Album value
Neil Young — After the Gold Rush.
First-press value.
Neil Young's third solo studio LP, released September 1970 on Reprise. The early-70s singer-songwriter peak. Original copies came with a 16-page lyric booklet inside; complete-booklet first-presses bring premium prices.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1970. The US first-press shipped on the Reprise two-tone label.
- US stereo catalog: RS 6383
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- Original 1970 Reprise label is the two-tone tan-and-cream design with the steamboat logo
- 16-page lyric booklet was included in the original gatefold sleeve — most surviving copies are missing it
- Catalog number RS 6383 is the first-press indicator; later runs used different prefixes
The matrix runout etched in the dead wax is the definitive identifier when label and catalog number both look era-correct.
03
What it's worth
Recent sold-listing ranges. Pressing, condition, and current market all move the number.
| Pressing & condition | Recent sold |
|---|---|
| 1970 first-press (NM) | $50–150 |
| 1970 first-press (VG+) | $25–60 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $15–30 |
What pushes to the top: Original lyric booklet intact and unfaded.
Sources: Discogs sold listings (90-day window), Popsike.com auction archive, Goldmine Record Album Price Guide.
04
If you have one
Pull the record. Check the label first against the Reprise two-tone design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches RS 6383. Then check the matrix runout in the dead wax. All three lining up is the first-press confirmation.
Or scan with Crown Vinyl. The app reads the label, catalog number, and matrix runout from a single photograph, returns the exact pressing, and pulls a current value from recent real sales. Free on the App Store.
A few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Reprise two-tone), the catalog number (RS 6383), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. Original 1970 Reprise label is the two-tone tan-and-cream design with the steamboat logo.
Original lyric booklet intact and unfaded brings the top of the NM range, typically $50–150.
Reissues use different label designs, different mastering, and were pressed in far larger quantities. After the Gold Rush reissues from later decades trade at $15–30 per NM copy. The first-press premium reflects scarcity, era-authenticity, and collector demand — not the music itself.
After the Gold Rush was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The RS 6383 pressing is the reference.
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