Album value
Carly Simon — Anticipation.
First-press value.
Carly Simon's second album, released by Elektra in November 1971 and recorded at Morgan Studios in London with producer Paul Samwell-Smith. The title song made the Top 20 and later ran in Heinz ketchup commercials. The album peaked at No. 30 and went Gold in 1973. Originals are plentiful, and most copies sell for $3–10.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1971. The US first-press shipped on the Elektra butterfly label.
- US stereo catalog: EKS-75016
- UK first-press: Elektra (UK) K 42101
- RIAA certification: Gold (US)
The center label is only the first clue. See the full Elektra butterfly identification guide.
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the Carly Simon vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- 1971 runouts show STERLING (stamped) and LH, for Lee Hulko at Sterling Sound
- Columbia plant codes in the runouts show where it was pressed: CP for Pitman, CTH for Terre Haute, CSM for Santa Maria
- Copies with a Warner Communications logo in the label rim text and an SP suffix in the matrix are mid-1970s Specialty Records represses
- Originals shipped with the lyrics enclosed; a copy missing them is incomplete
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 |
|---|---|
| 1971 first-press (NM) | $8–$18 |
| 1971 first-press (VG+) | $3–$8 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $3–$8 |
What pushes to the top: Sterling-mastered 1971 pressing with the lyric enclosure and a clean, unwritten-on cover.
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 Elektra butterfly label design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches EKS-75016. 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.
1972 · Elektra butterfly label
Carly Simon — No Secrets
1972 first press: $4–$10 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1975 · Elektra butterfly label
Queen — A Night at the Opera
1975 first press: $15–$30 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1971 · Reprise steamboat
Joni Mitchell — Blue
1971 first press: $25–$60 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Elektra butterfly label), the catalog number (EKS-75016), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. 1971 runouts show STERLING (stamped) and LH, for Lee Hulko at Sterling Sound.
Sterling-mastered 1971 pressing with the lyric enclosure and a clean, unwritten-on cover brings the top of the NM range, typically $8–$18.
Reissues use different label designs, different mastering, and were pressed in far larger quantities. Anticipation reissues from later decades trade at $3–$8 per NM copy. The first-press premium reflects scarcity, era-authenticity, and collector demand — not the music itself.
Anticipation was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The EKS-75016 pressing is the reference.
Free to startNo adsPrivate by defaultCloud syncBuilt for iOS