Album value
Pink Floyd — Wish You Were Here.
First-press value.
Pink Floyd's 1975 follow-up to Dark Side, released on Harvest in the UK and Columbia in the US. The original copies shipped wrapped in opaque black shrink with a 'Pink Floyd' sticker and a postcard insert — most surviving copies are missing both. Complete-package first-presses bring significant premiums.
01
The first-press, by the numbers
Released 1975. The US first-press shipped on the Columbia tan label.
- US stereo catalog: PC 33453
- UK first-press: Harvest (UK) SHVL 814
02
How to confirm a first-press
Three things separate an original from a later reissue beyond the catalog number.
- Original 1975 shipping wrap was opaque black shrink-wrap with a single 'Pink Floyd' sticker — most surviving copies have lost it
- Original postcard with the diver photograph was inserted in the sleeve; finding both intact is uncommon
- Catalog number PC 33453 (US) or SHVL 814 (UK) with no reissue suffix is the 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 |
|---|---|
| 1975 first-press (NM) | $50–200 |
| 1975 first-press (VG+) | $25–80 |
| Sealed authenticated original | $400–1,200 |
| Reissue (any later catalog), NM | $15–35 |
What pushes to the top: Sealed with original black wrap, sticker, and postcard intact.
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 Columbia tan design. Confirm the catalog number on the label matches PC 33453. 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 (Columbia tan), the catalog number (PC 33453), and the matrix runout etched in the dead wax. All three need to line up for a confirmed first-press. Original 1975 shipping wrap was opaque black shrink-wrap with a single 'Pink Floyd' sticker — most surviving copies have lost it.
Sealed with original black wrap, sticker, and postcard intact brings the top of the NM range, typically $50–200. Authenticated sealed first-press copies reach $400–1,200 when verified by Heritage Auctions or a specialist dealer.
Reissues use different label designs, different mastering, and were pressed in far larger quantities. Wish You Were Here 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.
Wish You Were Here was issued in stereo only as a first-press. The PC 33453 pressing is the reference.
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