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American III: Solitary Man vinyl value

American III: Solitary Man — Johnny Cash album cover
Prices for this album are still being collected: our eBay tracker quotes a pressing only after at least three live listings match it. The pressings and identification below are complete.

Johnny Cash — American III: Solitary Man: pressings we track

PressingCatalogCountryNotes
2000 ColumbiaCOL 500986 1Europe—
2000 American RecordingsC 69691US—
2001 ColumbiaCOL 500986 0Europe—
2006 American Recordings5101-12794-1UKReissue
2007 American Recordings5101-12794-1UKReissue
2009 Music On VinylMOVLP009EuropeReissue, 180 Gr.
2013 American Recordings500986 0UK & EuropeLimited Edition, Reissue, Unofficial Release
2013 American Recordings500 986 0UK & EuropeReissue, Unofficial Release
2014 American Recordings0600753441701EuropeReissue, 180 gram
2014 American RecordingsB0019197-01USReissue, 180 gram
2019 American Recordings0600753441701EuropeReissue, 180 gram
2022 American Recordings0600753441701Europe—
Undated American RecordingsB0019197-01CanadaReissue, 180g
Undated ColumbiaCOL 500986 0EuropeUnofficial Release
Undated American Recordings0600753441701EuropeReissue

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

What separates the pressings

Originals, 20002 first-year pressings (US, Europe); any of them is an original. Runout on the US copy starts “OASIS DISC MASTERING AL-69691-1A [signature] DCBQS”.
Reissues, 2006+8 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 2000 US pressing it reads “OASIS DISC MASTERING AL-69691-1A [signature] DCBQS” on side one and “OASIS DISC MASTERING BL-69691-1B [signature] DCBQS” 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 2000 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 III: Solitary Man is worth the most?

The 2000 originals lead. 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 2000 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 2000 US pressing the runout reads “OASIS DISC MASTERING AL-69691-1A [signature] DCBQS”. A period jacket with a later disc inside is still a reissue.

How much is American III: Solitary Man worth today?

Market prices move, so a static number goes stale fast. Scan the record in the RecordScout app: it identifies your exact pressing from the label and shows a current value range for its 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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