Album value
Dire Straits — Making Movies.
First-press value.
Dire Straits' third album came out on October 17, 1980, co-produced by Jimmy Iovine with Roy Bittan of the E Street Band on keyboards. The original US Warner Bros. LP is easy to find and usually sells for $13 to $18. The copies that bring $60 or more are almost always the 2019 Mobile Fidelity double LP at 45 rpm, not 1980 originals.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1980. The US first-press shipped on the Warner Bros. tan (narrow horizontal lines) label.
- US stereo catalog: BSK 3480
- UK first-press: Vertigo (UK) 6359 034
- RIAA certification: Platinum (US)
Compare this copy with the artist's other collectible originals. See the Dire Straits vinyl value profile.
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- US originals are on the tan Warner Bros. label with narrow horizontal lines, used from late 1978 to early 1983
- STERLING is stamped in the runouts; Greg Calbi mastered at Sterling Sound, and some copies also have 'gc.' etched
- US copies came from several plants: Los Angeles (✲ stamps), Winchester, and Europadisk-plated copies with the EDP logo. None trades well above the others
- Issued with a printed lyric and credits inner sleeve
- The Mobile Fidelity reissue (MFSL 2-468, 2019) is a numbered 2-LP set at 45 rpm and sells for around $60 on Discogs
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 |
|---|---|
| 1980 first-press (NM) | $15–$40 |
| 1980 first-press (VG+) | $8–$18 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $35–$65 |
What pushes to the top: Near mint Sterling-mastered US copy with the original inner sleeve; among reissues, the Mobile Fidelity 45 rpm set.
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 Warner Bros. tan (narrow horizontal lines) design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches BSK 3480. 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.
1985 · Warner Bros. white label (ghosted shields)
Dire Straits — Brothers in Arms
1985 first press: $8–$20 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1980 · Chrysalis custom blue photo label
Pat Benatar — Crimes of Passion
1980 first press: $3–$8 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressing
1978 · Epic orange
Boston — Don't Look Back
1978 first press: $5–$10 in VG+ condition.
Check this pressingA few questions
The ones that come up.
Check the label design (Warner Bros. tan (narrow horizontal lines)), the catalog number (BSK 3480), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. US originals are on the tan Warner Bros. label with narrow horizontal lines, used from late 1978 to early 1983.
Near mint Sterling-mastered US copy with the original inner sleeve; among reissues, the Mobile Fidelity 45 rpm set brings the top of the NM range, typically $15–$40.
Often not by much. Making Movies reissues trade at $35–$65 per NM copy, against $15–$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.
Making Movies was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The BSK 3480 pressing is the reference.
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