Vinyl pressings
by Harry Smith · 1952
Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume One was first pressed on vinyl in 1952. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
4 pressings came out in 1952, the album's first year. Compare the label and catalog number on your copy, then the codes etched or stamped in the runout groove (the dead wax around the label): they are the surest sign of an early pressing.
FP 251 A <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 251 B <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 251 C <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 251 D <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 251 A <Plastylite ear> 3T [PB]
FP 251 B <Plastylite ear> 3T [PB]
FP 251 C 3T [PB] <Plastylite ear>
FP 251 D 3T [PB] <Plastylite ear>
FP 251 A <Plastylite ear> 3T
FP 251 B <Plastylite ear> 3T
FP 251 C 3T <Plastylite ear>
FP 251 D 3T <Plastylite ear>
<Plastylite ear> FP 251 A 3Tetched
<Plastylite ear> FP 251 B 3Tetched
FP 251 C <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 251 D <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
Not sure how to read the runout? See matrix numbers, runout and dead wax and how to tell a first pressing.
By decade, oldest first. Open a pressing for its full label, barcode and runout details.
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | US | Folkways Records FP 251First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| 1952 | US | Folkways Records FP 251First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| 1952 | US | Folkways Records FP 251First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| 1952 | US | Folkways Records FP 251First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | US | Folkways Records FA 2951LP, Compilation, Reissue | LP, Compilation, Reissue |
| 1962 | US | Folkways Records FA 2951LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
| 1967 | US | Folkways Records FA 2951LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
| 1967 | US | Folkways Records FA 2951LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set · Colored vinyl | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set · Colored vinyl |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Italy | Doxy DOY625LP, Compilation, Reissue · Colored vinyl | LP, Compilation, Reissue · Colored vinyl |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | US | Mississippi Records MRP-070LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited | LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Folkways Records FA 2951LP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| ? | US | Folkways Records FP 2951LP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| ? | US | Folkways Records FA 2951LP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
13 vinyl pressings of Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume One are listed here, from 2 countries, released between 1952 and 2014.
The earliest pressings are from 1952, in US. One of them is Folkways Records FP 251, released August 1952.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use FP 251) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, FP 251 A <Plastylite ear> 3T and FP 251 B <Plastylite ear> 3T. Later reissues often keep the catalog number but change the label design or the runout codes.
It depends on which pressing you have and on the condition of the record and its sleeve. Early pressings from the album's home country in near mint condition are usually worth the most; common later reissues are worth far less. Scan your copy with VinylLens to see its value for every grade.
