A pressing-identification deep dive
The Velvet Underground & Nico.
The banana cover.
Released in March 1967 on Verve, The Velvet Underground & Nico is one of the most collected rock LPs of the era. The original front cover, designed by Andy Warhol, shows a yellow banana with a peelable sticker — the banana peels back to reveal a pink fruit underneath. The peelable sticker is the defining first-press identifier. Most surviving copies have the sticker peeled or missing. Clean unpeeled copies are scarce and valuable.
01
The three cover variants
Three distinct cover states exist for the 1967 Verve first-press. The price differences are large.
1. Peelable banana, unpeeled. The original cover with the yellow banana sticker intact and still adhered to the album front. The Warhol signature is printed in the lower-right corner. These are the rarest surviving cover states; most buyers peeled the sticker out of curiosity. Unpeeled-sticker copies routinely bring four figures in NM condition.
2. Peeled banana, sticker partially or fully removed. The same cover with the banana peel exposed (pink fruit visible underneath). Peel quality varies — some are clean reveals, some tore the underlying cover. Cleanly peeled copies still bring solid collector prices; messy peels are graded harshly.
3. Torso cover (early 1967). A small number of original Verve copies shipped with an alternate back cover that included a photograph of an inverted male torso. The photograph appears in a small panel on the back cover and was the subject of a Verve recall. Copies with the original un-airbrushed torso are extremely scarce. Auction prices on authenticated torso-cover copies push into the five figures.
02
What an original first-press is worth
| Variant | Condition | Recent sold |
|---|---|---|
| Unpeeled banana, mono (V/V6-5008) | NM | $1,500–5,000+ |
| Unpeeled banana, stereo | NM | $1,000–3,000+ |
| Peeled banana, clean reveal | NM | $200–500 |
| Peeled banana, torn/damaged | VG to VG+ | $80–200 |
| Torso back cover, original (authenticated) | NM | $3,000–25,000+ |
| Verve airbrushed-torso reissue | NM | $100–300 |
Sources: Discogs sold listings (90-day window), Popsike.com auction archive, Heritage Auctions. Authenticated unpeeled originals are exceptionally scarce.
03
Mono is the canonical mix
The 1967 mono mix is widely regarded as the artist-approved version of the album. The stereo mix was assembled separately and treats some of the experimental tracks differently — particularly “Heroin” and “European Son.” Mono copies on Verve V-5008 are the audiophile and collector reference; stereo Verve V6-5008 trades at roughly 60–70% of the equivalent mono price.
The catalog number prefix distinguishes them: V- for mono, V6- for stereo. The label also indicates the mix on its front face.
04
How to confirm an original
Front cover. Original 1967 Verve copies have either the unpeeled banana sticker or clear evidence of where it was. The Warhol signature is printed in the bottom-right corner. Reissue covers from 1968 onward used a printed banana (not a peelable sticker) and dropped the signature.
Back cover. Original copies have a photograph collage by Hugo of the band performing with Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable light show. A small inverted-torso photograph appears in the original first run; Verve airbrushed it out within months.
Label and catalog number. Verve V-5008 for mono, V6-5008 for stereo. The original Verve label is the “mod” design with a blue background and yellow lettering. Reissue labels are different.
Matrix runout. First-press matrix codes are V-5008-A1/B1 (mono) or V6-5008-A1/B1 (stereo) etched in the dead wax. Cuts beyond the earliest pressings are also collected but at lower prices.
Or scan with Crown Vinyl. The app reads the label, catalog number, and matrix from a single photograph and confirms the pressing. The Warhol cover variant requires visual inspection of the sleeve — no app reads sticker integrity. Free on the App Store.
A few questions
The ones that come up.
Yes. The peelable sticker is the defining first-press identifier. Most surviving copies have the sticker peeled or missing entirely. Authenticated unpeeled copies in NM condition routinely bring $2,000–5,000+ at auction, vs $200–500 for cleanly-peeled copies. The premium reflects how scarce intact stickers are after sixty years.
A photograph of an inverted male torso that appeared in a small panel on the back cover of the original Verve 1967 first run. Verve recalled and airbrushed the photograph within months of release, replacing it with a different image. Authenticated original torso-cover copies are exceptionally scarce — auction prices have reached the high five figures.
Yes. The 1967 mono mix (Verve V-5008) is the artist-approved version and trades at roughly 1.5–2× the equivalent stereo price. The stereo mix (Verve V6-5008) handles experimental tracks like 'Heroin' and 'European Son' differently and is treated as a secondary format by collectors.
Look for a peelable sticker on the banana — original 1967 Verve copies use a physical sticker that can be peeled. Reissues from 1968 onward used a printed banana (no sticker). The Warhol signature in the bottom-right corner and the V-5008 / V6-5008 catalog number on a 1967 Verve label confirm an original.
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