How to tell an original pressing from a reissue
By GrailBin · Updated October 2026
To tell an original pressing from a reissue, check the catalog number, the label design, the text etched in the runout near the label, and whether the cover has a barcode, then match what you find to a database entry for that exact pressing. No single clue settles it, but together they usually do.
The words collectors use
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Original pressing | A copy made when the album first came out, in its home country. |
| First pressing | The earliest batch of the original release. Collectors pay most for these. |
| Repress | A later batch of the same release, often with the same catalog number. |
| Reissue | The album released again later, usually with a new catalog number, label design or cover printing. |
Six checks, in order
- Catalog number. Find it on the spine, the back cover and the label. A reissue often has a different number or a different prefix, so compare yours with the number the album had when it first came out.
- Label design. Record labels changed their logos, colors and printed text over the years. A label design that came in after the album's release year means a later pressing.
- Runout (dead wax). Look at the smooth band between the last track and the label. The letters and numbers stamped or hand-etched there (matrix numbers, the mastering engineer's initials, the pressing plant's mark) are the most precise way to tell pressings apart.
- Barcode. In the US, barcodes first appeared on record covers in 1978 and 1979 and were the norm by the mid-1980s; outside the US they arrived later. A 1960s album with a barcode printed on the back cover is a later printing (a barcode sticker may have been added to older stock).
- Cover details. Check the printer's credit, the company address and any price code. Don't rely on the copyright year: reissues often reprint the original date.
- Signs of a modern reissue. On an album first released before the 2000s, "180-gram" vinyl, "remastered" stickers and download cards almost always mean a later reissue.
Match it to a database
Once you have the catalog number, label, runout text and barcode, look the album up on Discogs. The album's master release page lists the versions in Discogs' database; a version's page shows its barcode and runout text when contributors have entered them. The version whose details all match yours is your pressing.
Is the original always worth more?
Usually, but not always. Some reissues are pressed from better sources, or are rare in their own right, like limited colored vinyl and store exclusives. Value depends on the exact pressing, its condition and demand, so price from what that pressing has actually sold for.
Identifying a pressing on GrailBin
When you list on GrailBin, the photo of the back cover scans the barcode to find matching pressings. With no barcode, search by artist, title or catalog number, and edition details like color variant and gatefold fill in for you. Before you publish, a photo check flags a pressing or color that doesn't match your photos. If only the runout tells your pressing apart from another, GrailBin asks what yours says; you don't need to photograph it. GrailBin hasn't launched yet, and its features may change before launch.
Quick answers
Where is the runout on a record? In the dead wax: the smooth band between the last track and the label.
Does a barcode mean my record isn't an original? Not by itself. A barcode printed on the cover of an album first released before barcodes came in means a later printing. For albums from 1978 to the mid-1980s, originals often have none and later pressings added one.
Is the copyright date proof of when a record was pressed? No. Reissues often reprint the original copyright year.
Source: The introduction of barcodes on LPs, 45worlds. Checked October 21, 2026.
Discogs is a trademark of its owner. GrailBin isn't affiliated with it.