This video explores how to tell an authentic box set from a fake in a detailed. informative, and (hopefully) entertaining way. These fake boxes are still in circulation, so protect yourself if you're looking to pick up the real thing. #thebeatles #fakestereobox #theoriginalstudiorecordings #beatlesbootleg

Part 2

Part 3

The music used in this video is free to use under Apple's Terms of Service. Featured:
Montauk Breeze by Mark Hadley (Available in iMovie soundtracks)

[kenyotta]

An excellent, entertaining, & informative video, Mike. I enjoyed the side by side comparison. I was a recent recipient of a fake Beatles Mono Box Set bought on Amazon. Fortunately, the seller refunded my money and I was able to buy an authentic box set locally. What a relief and what a difference! I recently subscribed to your channel and have been binge watching all your Beatles videos. Keep up the GREAT work.

[NoMoreHeroesPunkPostPunk]

Thank you, Sir! I rushed over to double check my Stereo box (just in case) .. luckily it passed all your things to find. Thanks, again.

[bradschauer]

I watched this before I bought brand new through Amazon, and yet as soon as I opened the package I immediately knew it was a fake... can't even trust buying from a reputable source. Thanks for showing us what to look out for man!

[trublu]

Thanks for posting this ! I was about to buy a Beatles Stereo Box set on eBay for a low price . Sounded too good to be true and I have heard of these counterfeits over the years. You get what you pay for in life! Shame on these counterfeiters.

[Simpsonsfan]

I found a stereo box set at a flea market and I thought it was too good to be true and it was. I asked my dad if I can buy it he said sure so went up to the seller and before I bought I checked the cds and the printing on the box and I spotted that it was a fake by the apple being very dark and not light green. Looked at the Cd and it just felt cheap thank god I saw this video before I spent 87 dollars thanks man you saved my 87 bucks from scumbags

[westfield]

I would be upset if I got one of those crap items. I’m so happy you got a refund.

[billleary]

Thanks for sharing this with everyone. I actually opted to only buy the mono box when it came out in 2009 and bought the stereo CDs separately. I did buy the stereo box for my son last year but it was a valid one. I did fall victim to a fake Rolling Stones in mono box a few years ago but the tricky thing there was the official set sometimes lacks quality so it’s hard to know the difference. Looking forward to the next video. Thanks again,

[BeatleDustino]

Thanks for sharing this. I too fell victim to this like you, but in the opposite way. I got the stereo box initially and passed on the mono. I kept hearing so much about the mono set about five years later I thought I should check eBay and see what it’s selling for. Boy was I shocked when I found it for $40!

Picked that up quickly and when I received it something felt way off about it, especially compared to my official stereo set. Call me naive I guess as for the life of me I never imagined someone would knock off CD’s. The more I looked at it the more I was bothered and I went to the interwebs to see if anyone else was reporting fakes. Sure enough I found loads of info.

Luckily eBay went to bat for me when I got no response from the seller. I got full refund and got to keep it also. It sits in the darkest corners of my basement collecting dust. I don’t know what to do with it. I don’t want to throw it out for some reason, but also loathe it to no end. Guess it’s a good reminder that a deal too good is that way for a reason.

I did get an official one soon after, for a reasonable price too, but about three times what the fake was. My tip on it is to buy used and make sure the seller has loads of pictures of everything.

[tapsilogic]

I also went with the Mono box because of the mini-LPs (and because I hated the stereo box's design) and only ever bought Abbey Road and the white album via retail because they're my favorites. Fast forward several years, having learned how to make custom boxes in the past couple years, I decided to get the rest of the stereo CDs individually (including the DVD — found an authentic copy on eBay) and just build a custom box that matches the mono one, drawer and all.

So I was examining the 2009 stereo CDs and I noticed that the print quality isn't as sharp as the mono ones. This is especially evident on Help! (US pressing) — the logos at the top of the front cover are printed with halftone dots instead of solid shapes and lines, like its mono counterpart. I panicked a bit and rewatched all three of your "fake" clips and mine seems to be the real thing.

I went back and checked my copy of the white album (EU pressing) took out the poster, and compared it with the mono. The stereo poster looks "soft" as if it's printed from a low-res file. This is particularly evident on John's "naked" line art — stereo, blurry; mono, sharp.

I wonder if this is the case with your 2009 stereo CDs?

[juan]

I remember when the beatles box set came out on 2009. FYE had them even for a discounted price due to not selling them.

[DetroitRockCitizen]

I've had a real stereo box for right around ten years. I bought the mono box and all the stereo albums piecemeal in 2009. I bought a Box of Vision and needed something to put in it. A dealer I've done business with had a counterfeit (at least I knew it was counterfeit) box and I bought it to fill the BOV up. I haven't watched the video yet but I'm fairly sure of the salient points you'll make

[worldsepenthusiast]

When's part two going to be here?

[twomindz]

Wish I had seen this earlier. I just bought one and arrived today .
Hopefully I can get a refund .

[carmela]

Thanks so much! I almost purchased a fake on ebay!

[brian]

I just bought a used set that doesnt have ANY of these errors, but the image quality seems slightly sub par, and the digipaks are a bit less glossy than my individually purchased copy of Let It Be. Im scared the set isnt authentic, but i dont know.

[MRROBBIEWATTS]

So how much is a 'Fake' version worth in the UK?!

[garrettnewman]

When did you get the fake box set and when did you end up getting the real box set?

[farrellmcnulty]

I brought my stereo box set out while watching this video....JUST to be sure. Mine is real. Mine sounds fantastic. I did get really pissed off a few years ago when I'd mistakenly bought a fake MONO set. NONE of the CDs played, the covers were coming apart, not even all of them had the plastic inner sleeve. It was bullshit, BUT I reported it to Ebay and the seller was so apologetic. He refunded me and said he had no idea he had a fake box. I question why he didn't examine it when he acquired it, but at least he gave me my money back and apologized.

[leonsam]

I just bought a vinyl box set for $80. Wondering if it is counterfeit. I just received a tracking number today. We shall see what shows up 🤔🤔

[MrAudio]

My uncle just passed and going thru his estate we found one of these still sealed. After watching this, i think its real. What are these going for these days if they are real and unopened? I have seen $89 all the way up to $700?!?