How Can You Tell If A Record Is A First Press?

There are several key indicators that a record is a first press. The most important thing to look out for is matrix etchings that look like ‘A1 B1.' However, there are many other variations and indicators that a record is a first press.

Keep reading to learn about how you can identify first presses.

Many people who get into record collecting as a hobby will tend to believe that a first press is the way to go if they are after something specific – as they are often extremely valuable and sought after. Really though, there are a few things to consider when looking at a potential first press of a record, and what even makes it a first press in the first place. In this article, we will be letting you know how you can find out whether your records are indeed first pressings or not.

First things first, deciding whether or not a first press is right for you might be worth considering if you are relatively new to records, or indeed if you are looking to refamiliarise yourself with your favourite music from years gone by.

First press records are great in that they hold extremely nostalgic value for a lot of people, but of course, they can also (sometimes, at least) be extremely costly.

For example, a first press of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band from 1967 in Excellent or higher condition will often sell for in and around six hundred pounds! Many audiophiles will also say that first presses often sound better than their later edition counterparts, as the lathe that is used to etch the grooves into the record will naturally have been subject to less wear and strain on the first batch of records that it produced; resulting in a cleaner final sound.

So, if you have decided that this is the direction you’d like to go – here is what to look out for on your own records.

First of all, you can look at the record itself. Many first-press records will often be quite a bit thicker than later pressings and have fewer imperfections. This is often the case as the moulds from which the records are produced will have been newer when creating the first presses, and (much like the lathe we mentioned earlier) will have been subject to less wear and degradation, therefore producing a more quality product. This is a generally common theme with record production, but good to know regardless.

You can also look for indications on the record’s sleeve. Some first pressings will show indicators like edition numbers, or unique catalogue numbers – these will often be displayed towards the corners of the sleeve. You can even look at the sleeve more broadly; first pressings are more likely to show signs of wear and degradation, as many older first press records will by now likely be decades old – and even more likely have been stored in cold, dark environments. If your record looks to be in much better shape for its apparent age, it may be a later pressing or reissue.

 

The clearest indication of a first pressing, however, will be to look at what is either stamped or etched in the record’s dead wax (the smoother section of the record in between its label and the music grooves). Many first pressings will display text like “A//1” on the record’s A-side dead wax, and “B//1” on its B-side.

These markings are called matrix numbers, and they will often be the first thing that people look at to determine a record’s pressing number. You can use websites like Discogs to determine what matrix numbers to look out for on particular records.

Within this dead wax space, you can even look for identifiers like mastering engineer stamps. Some of the engineers who helped to create particular albums will sometimes stamp or etch things like their initials, or a nickname of theirs into the dead wax of records, signifying that they worked on the original pressings.

Check out our post about what some dead wax etchings mean.
 

As every record is different, there is no immediate, one-size-fits-all way of telling whether a record is a first press or not. In many cases, it could be down to a number of identifying features that all need to align – like the front of the record’s sleeve using a specific font colour, as well as the record itself having a specific set of matrix numbers for example. So, it might just be worth having a look at your own records sometime – just to see if your first-press collection has already started without you even knowing…

Want to know more about a record in your collection? You can always get in touch with us, we'd love to help.