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American Pie vinyl value

American Pie — Don McLean album cover
Median ask · 2016 B0024312-01
$35
Typical asks
$25–$287
Basis
8 eBay asks
Every quoted ask sits on a 2016-or-later pressing. The 1982 pressings have no quoted range right now.
Live eBay asks, Sep 19, 2026; sold prices usually close lower. How we price

Don McLean — American Pie: pressings we track

PressingCatalogCountryNotesAsking
2016 CapitolB0024312-01USReissue$25–$287
9 more pressings we track (no quoted eBay range)
PressingCatalogCountryNotes
1982 FameFA 3023UKReissue
1984 EMI America1C 038 1575551EuropeReissue
1984 Liberty1937031FranceReissue
1984 Liberty1C 038 1575551GermanyReissue
1986 LibertyMID-166002AustraliaReissue
2000 Simply VinylSVLP 238UKReissue, 180g
2010 Friday MusicFRM 5535USReissue, Remastered, 180 Gram
2026 UMe00602547670403EuropeLimited Edition, Reissue, Red, White & Blue
Undated FameFA 3023UKReissue

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

10 pressings tracked · catalog of 974,753 releases, August 2026

What separates the pressings

Oldest we track, 1982First released 1971; our table starts at 1982 (Fame, UK). A copy older than 1982 predates everything here. Treat it as the find.
Collector variants2026 Europe: Limited Edition, Reissue, Red, White & Blue. Pressed in small numbers, and priced accordingly.
Reissues, 2000+3 pressings. Easy to find, priced as listening copies.

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 1982 UK pressing it reads “GO 2004 A” on side one and “GO 2004 B” on side two. Sleeves migrate between copies over the years; the etching stays with the record.

  3. 3

    Grade the condition. Condition multiplies the price: near mint can bring several times what a VG copy does. Vinyl and sleeve get separate grades; the scale is in our grading guide.

Discs and jackets part ways over the decades: a 1971 sleeve proves nothing about the record inside it. The runout etching and the label decide the pressing; the cover never does.

Questions

Which pressing of American Pie is worth the most?

Original 1971 pressings lead; they predate everything in our table, and that scarcity is the point. Among tracked copies, the 1982 pressings come first. Scarcer variants (the 2026 “Limited Edition, Reissue, Red, White & Blue”) 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 which pressing I have?

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 1982 UK pressing the runout reads “GO 2004 A”. A period jacket with a later disc inside is still a reissue.

How much is American Pie worth today?

Sellers typically ask $25 to $287 for the later pressings we have quotes on; for the 2016 B0024312-01 the median ask is $35 over 8 listings (eBay, Sep 19, 2026). The 1982 pressings have no quoted range right now. 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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