Album value
The Rolling Stones — Exile on Main St..
First-press value.
Released May 1972 as a double LP on Rolling Stones Records, recorded largely at Keith Richards' rented chateau in southern France. The original US first-press came with 12 postcards inside the gatefold — collected as a complete set, intact original copies bring premium prices.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1972. The US first-press shipped on the Rolling Stones Records label.
- US stereo catalog: COC 2-2900
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- Original 1972 Rolling Stones Records label with the tongue logo at top — by 1976 the label design shifted
- 12 postcards (a collage of Robert Frank photographs) were inserted in the gatefold; complete-postcard copies are scarce
- Catalog number COC 2-2900 is the US first-press indicator; UK Rolling Stones Records COC 69100 is also a first-press
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 |
|---|---|
| 1972 first-press (NM) | $50–200 |
| 1972 first-press (VG+) | $25–80 |
| Sealed authenticated original | $300–1,000 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $15–35 |
What pushes to the top: Complete 12-postcard set + NM 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 Rolling Stones Records design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches COC 2-2900. 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 (Rolling Stones Records), the catalog number (COC 2-2900), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. Original 1972 Rolling Stones Records label with the tongue logo at top — by 1976 the label design shifted.
Complete 12-postcard set + NM gatefold brings the top of the NM range, typically $50–200. Authenticated sealed first-press copies reach $300–1,000 when verified by Heritage Auctions or a specialist dealer.
Reissues use different label designs, different mastering, and were pressed in far larger quantities. Exile on Main St. reissues from later decades trade at $15–35 per NM copy. The first-press premium reflects scarcity, era-authenticity, and collector demand — not the music itself.
Exile on Main St. was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The COC 2-2900 pressing is the reference.
Free to startNo adsPrivate by defaultCloud syncBuilt for iOS