Sleevebay guide
How to identify which pressing of a record you have
Start with the barcode on the back of the sleeve if there is one, then the catalogue number on the spine and the label. To tell two pressings with the same number apart, read the label design, the country and the run-out etchings: the letters and numbers scratched into the smooth ring between the last groove and the label.
Where to look
One album can exist in dozens of pressings: the first run, later runs, other countries, reissues decades on. Four places on the record tell you which one is in your hands.
The barcode
A barcode is the quickest way in, because it belongs to one edition. It is twelve digits (UPC, used in North America) or thirteen (EAN, everywhere else) printed under the bars on the back of the sleeve, sometimes on a sticker on the shrink-wrap.
Barcodes only reached record sleeves around 1980. A record from the 1960s or 1970s with a barcode is a later reissue; a record without one may still be recent, since small labels often leave it off.
The catalogue number
The catalogue number is the label’s own reference for a release, such as HBR 014 or QL-2207. Look on the spine, the back of the sleeve and the label on the record itself. It usually stays the same through every run of that edition, so it narrows things down without always finishing the job.
If the number on the sleeve and the number on the label differ, note both: sleeves and records were sometimes paired from different runs.
The label
Labels change their design, their address and their small print over the years, which dates a copy better than the sleeve does. Compare the logo, the colour, the rim text and where the catalogue number sits. Look for the country of manufacture, the publishing credits, and "stereo" or "mono".
The run-out (matrix) etchings
Turn the record under a lamp and read what is scratched or stamped into the run-out: the smooth band between the last track and the label. There is one set on each side.
You will usually find the catalogue number or a cutting number, a side marker (A or B, 1 or 2), and a cut or lacquer number such as A-1 or B-3: a low number generally means an early cut. There may also be the initials or nickname of the engineer who cut it, a mark for the plant that pressed it, and now and then a message.
No database lets you search by these marks, so they are for comparing: write yours down exactly, with every dash and symbol, and check them against the pressings listed for that catalogue number.
Putting it together
In Sleevebay, scan the barcode or type the catalogue number and the app asks MusicBrainz, the open music database, which pressings match. It lists them with label, country, year and format, and says which details differ between them so you know what to check on your sleeve. Then you keep your run-out etchings on the record, with photos if you like, so the next time the question comes up the answer is already there.
Questions
How do I know if my record is a first pressing?
Match the catalogue number, the label design and the run-out etchings to the earliest known pressing. A barcode on a pre-1980 title, a later label design or a reissue credit on the sleeve all point to a later copy. Low cut numbers in the run-out are a good sign but not proof on their own.
My record has no barcode. How do I look it up?
Use the catalogue number on the spine or label, or search by artist and title and then compare label, country and year.
What is the matrix number?
It is the reference scratched or stamped into the run-out of each side when the record was cut. It identifies the cut and often the side, and it is the most reliable way to tell two otherwise identical pressings apart.
Are reissues worth less than originals?
Often, but not always. Some reissues are pressed in small numbers or sound better than a worn original, and are wanted for that. What matters is which pressing people are looking for and how many exist.