How can I tell if my vinyl record is an original pressing?

Start with the label. Record companies changed label colors, logos and printed text over the years, so the label design can date a pressing. Then look at the runout groove, the smooth area between the last song and the label. Letters and numbers etched or stamped there, called matrix numbers, identify the specific pressing plant and lacquer used.

Check the jacket too. Original pressings may have different printing, a different back cover, a thicker cardboard jacket or text that later reissues changed. Barcodes are a clue: they did not appear on most records until the late 1970s and 1980s, so a barcode on a supposed 1960s album usually means a later reissue.

Online record databases list the details of most pressings, so you can match your label, catalog number and runout markings to the right version. Reissues and counterfeits exist for many sought-after records, so compare carefully. If you think you have something rare, a record dealer can confirm it before you sell.