THE BEATLES coffee mug OFFICIAL McCARTNEY LENNON STARR

I have now finished selling my collection of Beatles Book Monthly magazines and I still get asked questions asked by prospective bidders as to whether mags are originals.

Those I listed were all from the reprint run of the 1970's and 1980's and as such I have ensured the item descriptions state they are reprints at least twice. However can you be sure the ones you are bidding on are originals or reprints? Most Ebay sellers are honest and trustworthy but unfortunately there are a minority that are not.

The problem with these magazine reprints is they look totally identical to the originals. The new reprints include between 4 and 8 pages of additional new material (dependant on issue number) but take these off and you have an exact copy of the original. Many fans did this as, like me they could never have afforded a full set of the originals.

The only way to really tell between an original and a copy is to hold one in your hand. The paper quality on the reprint is higher gauge and more glossy. Of course you can't tell this from a photo on Ebay. Although you can never be 100% the best rule of thumb is to only bid on those items that clearly state it is an original issue or a reprint. Whilst some originals will have been looked after it is likely that most's condition will have deteriorated, so this a good pointer. Check those staples, if they are bright and shiny it's a good bet they are reprints, most originals will be showing some signs of age.

Also remember originals are worth much more than reprints. A good original should cost between £5.00 and £10.00 with issues 1 to 3 being worth even more, whilst reprints are normal worth between £1.00 and £3.00.

I have recently (Jan 08) received information a number of forged copies are turning up, many of which have been artificially aged to fool the buyer. Indications suggest these are being produced very slightly over-sized. Yo won't notice this by sight but it becomes obvious when they are amongst genuine issues. (Both originals and official reprints are exactly the same size)