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The Bridge vinyl value

Median ask · 1986 CYA 1195
$15
Typical asks
$9–$122
Basis
16 eBay asks
Live eBay asks, Sep 22, 2026; sold prices usually close lower. How we price

Billy Joel — The Bridge: pressings we track

PressingCatalogCountryNotesAsking
1986 CBSCBS 86323Europe—$21–$26
1986 CBS/SonyCYA 1195Hong Kong—$9–$122
1986 CBSCBS 86323UK—$21–$26
1986 ColumbiaOC 40402USPitman Pressing$9–$122
1986 ColumbiaOC 40402USReissue$9–$122
1986 ColumbiaOC 40402USCarrollton Pressing$9–$122
1986 CBSCBS 86323Yugoslavia—$21–$26
8 more pressings we track (no quoted eBay range)
PressingCatalogCountryNotes
1986 ColumbiaOC 40402Canada—
1986 CBS465561 1Europe—
1986 CBS/Sony28AP 3220Japan—
1986 CBS/Sony28AP 3220JapanPromo
1986 CBS465561 1UKReissue
2016 Friday MusicFRM-40402USDeluxe Edition, Reissue, Blue, 180g
2016 Friday MusicFRM-40402USDeluxe Edition, Reissue, Orange & Red Swirl, 180g
2025 Columbia196587008215EuropeReissue

No quoted range right now (why). Scan your copy in the app for a current read.

18 pressings tracked, 15 shown · catalog of 974,753 releases, August 2026

What separates the pressings

Originals, 19868 first-year pressings (US, UK, Europe, Canada and 3 more); any of them is an original. Runout on the US copy starts “AL 40402”.
Collector variants1986 Japan: Promo; 2016 US: Deluxe Edition, Reissue, Blue, 180g; 2016 US: Deluxe Edition, Reissue, Orange & Red Swirl, 180g. Short runs like these often bring more than a standard early copy.
JapanPressed to high standards and collected separately; a copy with the original obi strip is a different record to collectors than one without.
Reissues, 2025Easy to find, priced as a listening copy.

How to identify your copy

Three checks, in the order worth doing them.

  1. 1

    Match the catalog number. It is printed on the spine and the record label. Check it together with the country against the pressings table above: the same number can appear in more than one country.

  2. 2

    Read the runout. The code etched in the dead wax near the label names the exact pressing. On the 1986 US pressing it reads “AL 40402” on side one and “BL 40402” on side two. Jackets get swapped over the decades; the runout does not.

  3. 3

    Grade the condition. The same pressing can be worth several times more in near mint than in VG. Grade the vinyl and the sleeve separately — our grading guide shows the standard scale.

A 1986 jacket with a later disc inside is a reissue in an original sleeve. Judge the pressing by the runout etching and the label, never by the cover.

Questions

Which pressing of The Bridge is worth the most?

The 1986 originals lead. Scarcer variants (the 1986 “Promo” and the 2016 “Deluxe Edition, Reissue, Blue, 180g”) can beat an ordinary early copy. After that it is all condition: the gap between near mint and VG is usually larger than the gap between pressings.

How do I tell if I have a 1986 original?

Match the catalog number on the spine and label against the table above, check the country, then read the etched code in the runout groove. On the 1986 US pressing the runout reads “AL 40402”. A period jacket with a later disc inside is still a reissue.

How much is The Bridge worth today?

Sellers typically ask $9 to $122 for the pressings we track; for the 1986 CYA 1195 the median ask is $15 over 10 listings (eBay, Sep 22, 2026). Sold prices usually close lower. Scan your copy in the app for the range on your exact pressing and condition.

Not sure which pressing you have? Photograph the label and RecordScout names it, then shows a current value range for its condition.

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