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http://www.postercentral.com An original Beatles VI promo display from 1965, made to advertise their newest release plus five previous LPs.

This was the era of big, audacious point-of-purchase display pieces designed to really grab customers’ attention.

In addition to this Beatles VI in-store display, Capitol would also create splashy merchandising pieces for the band’s next two 1965 releases, “Help!” and “Rubber Soul.”

But that would be it for several years for large cardboard countertop displays. Starting in 1966, only paper posters were used to promote new Beatle records, until an “Abbey Road” standing display came along in late 1969.

You couldn’t miss this Beatles VI merchandising display if you tried; it measures a hefty two feet tall by 45 inches wide, when laid flat.

It’s flat in a frame here in my video, but the two side flaps were usually brought forward to allow it to sit on a store’s countertop.

Capitol’s Beatles VI retail display served a lot of functions by advertising the band’s previous five albums on those flaps: “Meet the Beatles,” “The Beatles’ Second Album,” “Something New,” “Beatles ’65” and “The Early Beatles.”

I suppose some retailers pinched for space may have cut off those side panels and kept just the big center portion for display – horrors to the modern-day collector!

With the side flaps intact, however, this big cardboard Beatles VI record-store display carried an astonishing 51 Beatle faces – count them and add them all up, I did!

Wait a minute – 51 is not dividable by four. So which mop-top got ripped off? Why, John Lennon – he comes up one short! You can thank the “Second Album” for that (minor) snub.

Remember, this Beatles VI countertop display has no easel on the back – it would stand up on its own when the side panels were brought forward a little bit. (They don’t bend backwards.)

Although “Beatles VI” itself is not heralded as a classic Fab Four album, I just love the photo that adorns it… the guys look so happy and still stress-free, and are dressed so sharply. That beautiful photo gives this collectible a ton of its impact.

Even though mono was still the better-selling format, it’s interesting how the Beatles VI point-of-purchase display shows STEREO covers for the six albums it advertised.

I neglected to mention that besides all the Fab faces, this thing also gives you a screaming 46 song titles… for Beatlemaniacs, there’s so much to look back and reminisce about!

This Beatles VI stand-up is giddily displayed and discussed by first-gen Fab Four fan Pete Howard, and I can be emailed at pete@postercentral.com or telly’ed at 805-540-0020.

To see my big article on Beatles promo displays and posters from the Sixties, just bop over to this page on my hobby Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/goldmine-promoposters.htm