Album value
The Velvet Underground — Loaded.
First-press value.
The fourth and last studio LP with Lou Reed, released on Cotillion (an Atlantic subsidiary) in November 1970. The original pressing is uncommon — Cotillion folded the catalog into Atlantic within months and most surviving copies are early Atlantic reissues.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1970. The US first-press shipped on the Cotillion red-and-orange label.
- US stereo catalog: SD 9034
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- 1970 Cotillion red-and-orange label is the first-press signal — Atlantic-imprint reissues use the red-and-plum design
- Original sleeve has the specific 'Cotillion Distributed by Atlantic Records' credit on the back
- Catalog number SD 9034 is the first-press indicator; later Atlantic-distribution reissues used a SD-7-prefix series
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) | $80–$200 |
| 1970 first-press (VG+) | $40–$80 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $15–$30 |
What pushes to the top: Original Cotillion sleeve and label in NM.
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 Cotillion red-and-orange design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches SD 9034. 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 · Reprise two-tone
Neil Young — After the Gold Rush
1970 first press: $25–$60 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 (Cotillion red-and-orange), the catalog number (SD 9034), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. 1970 Cotillion red-and-orange label is the first-press signal — Atlantic-imprint reissues use the red-and-plum design.
Original Cotillion sleeve and label in NM brings the top of the NM range, typically $80–$200.
Reissues use different label designs, different mastering, and were pressed in far larger quantities. Loaded 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.
Loaded was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The SD 9034 pressing is the reference.
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