RecordScoutGet the app

Thriller vinyl value

Median ask · 1982 QE 38112
$190
Asks start at
$20
Basis
28 eBay asks
Live eBay asks, Sep 21, 2026; sold prices usually close lower. How we price

Michael Jackson — Thriller: pressings we track

PressingCatalogCountryNotesAsking
1982 EpicQE 38112US—$87–$915
1982 EpicQE 38112USPitman Pressing, Gatefold$87–$915
1982 EpicQE 38112USGatefold$87–$915
1982 EpicQE 38112USCarrollton, GA Press$87–$915
1982 EpicQE 38112USMisprint, Pitman Pressing, Gatefold$87–$915
2008 Legacy88697 23341 7EuropeRemastered, Gatefoldfrom $49
2008 Epic8869 7 35339 1EuropePicture Disc, Reissue$37–$66
2008 Legacy88697233441EuropeLimited Edition, Remastered, Gatefold from $49
2008 Legacy88697 23344 1USRemastered, Gatefoldfrom $49
2008 Epic88697353391-1USPicture Disc, Reissue$37–$66
2008 Legacy88697233441USRemastered, Gatefold from $49
2008 Epic888697353391-1USPicture Disc, Reissue$37–$66
2015 Epic8875143731EuropeReissue$23–$35
3 more pressings we track (no quoted eBay range)
PressingCatalogCountryNotes
1982 EpicEPC 85930EuropeGatefold
1982 EpicHE 48112USHalf-Speed Mastered, Gatefold
2009 Music On VinylMOVLP014EuropeReissue, Remastered, 180 Gram, Gatefold

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

46 pressings tracked, 16 shown · catalog of 974,753 releases, August 2026

What separates the pressings

Originals, 19822 first-year pressings (US, Europe); any of them is an original. Runout on the US copy starts “AL 38112”.
Collector variants1982 US: Half-Speed Mastered, Gatefold; 1982 US: Misprint, Pitman Pressing, Gatefold; 2008 Europe: Picture Disc, Reissue. Short runs like these often bring more than a standard early copy.
Reissues, 2009+2 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 US pressing it reads “AL 38112” on side one and “BL 38112” 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 1982 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 Thriller is worth the most?

The 1982 originals lead. Scarcer variants (the 1982 “Half-Speed Mastered, Gatefold” and the 1982 “Misprint, Pitman Pressing, Gatefold”) 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 1982 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 1982 US pressing the runout reads “AL 38112”. A period jacket with a later disc inside is still a reissue.

How much is Thriller worth today?

Sellers ask from $20 for the pressings we track; for the 1982 QE 38112 the median ask is $190 over 10 listings (eBay, Sep 21, 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.

Open in the App StoreFree to try, iPhone, no account.
More from Michael Jackson