Vinyl pressings
by Leonard Bernstein · 1966
Highlights From Handel's Messiah was first pressed on vinyl in 1966. Every vinyl pressing is listed below with its label, catalog number and runout codes, so you can tell an original from a reissue.
2 pressings came out in 1966, 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.
XXSM114348-1K P Λ3Side A Runout Stamped (Variant 1)
XXSM114349-1H P Λ2Side B Runout Stamped (Variant 1)
XXSM114348-1F P Λ2Side A Runout Stamped (Variant 2)
XXSM114348-1B P Λ3Side B Runout Stamped (Variant 2)
XXLP114346-1C T B1Side A
XXLP114347-1E- T 11 1 11
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6928First yearLP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1966 | US | Columbia Masterworks ML 6328First yearLP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| 1967 | Canada | Columbia Masterworks MS 6928LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| 1967 | Canada | Columbia Masterworks ML-6328LP, Album, Mono · Mono | LP, Album, Mono · Mono |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Canada | Columbia Masterworks MS 6928LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Canada | Columbia Masterworks MS 6928 / CBS Masterworks MS 6928LP, Repress | LP, Repress |
| 1982 | US | Priority Records RU 38405LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo | LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo |
| 1983 | Unknown | CBS MS 6928LP | LP |
| 1983 | US | CBS MY 38481LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| 1983 | US | CBS MY 38481LP, Reissue | LP, Reissue |
| Year | Country | Label and catalog number | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? | Bolivia | Columbia Masterworks 100.011 / CBS 100011LP, Album, Stereo | LP, Album, Stereo |
| ? | Germany | Philips G 05625 R / Philips G 05 625 RLP, 10" | LP, 10" |
| ? | Germany | Philips G 05625 RLP, 10", Mono · Mono | LP, 10", Mono · Mono |
| ? | Germany | Philips G 05625 R / Philips G 05 625 RLP, 10" | LP, 10" |
| ? | Japan | CBS/Sony SOCL 80LP | LP |
| ? | Japan | CBS/Sony FCCA 149LP | LP |
| ? | Japan | CBS/Sony FCCA 498LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| ? | Japan | CBS/Sony FCCA 553LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| ? | UK | CBS 61418LP | LP |
| ? | UK | CBS 61418LP, Stereo | LP, Stereo |
| ? | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6928LP, Album, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Repress, Stereo |
| ? | US | Columbia Masterworks MS 6928LP, Album, Repress, Stereo | LP, Album, Repress, Stereo |
22 vinyl pressings of Highlights From Handel's Messiah are listed here, from 6 countries, released between 1966 and 1983.
The earliest pressings are from 1966, in US. One of them is Columbia Masterworks MS 6928.
Check the catalog number on the label (first-year pressings use MS 6928, ML 6328) and the codes etched in the runout groove, then compare them with the pressings listed above; for example, XXSM114348-1K P Λ3 and XXSM114349-1H P Λ2. 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.
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