Album value
Creedence Clearwater Revival — Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits.
First-press value.
Fantasy released Chronicle in January 1976 as a two-LP gatefold, CCR-2, collecting 13 A-sides and seven B-sides. It is certified 12× Platinum and has logged more than 750 weeks on the Billboard 200, and Fantasy has reissued it again and again. That keeps a 1976 original close in price to a recent colored-vinyl reissue: Discogs medians for both sit around $17–27.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1976. The US first-press shipped on the Fantasy brown label.
- US stereo catalog: CCR-2
- UK first-press: Fantasy (UK) FT 528
- RIAA certification: 12× Platinum (US)
The center label is only the first clue. See the full Fantasy Records (Creedence) identification guide.
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the Creedence Clearwater Revival vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- 1976 originals are on a brown Fantasy label with orange rim text, read ℗ and © 1976, and have no barcode
- The two discs are sequenced for an automatic changer: record one holds sides 1 and 4, record two holds sides 2 and 3
- Early runouts carry mastering engineer David Turner's eyebrows-and-eyes mark (⁀..⁀) plus Columbia plant codes such as T1 for Terre Haute or S for Santa Maria
- Later label designs date a copy: the lightning-bolt logo from about 1977 to 1979, aqua labels in the 1980s, navy blue with a barcode and a misprinted "1876" date by 1991
- Since 2014 it has been reissued many times on purple labels and colored vinyl; these trade at or slightly above the price of 1976 copies
- The UK issue, Fantasy FT 528, fits all 20 songs on a single LP
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 |
|---|---|
| 1976 first-press (NM) | $20–$40 |
| 1976 first-press (VG+) | $10–$20 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $15–$30 |
What pushes to the top: 1976 brown-label set with the David Turner mark in the runouts and a tight, unworn gatefold.
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 Fantasy brown label design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches CCR-2. 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.
1969 · Fantasy blue label, gold print
Creedence Clearwater Revival — Willy and the Poor Boys
1969 first press: $10–$20 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1970 · Fantasy blue label
Creedence Clearwater Revival — Pendulum
1970 first press: $7–$14 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1976 · Tamla yellow-rim
Stevie Wonder — Songs in the Key of Life
1976 first press: $20–$50 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Fantasy brown label), the catalog number (CCR-2), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. 1976 originals are on a brown Fantasy label with orange rim text, read ℗ and © 1976, and have no barcode.
1976 brown-label set with the David Turner mark in the runouts and a tight, unworn gatefold brings the top of the NM range, typically $20–$40.
Often not by much. Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits reissues trade at $15–$30 per NM copy, against $20–$40 for a near-mint first pressing. A worn original can sell for less than a clean reissue, so condition matters as much as which pressing it is.
Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The CCR-2 pressing is the reference.
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