The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan

1963 Columbia mono LP of Bob Dylan’s The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, catalog CL 1986, identified as an early Pitman pressing with matrix o XLP-58717-3A P. Produced by John Hammond, this single 33 1/3 RPM record carries the red Columbia Guaranteed High Fidelity labels, marked Nonbreakable, and the original monaural jacket format shown on the front as Monaural—CL 1986.

The sleeve presents the familiar Don Hunstein cover photograph of Dylan walking arm-in-arm down a snow-covered city street, the title set above in olive and red with selected song titles printed along the lower corners. The back cover is densely printed with Nat Hentoff’s liner notes, the full track list, Columbia stereo/mono catalog references, and U.S.A. printing details; visible age markers include red owner initials at the upper right and a small old price sticker at the lower right.

Condition is collectible and plainly noted: the record is graded Very Good Plus, with strong gloss visible on the black vinyl, while the outer sleeve is graded Very Good, presenting cleanly with light edge and corner wear and the noted back-cover initials. With Blowin’ in the Wind, Girl from the North Country, Masters of War, Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right, and A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, this copy preserves Dylan’s 1963 Columbia breakthrough at the point where topical folk, blues feeling, and spare songcraft were entering the center of American popular culture.