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.
Keep checking the shelf
More first pressings worth knowing.
Nearby years, matching labels, and more records by the same artist.
1970 · Cotillion red-and-orange
The Velvet Underground — Loaded
1970 first press: $40–$80 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1970 · Columbia 360 Sound
Miles Davis — Bitches Brew
1970 first press: $30–$80 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1970 · Warner Bros. green-and-yellow
Black Sabbath — Paranoid
1970 first press: $40–$120 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA 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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