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Blueranger

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floodonthepage
Sooooooooo....not to open up a can of worms, but.......

In reading page after page about the Mono box, it seems there is quite a mixed reaction to the set. Not so much from a musical standpoint but from a packaging one.

I really really really want to get this set, preferably the US edition (price-wise) but from what I gather the album reproductions are best on the $300+ Japanese edition. Ugh. really? Is the U.S. edition that bad?

It seems there was some speculation about these albums eventually coming out individually. Maybe one could hope the packaging will be better then?

What does the jury of my iorr.org family (peers) think I should do. I suppose the obvious answer is BUY IT. But seriously, enough people have bought it now on this forum. I trust you guys more than Amazon reviews. Thanks in advance.

sincerely,
Flood on the Page

The EU packaging is WAY better than the US. Not perfect packaging in any edition, be it Japan, EU or US. The sound is stellar, though.
Confirmed from press release that all albums minus Stray Cats compilation will come out in 2017.
If you want one, go for the EU edition from Amazon.co.uk.

Thank you Blueranger! Most appreciated.

floodonthepage
If you'll head for amazon - do not buy from marketplace. Only directly from amazon. though it could be a bit problematic as it looks that the box is sold out.

These days the market is overflown with Chinese boxes. They look very much the same as normal European one. Official EU box sealed has mass 960 gr. I do not know about Chinese one but known fact about The Beatles mono box - official = 820 gr, Chinese fake - 620 gr.

Just got the mono cd set from Amazon. Horrible artwork so dark you can barely see it. Bottom of box says Made in the Czech Republic. Nothing on back of the box. A card with photos of the 15 cd's says Made in the EU at the bottom. First disc ifpi is B412. Rolling Stones No. 2 ifpi is also B412. 12X5 is B414. Rolling Stones Now! is B406. An unboxing on youtube says the front of the box closes with magnets,mine does not. I paid about $150 bucks for this. I'm thinking it's a fake. Anyone know what I've got here?

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varv

First disc ifpi is B412. Rolling Stones No. 2 ifpi is also B412. 12X5 is B414. Rolling Stones Now! is B406.

Looks like a China-Box. If you simply google after IFPI B414 you'll find 2 CDs from China on [www.discogs.com] as well as [www.discogs.com] . B412 and B406 are China too.

Official IFPI-Codes: [home.lyse.net] .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-26 01:35 by Irix.

Thanks Irix. Hopefully I can get a legit set after I return this one.

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ironbelly
floodonthepage
If you'll head for amazon - do not buy from marketplace. Only directly from amazon. though it could be a bit problematic as it looks that the box is sold out.

These days the market is overflown with Chinese boxes. They look very much the same as normal European one. Official EU box sealed has mass 960 gr. I do not know about Chinese one but known fact about The Beatles mono box - official = 820 gr, Chinese fake - 620 gr.

Thanks ironbelly! Yeah, I've read about some of the warnings re: the China boxes. I'll keep an eye out for direct Amazon boxes to be restocked. Or buy them individually when they come out.....although I wouldn't get 'Stray Cats' that way.

individually....... probably work out cheaper ta buy the box-set



ROCKMAN

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varv
Just got the mono cd set from Amazon. Horrible artwork so dark you can barely see it. Bottom of box says Made in the Czech Republic. Nothing on back of the box. A card with photos of the 15 cd's says Made in the EU at the bottom. First disc ifpi is B412. Rolling Stones No. 2 ifpi is also B412. 12X5 is B414. Rolling Stones Now! is B406. An unboxing on youtube says the front of the box closes with magnets,mine does not. I paid about $150 bucks for this. I'm thinking it's a fake. Anyone know what I've got here?

As Irix already pointed out - you got Chinese box. And not only Chinese box, but extremely overpriced Chinese box. Because at AliExpress those were at 30 Euros (or so), shipping included.

At this moment I am aware of the following versions of the box

1 - Japanese SHM-CD packed in 7" covers with a lot of extras (promo posters, OBI's etc). Apparently, definitive version. But it is very expensive. The CD's came with matrix like UICX-75177 1 [Universal logo] x 2, SID Mould Code: IFPI 45KF (two last digits could be different, it is an ID of the mould/pressing machine), SID Mastering Code: IFPI L278

2 - EU version in 5" sleeves with outer and inner protective plastic sleeves (for covers and CDs). This one is considered as an alternative for Japanese box for those on thin budget. There is magnet on the cover. Back cover of the box states 'Made in the EU', there are no numbers under the barcode, CD's 'Made in the EU', CD's pressed by arvato with matrices like arvato 56362418/00018771981428 21 [Universal logo]x4, SID Mould Code: IFPI 077Y (two last digits could be different, it is an ID of the mould/pressing machine), SID Mastering Code: IFPI LP 73 or LB47. The mass of the box is 960 gr (33.86 oz). I know this for sure because I own the box. It was purchased from amazon at pre-order. The card with 15 CD's you mentioned is supposed to be glued to the back of the box.

3 - US and Canadian version in 5 " sleeves and without plastic sleeves and any extras. According to September's Billboard review the package is not very good and CD's easily falls from the sleeves. Unfortunately, there is no further info on this one. I suppose it was pressed in the USA with matrix string that starts with DIDX or similar. This version of the box is rather unpopular because of that Billboard review and not too many people purchased it. Thus there is no info.

However, on the market you can find 'Chinese replicas' for both EU (#2) and US (#3) versions. They reproduce the covers and prints on the boxes faithfully. You can not tell from the picture from the listing that it is fake. The only thing I mentioned is that fake CD's have broader clear plastic ring around the central hole and the hub/central part of the CD on the playing side is covered with paint but not a 'silver' foil. Another thing - fake CD's came with strange SID Mould Code ifpi B04** or something like that. Google will bring you to the site like [www.jscnt.gov.cn] And Google translate will return Zhuhai Special Economic Zone Heiner laser production Co., Ltd IFPI B400-B404. The only question - are these Chinese boxes counterfeits or produced for local market? We do not have info from ABKCO if they made special edition for Chinese market.

And the stupid thing. At first those Chinese boxes were priced rather low, like 30-50 Euros. Now the prices are up almost to the level of the official ones and they are not listed on sale directly from China but from dealers on amazon marketplace or ebay from EU or US. Thus you do not know what you are buying. Unless you are getting one from amazon directly but not from marketplace seller.

PS. The bottom of the EU box states 'Made in Czech Republic'. I believe this is either carry over from vinyl box or the boxes themselves were printed and assembled in Czech but the CD's are definitively made by arvato in Germany.

PPS. The images of the EU box on discogs are correct. You can check and compare. Although SID Mould Codes are barely visible because in the most cases they are pressed on transparent ring by the central hole.
[www.discogs.com]

Thanks ironbelly. I've returned my first set and am trying again.

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varv
Thanks ironbelly. I've returned my first set and am trying again.

It is just fan to fan help. But be caution with your next try. Apparently, the boxes are out of print in legal shops. The market is filled with those Chinese fakes.

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ironbelly

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varv
Thanks ironbelly. I've returned my first set and am trying again.

It is just fan to fan help. But be caution with your next try. Apparently, the boxes are out of print in legal shops. The market is filled with those Chinese fakes.

I can understand the vinyl boxes being oop, given they were limited to 10000 copies, but why in the hell are they not just printing more cds if they are in fact 'sold out'?

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treaclefingers

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ironbelly

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varv
Thanks ironbelly. I've returned my first set and am trying again.

It is just fan to fan help. But be caution with your next try. Apparently, the boxes are out of print in legal shops. The market is filled with those Chinese fakes.

I can understand the vinyl boxes being oop, given they were limited to 10000 copies, but why in the hell are they not just printing more cds if they are in fact 'sold out'?

I believe both LP and CD boxes were limited editions. Although, CD boxes were not numbered. They plan to sell albums individually (all but Stray Cats) at some point in 2017. At least I remember the initial announcement this way.

Technically, you can still get CD boxes from certain sellers, but at 170+ Euros. Like this
[store.udiscovermusic.com]



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2017-01-31 13:53 by ironbelly.

The CD-Mono-Box is currently available for EUR 89.99 at [www.bol.de] .

Delivery possible to: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, BeNeLux, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Spain.

Shipping costs:
Germany: free shipping
Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein: EUR 3.50
Switzerland: EUR 6.00
Other EU-Countries: EUR 8.00
Non-EU-Countries: EUR 13.00

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Irix
The CD-Mono-Box is currently available for EUR 89.99 at [www.bol.de] .

Delivery possible to: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, BeNeLux, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Spain.

Shipping costs:
Germany: free shipping
Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein: EUR 3.50
Switzerland: EUR 6.00
Other EU-Countries: EUR 8.00
Non-EU-Countries: EUR 13.00

Versandfertig in 5 - 7 Tagen - is a scary note. This usually means limited stock or out of stock.

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ironbelly

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treaclefingers

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ironbelly

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varv
Thanks ironbelly. I've returned my first set and am trying again.

It is just fan to fan help. But be caution with your next try. Apparently, the boxes are out of print in legal shops. The market is filled with those Chinese fakes.

I can understand the vinyl boxes being oop, given they were limited to 10000 copies, but why in the hell are they not just printing more cds if they are in fact 'sold out'?

I believe both LP and CD boxes were limited editions. Although, CD boxes were not numbered. They plan to sell albums individually (all but Stray Cats) at some point in 2017. At least I remember the initial announcement this way.

Technically, you can still get CD boxes from certain sellers, but at 170+ Euros. Like this
[store.udiscovermusic.com]

so the Vinyls are limited to 10000, the CD Boxes limited to the number they sell. GOT IT!

official = 820 gr, Chinese fake - 620 gr.

Are you talking about how much it weighs?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-02-01 22:33 by DEmerson.

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DEmerson
official = 820 gr, Chinese fake - 620 gr.

Are you talking about how much it weighs?

Yes. This is the easy way to check if the sealed Mono Box of The Beatles is real of fake. The real set weighs about 820 grams (about 1.81 lbs.) while the fake set weighs about 620 grams (1.37 lbs.).

The Rolling Stones Mono Box EU version weight is 960 gr or 33.86 oz or 2.11 lbs. This is actual because I checked for my copy. I do not know the mass of the official US version and the mass of Chinese fakes.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-02-01 23:08 by ironbelly.

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DEmerson

Are you talking about how much it weighs?

Obviously there're no magnets in the Chinese Box which close the lid: [iorr.org] .

Therefore the Chinese Boxes should be lighter than the genuine ones ....

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Irix

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DEmerson

Are you talking about how much it weighs?

Obviously there're no magnets in the Chinese Box which close the lid: [iorr.org] .

Therefore the Chinese Boxes should be lighter than the genuine ones ....

Not only magnets. Plastic sleeves too. I'll check the mass of those inner and outer sleeves tomorrow at work. 1 piece could be negligible, but you have 15 of those.

Also paper for the LP replica could be thinner etc.

I suspect Chinese box will be some 150-200 gr lighter due to all these factors.

For those who cares. Here are the numbers for EU edition.
Empty box (with magnet to fix the flip cover) - 214 gr (~7.55 oz)
CD+single mini LP replica paper cover+inner plastic sleeve+outer plastic sleeve - ~42 gr (~1.48 oz)
CD - 15.5 gr (~0.54 oz)
simple mini LP replica paper cover - 22gr (~0.78 oz)
inner plastic sleeve - 0.7 gr (~0.025 oz)
outer plastic sleeve - 3.7 gr (0.13 oz)
As you see only plastic sleeves add to the mass of 1 CD 4.4 gr (~0.155 oz). Total mass of 15 sleeves is 66 gr (~2.33 oz)
This means that even if Chinese guys will use the paper with the same density (which I doubt) and press the CD using the same plastic (which I doubt too) the mass of the box (minus magnet in the cover) should be at least 100 gr (~3.53 oz) less than the official one.

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ironbelly

the mass of the [Chinese] box (minus magnet in the cover) should be at least 100 gr (~3.53 oz) less than the official one.

Thanks for the info.

I think it's useful for those who bought a Mono-Box from Amazon Marketplace (or a similar reseller) and want to check if the Box is genuine without opening it.

In most cases Media (LP, CD, DVD, Software, etc) can only be returned in sealed state.

Were the boxes offered on Amazon.fr official?

Irix
There is one problem here. The data I presented is for EU box. Not the US/Canada version which initially came w/o plastic sleeves. As a matter of fact nobody ever report anything about that one, except negative review on packaging in September's Billboard edition. It is a kind of mystery. It seems that guys in the USA purchased EU boxes via amazon uk, because that option was cheaper than the US version from amazon.com

Harm
If it is directly from amazon.fr - it is official. If it comes from marketplace seller - you never know.

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Harm

Were the boxes offered on Amazon.fr official?

There're official offers by Amazon (with Prime):

Vinyl-Box for currently EUR 299.99: [www.amazon.fr]

CD-Box for currently EUR 551.00: [www.amazon.fr]

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Irix

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Harm

Were the boxes offered on Amazon.fr official?

There're official offers by Amazon (with Prime):

Vinyl-Box for currently EUR 299.99: [www.amazon.fr]

CD-Box for currently EUR 551.00: [www.amazon.fr]

I believe Japanese CD set will be cheaper here EUR 329,99
[www.jpc.de]

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ironbelly

I believe Japanese CD set will be cheaper here EUR 329,99 [www.jpc.de]

Best offer for the EU-Box (CD) is currently [www.bol.de] - EUR 89.99 (ready for shipment in 5-7 days).

See also here: [iorr.org] .

So, in future I'm going to buy boxes in KG or OZ?
I want to sell my CD MONO BOX. (SEALED)
In KG or in OZ? Not the sg included (keep them for me)

tioms
Surely, the best way is to open the box and to check matrix numbers and ifpi codes for CD's.

Kg and Oz (or Lb) is just an additional check for those who want to know if the box is real or fake. This method was developed years ago for Beatles Mono Box.

If you head for official store or known internet seller (amazon, jpc, hmv...) you are safe but will pay extra. If you are saving money on marketplace or ebay or AliExpress - prepare yourself for fake. That is it.

EU CD Mono Box on pre sale from amazon.uk was some 80 GBP, the same box on sale from amazon.it was 120 Euros for a day or two, or 118 Euros on fnac.pt during X-mas sale (also sold in a few days completely). You want it cheaper - it is your own risk. And I am positive that these days the majority of the boxes on the market are Chinese fake.

I want to sell my box "SEALED"
But it seems to me that's a problem.
Are not more signs on it to discover?
My box has a weight between 900 gram and 1 kg. (whithout the sg)

If I understand you the weight is a point for originality?

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tioms
I want to sell my box "SEALED"
But it seems to me that's a problem.
Are not more signs on it to discover?
My box has a weight between 900 gram and 1 kg. (whithout the sg)

If I understand you the weight is a point for originality?

Yes. But it is additional, supporting, point. Because usually proof of payment, invoice/check from the store etc. is better.

EU box has mass ~960 gr + something if you will weight it with shrink (I torn and dispose it, it would add 5-10 gr extra). My parcel from amazon has a sticker with statement 1.06 kgs.

The other way is to check images on discogs. The EU version presented there is correct one.
[www.discogs.com]

You see, this box is relatively new and is not that popular as The Beatles Mono box. But those guys face the situation with Chinese fakes years ago. And they realize quite quickly that the fake has different mass. Here the situation is very similar. Chinese version does not have magnet in the box flip cover, it comes w/o inner and outer plastic sleeves. I.e. it should weight 100gr (at best) less.
For example these guys
[www.aliexpress.com]
state 900 gr
So, you know...