Vinyl pressings
by Harry Smith · 1952
Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume Three 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.
3 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 253 A <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 253 B <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 253 C <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 253 D <Plastylite ear> 3Tetched
FP 253 A 3T <Plastylite ear>Runout side A
FP253 B 3T [PB] <Plastylite ear>Runout side B
FP 253-C-2 3T [PB] <Plastylite ear>Runout side C
FP 253 D 3T [PB] <Plastylite ear>Runout side D
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 253First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| 1952 | US | Folkways Records FP 253First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| 1952 | US | Folkways Records FP 253First yearLP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | US | Folkways Records FP 2953LP, Compilation | LP, Compilation |
| 1966 | US | Folkways Records FA 2953LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
| 1966 | US | Folkways Records FA 2953LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
| 1966 | US | Folkways Records FP 2953LP, Compilation, Reissue | LP, Compilation, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | US | Folkways Records FA 2953LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
| 1972 | US | Folkways Records FA 2953LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Italy | Doxy DOY627LP, Compilation, Reissue · Colored vinyl | LP, Compilation, Reissue · Colored vinyl |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | US | Mississippi Records MRP-072LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited | LP, Compilation, Limited Edition, Reissue · Limited |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | US | Folkways Records FA 2953LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set | LP, Compilation, Reissue, Box Set |
12 vinyl pressings of Anthology Of American Folk Music Volume Three 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 253, released August 1952.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use FP 253) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, FP 253 A <Plastylite ear> 3T and FP 253 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.
