First Pressing Forensics: A Guide to Identifying an Original
In the world of record collecting, few terms are spoken with more reverence than "first pressing." It’s the collector's prize, the version supposedly closest to the artist's original vision, cut from a master tape still fresh with the energy of the studio. But in a marketplace filled with reissues, how can you be sure you're holding the genuine article and not just an old record?
The answer is forensics. You don't just look at a record; you investigate it. Every physical part—the dead wax, the label, the jacket—holds clues. Learning to read them is the true craft of the collector. Here is your guide to the investigation.
The Story in the Silence: The Run-out Groove
Before you do anything else, inspect the "dead wax," the silent space between the last song and the label. This is the record's birth certificate. Take the record to a good light source and tilt it until you see the faint, hand-etched or machine-stamped codes. This is what you're looking for:
Matrix Numbers: This is the primary identifier. This long alphanumeric string identifies the specific lacquer and stamper used to press this very side of this record. The earliest pressings will have the simplest matrix numbers (e.g., ending in "-1A" or "-A1").
Mastering Engineer's Signature: The final artist in the chain. Their initials are a mark of quality and a key clue. A tiny "RL" for Bob Ludwig on a Led Zeppelin record or "BG" for Bernie Grundman on a 70s classic are definitive signs of a specific, often early, cut.
Pressing Plant Marks: These small stamps or symbols tell you where the record was made. A stamped bullseye, for instance, means it was pressed at a Capitol Records plant in the US.
The Face of the Record: The Label
Record companies changed their label designs constantly. This makes the paper label in the center of the record one of your most reliable clues for dating an album. An album from 1965 will not have the same label design as a reissue from 1972.
Look for details like:
Logos and Branding: Did the record company use a different logo in its early years? For example, original Blue Note jazz records have a label that includes the address "47 West 63rd NYC," a detail that vanishes on later pressings.
"Deep Groove": On many records from the 50s and 60s, you can see and feel a distinct circular indentation pressed into the label about an inch from the edge. The absence of this "deep groove" on a record that should have it is a clear sign of a later pressing.
Typography and Text: Look at the details. Is the address of the record company listed at the bottom? Does it say "Stereo" or "Monaural"? These small print details changed frequently and are documented by collectors.
The Outer Shell: The Jacket and Sleeve
The jacket is more than just packaging; it's a time capsule. The materials and printing techniques tell a story.
Construction: Many older jackets from the 50s and 60s were made with a "paste-over slick," where the cover image was printed on a separate piece of paper and glued onto the cardboard. Feel the edges. Does it feel like a separate layer of paper?
Addresses and Logos: Just like the labels, the company addresses and logos on the back of a jacket can date it to a specific period.
The Barcode: This is the easiest clue of all. With very few exceptions, barcodes did not begin appearing on album jackets until the late 1970s and were not common until the 1980s. If an album from 1968 has a barcode on the back, you are holding a reissue.
The Final Verdict: Cross-Reference Your Findings
Once you've gathered your physical clues—the matrix number, the label details, the jacket construction—you need to confirm them. The single greatest resource for this is the website Discogs. It is a massive, user-built database that contains detailed entries for millions of specific pressings of albums.
Look up the album and find the version that matches all the details from your physical copy. The matrix numbers in the dead wax are your most powerful tool. If they match an entry listed as the 1966 original mono pressing, you've found your artifact.
This process transforms you from a consumer into a historian. You're not just buying a record; you're uncovering the story of an object, connecting directly with the time and place of its creation. That is the hunt, and that is the reward.